"REQUIEM FOR MAGIC"Part III"I don't think they don't know what to do, if you ask me," Phoebe declared to her sisters. The Charmed Ones and their whitelighter sat inside the Halliwell living room, the following early afternoon.A derisive snort escaped from Piper. "Who does, Phoebe? I mean . . . c'mon. If what Darryl had said is true, how can any of us get that staff back? There must be thousands of alternate dimensions that this 'evil' Olivia may have come from." She sighed, as she placed a dirty bowl into the sink. "Unless there's a way to find out from which dimension she came." Piper glanced at Chris. "Is there?"The young whitelighter shrugged his shoulders. "How would I know?""You're the whitelighter," Paige shot back.Chris made it clear that he lacked any experience with alternate realities. "This is my first time at bat with time travel.""Then why don't you ask the Elders?" Paige demanded.Rolling his eyes at the same time, Chris heaved a sigh. "Can't I get a bite to eat, first?" he muttered."Go ahead," Piper said, as Paige opened her mouth to protest. "But I need to know something." She paused, as her mind focused upon her son. "With Cole and Olivia dead, has the future changed? Is Wyatt . . .?"Chris finished, ". . . still a powerful force of evil in the universe? I'm afraid so. My memories had changed a few days ago. Now with Cole dead, there's no one strong enough to stop Wyatt. It's going to be ugly."Piper spotted a glass half filled with apple juice. "Oh God! This is great! My son becomes the scourge of the magical world."Chris glanced away for a brief second before he added, "I better get going. I guess I should get started on any information about alternate realities."Before he could teleport out of the room, Phoebe said, "Wait a minute! Don't you need to speak to Piper about something else? Like that matter we had discussed?"Both Piper and Paige stared at the middle Charmed One and the whitelighter. "What matter?" the former asked."It's nothing," Chris quickly said. "Gotta go!""Chris!" But the whitelighter orbed out of the living room before Phoebe could protest any further.Piper stared at her younger sister. "What matter where you two talking about?"To Piper's surprise, Phoebe blushed. "It's nothing, Piper. Well . . . yeah, it's important. But it's best that Chris tell you about it. I've got to go as well. I have a meeting with some lawyer named David Nakano. I think he's Cole's attorney.""Phoebe . . . wait!" Piper cried. But the middle Charmed One had snatched up her purse and rushed out of the manor's front door. Piper turned to her youngest sister. "Now, what the hell was that whole thing with Chris about?"Paige rose from her seat. "Beats me. I have to get out of here, as well. Barbara . . . well, let's just say that I'm still managing the shop for now. I'll see you later."---------------------Once Paige had left the manor, Piper went into the kitchen and eyed the dirty dishes on the table and sighed. Once again, her sisters had left her alone to clean up their mess. She promised herself that one day, she would force them to do the job, instead.After dumping the last of the dirty dishes into the sink, Piper turned on the hot water. The pipes began to rattle loudly, causing the Charmed One to nearly jump out of her skin. "Damn pipes!" she muttered. Nearly three days had passed and the pipes were still making noise all over the house. Piper had called the plumber, yesterday morning. One had yet to show up. She reached for the telephone and called the plumbing company.After being assured that a plumber would arrive within an hour, Piper went upstairs to feed Wyatt. She fed him his lunch. Then she left the one year-old to sleep, while she cleaned the house. While she set about her task, the Charmed One contemplated on Darryl's theory about Cole and Olivia's deaths. The idea of an evil alternate Olivia committing the murders seemed absurd. At first. And it surprised Piper that Darryl Morris – of all people – would even consider such an idea. But she realized that both the Halliwells, the McNeills and even their closest friends dealt with magic almost on a daily basis. Perhaps Darryl's idea was not that absurd, after all.The doorbell rang. Piper glanced at her watch. It read twenty-three minutes past two. Her mouth twisted into a slight grimace. She had called the plumbing company nearly two hours ago. What happened to the hour it was supposed to take for them to send one plumber? Someone at that company must be slipping.Piper headed for the foyer and opened the door. She found a tall, attractive, middle-aged man with curly brown hair that grayed at the temples and hazel-green eyes standing on the stoop. He wore overalls. "Piper Halliwell?" he asked, frowning at his clipboard."I see that you're finally here," Piper replied caustically. "I had called nearly two hours ago."The man sighed. "Sorry, Lady. I had another client. So, what's the problem?"For some odd reason, Piper found herself recalling the visit of the gas man, some five years ago. Only he had ended up being possessed by the Woogeyman . . . and tried to kill her. Why on earth would she be thinking of that day now?The