From my children's book cabinet - Catweazle

Wait ... from my book cabinet?
Yes, my friends. Today I'll talk about the book "Catweazle" by Richard Carpenter which was based on the scripts from the first series of the British cult TV show with the same name. Okay, I can't avoid it being a mix of both.

I actually used a vintage button for this bead
embroidered brooch. I remember an online
friend saying she didn't know she liked the
man very much, but she liked the brooch.
Of course she didn't know Catweazle.

But wait, I have no idea if Catweazle was as popular as in the UK or Germany or even known everywhere, so let me introduce him to you first.

Catweazle is a sorcerer in 11th century England. One of his great goals is being able to fly. One day Norman soldiers chase him out of his cave and in order to escape he's forced to jump into a pond.

Catweazle running from the
Norman soldiers, but not
without his familiar, the
toad Touchwood

When he comes up again, the landscape looks very different. He hides in a barn and quickly learns that he has landed himself in the 20th century when the son of Hexwood Farm's owner - Edward, called Carrot because of his red hair - finds him.

Carrot with Sam, the farmhand

Understandably, everything is new and scary to Catweazle.
He thinks this time is full of sorcerers. On one hand, he'd love to learn their magic - like Carrot's "electrickery" of the "little sun in a bottle" (simply a lamp that's switched on) or the vicar's "telling bone" (a telephone) - but on the other hand he has problems getting used to so many new things and he doesn't always react very gracefully when they don't go his way (here's a video with "all the insults, name calling, derision & mockery" from "nettle face" to "spider spittle").
Luckily Carrot, who doesn't really believe the Norman story, by the way, can handle Catweazle quite well unless he runs off to get himself into a new pickle, but the sorcerer is also able to help Carrot with a few things, such as dealing with the overdrawn bank account for the farm or an annoying housekeeper and her son.

Catweazle sets up camp in an old water tower in the woods which belongs to the Army and calls it Castle Saburac after the spirit he claims led him there.
When he's not out confusing people or hiding from them, he spends his time there desperately searching for a spell to return to his own time. A lot of his spells go wrong, but he's quite good at hypnotizing people into forgetting him, for example.

I won't be getting into the individual episodes of the TV show although it's tempting - how Catweazle removes an old curse, how he gets his magic dagger Adamcos back or why he steals broomsticks (and almost gets Sam in trouble by doing so) and so on.
As the book is based on the scripts of the show, however, and really sticks very closely to them, I'll take a short look at the creation of the show.
In a short documentary, Richard Carpenter tells the story of his brother-in-law who had a turkey farm - that's one difference between book and show, in the show you don't see a turkey - they visited, and on the way back they got lost and came to a gate with "Catweazle" written on it. Further inspiration came from this Hieronymus Bosch painting, to be precise from the figure in the left corner.

Carpenter who had actually been an actor was so intrigued that he turned it into a character himself. His friend, the wonderful Geoffrey Bayldon, had turned down the role of "Doctor Who" before which he wasn't sure had been the right decision until he got offered the role of Catweazle which he wouldn't have been able to do as Doctor Who.
Bayldon brought his own ideas to the character, silly noises, mimics, movements, he really became Catweazle and made him magic.
The chemistry with the others was great, especially with Carrot who spent most of the time hiding the magician from his father, Mr. Bennet, and everyone else, with more or less success.

Robin Davies got his hair dyed red
for the role of Carrot

Spoiler alert - Catweazle does make it home eventually, with his familiar Touchwood whose name is of course inspired by the ancient habit of touching wood for good luck.

In a time before the Internet, yes, even before being able to record something from TV, the book must have been a great way to dive back into that magic, whimsical, crazy world of Catweazle conjured up by the stories and illustrations when you didn't get the chance to watch a rerun.
I still say "Elektricktrick" from time to time (our version of "electrickery", there were a few changes to names and words) and I'm not the only one.
There's a whole glossary on the official fan club's page. Carpenter researched the "occult & mythology" to add to the show's charm by using Latin words and ancient names.

There are two series of "Catweazle" and two books, the second one is called "Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac".
Carpenter also did novelizations of other shows he wrote for (one of them is my other favorite of his "Robin of Sherwood" which adds a magic layer to the Robin Hood legend). In the second series Catweazle comes back again, but alas, not to Hexwood Farm, and after the director had died, a third series was never realized.
The German translation to the books got published after the show made it to TV here and there was even a special edition in 2010 with a foreword explaining to children that this was their parents' world - no computers or cell phones and not even a TV set in every household. There's even a German movie from 2021. I didn't watch it and won't spoil my memory of Catweazle doing so, but it shows he's not forgotten.
I got the English books a long time ago and still enjoy reading them ... although watching Catweazle is of course even better!

