Figure - uploaded by Katharina C. Wollenberg Valero
Correlates of eye colour and pattern in mantellid frogs
Fèlix Amat Orriols
Katharina C. Wollenberg Valero
Miguel Vences
With more than 250 species, the Mantellidae is the most species-rich family of frogs in Madagascar. These frogs are highly diversified in morphology, ecology and natural history. Based on a molecular phylogeny of 248 mantellids, we here examine the distribution of three characters reflecting the diversity of eye colouration and two characters of he...
A new minute species of Pristimantis (Amphibia: Anura: Craugastoridae) with a large head from the Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park in central Peru, with comments on the phylogenetic diversity of Pristimantis occurring in the Cordillera Yanachaga
Edgar Lehr
Jirí Moravec
Juan Cusi
Václav Gvoždík
We describe a new minute species of the genus Pristimantis, P. boucephalus sp. nov., from the Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park, Región Pasco, Peru. The description is based on a freshly collected male specimen found at 2950 m a.s.l. in a cloud forest and four previously unidentified museum specimens consisting of two adult males, one subadult fema...
A new species of Phrynopus (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru
Rudolf von May
We describe a new species of Phrynopus from the upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands (puna) of the Pui Pui Protected Forest and its close surroundings (Región Junín, central Peru) and compare it morphologically and genetically with other species of Phrynopus. Phrynopusintisp. n. is known from four localities outside and two localities i...
New Species of Ischnocnema (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from the State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, with Comments on the I. verrucosa Species Series
Clarissa Canedo
Bruno Pimenta
Felipe Leite
Ulisses Caramaschi
Field activities in several localities within the basin of the Doce River, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, resulted in the collection of a new Ischnocnema that we assign to the I. verrucosa species series. The new species resembles I. verrucosa and I. octavioi by its possession of small digital discs, short legs, conspicuously tuberculate dorsal sur...
... This latter example confirms that colour anomalies can affect the eyes and body separately. Given that both the pigment cells of iris and body skin are derived from the neural crest, this indicates that either the neural crest cells of the two tissues undergo separate cell regulation processes, or the mutations underlying colour anomalies may affect their migration in different ways (Amat et al., 2013). ...
Axanthic green toads, Bufotes viridis (Anura: Bufonidae), from Cologne, Germany
Rieke Schluckebier
Maria Sachs
... Results of our quantitative morphometric analysis indicated that the three known species in the genus Alexteroon exhibit highly conserved general body plans and external morphology, rendering a quantitative distinction between species based on preserved material alone difficult, particularly when comparing the two superficially similar patterned yet genetically well separated A. obstetricans and A. jynx. Meanwhile, phenotypic features that can only be observed in live specimens, such as the gular coloration observed in reproductively active males of A. hypsiphonus and A. obstetricans or marked differences in coloration between A. hypsiphonus on one hand and A. obstetricans and A. jynx on the other hand appear to be more useful for ad hoc species delimitation (compare Amat et al. 2013;Glaw et al. 2018 for similar findings in mantellid frogs). These observations call for detailed morphological studies, as well as for photo-documentations of live specimens that should be a standard feature of anuran species descriptions. ...
Filling the gaps: The mitogenomes of Afrotropical Egg-guarding Frogs based on historical type material and a re-assessment of the nomenclatural status of Alexteroon Perret, 1988 (Hyperoliidae)
ZOOL ANZ
Raffael Ernst
Christian Kehlmaier
Ninda L. Baptista
Pedro Vaz Pinto
Andreas Schmitz
The African reedfrog taxon Alexteroon consists of only three described species with rather restricted geographical ranges. Although the assignment to a distinct genus is supported by multiple evidence, its position within the larger African hyperoliid radiation has been disputed. Available molecular data are scarce and the geographic records are few and scattered. The partially formalin fixed type series were previously not accessible to molecular analyses. This changed only very recently with the advancement of Next Generation Sequencing and ancient DNA techniques. Here we provide a reassessment of the current distribution and identity of all known species in this taxon based on (a) historical and new records, (b) morphological reanalyses of the type material and newly collected specimens from Angola and Gabon, and (c) newly established, nearly complete mitochondrial genome data from historical type and modern non-type material. We also present a molecular phylogeny (five mitochondrial loci 12S, 16S, ND1, ND2, COI, Cytb) for 78 sequences from 75 different species of Hyperolius retrieved from GenBank and 14 newly established Alexteroon sequences. We demonstrate that Alexteroon is more widely distributed than previously thought with records from northern Angola representing major southern range extensions. Results of the quantitative morphometric analyses show that the group has a rather conserved general body plan. Therefore qualitative phenotypic features observable in live specimens appear to be more useful for ad hoc species delimitation. We found Alexteroon to be nested within Hyperolius, corroborating previous findings. However, the combination of molecular data and consistent differences observed in morphology and ecology provide strong support for the distinctiveness of this evolutionary lineage within Hyperolius sensu lato. We therefore treat Alexteroon as a subgenus of Hyperolius and argue that the large and diverse genus Hyperolius is in need of revision that may result in new generic arrangements.
... Phenotypic eye color has been suggested as an indicator of genetic predisposition toward certain behaviors, where dark-eyed subjects would tend to display behaviors requiring sensitivity, speed, and reactive responses, while with ones with light-colored eyes, behaviors requiring hesitation, inhibition, and self-paced responses, both in humans and in animals (Elias et al., 2008). Furthermore, it has been proposed that eye coloration in various species may be related to social ranks, aggression, mate recognition, and sexual selection (e.g., Volpato et al., 2003, Amat et al., 2013. Chicken eye color is largely determined by genetics, but age, diet, and disease can affect it as well (Nelson, 1947). ...
