Faces of Children (Visages d'enfants) │ Jean Forest

 Jean Forest

"Faces Of Children (Visages d'enfants) 1925" is a haunting film about a troubled child.  Even though it was released eighty-six years ago, it is still very powerful and moving.  Jean Forest plays the part of Jean Amsler, who is mourning the death of his mother, and is not quite able to come to terms with his personal loss.  In this edition of Angelfire Love we are featuring a very beautiful edit of "Faces Of Children" that was put together by MikeLesMiserables.  He was able to distill the essence of the movie from two hours down to seven minutes.  Please click on the video widget below for a very emotional experience.

Libera │ Silent Night

It doesn't get much better than this.  Libera, the magnificent choir from England singing, "Silent Night", the greatest Christmas song of all time.  Aunt Martha and I spent the whole day, and most of this past evening, searching for something special to feature on Angelfire Love, for this Christmas season.  We "auditioned", literally, hundreds of videos.  Many of them were very promising, but they had to be rejected because of faulty, and clipped audio, and/or video.  But, Aunt Martha, with her preternatural sixth sense, finally suggested Libera's hauntingly beautiful version of "Silent Night".  I told her, "Aunt Martha, we already posted a video of Libera singing a Christmas song.  "Yes, my dear Endyr", she said, "But that was recorded in a cold-hearted TV studio, without any warm ambiance.  I was never satisfied with that post.  Let's find a version of Libera singing 'Silent Night' in a more formal, and atmospheric setting."  As usual, Aunt Martha was so right.  But, we could not find such a version.  Even though we searched and searched, nothing came up.  We were ready to give up, but Aunt Martha was persistent.  I was exhausted after many hours of fruitless searching, and was ready to crash and burn, when Aunt Martha cooked my favorite meal for me, which is a thick cheeseburger deluxe, with her special homemade french fries, and to wash it all down, liters of Coca-Cola.  I was really buzzing now!  As it usually happens in situations like this, we found just what we were looking for, but it was discovered in a most unlikely place.  Needless to say, Aunt Martha and I would like to present to the fans of Angelfire Love, Libera, singing "Silent Night" in a beautiful setting.  Aunt Martha and I would like to wish all of you a Very Merry, and Happy Christmas, and a Happy New Year.  Aunt Martha also sends her love to each and every one of you.

Cory │ Believe

This has got to be the most mystical version of "Believe" that I have ever heard.  It is sung by a young singer called Cory.  Unfortunately though, I was not able to find any information about Cory, which is a shame, as I like to give credit where credit is due.  Cory has such a beautiful sweet voice.  It is very special, and it's a pleasure to share it with all of you on Angelfire Love.  For those of you who are not familiar with this song, it is from a movie called "The Polar Express".  The original version of "Believe" was sung by Josh Groban.  Click on this link to purchase the "The Polar Express" DVD from Amazon.com:  The Polar Express  For a special treat please listen to Cory's hauntingly beautiful rendition of  "Believe".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angelfire Love, wherever you may be.

Bedtime For Sniffles │ A Christmas Tale

In this edition of Angelfire Love, we are featuring an incredibly cute Christmas Eve cartoon called "Bedtime For Sniffles".  Sniffles tries to stay up late on Christmas Eve so that he can get a glimpse of Santa Claus, and the results of this are charming to say the least.  Unfortunately, Sniffles has vanished from the world of cartoons.  He was first created in 1939 by animator Chuck Jones, and very few cartoon shorts of Sniffles were ever made, or released.  Sniffles has always been one of my all-time favorite cartoon characters.

Noche De Paz │ Michaelangelo

As it so often happens, I have found cool videos in the most unlikely places on the internet.  I was browsing some of the little known sections of cyberspace when I accidentally came upon an obscure Eastern European based website.  All of thfe text on it was written in the Cyrillic Alphabet, and the online Google translator had a hard time determining if it was Russian, Ukrainian, or whatever.  Well, that's where I discovered this beautiful video of a young singer from Puerto Rico who goes by the unlikely name of Michaelangelo singing "Noche De Paz (Silent Night).  Yes, that is the actual spelling of his name, and that was all that I could figure out for certain about him.  Look in the bottom left hand corner of the video when it starts to play and you will see that the composer of "Noche De Paz" is incorrectly listed as Irving Berlin.  The lyrics were written by an Austrian priest by the name of Father Joseph Mohr, and the melody was composed by Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber.  The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria, on December 24, 1818.  With all of that said, please click on the video widget below to enjoy an incredibly heartfelt rendition of "Noche De Paz".  By-the-way, notice that great beatific smile that Michaelangelo flashes at the very end of the video.