The fan club used to be very active - for example they commissioned a beautiful Catweazle bust, had meetings with the actors at the farm where the show was filmed, and there was a forum (which like so many has sadly fallen asleep).
I wonder how many people passed the magic dagger on to their children and maybe even their grandchildren, but can kids of today still appreciate a story like that? What do you think?

Salmay, Dalmay, Adonay!


Sources and more info (I visited more pages, but these two links have a lot of info):

1. Official Catweazle Fan Club
2. Catweazle Extra - Brothers in Magic: a documentation. On YouTube

Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 153

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

After a visit with me, my sister took some pictures on the way home which I thought I'd share with you (with her permission).
There's what we call the "Old Cemetery" with the Oberhofenkirche (I showed pictures of that before) and a small park around it.
Then there's my old school and across from it the "Stadthalle" and its park (which I mentioned here before).
We were really lucky to have grown up in such a nice neighborhood! Maybe I'll be sending her the other way to the woods for more pictures next time 😉

Are you ready for the weekend?

As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on Jaipur Garden.

Arun from Jaipur Garden says: "Your mind is a Garden, Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds." (attributed to William Wordsworth)

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

I have to admit I'm a bit jealous of Soma being able to visit the beautiful Redwoods.

Nicole shows her typical Dutch lunch and an alternative.

There's still time to follow Lisa's Spring of Bette, starting with a post about Bette Davis herself.

Esme's Chocolate Greek Yogurt Overnight Oats sound really good.


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
Please do not link to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos/shorts, Instagram or Facebook reels, TikTok videos, or any other social media based content.
Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

Notice:
By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that the content is your own property and give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.
We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Silent movies - The Matrimaniac

Can you believe it has been more than half a year that I watched a Douglas Fairbanks movie? I know that I said Luke the dog has stolen my heart away from Doug, but that doesn't mean I'm forgetting him completely!
Doug had done a lot of other films before going into the swashbuckling business and today I've got one of those for you - The Matrimaniac from 1916!

Funny, the title is "The
Matrimoniac" here, but in
the film itself it clearly
says "Matrimaniac"!

First the plot (spoiler alert!).

Jimmie Conroy and Marna Lewis want to marry, but her father disapproves and wants her to marry Wally instead, so Jimmie and Marna decide to elope. Unfortunately, Wally witnesses their departure and tells Lewis who makes him go to the train to prevent the marriage until he can procure injunctions.
Wally makes it on the train and confronts the lovers.

As they intend to go through with the wedding, anyway, he wants to send a wire to Lewis, but Jimmie talks to the conductor and hatches a plan on his own. He gets out at the next station to look for a reverend to marry Marna and him. Unfortunately Reverend Tubbs is in the tub. Although he has only thrown on a dressing gown and slippers, Jimmie drags him along, but the train pulls out of the station when they arrive and Wally keeps them from boarding.

Running in a dressing gown and slippers is hard!

From here on, Jimmie does everything to help them follow the train and liberally distributes money and I.O.U.s for clothes for the Reverend, a hand car, and a mule, and finally they hitch a ride on the bumpers of another train.

Tubbs is one dedicated reverend although it's
possible the promise of a donation to 
the church helped a little ...

Meanwhile Wally and Marna have made it to the hotel where the lovers had planned to stay. Jimmie and Tubbs are arrested when they get off the train, but Jimmie escapes.
 

Just look at Wally, the smug little weasel.

He calls Marna, who is trapped in her room with Wally sitting in front of the door in the hallway, and tells her to come to the jail, so Tubbs can marry them.
So now Marna has to come up with a plan of her own. She changes clothes with the maid bringing her food and makes it to the jail where the Reverend tells her that Jimmie has been spotted and is chased.
Marna goes back to her hotel room - a wonderful scene in which she "discovers" Wally talking to the maid in the disguise and plays the betrayed woman - and Jimmie ends up on the telephone wires. He comes to a lineman who arranges a connection between Reverend Tubbs in the jail, Marna in her room, and Jimmie on the pole with him.

