Monthly Archives: March 2022

The Godfather (1972)Director: Francis Ford CoppolaScreenwriter: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford CoppolaStarring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Lenny Montana

The Godfather is one of the most significant films in the history of American cinema. The film was popular both critically and commercially, winning three out of ten Oscars at the 45th Academy awards including Best Picture. It tells the story of the Corleones, a New York mob family who follow the old ways of Sicily. Michael Corleone is on the outside of his family following his time in college, Michael served in World War II. What follows is the tragic downfall of Michael as he slowly rises to the head of the family.

The production process of The Godfather wasnt entirely smooth. Director Francis Ford Coppola was notoriously difficult to work with, but theres no question that he was the right man for the job. He adapted the screenplay with the author of the original novel, was essential to getting Marlon Brando on board as the Godfather, Vito Corleone, and brought in family members, illustrating a personal touch. At the same time, he feuded with Paramount, and was forced to work within boundaries he wasnt used to as a more independent filmmaker. He didnt receive permission to edit his final cut, and the film became a romanticization of gangsters, a celebration of violence albeit an endlessly entertaining one. One reason The Godfather Part II is so highly praised is because Coppola got to tell the story his way, all due to the success of The Godfather.

Marlon Brando won Best Actor for this 1972 release, though he declined to accept the award, and was represented by Sacheen Littlefeather, an Apache actress who spoke about the negative treatment of Native Americans in the film industry and American society. Brando is the stand-out performer, famous for making offers people cant refuse. He shows a range from menacing mobster to playful grandfather, and embodies his character through every stage of the story. Vito is tightly intertwined with the opening wedding scenes, as they provide opportunities for him to show his different sides. Hes a family man who cares for his community, but hes also a brutal mobster who hangs around with made men like Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana).

Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and James Caan were each nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards in 1973, but none won. They play Vitos three sons, Michael, Tom Hagen, and Sonny respectively. Pacino was the star as Michael, and his transformation across the film is played to perfection. Michaels pivotal scene takes place in the first half of the film, when Michael moves his fathers hospital bed to prevent further attempts against his life. He gets a local baker to stand outside and act as if theyre guards watching over the Don. In those moments, he becomes involved in his family despite trying to stay out of their operations. Tom is the familys attorney. In one sequence, hes sent to represent Vitos interests in California to get a godson a leading role in a Hollywood war movie. The director awakens to find a horse head in his bed when he doesnt comply, and the godson, Johnny, ends up with the role. Sonny is the hot head of the family. Caan was actually initially hired to play Michael, but this was something Coppola didnt want. Caan was quoted saying he had it in his mind that Michael was the Sicilian-looking one and Sonny was the Americanized version. Throughout the film, Sonnys demeanor is exploited, and his story ends when hes shot in a toll booth, an example of the excessive violence featured in the film.

But the violence is what makes The Godfather so entertaining. If youre going to glorify violence, the least you can do is incorporate tragedy and character development, and Coppola does so here. It is arguable that scenes like leave the gun, take the cannoli are too much, but for the most part the violence is meaningful beyond the spectacle of blood and explosions.

It is notable that the list of female characters is sparse. Theyre often shunted to the background, a representation of an archetype rather than an actual character. Vitos patriarchal perspective reigns supreme, and stands as a symbol of respectability. Hes doing criminal activity the right way, and were implored to contrast Vitos anti-drug ways with Sollozzos pro-drug aspirations. This is something Part II improves upon at least a bit, giving Kay (Michaels partner played by Diane Keaton) an actual amount of intelligence and agency compared to the first film.

The Godfather probably doesnt have the same social relevance as it once did, but it is a film that many film lovers care about because of its historical relevance. The only thing stopping it from being the first blockbuster is that is came out in March, but it is not so much the films success that keeps it relevant as much as it is the success of an American independent auteur. Coppolas earlier and subsequent films were spaces for him to express creative freedom, in whichever form that took; he pushed the boundaries of what cinema is and could be, and made each film personal to himself. He put the auteur movement into the consciousness of mainstream cinema, and he continues to finance and re-present his own works to this day. The Godfather, like Psycho or The Searchers, is a film that has staying power in the cinephile zeitgeist, and that will maintain its position as one of the greatest American films of all time.