Charmed One eyed the plumber warily. "You're with Sherman Plumbing, right?""Yes Lady, I am." The plumber rolled his eyes. "My name is Chuck Jarwoski. I've been with the company for the past eleven years. What's the problem?"Piper hesitated. Realizing that she was being suspicious for no reason, she allowed the plumber inside the house. "Sorry about that. Just being careful. Um . . . it's the kitchen pipes. Well, at least for today. I've been having problems with the pipes both inside the kitchen and the bathroom for the past three days.""Where's the basement?""You can reach it through the kitchen," Piper replied. "That way." She pointed in the direction of the kitchen. She had no intention of turning her back on anyone – save a Halliwell, a McNeill, Darryl, Scott or a whitelighter.Annoyance flashed in Mr. Jarwoski's eyes. "Lady, where exactly is . . . 'this way'?"Piper continued to point in the same direction. "It's a straight walk to the kitchen. Trust me."The plumber sighed once more and marched straight toward the kitchen. Piper followed closely at his heels. Once they reached it, Jarwoski turned on the sink's hot water. As before, the pipes began to rattle. "Hmmmm, sounds like a loose pressure valve. Or perhaps it's the pipes' discs. Where's the basement?"Piper pointed at the doorway to the far right. She opened the door and switched on the basement's light. "It's downstairs." As the plumber headed toward the basement, memories of the Woogeyman incident reared its ugly head, once more. She shook her head and returned to the stove, where Wyatt's milk bottle sat in a saucepan. Once it finished warming up, she turned off the stove. And the telephone rang.The call came from her liquor supplier. It seemed he wanted to verify a shipment of vodka for P3. Unfortunately, Piper had never ordered any vodka. She had ordered Scotch whiskey. Moron. Once she reminded the supplier that he had screwed up an order for the umpteenth time, she gave him the correct request. She finally hung up the telephone, realizing that she needed to find another supplier. Then she remembered Mr. Jarwoski. "Hey!" she cried, while standing in the basement's doorway. "Are you finished yet?"The plumber's voice floated back. "Not yet. Almost."Forgetting her vow to keep a close eye on her visitor, Piper left the kitchen and rushed upstairs to fetch her purse. She realized that this plumbing job was going to cost her a pretty penny. Perhaps she could get Phoebe and Paige to pay for part of the bill. When she returned to the kitchen basement's doorway, she cried out once more, "Are you finished yet?""I am now," a voice from behind murmured.Taken by surprise, Piper whirled around. Something sharp pierced her gut and she cried out in pain. Her eyes widened at the sight of Mr. Jarwoski holding a knife that dripped with her blood. Her mouth hung opened in shock. "Good-bye, Miss Halliwell," Jarwoski coolly added with a smirk. Piper raised her hands in an attempt to vanquish her attacker. Unfortunately, he moved faster and stabbed her again. This time, straight into the heart.-----------------Filled with a deep satisfaction he had not experienced in years, Artemus gazed at the dead witch that lay sprawled on the floor. He knelt beside the body and examined it for a pulse. Nothing. Not a single heartbeat. He had done his job. A cold smile curled his lips. One down and one more to go. At least for today. His eyes glanced upward. Time to deal with the Halliwells' youngest member.The daemon removed the bottle of milk from the saucepan and unscrewed the top. From inside his pants pocket, he pulled out a small bottle of clear liquid. The bottle's contents happened to be the power stripping potion that the McNeill warlock had left instructions to create. He poured the potion into the bottle of milk and screwed the top back on.After turning off the stove, Artemus removed the milk from the saucepan and left the kitchen. He paused before the foot of the staircase. With a smile stamped on his face, the daemon shifted into the form of the oldest Charmed One. "Wyatt," he cried softly, "Mommy has a little surprise for you!" Still smiling and clutching the bottle of milk, he teleported to the manor's second floor.---------------The moment Paige and Harry entered the manor three hours later, the telephone rang. The youngest Charmed One strode into the living room to answer the call. "Hello?""Paige, is that you?" Phoebe's voice cried.Paige glanced at her boyfriend, who sat on the living room's sofa, looking slightly morose. "Yeah Pheebs, what is it?""Have you seen Leo?" her older sister asked.Leo? Paige rolled her eyes. "You're looking for him? Why don't you summon him?"The middle Charmed One reminded the younger woman that Leo was no longer their whitelighter. "You'd think the Elders would have the good sense to give us a new one."Heaving an annoyed sigh, Paige suggested that Leo may have been summoned by the Elders. "Why don't you check with Gideon from the Magic School?" She shot another glance at Harry, whose face now expressed contempt at the mention of the Elder's name."Oh God! I don't want to deal with that man again. Once was enough. I tried