"Shut up, can't you see I'm getting married?"

Lewis, Wally, and the police are waiting below and start reading the injunction to Jimmie. Hearing about the marriage by phone sends Lewis running to the jail, but too late.
In the end we see Jimmie in his office paying out to the people he gave I.O.U.s. The last one is good old Tubbs who doesn't just get a bunch of money, but also a kiss from the grateful Jimmie!

With everyone gone, Jimmie opens a safe from which Marna emerges right into his arms.

I knew from a documentary that Douglas Fairbanks didn't start out as a swashbuckler but a stunt comedian in romantic comedies, and had also seen one or the other short scene there. So I didn't really know what to expect exactly, but knew it would be nothing like his big features.
This movie was a fun little introduction to those times. There wasn't much plot beside the chase, but Jimmie and the Reverend made a fine pair (I could have done without the mule scene, but that's mostly because people on smaller donkeys or mules always make me feel uncomfortable).
As Fritzi Kramer puts it, there weren't "any major showstopper stunts", but Doug got a bit of climbing and dangling and jumping in - on walls, over people, from wires and gutters.
I certainly enjoyed it.

Further reading:

Fritzi Kramer: The Matrimaniac (1916) - A Silent Film Review. On: Movies Silently, April 12, 2026

Barbie's wardrobe - Orange Blossom

I'm not a fashionista. I'm ... you could say... a wearer of clothing. I like my clothes to be comfortable and the right size and possibly not to have holes or spots (that part is not always easy if you have cats, just the other day I was shocked to find three in one of my dresses after my lady had a snuggle session on me).
There are features I love, like pockets in dresses or 3/4 sleeves, but beyond that, I'm fairly undemanding and not adventurous.
That doesn't mean I don't like to look at clothes at all, especially those that I would never be able to wear myself, due to money, my size, lack of occasion, etc. There are still ways to bring Haute Couture into my life, though. I mean Barbie and her friends.
I have always been fascinated by miniatures (see my post from Sunday) and Barbie's vintage outfits with their tiny zippers and buttons and buckles and accessories are incredible. This is my "fashion life", either through my own small collection or pictures.
(And yes, I do know Barbie's body isn't natural, I knew it as a child and I never strived to look like her ... if I had, something would have gone wrong).
Let me give you a glimpse in Barbie's wardrobe every, now and then.

I know it has been over half a year that Barbie's wardrobe was open. That's literally because I didn't feel like opening it - the doll cabinet, I mean, not the wardrobe.
I always admire how many pictures others take of their dolls while I worry about knocking everything over, but here we are now, with a lovely classic outfit that is absolutely perfect for spring.
It's called "Orange Blossom", a very fitting name as you will see.

Let me introduce today's model first.
She's a Bubblecut from the early 60s and it's easy to see where the name comes from.
Bubblecut Barbies (1961 to 1967) are among my favorite models because they never look the same. They came in different hair colors, the bubble could be tighter or really big depending not only on the length of the hair but sometimes also how the hair was rooted. They could have different lipstick and nail polish or even eye color. Some of them have a rare hair color - like the brownette - or lipstick - like the White Ginger. There were even dolls with a side part (you can only tell for sure from the criss cross rooting if it's a "real" side part), they are sought after because they were only available in Europe and Canada. Some of those even had bendable legs unlike the standard Bubblecut.
The white lips on our model would hint at her being a platinum blonde. I know that sounds weird, but hair colors on Barbies could change due to oxidization (remember that I mentioned the discussion about titian TNTs?). As could lip colors. The pink lips on platinum blondes could change to white and their hair could become darker.

You may have noticed that her earrings are gone.
Although they are not the original ones that a 
Bubblecut came with, I didn't take chances to
avoid the green ear danger and removed them.

Now to "Orange Blossom".
You often see Barbie's friend Midge wearing it because it is a bridesmaid dress and we know Barbie had some beautiful wedding dresses (even before there was Ken!).
Well, in this case Barbie's the bridesmaid.

Barbie is wearing a yellow off shoulder sheath dress and a lovely white lace overdress with a flared skirt.
The white gloves came in two lengths depending on the year. Here Barbie chose the short ones.
Her shoes are white open-toed heels. 
The hat is a yellow headband with tulle.
No bridesmaid without a bouquet. This one has white and yellow streamers matching the outfit.