21/24

Film and Media Studies major at Arizona State University. Bad movie connoisseur, admirer of surrealism, reluctant superhero movie watcher.

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'The Godfather' at 50 Review - The Film Magazine

Theres a scene in The Power of the Dog in which Phil Burbank, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, kneels in a small glade by a body of water. He is stripped to his waist and he slowly pulls a yellow handkerchief from the front of his pants. Phil languidly, achingly runs the handkerchief across his naked chest and his rough, weathered face. Hes delicate with the object, painstakingly careful with what it represents to him and as slowly as it is drawn across his face, the monogram BH is revealed and there is confirmation of everything we have suspected about the nature of Phil and Bronco Henrys relationship. Its confirmation that while Phil is utterly reprehensible, hes also a human with needs, desires, and deep complicated emotions. The Power of the Dog is filled with slow, beautiful filmmaking that reminds us why we love the medium and why it is unique among storytelling mediums.

The Power of the Dog wades into the complicated cruelty of humans. With a visual panache that breathes subtext into every movement of the film, director Jane Campion and her crew have not only captured a period, but a zeitgeist as well. We grapple now, as the people in Phils orbit then, with men afraid their place in the world is being usurped. Yet, as often happens with these men, as loud as they may be, their belly will eventually be exposed and they will find the world prefers the new way and they can accept it or be left in the dust.

The narrative suits the paradigm shift in viewing habits as well. The Power of the Dog is a film produced by and streaming on Netflix, the portent of the end of the traditional film going experience. Yet, a great film doesnt require a certain size of screen to make an impact. A great film requires our eyes to be open to what it has to offer and The Power of the Dog has so much to offer. From its rich textured close ups, to its awe-inspiring wide shots of gorgeous vistas, The Power of the Dog is a masterpiece that reminds us that a visual medium can convey as much or more information as text spoken or written. The films plot is layered, its performed expertly by its entire cast, and brings a depth of sound that heightens our sense of tension and desire. The Power of the Dog is exquisite and proves why Jane Campion is one of our greatest living filmmakers. The Power of the Dog deserves to represent the 2021 film year as its Best Picture.

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Originally posted here:

Chasing the Gold: Why 'The Power of the Dog' Should Win Best Picture - InSession Film

In place of visibility, there is a crowd. It is more like a mass and moves across the sky, at times hanging low to the ground, where it slows down and is called fog to those who pass through it, at a loss for where they might have planned to go. But from above, to those who fly, it might be seen as no different than the land itself, a natural emergence of air from the soil, as its elements commingle and create the texture of Earth.

The metaphor of cloud cover, as seen from above and below, concerns the curation of historical artwork from a gender perspective in the context of seeing the show, I-You-They: A Century of Artist Women at Meher, where leading ladies on the first floor, such as abstract expressionist painter Fahrelnissa Zeid and Turkeys first female professional photographer Yldz Moran hold a canonical presence alongside peers, antecedents and successors.

Zeids oil on canvas Resolved Problems (1948) pushes the envelope of the exhibitions ambitious timeline near to its conclusion. The work is abstract but calculated, her mosaic-like forms recall Byzantine culture, and the fragmentations of visual perception, conceived in an age which she presciently forecasted would be increasingly dominated by the saturated overpopulation of voices and works streamlined into corporate media.

All artists, whether they were men or women, who came into the world between the 1850s and 1950s, responded to an entirely different zeitgeist of perceptual discernment. When Zeid made Resolved Problems she was not so much revealing or obscuring, as much as she was showing obscuration itself.

That knack and intuitive grasp that Zeid exhibited was common among women who were expressing, however obliquely, the fact that they had been subjugated to less importance in the cultural historiography of Western art, and more so for being Turkish. Moran, the genius that she was, produced a trio of photographs, Echo (1952), blurring the self-examination of mirrored portraiture in a figure absorbed by her reflection to the point of subjective dissolution.

The liberal spaciousness of Meher can offer particularly creative curatorial opportunity, such as when the Beyond the Vessel show exhibited Kim Simonssons Moss People (2019), transforming one of its walls into an enchanted forest, or when it formerly housed Arter, and painter Can Aytekins Empty House emphasized the absence of its architectural anomalies. I-You-They, however, succumbs to the regressive tendency to merely decorate.