 

The Christmas Shoes

In this edition of Angelfire Love we are featuring a remarkable video called "The Christmas Shoes".  What can I say about "The Christmas Shoes" without sounding banal or trite?  It is very moving, and fills the soul with deep sentiment.  "The Christmas Shoes" is the perfect Christmas story.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I found it on the internet this past Christmas, and we could not stop crying after watching it, and we watched it over, and over again.  The Christian musical group NewSong originally released "The Christmas Shoes" in 2000, and since then it has grown in popularity to become a  perennial favorite for the holidays.  There are many video versions of "The Christmas Shoes", but this one is the best by far.  The soundtrack contains the original NewSong version of "The Christmas Shoes".  The MP3 of "The Christmas Shoes" by NewSong  can be purchased from this Amazon.com link:  The Christmas Shoes - NewSong   My Dear Aunt Martha and I felt that because of the way things are going in the world today, we all need something to pick us up, and remind us that the greatest gift of all, is the gift of sharing.  May The Peace And Love Of Pure Angel Light, Bless, And Keep All Of You Safe.

O Holy Night │ Libera

In this edition of Angelfire Love we are featuring Libera, the extraordinary choir from England, singing "O Holy Night".  Please click on this link to purchase the MP3 of Libera singing "O Holy Night" from Amazon.com:  O Holy Night - Libera

Lord Of The Flies │ Angelic Choir Boys With An Attitude

The images and the plot of "Lord Of The Flies (1963)" are so intense, and at times so horrific, that it makes one forget, or not notice, that the film itself contains an incredibly beautiful soundtrack.  Raymond Leppard, the composer, wrote a couple of sensational variations on the liturgical "Kyrie Eleison (Lord Have Mercy)" theme.  In this edition of Angelfire Love we are presenting two different settings of the "Kyrie Eleison" from "Lord Of The Flies".  The first one is a cheeky, breezy, almost insouciant rendition by the rogue choirboys as they are marching along the beach at the beginning of the movie.  The second "Kyrie Eleison" is sung darkly to accompany the death of Simon.  I call this one the "Kyrie - Requiem".  The murder of Simon the mystic is so disturbing and senseless, that it makes me mourn for him every time I see this scene, but underscoring it is a "Kyrie Eleison" that is both haunting, and unforgettable.  By-the-way, the 1990 remake of "Lord Of The Flies" just does not have the impact, and power of the original.  It is my opinion that too much editing, and rewriting was done. Please click on this link to purchase the DVD of "Lord Of The Flies" from Amazon.com:  Lord of the Flies - The Criterion Collection

  "Kyrie Eleison" - On The Beach

 

 "Kyrie Eleison" - The Death Of Simon

El Niño Jesus │ A Very Special Holiday Presentation

In this very special edition of  Angelfire Love, I am presenting Tony Croatto's magnificent composition, "El Niño Jesus".  This song tells the story of the Boy Jesus visiting a party on Christmas Eve, playing his maracas.  At first He is rejected by the party-goers, but His true self is finally recognized, and He is accepted by them, and brought into the festivities.  It is a very moving story.  Tony Croatto, who was originally from Italy, made quite a name for himself in Puerto Rico, as an aficionado and promoter of Jibaro music. Tony Croatto passed away in Puerto Rico on April 3, 2005.  Please click on the video widgets below to watch three different videos of "El Niño Jesus".  The top-most video of Tony Croatto singing "El Niño Jesus" is extremely rare, and I had a very difficult time finding it on the internet.  The version of "El Niño Jesus" on the very bottom is sung by the great José Feliciano.  Please click on this link to purchase an MP3 of José Feliciano's version of "El Niño Jesus" from Amazon.com:  El Niño Jesus - José Feliciano

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) │ The Mini Beats

The Mini Beats from Germany, is a fantastic musical group that I discovered quite serendipitously, while I was browsing a little known music website located in Russia.  The Mini Beats specialize in performing covers of The Beatles' music, and they do an outstanding job of it.  The members of the group are:  Philip, guitar and vocals;  Andi, guitar; Markus, bass-guitar and vocals; Jonas, drums, vocals.  The Mini Beats was started by Jonas, who got the inspiration for it after watching "Help", and "A Hard Days Night", with his father one night.  In this edition of Angelfire Love The Mini Beats perform John Lennon and Yoko Ono's haunting Christmas anthem, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", that was released in October of 1971.  It is my most favorite Christmas song in the whole world.  Incidentally, the melody is based on an old American folk song called "Stewball".  It is interesting to note, that Philip, the lead singer on "Happy Xmas (War Is Over), handles the English lyrics quite well.  His diction and pronunciation are perfect!  The original version of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", by John & Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band, is rather hard to find, actually, it has been always hard to find, but I did locate a copy of it on Amazon.com that can be purchased from this link: Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John & Yoko And The Plastic Ono Band  Have a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from Angelfire Love.