While the pearl necklace seems to be the perfect addition, it actually doesn't belong with the outfit. Do you remember that I wrote in the post about the "Midnight Blue" outfit "I'm quite sure that I have the necklace, but another doll is wearing it." Well, now we know who has it, don't we? She refused to give it back, too (meaning the hook wouldn't open and it was so late when I took these pictures that I didn't feel like fiddling around)!

On one page the writer wondered why the name for this outfit is "Orange Blossom" and not "Lemon Blossom".
I read on a garden page that lemon blossoms have purple on the back of the petals, but orange blossoms don't, so I actually think the name fits beautifully.

By Alexander Hardin - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

 
There's a cute matching flower girl outfit for Skipper, by the way. Of course it was adapted for a girl, but it has the same yellow fabric and white lace.
I don't have that one, but you can have a look here.

"Orange Blossom" was manufactured from 1961 to 1964 under the number 987. It is not that hard to find although the hat can be missing. I know because I have it twice (worn by two Bubblecuts to give Midge a break from bridesmaid duty), once with the short gloves (1961/62) and once with the long ones (1963/64), but one hat is indeed missing and also one of the ladies is wearing closed-toe heels (which I think are so much more elegant than the open-toed ones).

Gundel wondered why I took those pictures in the
middle of the night when this screams spring or
summer wedding ...

For full disclosure, I edited the doll stand out of the pictures, but didn't change anything about the outfit.

Barbie is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc. I am not affiliated with Mattel in any way.


Sources:

1. Sibyl DeWein and Joan Ashabraner: The Collector's Encyclopedia of Barbie Dolls and Collectibles. Paducah, KY, Collector Books, 1994
2. Sarah Sink Eames: Barbie Doll Fashion, Vol. I, 1959 - 1967. Paducah, KY, Collector Books, 1994
3. Vintage Barbie Orange Blossom. On: Fashion Doll Guide
4. Vintage Barbie Bubblecut Dolls. On: Fashion Doll Guide
5. Bubble Cut Barbies 1961 to 1967. On: My Vintage Barbies

Random Saturday - The small world

This time I'm not talking about finding out that your new friend is also a friend of your first cousin once removed whom you only learned about yesterday or something like that.
I'm talking about the world of miniatures.

As a child, I wanted a doll house so badly, but it was a matter of space and probably money, too. I was lucky, though, my friend had one. You know what's really weird? We didn't even play that much with it. We put the doll parents in bed to get them out of the way (some dolls have a hard time sitting up nicely, but you can never go wrong with making them have a nice nap) and the three children went off on adventure - which sounds much like the Famous Five or the Lockett children and all the others now that I'm thinking about it ...
My friend had a lot of space and we sent those kids out to the Wild West, on mountains and into caves and whatnot. What I loved most about the house (very 70s), by the way, was the white baby grand piano and the Christmas tree.

Then there were the antique miniature shops and the doll house at the "Storchen", our local museum. They are behind glass of course. Even now the toys are my favorites at the museum.

I got a doll house as a grown up, but it was neglected rather quickly as it had to be moved out of reach because of the cats. It was bad enough I had to pick up Steiffs off the floor ever so often, I didn't feel like having to search for tiny items. Eventually I gave the furniture away and only kept very few things, like the cat on the pillow (no surprise there).
That doesn't mean I don't love miniatures anymore, though. Not at all in fact! So when a family member told me she had been gifted some, I absolutely wanted to see them - and take pictures.

My favorite is the good old phone book, in this case
"Das Örtliche" for local businesses,
and by the way, the red book is handmade!

I love the tiny building bricks, but I love the thread spools even more!

1. Percolator and pot (maybe for breakfast eggs?)
2. The plates, napkin holder, tray, flower pot, and candle holders
are handmade very prettily
3. Various kitchen utensils
4. Two different kinds of flatware, so cute!

The scales work, but the weights are glued in (good idea!).
I love that fish pot, can you tell from the close-up?

Americans use Mason jars, Germans use jars made by Weck. 
That has even influenced one of the words we use for preserving
food - "einwecken". Weck jars are wide-mouthed and they have
heavy glass lids sitting on top of the jars. They are held in place by clips.
 The red rings are rubber gaskets used for extra sealing.
I also love the old-fashioned butter churn (which really works, I mean it
moves, I haven't tried to make butter with it) and the vintage style meat
grinder which we call a "Fleischwolf" = "meat wolf" here.