calling Piper, but I can't get hold of her. Something . . . something odd happened to me a few hours ago." Phoebe paused momentarily. "I had this odd feeling that something had changed, but I don't know what. I haven't felt this way since Andy's death."A frown appeared on Paige's face. As much as she and Phoebe sympathized with Piper dealing with the end of a marriage, something bad must have happened for Phoebe to be desperate to find Leo. "Look, I'll go to the Elders and ask if they had seen him. Meanwhile, try to reach Piper again.""Yeah. Okay." Phoebe hung up.Paige walked over and joined Harry on the sofa. "Something's wrong," she murmured. "Phoebe is having these odd feelings. Feelings she haven't had since Andy's death." She paused. "Wasn't someone meddling with time, back then?"Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I think it was some demon. I don't remember much. I was at Stanford when it happened."Paige shook her head. "Meddling with time? You're not able sense something like that?""I'm a telepath, not a seer. My powers don't have anything to do with time - unless it involves someone's memories."Paige stood up. "Oh well. I'm going upstairs. Maybe Piper's home." She noticed the haggard expression that had returned to Harry's face. "Hey, why don't you go into the kitchen and get a drink or something? Piper made some lemonade, last night. You can pour a glass for me, as well."A sigh left Harry's mouth. "Yeah . . . sure." He stood up. Paige planted a light kiss on the side of his mouth. A brief smile appeared on his lips before he headed toward the kitchen.Meanwhile, Paige climbed the staircase to the second floor. She approached Piper's room and noticed it was empty. Then she headed toward the nursery. When she entered the room, Paige noticed that her nephew was sound asleep in his crib. She started to turn away, when she noticed something odd. Wyatt's head did not rest on a pillow. Instead, the pillow was situated next to the toddler. And his milk bottle had been left on a nearby table. Something that Piper would never do.An odd sensation tingled at the back of Paige's neck. She strode quickly toward the crib and leaned over to check on her nephew. The Charmed One touched his cheek and realized it was cold. "No!" she cried in horror. "Oh God! No! No!" She touched his pulse and felt nothing. The one year-old was dead. "Oh my God! No! Har-ry! HARRY!""Paige! Get down here!" Harry's voice cried. "In the kitchen!"Tears began to stream down Paige's cheeks, as she rushed downstairs. When she reached the kitchen, she found a grim looking Harry standing over something. Which turned out to be a dead body. Piper's body. "Oh God! Piper! Piper!" Paige fell to her knees and cradled her dead sister in her arms, while her screams filled the kitchen.THE END
"THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" (1937) ReviewI realize that many film critics and fans would agree with my suspicion that the 1930s saw a great deal of action films released to theaters. In fact, I believe there were as high number of actions films released back then as they are now. Among the type of action films that flourished during that era were swashbucklers.One of the most famous Hollywood swashbucklers released during the 1930s was "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA", producer David O. Selznick's 1937 adaptation of Anthony Hope's 1894 novel. This tale of middle European political intrigue and identity theft has been either remade or spoofed countless of times over the years. One of the most famous spoofs included George MacDonald Fraser's 1970 Flashman novel called "Royal Flash". But if one asked many moviegoers which adaptation comes to mind, I believe many would point out Selznick's 1937 movie.Directed by John Cromwell, the movie began with Englishman Rudolf Rassendyll's arrival in the kingdom of Ruritania in time for the coronation of its new king, Rudolf V. The English visitor's looks attract a great deal of attention from some of the country's populace and eventually from the new king and the latter's two aides. The reason behind this attention is due to the fact that not only are the Briton and the Ruritanian monarch are distant cousins, but they can also pass for identical twins. King Rudolf invites Rassendyll to the royal hunting lodge for dinner with him and his aides - Colonel Sapt and Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim. They celebrate their acquaintance by drinking late into the night. Rudolf is particularly delighted with the bottle of wine sent to him by his half-brother, Duke Michael, and drinks it all himself. The next morning brings disastrous discoveries - the wine was drugged, and King Rudolf cannot be awakened in time to attend his coronation. Fearing that Duke Michael will try to usurp the throne, Colonel Zapt convinces a reluctant Rassendyll to impersonate Rudolf for the ceremony.While watching "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA", it became easy for me to see why it has become regarded as one of the best swashbucklers of the 1930s. Selznick, its array of credited and uncredited screenwriters, and director John Cromwell