Unrelated, but I just watched two unplanned programs the last couple of days.
Netflix had Lawrence of Arabia available, and it turned out to be the full 4.5 hour long director’s cut, complete with blank screen audio overture and intermission. The film that impressed me as a small schoolboy aged 6 back in 1962. Everything I remembered it for, even though I’ve read Seven Pillars of Wisdom multiple times since, supplemented by scenes and dialogue cut from the original cinematic release. Sound by Maurice Jarre I probably wouldn’t have noticed then. [Watching in HD, despite actually owning a DVD copy of the same version, one or two visual artefacts in view, but not enough to detract.] Flawed human, obviously, but lots of heroic intent in his words if not necessarily the action. Allenby is the real star. There but for grace, etc …
And, BBC Four TV had the Arena episode on James Joyce’s Ulysses. Long after Bloomsday, so no idea of the original timing, but apparently delayed due to the recent attack on Salman Rushdie, with him being a major talking head contributor. Guessing from his age it was maybe a few years old. Anyway, magical. So much to follow-up. The women that made it possible for the rest of us.