Razvan Dobai │ Recherché

 

Every once in a while an impressive young singer comes along that is far ahead of the pack.  Razvan Dobai, who is from Bihor, Romania is that singer.  I first wrote about Razvan on October 27, 2011 (see post Razvan Dobai - My Way),  and at that time I was impressed with his talent.  He also seemed to me to be a very hard worker who is perfecting his musical styles, and I do mean styles, because  Razvan sings all kinds of songs, and that makes him a versatile performer.  But I have to say this, when I heard him sing "Fairytale" I could not stop weeping.  First of all, I have Roma blood in my veins, and when I heard that soulful violin intro, I cried and cried, as that violin spoke deeply to me about my people.  It was so heartfelt and beautiful.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Alexander Rybak's original version of "Fairytale", but it does not have the emotional impact, honesty, and innocence of Razvan's cover.  Thank you Razvan for that incredible performance!  God bless you.  Razvan has a cool YouTube channel that can be found at this link:  Razvan Dobai - Official YouTube Channel

MattyBRaps

One of the good things about having a blog is the joy of discovering new talent.  As it so often happens, I was looking for something else, and I stumbled accidentally on MattyBRaps cool "How To Love" video.  I should say that it is super cool.  There is just something so special and magical about "How To Love".  In a way it makes me feel nostalgic for my own youth.  I really like this video a lot.  In MattyBRaps own words "Me and my friends had a BLAST making this music video. We had never launched a rocket before and I thought the "rocket footage" turned out AWESOME!"  By-the-way, I just love that green rocket.  Well, "How To Love" is evocative, wistful and very haunting.  In general I am not a big fan of RAP or Street-music, though I do admire the music of Coolio, Busta/Guf, Nicky Jam, and Lil Wayne.  MattyBRaps is in a class all of his own.  He was born on January 7, 2003, and lives with his parents and siblings in Cobb County, Marietta, Georgia.  His real name is Matthew Morris.  In this edition of Angelfire Love we are featuring him in a parody of Lil Wayne's 2011 mega-hit "How To Love".  Matt, with the help of his father, wrote the lyrics of the parody.  MattyBRaps YouTube channel can be found here: MattyBRaps Official YouTube Channel  Please click on this link to purchase MattyBRaps' MP3s from from Amazon.com:  MattyBRaps MP3s On Amazon  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angelfire Love, wherever you may be.

Климбатика │ Climbatica

In this edition of Angelfire Love we feature a photo-montage from Климбатика (Climbatica).  It is all set to the music of Beethoven's beautiful "Moonlight Sonata".  To say that this video is moving, evocative, hypnotic, and haunting, would be an understatement.

 

The Living Years │ Mike And The Mechanics

"The Living Years" by Mike And The Mechanics, is one of the most evocative songs of the Twentieth Century.  In actuality, most of us, at one time or another, have had difficulties in communicating with our dads.  How many times did we hope to have had one more chance to say "Daddy, I love you"?   Well, now is always the best time to say so.  The American composer Burt Bacharach once said in an interview, “'The Living Years' is one of the finest lyrics of the last 10 years”.   Do we need to say any more?

Heaven Is For Real │ Colton Burpo

"Heaven Is For Real" is the incredible journey of Colton Burpo, and his visit to Heaven.  Colton's story is compelling, powerful and has important life messages for all of us.  I have to admit that this book brought tears to my eyes, it is that emotional in its content.  Todd, his father, took a great risk is publishing this story as he is a Christian minister, and he left himself open to all kinds of criticisms because of the nature of "Heaven Is For Real".  Actually Todd has nothing to worry about as it is a best seller, and has been accepted by many in the Christian community.  There is one incident portrayed in the book that made me smile.  The angels sang to Colton because he was scared when he first entered Heaven.  They sang all of the old-time Christian classics, then they asked Colton if he had any request and he responded with "We Will Rock You" a song made popular by Queen.  The angels declined to sing that one.  The official "Heaven Is For Real" website can be found at this link:  Heaven Is For Real  If you go to YouTube, you can find many interviews of Colton, and his father Todd.  Please click on this link to purchase "Heaven Is For Real" from Amazon.com:  Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back  Please click on the video widget below to watch an incredible interview with Colton Burpo and his family.