There is a long overwrought debate on the lightness of being in art, on whether or not aesthetically engaged work can confidently kick up its feet and exist as mere decoration, or disembark from amusement theme institutionalization into the deep waters of many fields.

And in walks feminism. After a long march from prehistory, when goddesses and the female form served as the inspiration for the earliest works of figurative art in the archaeological record, women confronted men on the soapboxes of fin-de-siecle society. Righteously, they were frustrated over their displacement amid the rise of democracies led by working classes empowered to reform their governments, representative of human equality.

Their ideas were large, and so were their strides. Turkey stands out as having led a successful womens suffrage movement before many Western countries like France, Greece and Switzerland, although not without a few compromises to their overall electoral system. There is an oil painting on plywood at the show from that time, titled, Girls Practicing Painting by Emel Koruktrk, dated to the 1930s. Its impressionistic bent is rosy, if faceless.

That incipient era of Turkish feminism, as it might be remembered, had a parallel life in and among the pictures that women created before and in the midst of its burgeoning actions. But its beginnings toward a more enlightened republic of liberated women were not without awkward moments, considering the patriarchal background of Ottoman art history. A pastel on cardboard by Mihri Mfik, born in 1885, is that of a self-Orientalist. The Sultans Favorite with Mirror, follows familiar tropes, and Artuns often haphazard curation is not exactly critical.

Mfik, who lived wide awake and working through the Ottoman Empires transition to the Republic of Turkey, showed a girl from the palace in the typical fashion. Like Morans modernist woman, invoking a semblance of American artist Cindy Sherman, Mfiks subject gazes away from the artist, and into a mirror. She is demure and half-dressed.

When placed next to a work of oil on hardboard by Semiha Berksoy, Self-Portrait, their divergent approaches to making art are clearly distinct. Mfik was weighed by the lingering influences of Turkeys past, Berksoy was a daughter of the secular republic, whod come to painting with the ecstatic joy and uninhibited expressionism, freed from the stage that made her name as she went back and forth between Turkey and Germany in the 1930s, famous as an independent, bohemian bon-vivant throughout her illustrious, eccentric career.

But the temptations of the Orientalist were not entirely extinguished by the cold shower of modernism. That is patent at I-You-They in an untitled photograph by Semiha Es, whose globe-trotting adventures gleaned images from exotic locales, including that of a black woman draped in the fur of a big cat. It appears that she made the woman pose, as she lays facing the camera directly, exposing her forehead and chest, marked with ritual scarring.

In the final act of I-You-They, the top floor of Mehers galleries is mobbed with a wall of paintings, drawings, manuscripts and other forms of artwork. Their attributions are heaped together in a long series of lists set apart from the art. The effect is disillusioning. If the idea of the exhibition was to inform and foreground women as central to Turkeys art history, it was a confusing balancing act, jumbled, as it were, in search of something more tangible than those names that are already canonical. But, if seen with a welcome naivety, and an open heart, it is still an opportune feast of visions in the name of so many, countless Turkish women who lived empowered lives as accomplished artists, uniquely important as ever.

The exhibition can be visited until May 29.

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On art and women: I-You-They at Istanbuls spacious Meher | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

Its hard to believe that the National Ballet has been performing Rudolf Nureyevs version of The Sleeping Beauty for 50 years. The lavish work, which first premiered at St. Petersburgs Mariinsky Theatre in 1890, entered the Nationals repertoire in 1972. It immediately became a landmark production that led to the company acquiring a worldwide reputation through a series of extended tours. In other words, Nureyev and The Sleeping Beauty put the National on the ballet map.

For this 50th anniversary run, the ballet has been staged by artistic director emerita Karen Kain who has to be pretty happy with the opening night performance. In an interview I did with Kain when she first became artistic director in 2005, she told me that one of her goals was to raise the companys standard of classical dance technique, and that she did.

The National is currently filled to the brim with accomplished classicists, and their prowess was on full display opening night. The corps de ballet, both women and men, were absolutely spot-on in their togetherness. Not so much as an arm was out of place, so kudos to the coaches.

