Lounge Loves: Tony Stella's movie posters, ‘Amelie’ and more
Also featured, Iranian coffee at Manam Chocolate and soundtracks from ‘Amelie’
Iranian Delight
When it comes to coffee, I like mine strong, black and bitter. But summer afternoons in Delhi aren’t the best time for such drinks, however much you may be craving your post-prandial caffeine fix. Recently, after a rice-laden soporific lunch, I dragged myself to Manam Chocolate at El Deco Centre in Malviya Nagar for a cuppa. I wanted something hot but light, not the sugar hit of cold coffee and ice cream. So I opted for an Iranian coffee, which turned out to be a mouthful of cardamom-infused Arabica bold, topped with saffron strands. It’s refreshing, flavourful, and hits the right notes without making you break into a sweat. A perfect sip of liquid heaven. —Somak Ghoshal
‘Amelie’ On Loop
There is something incredibly soothing about the Amelie OST. The 2001 French film acclaimed for its quirky storyline and characters, remains a favourite mainly because of its music. So much so that I often played it on loop especially around the time my son was born. The lullaby playlists on music platforms felt thoroughly boring in comparison. The track Comptine d’un autre été performed on the piano would put him to sleep without any fuss. Years later when he picked up the deeply soulful tune during his piano lessons, I realised how that early exposure may have helped him appreciate it more. We are now watching the film’s scenes on YouTube, and falling in love with Amelie Poulain all over again for her wonderfully witty moves. — Rituparna Roy
Tony’s Treasures
In early May, the film community, in particular collectors of physical media, received the devastating news that Tony Stella had died aged 45. Stella, born to Italian parents and based in Germany, was known for his handpainted works, which lent a rare emotion and poetry to Blu-ray covers, movie posters and articles. There was no one in the film world who painted quite like him—you could tell at a glance that an artwork was a Stella. Among his many great pieces, look up his art for the Meiko Kaji retrospective in March in New York, the album cover for Ron Carter’s Uptown Conversation, the book cover for Ed McBain’s King’s Ransom (which Akira Kurosawa adapted as High and Low), and his sweeping, dramatic posters for John Boorman’s Point Blank, John Woo’s The Killer and Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy, all collected at Tony-stella.com. —Uday Bhatia
Oh Mon Dieu!
In the week of drastic language changes in the CBSE school curriculum—which includes dropping foreign languages—I am deriving great joy in reading French for pleasure. Though my knowledge of the language is rusty, every word I read feels like a small way of asserting agency when all other options seem futile. A book for beginners that I’m enjoying is Short Stories in French by Olly Richards and Richard Simcott. The selection includes science fiction, noir, adventure and thrillers. One of my favourites is Terres Inconnues, or Unknown Lands, set in the Viking age and following the journey of a young boy called Thoric. The other book that’s been giving joy is Asterix: La Serpe d’or, or Asterix and the Golden Sickle. It’s great fun reading all of Obelix’s exclamations in French and comparing them with the English translation. —Avantika Bhuyan
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