did an excellent job of transferring Anthony Hope's tale to the screen. This certainly seemed to be the case from a technical point-of-view. Selznick managed to gather a talented cast that more than did justice to Hope's literary characters. The movie also benefited from Alfred Newman's stirring score, which received a well-deserved Academy Award nomination. Lyle R. Wheeler received the first of his 24 Academy Award nominations for the movie's art designs, which exquisitely re-created Central Europe of the late 19th century. His works was enhanced by Jack Cosgrove's special effects and the photography of both James Wong Howe and an uncredited Bert Glennon. And I was very impressed by Ernest Dryden's re-creation of 1890s European fashion in his costume designs.The performances featured in "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" struck me as outstanding. Not only was Mary Astor charming as Duke Michael's mistress, Antoinette de Mauban, she also did an excellent job in conveying Mademoiselle de Mauban's love for Michael and her desperation to do anything to keep him safe for herself. C. Aubrey Smith gave one of his better performances as the weary and level-headed royal aide, Colonel Sapt, whose love for his country and the throne outweighed his common sense and disappointment in his new king. David Niven gave the film its funniest performance as junior royal aide, Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim. Not only did I find his comedy style memorable, but also subtle. Raymond Massey's performance as King Rudolf's illegitimate half-brother, Duke Michael, struck me as very interesting. On one hand, Massey smoldered with his usual air of menace. Yet, he also did an excellent job of conveying Michael's resentment of his illegitimate status and disgust over his half-brother's dissolute personality.However, I feel that the best performances came from Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. I read that the latter originally wanted the dual roles of Rassendyll and King Rudolf . . . and was disappointed when Colman won the roles. But he received advice from C. Aubrey Smith to accept the Rupert of Hentzau role, considered the best by many. Smith proved to be right. Fairbanks gave the best performance in the movie as the charming and witty villain, who served as Duke Michael's main henchman, while attempting to seduce the latter's mistress. Madeleine Carroll could have easily portrayed Princess Flavia as a dull, yet virtuous beauty. Instead, the actress superbly portrayed the princess as an emotionally starved woman, who harbored resentment toward her royal cousin Rudolf for years of his contemptuous treatment toward her; and who blossomed from Rassendyll's love. Although I believe that Fairbanks Jr. gave the movie's best performance, I cannot deny that Ronald Colman served as the movie's backbone in his excellent portrayals of both Englishman Rudolf Rassendyll and Ruritania King Rudolf V. Without resorting to any theatrical tricks or makeup, Colman effortlessly portrayed two distant cousins with different personalities. "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" marked the third movie I have seen starring Colman. I believe I am finally beginning to realize what a superb actor he truly was.Before my raptures over "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" get the best of me, I feel I have to point out a few aspects of the movie that I found troubling. Selznick International released three movies in 1937. Two of them had been filmed in Technicolor and one, in black-and-white. I do not understand why Selznick had decided that "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" would be the only one filmed in black-and-white. This movie practically begged for Technicolor. Surely, he could have allowed either "A STAR IS BORN" or "NOTHING SACRED" in black-and-white. For a movie that is supposed to be a swashbuckler, it seemed to lack a balanced mixture of dramatic narrative and action. During my viewing of the movie, I noticed that aside from Colonel Sapt forcing the royal lodge's cook, Frau Holf, into drinking the rest of the drugged wine; there was no real action until past the movie's mid-point. And speaking of the action, I found it . . . somewhat tolerable. The minor sequence featuring Rupert's first attempt at killing Rassendyll, the latter's efforts to save King Rudolf from assassination at Duke Michael's castle near Zenda, and the charge led by Sapt at the castle struck me as solid. But I found the sword duel between Rassendyll and Rupert rather disappointing. Both Colman and Fairbanks spent more time talking than fighting. I found myself wondering if the constant conversation was a means used by Cromwell to hide the poor choreography featured in the sword fight.I do not think I would ever view "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" as one of my favorite swashbucklers of all time. But despite some of the disappointing action sequences, I still believe that its drama and suspense, along with a superb cast led by Ronald Colman, made it a first-rate movie and one of the best produced by David O. Selznick.
.jpg)