The Sleeping Beauty is the full monte of classical ballet, the sine qua non of in-your-face technique. One of the hallmarks of the Russian story ballet classics is the numerous secondary roles that collectively show off the depth of a companys ranks.

In Nureyevs version, and exclusive of the two leads, Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund, there are sixteen roles that require serious dancing. Without classical chops, a company and The Sleeping Beauty are dead in the water.

What follows are some of my impressions of the opening night performance.

Principal dancer Heather Ogden was absolute perfection, and Im hard-pressed to remember a time when she shone brighter than in this performance. From the first moment she descended the grand staircase as a giddy sixteen-year-old, to the poise of the mature young woman that she is in her final pas de deux, Ogden nailed the role. Her Rose Adagio where she balances on one point shoe and raises her arms above her head was breath-taking. In fact, she kept her arms aloft longer than most ballerinas do, which made me sit in open-mouthed admiration.

Her swain was Harrison James who is one of the Nationals first line danseur noble, or, in other words, a quintessential ballet prince. James certainly has the technique that he performs with ease. There is a smoothness and grace to his movements, and I particularly enjoyed how he executed Nureyevs additional solo that shows the Princes ennui. The dance steps flowed together seamlessly with never a choppy moment. On the other hand, and Ive said this before, Id like to see him more animated.

There is one little quibble, however. I was surprised to see that Ogden was paired with James because she is a bit taller than him when she is on point. Now there are ballet purists who absolutely insist on lines above all else, mandating that the ballerina be shorter than her partner (but not too much shorter because that is equally as bad). I have to confess, that the height differential did bother me a bit in the close partnering.

On the other hand, when they performed side by side in synchronized movement, it was pure magic. The dancers both share a similar musicality that makes them look like they are of one cloth. Ogden and James absolutely riveted the eye with the perfection of their togetherness, and it showed off their technical skills to the best advantage.

The question is, however, how much do lines matter?

This uber-famous duet features a male dancer, the Bluebird, who is mostly in the air through a never-ending series of jumps, and a feather-light partner, Princess Florine, who is the epitome of delicate grace.

Principal dancer Naoya Ebe certainly has the technical skills and is both a beautiful mover and jumper, but while conductor David Briskin was pouring out the excitement in Tchaikovskys music, Ebe could not translate that into his dancing. He did have one weeny slip up on a landing, so perhaps that threw him off. I really do enjoy Ebes performances but he really needs some oomph to generate the cheers that this pas de deux usually receives. The height of his jumps was pretty spectacular, though.

Principal dancer Tina Pereira was absolutely beguiling as Princess Florine, shy and coy at the same time. She is one of the best in the company when it comes to lightning-fast movement executed with exquisitely detailed technique, and her performance was flawless. The two together painted a charming picture.

This duet is always a crowd-pleaser because its cute and funny as two pussycats squabble with each other while pulling off some technical dancing.

First soloist Spencer Hack is fast becoming the dancer of choice when you need someone who is fleet of foot. He is like liquid mercury that overlays an assured technique. In other words, hes the companys, quick foot. He also has a strong sense of humour.

Second soloist Miyoko Koyasu is equally fast but she layers her technique with uber-feminine delicacy. She too was really into her role, and together they were adorable.

These are mostly solos, and mostly female. There are six fairy variations in the first act, while in the third act, the variations are grouped together as the Jewels Pas de Cinq which allows for the presence of one man.

Each variation is different, one from the other, sometimes obviously so, sometimes more subtly, and all are famous. What they all share is technique, technique, technique. Balance, precision placement, extended leg and arm swings, lightning-fast limb thrusts, rapid-fire bourres (tiny runny steps on point), quick change of direction, not to mention jumps, spins and turns, all performed with seemingly superhuman control and consummate grace. The dancers have to make these variations look easy, when they are anything but.

In other reviews, I have pointed out the Nationals talented army of mostly first and second soloists who fill these roles with aplomb, but it doesnt hurt to mention them again, because these variations are an important part of The Sleeping Beauty zeitgeist.

