Category Archives: Italy

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A film – Io Capitano (I am Captain)

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Io Capitano – A film by Matteo Garrone – in cinemas April 5

I think this film is brilliant. Watching it took me right in beside two teenagers from Senegal on their journey to Europe .

The film begins in a crowded home, from which the two restless cousins emerge. Both are keen on improving their lot, and both of the young men are sure that Europe will give them the best chance to do so.

Matteo Garrone, the director, does not pass any kind of judgement in this film – he just lets us see. I found it an emotional watch, as from the first dusty bus journey it’s evident that the extortion faced by the youngsters will only going get worse … and it does. It’s horrific in parts, but balanced with a hope that stays with the story right to the end.

The stars of the show (Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall) are themselves from Senegal, and they speak in their mother tongue from the beginning of the film, with the languages around them changing as the story progresses through desert expanses, to an unspeakable prison, and on towards the coast. It’s a vivid, desperate story – human, hopeful, brutal, built on truth, and shown from an angle I’d never seen as intensely before.

If I had awards to hand out I’d give them to this film. I hope you might get the chance to see it.

Here is a link to more about the film.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2024

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A treat of a meal in Manteca, London

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“The trouble with eating Italian is that 5 or 6 days later you’re hungry again.” George Miller

It was a windy, wet mid-week day when I stepped off the pavement into Manteca. Instantly all was warmth, and relaxed chat.

Our table was in a long row of tables for two. They were close together, but the restaurant so filled with activity that there was no chance to concentrate on anything other than our own meal and conversation. There was also no looking around for service as it seemed to appear out of nowhere to explain menus and choices, and then to deliver the results.

We were happy from start to finish – part of the theatre that swirled around us.

The open, stainless steel kitchen runs down the middle of the restaurant, with chefs in bright white chopping and preparing and plating up the bread and pasta, the meats and salads, while kitchen staff carry tubs of vegetables to and fro.

Our choices included chunks of foccacia alongisde puffy pork crackling, with a warming, rich ragu. Next came a bitter leaf salad with gorgonzola and pear, and then two pasta dishes, one with a crab sauce and another in a sauce of emerald green kale with chilli. They both tasted fresh and delicious.

We ended the meal with coffee and some salty fudge, then stepped back into the winter reality of London’s streets. Our immersion was over. Our escape was over. Our privileged two hours were over.

Was it worth it? Definitely. We had enjoyed attention, theatre, and food full of flavour, with a quietly professional kitchen right at the heart of our moment in time.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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This was a wonderful present

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I am the lucky recipient of these – a birthday gift. So far I have not used them, but they are lodged in the back of my mind making plans that I hope will come to something when my blogging year is done.

Over the years I’ve tiptoed out into the podcast/audio world a couple of times, and to my surprise I’ve discovered that once I’ve got over the stage fright, it’s relatively simple. To date my shaky editions have been made on an old (2014) 13-inch MacBook Pro, with a microphone, a connector, and the help of GarageBand (which came with the computer).

The first time I came across a big problem was with the short story I’d written during lockdown. I’d assumed that recording the different sections would involve exactly the same process I’d used for earlier podcasts. I was wrong. I soon discovered that when reading, every breath I took was huffing into the recording. It sounded like I was blowing up balloons in the background, or else puffing along on a running machine. I consulted a recording veteran and was told I needed a ‘pop shield’. Since I didn’t have one, didn’t even know what one was, a homemade version was produced by stretching a cleaning cloth across the gap in a coathangar, and then stapling it in place. The difference it made was amazing. On I plodded.

Then, recording done, I packed away the duvets and debris, the microphone, and the coathanger pop shield, and went back to blogging.

However, since then three gifts have arrived. The first was a proper pop shield, and then a few weeks later the amazing equipment above. How lucky … and daunted … am I.

Now there’s planning, and a big space for ideas.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023