There were two Catholic boys, Timothy Murphy and Antonio Secola, whose lives parallel each other in amazing ways. In the same year Timothy was born in Ireland, Antonio was born in Italy.
Faithfully they attended parochial School from kindergarten through their senior year in high school. They took their vows to enter the priesthood early in college, and upon graduation, became priests.
Their careers had come to amaze the world, but it was generally acknowledged that Antonio Secola was just a wee cut aboveTimothy Murphy in all respects.
Their rise through the ranks of Bishop, Archbishop and finally Cardinal was swift to say the least, and the Catholic world knew that when the present Pope died, it would be one of the two who would become the next Pope.
In time the Pope did die, and the College of Cardinals went to work. In less time than anyone had expected, white smoke rose from the chimney and the world waited to see whom they had chosen.
The world, Catholic, Protestant and secular, was surprised to learn that Timothy Murphy had been elected Pope!
Antonio Secola was beyond surprise. He was devastated, because even with all of Timothy's gifts, Antonio knew he was just a bit better qualified.
With gall that shocked the Cardinals, Antonio Secola asked for a private session with them in which he candidly asked, "Why Timothy?"
After a long silence, an old Cardinal took pity on the bewildered man and rose to reply.
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"We knew you were the better of the two, but we just could not bear the thought of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church being called POPE SE-COLA! 
It was interesting listening to Fast and Trumbo, who both had negative things to say, as Fast was fired, and apparently a lot of Trumbo's ideas were nixed. Trumbo even went off on Tony Curtis, calling him a "nothing"! While I'm not a Tony Curtis fan, I found that a little harsh.
All that aside, the movie is greatness. Spartacus, with nothing to lose, leads a slave revolt against Rome. It's thrilling, with a great score. The Big Three, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov are a joy to watch. Jean Simmons is lovely.
I finally watched Kurosawa's High and Low(1963). It was a spellbinding experience. A kidnapper intends to kidnap the son of a wealthy executive but winds up getting the chauffeur's son instead. The kidnapper clearly has an axe to grind with him and wants him to pay anyway. The first part plays as a morality play : will he do The Right Thing and pay for his servant's son even though it will ruin him, as he has mortgaged everything in order to get controlling interest in his company? The second part is police procedural, almost documentary style, as the police track down the criminal. Kurosawa uses excellent use of wide screen, showing the executive, his family, the servant and the police in the same shot and their reactions to his decisions. The meeting in the final scene is memorable. Intriguing commentary on the differences in class in Japan and excellent character study.
I finally watched Sylvia Scarlett, Kate Hepburn and Cary Grant's first movie together ; I have been curious about it for a long time. I was way less than impressed. Kate goes on the lam with her dad who's "borrowed" from his company disguised as a boy ; not very convincing. This was barely 90 minutes but seemed to take forever. I'm glad I saw it once though, now I've seen all four Hepburn/Grant films. The other three I'll take anytime!
I watched The Best of Youth(2003), directed by Marco Tullio Giordana a while ago but just now got around to writing about it. This is wonderful, a 6 hour saga of two brothers and their families from 1966-2003. Originally an Italian miniseries, apparently it was shown in the US in 2 3-hour parts, as it is on DVD. There's not that much lull for 6 hours ; there are enough stories and plot twists to move it along, including the brothers' relationship with an abused girl in a sanitarium. Very moving ending, if a little too optimistic to be believed, but this is a time to let that go. Surprisingly a lot of American 60's music in the beginning. Well worth the investment of your time, though you don't have to watch all 6 hours at once as I did!
DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
CAT DIARY
Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little
dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and
I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.
Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must
eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to
disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and
dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into
their hearts,since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they
merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I
am. Jerks!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in
solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the
noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power
of "allergies."I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my
advantage.
This morning I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my
tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again
tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog
receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more
than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards
regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged
protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe ... for now ...
Cat
I seem to be watching a few of these lately! Anyway, he definitely has a distinctive style, but I'm not sure it's my cup of tea. I did like a couple of scenes, where our heroine Nana is in a theater watching The Passion of Joan of Arc, crying and another where she is discussing philosophy, I'm a sucker for scenes like that. I did really like what he did with the music. It's beginning to sound like I did like it, I really need to watch it again