The fairy variations in the first act were beautifully performed by principal dancer Tina Pereira (Third), first soloists Jeannine Haller (Second) and Calley Skalnik (Fifth), second soloists Miyoko Koyasu (Second), and Genevieve Penn Nabity (Sixth), and corps members Jaclyn Oakley (First) and Tirion Law (Fourth). The second variation is a duet.

The notoriously difficult third act Jewels Pas de Cinq is a combination of showy solos, duets and trios. The cast included first soloist Chelsy Meiss (Diamond), second soloists Genevieve Penn Nabity (Silver) and Brenna Flaherty (Gold), and corps member Clare Peterson (Emerald). Second soloist Donald Thom did princely duty as the Diamond swain. Peterson is a new name for me so she gets added to my list of ones to watch.

Of added interest is the fact that these roles get traded around in other performances, so the women arent just one-trick ponies.

These variations in The Sleeping Beauty, as well as featured roles in other ballets, allow me to watch these dancers execute their craft while getting a measure of their talent. I can then gauge their march up the company ranks. To know the principal dancers of a company is not enough.

This is going to sound absolutely preposterous, but I found the sound too loud. I kid you not. Is it because this was the first time in two years Ive heard a full orchestra in the Four Seasons, and wasnt used to the very live acoustics? (Neither of the first two programs of the Nationals season featured the full orchestra.)

Despite the loudness, there was real passion, depth, and where needed, nuance, in the music. Ive said it before, and Ill say it again. Maestro David Briskin is one of the finest ballet conductors in the world, and the number of companies who want him as a guest are legion. He is, however, ours.

The Lilac Fairy, unlike in other versions of The Sleeping Beauty, is a non-dancing role. Nureyev has her be a spirit guide throughout, and her movement is one of floating on air. First soloist Tanya Howard was simply the finest Lilac Fairy I have seen. She actually seemed to defy gravity.

It was a surprise to see principal dancer Piotr Stanczyk as the non-dancing King Florestan, Auroras father. Is he transitioning to character roles? He certainly has a lot of dance still in him. Nonetheless, Stanczyk was excellent as the king superior and commanding in every way.

Character artist Rebekah Rimsay had fun chewing up the scenery as the evil fairy Carabosse, while fellow character artist Stephanie Hutchison was suitably flirtatious as the Countess trying to entice Prince Florimund. These two dancers switch roles in other performances, so all their considerable acting skills have to be at hand.

It was nice to see former company members Jonathan Renna and Sophie Letendre back on stage. Renna was positively pathetic as the grovelling master of ceremonies Catalubutte, while Letendre was a most gracious Queen.

New artistic director Hope Muir is inheriting a company filled with talented Young Turks who have technique up the whazoo. The competition for promotions is going to be tough.

And, can I add that I still hate Nicholas Georgiadis overblown costumes which are lam on steroids. Its hard to distinguish colours, one from the other, and all those feather headdresses are just plain dumb. Im not keen on his confined set either. Nonetheless, in 1972 the look of ballet was considered the height of opulence.

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Paula Citron is a Toronto-based freelance arts journalist and broadcaster who hosts her own website, paulacitron.ca. For over 25 years, she was senior dance writer for The Globe and Mail, associate editor of Opera Canada magazine, arts reviewer for Classical 96.3 FM, and dance previews contributor to Toronto Life magazine. She has been a guest lecturer for various cultural groups and universities, particularly on the role of the critic/reviewer, and has been a panellist on COC podcasts. Before assuming a full-time journalism career, Ms. Citron was a member of the drama department of the Claude Watson School for the Arts.

Paula Citron is a Toronto-based freelance arts journalist and broadcaster who hosts her own website, paulacitron.ca. For over 25 years, she was senior dance writer for The Globe and Mail, associate editor of Opera Canada magazine, arts reviewer for Classical 96.3 FM, and dance previews contributor to Toronto Life magazine. She has been a guest lecturer for various cultural groups and universities, particularly on the role of the critic/reviewer, and has been a panellist on COC podcasts. Before assuming a full-time journalism career, Ms. Citron was a member of the drama department of the Claude Watson School for the Arts.

Originally posted here:

SCRUTINY | National Ballets The Sleeping Beauty Filled To The Brim With Talent - Ludwig Van

Analysts discuss whether the price of oil could hit $200 a barrel - Photo: Shutterstock.

