Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai


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April the 25th

Today is the 25th of April – and Italy celebrates the end of the Fascist regime and the end of the Nazi occupation of Italy.
On that day partisan and allied forces entered Turin, the city where my family had lived during the war years.

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Today is a National Holiday, and it is the day I remember my grandfather, whose codename was “Il Povero” (“The Poor Man”) and that fought with the partisans for the liberation.
He had done his part because he believed it was the right thing to do, and he did not expect any compensation – but for his efforts he was awarded a small refund of a soldier’s pay, and was then downgraded from engineer to janitor when he got back to work for FIAT.
Apparently somebody did like the Nazis and the Fascists, after all.

Anyway, here’s for my grandfather and for his generation.
And for everybody else.
Let’s put the pressure on…


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The Ghostbreakers

It’s been a while since I last posted a radio-drama on a Sunday – so here’s The Ghostbreakers, the radio adaptation of the 1940 Paramount picture featuring Bob Hope (that reprises his role in the radio version) and beautiful Paulette Goddard (that doesn’t, alas).

For the uninitiated, The Ghostbreakers is one of the two Goddard-Hope horror comedies that inspired, of all things, Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction.

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/sUT2bRtvddk

 

 

 


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John Barry’s High Road to China OST

I already mentioned how High Road to China is one of my favorite stories.
I like the original novel, the movie adaptation, the cast, the set-up, the movie poster that still hangs in my room and, of course, the music.

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John Barry has been one of the composers that invisibly provided a soundtrack to my first twenty years – he scored movies I loved, TV series I grew up with… he was inescapable, even if I only realized his ubiquity years later.

So, for today1, here’s the complete soundtrack of High Road to China, 1983, by the great John Barry.
Enjoy.


  1. it’s Valentine’s day, after all, and to me High Road to China remains a great date movie – which probably goes to explain why I’m chronically single.