The Clock in St. Mark's Square - Venice, Italy

Someday I hope you will all travel to Venice, Italy and see this clock. Built in the 1490's it is one of the most extraordinary in the world. And considering when it was built it is still a marvel of engineering and architecture. In 1998 it was cleaned and all the beauty of the facade was made visible again. Big difference from what it looked like in the 1970's when I saw it.

I was watching an old Italian film called "The Assassins" from 1952 in which the clock is shown. Piqued my memory. I do not recommend the film, only the clock, located in St. Mark's Square in Venice.

There is a great Wikipedia article about this clock and the family who maintained it from 1497 until 1998. 500 years. One family, one clock. They actually lived in the tower! There are 2 different links, both worth reading.

To me one of the most extraordinary aspects of the clock is the astronomical feature, which involves 5 planets and the Sun. This was 40 years before Copernicus proved that the Earth revolved around the Sun. And 100 years before the Catholic Church banned Copernicus! 😂

And here are the 2 "Moors" who actually strike the hours. They are located several stories above the actual clock face.

Also of interest is the fact that this extraordinary clock also pre dated the 1707 Scilly Island disaster, in which a British fleet was lost due to the need for understanding the principles of "arc to time". 

In 1714 Parliment passed the Longitude Act, which offered a big reward for anyone who could solve the problem. Still, it took another 57 years for a man named John Harrison to accomplish this feat. Without his accomplishment it was really an educated guess as to where your ship actually was. Even today's sophisticated Navigation Satellites owe a huge debt to Harrison's H4 timepiece.

"Annie Christie" - Grets Garbo, Marie Dressler and Charles Bickford (1930)

 

Anna Christie (1930) is a pre-Code film of the Eugene O'Niell play. Starring Greta Garbo, this was her first "talkie". The advertisements all said "Garbo Talks!" Directed by Clarence Brown, it is the story of an alcoholic woman with a past in prostitution who reunites with her long estranged alcoholic father. 

She then falls in love with a sailor, which infuriates her father, who is a sailor himself and deserted his family. He fears for her future based upon his own past. With both men holding her up on a pedestal, and both telling her what to do with her life, she is forced to confront her past. 

The film was a huge success, and was also released in a German-language version with Garbo in both, and is notable for its gritty and powerful performances. Garbo and Marie Dressler were exceptional, as well as Garbo's would be lover, played by Charles Bickford.

The film garnered 3 Academy Award Nominations including Best Actress for Garbo in her riveting performance. All doubts about her ability to act in "talkies" disappeared with this fim.