Russia claims that oil could hit $300 a barrel if its crude is boycotted by international markets, warning that European Union (EU) sanctions on Russian oil could prompt it to close the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Europe.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, said in a state television address on Monday, It is absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market.

The surge in prices would be unpredictable. It would be $300 per barrel, if not more.

While a potential price surge of oil reaching $300 sounds a little far-fetched, given the worlds dependence on Moscows commodities, is it improbable?

Capital.com asked several energy analysts for their thoughts and whether oil could hit $130, $150, or even $200-plus and what impact a further surge in prices could have on the global markets.

Oil prices jumped more than 3% on Monday, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) inching closer to resistance at $110 a barrel.

Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, said in a note sent to Capital.com on Monday that March has seen the sharpest oil market volatility since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when the commodity became technically worthless.

Mondays sharp rally is being driven by ongoing constrained supply from OPEC+, a stalemate in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, a potential Russian oil embargo from the European Union and a Houthi attack on a Saudi energy terminal, all exacerbating an existing imbalance between supply and demand in the market, she said.

Evridiki Dimitriadou, an analyst at S&P Global Commodity Insights, told Capital.com the front month ICE Brent crude oil futures contract price showed a head-and-shoulders pattern over the first week of March, which is often indicates that prices have peaked at a multi-year high level in this case.

So far, the short and long-term moving averages dont provide a clear bullish or bearish signal if we consider this technical indicator as well, however the data is quite noisy, mainly due to the volatility caused by the developments associated with the Russia-Ukraine military conflict. Crude oil prices are rising again today as some European Union countries could consider joining the US and UK in banning Russian crude oil.

If the EU actually makes such a move, the levels reached earlier in March are very possible, it is harder to estimate how much further they can move up, however, as it would depend on Europes alternatives to the banned oil volumes and the specific terms of the ban, Dimitriadou said.

According to Trading Economics data, crude oil reached an all-time high of $147.27 in July 2008 and as reported by Capital.com the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine has already pushed oil prices to a 14-year high.

INGs head of commodities strategy, Warren Patterson, discussed the significance of western dependency on Russia in a podcast last week, as the country currently supplies the EU with more than 25% of its oil and up to 40% of its gas.

Russia is a key oil supplier to global markets. It exports somewhere in the region of seven and a half million barrels a day of crude oil and refined products, which is about 12% of global trade. This amount of oil is not something that can be offset by other producers any time soon, he said.

Osama Rizvi, an energy analyst at Primary Vision, told Capital.com oil could reach $200 per barrel.

Right now, the oil markets have almost become untraceable as the sentiment keeps shifting at a dizzying speed, he said.

It is interesting to note that there havent been any new additions in terms of variables affecting the price of oil. Concerns regarding supply, falling spare capacity continued to keep the prices higher. After that, the geopolitical flashpoint in the form of the Russia-Ukrainian crisis provided the impetus to take the prices all the way to $100s.

Rizvi also noted how prices approached their 2008 highs on 7 March, touching $139 and falling after that. He said the price went up on the possibility of the EU sanctioning Russias oil and gas, and fell because the EU realised it could not be done.

Why have prices rallied again? The EU is once again considering cutting off Russian oil and gas. Can they do it? Practically speaking, yes. Will they? I don't think so, Rizvi added.

Rizvi also said he believes prices will fall. However, if they go ahead with that, with an impending three (million barrels per day) shortfall in terms of Russian production expected, this can take prices to $200, he said.

Rizvi further noted that if the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action the Iran nuclear deal is successfully renegotiated, and the EU delays its decision to ban energy imports from Russia, along with an expected de-escalation of the conflict, it would result in a selloff in prices with the possibility of $50 Brent once again.

Brendan Long, director of institutional research at investment advice company WH Ireland, was also of the view that oil prices could hit $200 a barrel, or more.

In my opinion, the oil market is in disequilibrium and will be in disequilibrium for the foreseeable future. By that I mean the price of oil will exceed the marginal cost of production.

For perspective, I believe that the oil market was headed for an undersupply crisis even before the war in Ukraine, Long told Capital.com on Monday.

