Holiday - day 4: Were-Rabbits and Persians

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Forget the Madagasca Penguins, the short film that started the show - they were OK, but the main feature was excellent. Be prepared to laugh out loud. Its a typical horror story, written to be acceptable to young children. There's all the usual things that you find in a W&G story, but put you film memory into gear and see how many gags you can spot. The characters may have finger print outlines on their faces once or twice, by this type of production is just a thousand times better than animation, no matter how good that may be.

Go and see it, buy the DVD (for me please!). This is in the same league as Chicken Run, or is it better - we'll just have to wait and see.

That was last thing Monday, got back too late Monday night, and was too tired to write then.

Forgotten Empire - The World of Ancient Persia
I remember the problems the Jews had under Darius (Da RIus not Dar ius), and how Cyrus let them all go home again. Before the Romans, before the Greeks, here was the biggest empire the world had seen. The Medes and the Persians got together an conquered 3,000 sq miles, from India to Greece, and everything inbetween. They had a sophisticated form of government, devolved to local rulers (satraps), with regular check-ups from the King. Their communications links based on roads and fast horses allowed the King to keep up with what was happening in his empire. Their bureaucracy is written in 3 languages, and their coinage differs from one end of the empire to the other. Look at the skills of the craftsmen, imported from wherever they were to work in the great palaces. The samples we have equal or better anything I've seen from Greece or Rome, and they are hundreds of years earlier.

Destroyed by the Greeks, in the shape of Alexander the Great, they recovered enough to retain some of their empire, and defeated 3 roman Emporers.

If you go to see this, (and why wouldn't you?) get the audio guide, it adds to the overall experience.

That was today, after the exhibition I wandered round the British Museum, had a look at the Rosetta stone, but didn't find Ginger (the mummified Egyptian body). There is so much to see, and I came back having not done the rest of the museum real justice, but trying to keep the exhibition in my mind.