the most beautiful fictional dad: Atticus Finch
Who: Atticus Finch, pa to Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and her brother Jem in Harper Lee’s 1960 quasi-autobiographical novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and then later played by Gregory Peck in Robert Mulligan’s 1962 film of the same name. Here is Peck delivering the lesson from which the book’s title comes: Why: My none-too-subtle hint […]
the most beautiful reggae song: Many Rivers to Cross
What: Jimmy Cliff’s soul-striking 1969 ballad “Many Rivers to Cross.” Here is the studio recording from the soundtrack of the 1972 film The Harder They Come, but it needs to be heard live, as in this 1989 Greenpeace benefit performance: Why: A smooth blend of calypso, gospel, and ganja haze, reggae kicked onto the world […]
the most beautiful storybook creature: the Wheedle on the Needle
What: The titular monster in the 1974 storybook Wheedle on the Needle, by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrator Robin James. Why: Many years ago, before anybody lived in the Northwest, there lived a very happy creature called a Wheedle. He was big, fat, and had a very large nose. But his peaceful life was disturbed by […]
the most beautiful television opening sequence: The Prisoner
What: The three-minute opening sequence of the 1967-1968 drama The Prisoner. In this montage, Patrick McGoohan's unnamed character resigns from his British spy agency, only to be gassed and kidnapped to a mysterious prison called "The Village." Despite his insistence that he is not a number but rather a free man, he is dubbed "Number […]
the most beautiful racing moment: Danica takes the lead
What: Danica Patrick takes a stunning gamble and charges into the lead with ten laps to go at the 2005 Indianapolis 500. This occurs about six minutes into this video: Why: The Indianapolis 500 was once the most important day in sports, but a blockheaded ownership fracture and the mainstreaming of NASCAR shunted open-wheel racing […]
the most beautiful 19th-century novel: Pride and Prejudice/Jane Eyre
What: An unresolvable tie between Jane Austen’s 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice and Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. Why: This series of columns is all about decisiveness, but this time, I just couldn’t do it. These are the two greatest novels ever written, amazingly both by women in a time where such […]
the most beautiful breakfast food: cold pizza
What: Leftover pizza straight from the refrigerator first thing in the morning. Why: As meals go, breakfast is like the French language: it is not inclined to allow foreign influences into its official domain. If a foodstuff is not composed of eggs, pork, fruit, or processed grains, it is not getting in. As such, cold […]
the most beautiful method of relaxation: visiting a butterfly house
What: A slow, observant walk through a butterfly house, such as this tour of the now defunct London Butterfly House by Italian photographer Paolo Mollica: Why: As public image goes, the butterfly is second to no arthropod. It is no less an insect then the roach or the hornet; consider the reputation of its order-mate […]
the most beautiful cinematic giant monster: Pulgasari
What: The titular creature in the ridiculous 1985 North Korean-Japanese kaiju film Pulgasari. He starts as a doll made of rice, animated by the spirit of a dying 14th-century blacksmith and a drop of his daughter’s blood. Pulgasari consumes bits of metal, feeding his growth until he towers over the land. The entire movie can […]
the most beautiful song about the moon: The Whole of the Moon
What: The sweeping single “The Whole of the Moon,” from the Waterboys’ 1985 album This is the Sea. The studio version can be heard here, but for the full experience, watch this live clip: Why: Not all songwriting subjects are created equal; for example, you’re likely to write a terrible song if your subject is […]