He further highlighted that oil prices could conceivably spike above $200 per barrel, depending on how the undersupply crisis plays out.

The situation is analogous in some respects to the 1979 oil crisis. One of the big changes from the late '70s is that today the price of oil is determined in financial markets. During the 1979-81 period panic led to hoarding, which further increased the price of oil. Today that could be exacerbated by the financial markets aspect of commodity markets, Long said.

He also noted setting aside the intricacies of market mechanics the oil market is exceptionally tight and spare production capacity is limited.

Due to the perceived malignancy of oil and a resulting under investment in the sector, we are, in my opinion, facing an acute energy crisis of our own making, Long concluded.

Ajay Parmar, a senior oil market analyst at ICIS also shared his views with Capital.com on how high oil prices might go.

Crude prices of over $150/bbl are certainly possible, but it would necessitate a confluence of a number of bullish factors to reach this level. Namely, it would require the EU to fully sanction the 2.5 million barrels per day of crude imports into Europe, whilst demand in China would also need to recover promptly from the rising Covid cases it is currently seeing, he said.

He noted that, in this case, the ICIS high case forecast sees Brent oil prices reaching above $150/bbl in the summer.

Needless to say, oil prices at these levels would inevitably lead to some demand destruction, he said.

Parmar also noted that a more likely scenario is for a reduction in near term global oil demand due to lockdowns in China, which he said will provide the market with some reprieve from the high prices weve recently seen.

Looking into the summer, we assume the Russia/Ukraine conflict continues but is no longer at the forefront of the zeitgeist, whilst China is expected to recover from its lockdowns and overall global oil demand will be strong due to seasonal trends. ICIS forecasts a base case crude price of over $120/bbl in the summer, he said.

Giles Coghlan, chief analyst at HYCM also shared his thoughts with Capital.com and said as long as the geopolitical risk between Russia and Ukraine remains, oil prices will be susceptible to spiking higher.

Right now, $130 is the first near-term target, as this was the previous spike high area. However, thereafter investors can expect $150 to be the next target, in line with July 2008 highs selling was strong at this level, and growth worries should keep oil pressured in the medium term, he said.

Coghlan added the higher oil prices soar, the more it will stoke inflation concerns. In turn, this will mean that central banks many of which are already hiking their interest rates will face a much greater risk at slowing their economies and hindering consumer confidence.

He added that it means high oil prices will ultimately play into recessionary concerns, as growth prospects take a hit.

As the old saying goes in the commodity market, the best cure for high prices is high prices. When oil prices surge higher, producers tend to respond by producing more in the face of diminished consumer demand it is a self-corrective mechanism, which eventually results in a fall in prices, Coghlan said.

Tamas Varga, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates, told Capital.com he believes only an Iranian nuclear deal could save this market from going up to $130 again, given the war in Ukraine is protracted and as sanctions against Russia bite.

We could see $150 in case Europe imposes an energy ban on Russian sales, just like the US did. Bidens visit to Europe this week will provide an answer to that question. In case Russia retaliates by turning off the natural gas spigots, even higher prices cannot be excluded, he said.

For the long term, he said we need to keep in mind that high inflation and interest rate increases, that are partly the product of the current oil price strength, are sowing the seeds of a considerable demand destruction.

Marc Chandler, managing director at Bannockburn Global Forex, thinks it would.

I think that before oil were to get to those higher levels, OPEC+ would step up. Also, the higher oil prices will destroy demand. In my work, I have been talking about how oil prices have doubled before the last three US recessions.

There are a couple of other sources of oil: Venezuela, where there has been some movement between the US and the sanctioned government. The same with Iran. Also, the tapping of strategic reserves has been quite minor. It could be increased, too, he told Capital.com.

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Oil time high: Do analysts think crude will hit $200 a barrel? - Capital.com

If not for Alan Mair, one of the best-known rock and pop collaborations of the 20th century might never have happened.

In the 1970s, Alan, a musician and former bootmaker who grew up in Glasgow and tasted UK-wide success with seminal '60s beat group The Beatstalkers, hired the then unknown Queen frontman Freddie Mercury to run his fashion boutique in London's Kensington High Street.