Christmas!! I absolutely love the shiny Christmas baubles.
They do hold a little secret. They have a hole at the bottom
which tells me that they are made from bead chains like they were
and are made in Gablonz (Jablonec nad Nisou), for example.
Beads could/can be cut off individually or in groups and then wired
together for elaborate ornaments like the ones you can find here.

I hope you enjoyed this little trip into the miniature world.
In case you are interested in the psychology behind loving tiny things, I picked two of the many articles available on the topic - here and here.

Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 152

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

Why do I always feel the urge to post a picture of something to eat or drink for the WTJR posts?

I guess it's that weekend feeling. Unwinding, relaxing, sitting down with something nice ... tea, coffee, a piece of cake or maybe the flattest - but tasty - soda bread ever (which you can find out more about here).

Are you ready for the weekend?

As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on From the Bay to the Beach.

Susan from From the Bay to the Beach says: "I'm glad you stopped by! If you love interior design and California coastal style you're in the right place! I'm a native Californian and I am privileged to call two of the most beautiful places in California my home - the San Francisco Bay Area and coastal San Diego county. So whether you love wine country or the coast, or everything in between, you'll find something to love here - From the Bay to the Beach."

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

I'm a big fan of dusters and Shelbee caught herself a beauty with this one.

Sally shows us combos with bright blue pants.

Angie tells us about her experience with homegrown mushrooms. 

Catch up with Erin's life over a cup of morning coffee.


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
Please do not link to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos/shorts, Instagram or Facebook reels, TikTok videos, or any other social media based content.
Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

Notice:
By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that the content is your own property and give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.
We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Silent movies - Long Pants

One of the silent movie blogs I'm following made me (once again) aware of Harry Langdon. There are people who put him in one group with Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd as one of the big four comedians of that time.
I hadn't watched anything with Langdon yet, so I very randomly picked a movie called "Long Pants" (also known as "Johnny Newcomer") from 1927.

Here's the plot (with spoilers as you know).

Despite being a grown-up, Harry Shelby still isn't allowed by his mother to wear long pants. His only romantic experiences are from library books and dreams.
Then his father gives him his first pair of long pants and Harry's life changes completely.
While his parents expect him to marry his childhood friend Priscilla, Harry spots femme fatale Bebe Blair whose car has broken down. Bebe kisses him jokingly and after she's gone, Harry finds a note - obviously not meant for him - saying "I'll be back to marry you".

As Bebe doesn't come back, Harry's and Priscilla's wedding day has come instead. That day, Harry reads in the newspaper that "snow smuggler" Bebe is in the city jail and he makes the quick decision to help her escape. First he needs to get rid of Priscilla, though, and takes her to the woods to shoot her.

The plan goes utterly wrong and when Priscilla finds the gun and takes a few practice shots at a target she has pinned on a tree, Harry gets scared and runs off to the city.
Bebe has already managed to escape and Harry helps her to hide in a packing crate which he carries off.
After a few adventures with a policeman and an alligator, Bebe asks him to share her life of crime.
When they go to a club so Bebe can settle scores with the singer and dancer who took her husband, though, things go very wrong. Bebe and her husband shoot each other and Harry gets trampled in the stampede of curious people, so he goes back home and is happily welcomed back by Priscilla and his parents.

Well, people. You may wonder now, but this really is supposed to be a comedy. I mean I have nothing against black humor at all, but this one left me a bit speechless. My first thought was that I shouldn't have picked a random Langdon movie, but should have checked for beginner's choices first.
According to a film historian, even Buster Keaton, who was a fan of Langdon's, thought the scene in the woods was going too far.
And it seems that there was also a fallout between Langdon and Frank Capra who directed the film because it was too dark. I say "seems" because I'm still completely clueless about the different angles and point of views about that. In a quick browse I found different opinions, so I'm not going to touch that topic (yet?).

All I got so far is that some see Langdon as a comedic genius albeit an acquired taste and others say they simply "can't get into him".
If I were quick to judge from just one movie, I would be part of the second group. There were some funny scenes, for example when Harry thinks Bebe is nudging him through the hole in the packing crate although it's the alligator.

All in all, however, I thought that almost an hour was quite long for something that - may Langdon fans forgive me - didn't impress me much as a comedy.

Nevertheless, I can't judge from this movie alone, so the next time I'll check for recommendations first, and who knows, maybe he'll become an acquired taste for me, too.