SNOBS

pas le  meilleur rôle de Lonsdale, mais l'un des meilleurs films de Mocky

     Quand je vis pour la première fois "Snobs" de Mocky ( dans un ciné club, cela passe rarement ou jamais à la télé), je ne compris rien, à part la dérision. Qu'y avait il de snob dans ces personnages désireux d'hériter  d'une laiterie de Granville qui rivalisaient de vilénies ? Quand on pense à un snob, on pense à des parisiens ou à des soirées à Saint Tropez chez Françoise Sagan ou Eddy Barclay. Et que venait faire , à côté de Francis Blanche, de Noel Roquevert et Jacques Dufilho le jeune Michel Lonsdale ( les obituaires récents ne se souviennent pas qu'il s'appelait "Michel" quand il faisait des films commerciaux ou des pantalonnades, et "Michael" quand il faisait des films sérieux) ? Mais malgré les apparences loufoques ( la scène de l'igloo est restée dans ma mémoire), Mocky est sérieux. Il déclara à propos de ce film (déclaration que l'auteur des Vices du savoir a reprise ) : "Un article démontra que tout le monde était snob: le boucher, le boxeur, le facteur. Tout dépend en fait de son attitude." Mais Mocky, qui ne se faisait pas appeler "mocky" pour rien, et Lonsdale, qui était anglais et avait des lettres, ont dû non seulement méditer cette phrase, mais aussi Thackeray, The book of Snobs. 

    Taine, dans son essai sur Thackeray repris dans ses Essais de critique et d'histoire, récemment republiés chez Garnier, caractérise fort bien son type de satire :

C'est de ce type d'ironie que procédait le jeu de Lonsdale. 

Ce bon David

 

David Hume Tower , university of Edinbugh

All news Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - an update

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - an update

An update on the work of the University’s Equality & Diversity Committee and its Race Equality and Anti-Racist Sub-committee.

 

The work of the University’s Equality & Diversity Committee and its Race Equality and Anti-Racist Sub-committee has continued over the summer. It has been further energised following the killing in May of George Floyd and the ongoing campaigning by the Black Lives Matter movement. Our Race Equality and Anti-Racist Action Plan is accelerating and amplifying our efforts.

 

It is important that campuses, curricula and communities reflect both the University’s contemporary and historical diversity and engage with its institutional legacy across the world. For this reason the University has taken the decision to re-name – initially temporarily until a full review is completed – one of the buildings in the Central Area campus.

 

From the start of the new academic year the David Hume Tower will be known as 40 George Square.

 

The use of the building will also change: a shortage of study space because of the social distancing requirements means that the building is being re-purposed to provide additional student study space for 20/21.

 

The interim decision has been taken because of the sensitivities around asking students to use a building named after the 18th century philosopher whose comments on matters of race, though not uncommon at the time, rightly cause distress today.

 

This is ahead of the more detailed review of the University’s links to the past in the context of meaningful action and repair; this work is ongoing and is considering many other issues beyond the naming of buildings. It is a substantial exercise of research, engagement and reflection, upon which we will be able to adopt refreshed and appropriate policies on a range of issues such as the future naming of buildings as well as how we should commemorate our history more generally. The city of Edinburgh is also undertaking a similar review and the University is in discussions with the civic leaders about subjects which affect us both.

10 sept 2020 

      source : 

https://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2020/09/david-hume-has-now-been-cancelled-at-the-university-of-edinburgh.html

https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/students/2020/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-an-update

Rousseau avait bien raison de se défier de Hume

(Exposé succinct de la controverse qui s'st élévée entreM. Rousseau et M. Hume  Londres 1776