As if that wasn't sensational enough, Alan happened to know David Bowie and once asked Freddie to fit the Life On Mars and Space Oddity legend with a pair of platform boots.

It was a first meeting between the two iconic rock stars, who would one day collaborate together on the epic international hit 'Under Pressure'.

Alan, whose successful fashion outlet attracted everyone from Deep Purple and The Who to Santana and Yes, says he started making clothes around 1969 after the Beatstalkers split up. By the early 1970s, he was earning a fortune as the owner of one of the best-known boutiques in London.

At the birth of the glam movement in Britain, anybody who was anybody had to own a pair of Alan Mair platform boots.

He told Glasgow Live: "It was a very natural progression for me and just as exciting as being in the Beatstalkers. I was the first person to do handmade platform boots in Kensington Market, and that's why it was so successful.

"I supplied a huge percentage of the rock bands that were playing in the Britain, and from abroad as well. Any time I went down to the shop unit you would see Deep Purple, or Keith Moon, or the guys from the Tremeloes there.

"One of the best adverts was the Santana double-gate sleeve. The whole band are sat on this couch and wearing my boots. Early shots of Queen were the same.

"I had 10,000 'Boots by Alan Mair' bags printed. It wasn't long till I'd sold out of them - so that's how I knew sales were going really well."

In 1970, with business booming and further outlets opening across London, Alan was finding he had less and less time to oversee the day-to-day running of his main boutique at Kensington Market. Help would arrive from the most unlikely of sources.

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury ran another clothes shop nearby with his drummer mate Roger Taylor. However, their outlet, a second hand clothes emporium, wasn't nearly as busy as Alan Mair's.

Alan, who is now in his 70s and still living in London, recalls: "Freddie found out I was a musician and we got talking. I told him how the factory was getting too busy, and asked how he might feel about looking after my shop in the mornings.

"He said yes, and within a few weeks he decided to close his shop down and suggested becoming my full-time shop manager - it was perfect.

"I knew I could trust Freddie. It was really important to get someone trustworthy, and there was a really nice way about him - he was a really pleasant guy. Songwriters were quite often very boastful, Freddie was never like that. He would say things like, 'I've got this little band called Queen'."

With Queen only recently having formed, Alan Mair's shop would be Freddie's main source of income throughout the early 1970s.

One man who wasn't in need of a second job at this time was David Bowie. After years of struggling to become known, David was capturing the zeitgeist of the glam era with his alter ego outfit Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

Alan had gotten to know David years earlier from recording cover versions of Bowie originals when he was still with the Beatstalkers. The pair were good friends and Bowie even penned a track in tribute to Alan's son, Frank.

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Fast forward to 1973, when he was at the peak of his powers in the UK, David Bowie paid Alan a visit at his boutique. The Starman singer would leave that day with a new pair of platform boots fitted by none other than Freddie Mercury.

"I asked David if he'd come in for a pair of boots, and he replied, 'No, I've just come in to see you," explains Alan.

"I told him how he was doing really well these days and he said he didn't have any money. 'But you're a big rock star,' I said, to which he replied, 'Oh, you know what the industry's like, Alan'.

"That's when I said, 'Freddie will fit you up with a pair of boots - you can have them for free'.

"I could tell Freddie recognised David - this was around '73 - but Bowie didn't know who Freddie was. David didn't acknowledge him as a fellow musician, more just a shop assistant fitting him with a pair of boots."

Within a period of just 18 months, Freddie's 'little' band Queen were riding high in the UK charts with international success to follow. Never again would Freddie Mercury be fitting platform boots for a living.

Queen would go on to play a pivotal role in engineering David Bowie's early '80s comeback, with the band and singer collaborating on the worldwide smash Under Pressure in 1981.

Alan added: "When I first met David and first met Freddie, nobody back then could've imagined what they'd become. I remember first hearing Bohemian Rhapsody, I just thought, 'my God, this is the band? This is Queen!?'. That song's so iconic, it deserves all the credit it gets.

"That's when I think of the modest Freddie, saying, 'I've got this little band called Queen'."

Alan Mair is still active in music and is currently working on a new single due to come out in coming months.

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The Glasgow bootmaker who ordered Freddie Mercury to fit David Bowie with a pair of platforms - Glasgow Live