Associations between neck plumage and beak darkness, as well as comb size measurements and scores with ranging frequency of Sasso and Green-legged Partridge chickens
POULTRY SCI
Patryk Sztandarski
Joanna Marchewka
Franciszek Wojciechowski
Anja B. Riber
Jarosław Olav Horbańczuk
Despite the intensive genetic selection in modern poultry, variability of domestic fowl phenotypes has remained, especially in breeds adapted to local conditions. The relevance of this variability to the chicken outdoor ranging activities remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate if external features were associated with the ranging frequency of the 48 female chickens from each of the two breeds: Sasso and Green-legged Partridge. In each of six single-breed pens, eight hens and two roosters were housed under conditions of EU requirements for organic meat chicken production, including free access to an outdoor range, from weeks 5 to 10 of age. The birds were video-recorded during the experiment to obtain frequencies of individual birds' use of the ranges. Comb size (length and height) was measured using a digital ruler, while the sizes of the dark area of neck plumage and beak were processed and analyzed using ImageJ software. The same traits were scored using direct visual assessment by a trained observer on a scale of 1-3. In addition, the eye color of the bird was recorded. Statistical analysis was conducted independently for each breed using regression models, ANOVAs and Spearman correlations. Significant positive associations between neck plumage (P<0.01), beak darkness (P=0.03) measurements, comb length (P<0.01) and comb height (P<0.01) and frequency of range use were identified for Sasso. Sasso hens scored with darkest neck plumage (P=0.03) and biggest comb size (P=0.04) ranged the most, while their external features were significantly and positively correlated between each other, except beak darkness and comb length. No significant associations between ranging and external features were found in Green-legged Partridge birds, except that their comb height was significantly and positively correlated with neck plumage and beak darkness (r=0.39 and 0.33, respectively). In some genetic strains, better understanding of the associations between chickens' external features with ranging behavior could contribute to improve selection programs and bird welfare, assuring production of breeding stock suitable for outdoor conditions.
... Several anuran studies have emphasized on the usefulness of eye colour and pattern as a character for species level identification (e.g., Duellman, 1970;Glaw & Vences, 1997;Amat, Wollenberg & Vences, 2013;Glaw et al., 2018) or study of ontogenetic colour changes (e.g., Hoffman & Blouin, 2000;Biju et al., 2013); however, the application of this trait for field identification of frogs is seldom attempted (Glaw & Vences, 1997;Stuebing & Wong, 2000). Among the~230 known frog species of the Western Ghats, genus Raorchestes is the most remarkably diverse in terms of skin colouration as well as eye colours and patterns. ...
An integrative approach to infer systematic relationships and define species groups in the shrub frog genus Raorchestes , with description of five new species from the Western Ghats, India
Sonali Garg
Robin Suyesh
Sandeep Das
Mark A. Bee
S. D. Biju
The genus Raorchestes is a large radiation of Old World tree frogs for which the Western Ghats in Peninsular India is the major center for origin and diversification. Extensive studies on this group during the past two decades have resolved long-standing taxonomic confusions and uncovered several new species, resulting in a four-fold increase in the number of known Raorchestes frogs from this region. Our ongoing research has revealed another five new species in the genus, formally described as Raorchestes drutaahu sp. nov., Raorchestes kakkayamensis sp. nov., Raorchestes keirasabinae sp. nov., Raorchestes sanjappai sp. nov., and Raorchestes vellikkannan sp. nov., all from the State of Kerala in southern Western Ghats. Based on new collections, we also provide insights on the taxonomic identity of three previously known taxa. Furthermore, since attempts for an up-to-date comprehensive study of this taxonomically challenging genus using multiple integrative taxonomic approaches have been lacking, here we review the systematic affinities of all known Raorchestes species and define 16 species groups based on evidence from multi-gene (2,327 bp) phylogenetic analyses, several morphological characters (including eye colouration and pattern), and acoustic parameters (temporal and spectral properties, as well as calling height). The results of our study present novel insights to facilitate a better working taxonomy for this rather speciose and morphologically conserved radiation of shrub frogs. This will further enable proper field identification, provide momentum for multi-disciplinary studies, as well as assist conservation of one of the most colourful and acoustically diverse frog groups of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot.
... A less well-studied source of ornamental diversity is the eye. Eye color arises from the deposition of pigments in the pigmented epithelium of the iris [4], and is thought to play many of the same signaling functions of integumentary ornaments, both in intra-specific and inter-specific communication [5][6][7][8][9]. Dermal chromatophores and the iris pigmented epithelium share a common developmental origin from neural crest cells [10][11], and similarities in ultrastructure and pigment type composition have been described [3,12]. ...
Molecular parallelisms between pigmentation in the avian iris and the integument of ectothermic vertebrates
PLOS GENET
Pedro Andrade
Małgorzata A. Gazda
Pedro M. Araújo
Sandra Afonso
Miguel Carneiro
Birds exhibit striking variation in eye color that arises from interactions between specialized pigment cells named chromatophores. The types of chromatophores present in the avian iris are lacking from the integument of birds or mammals, but are remarkably similar to those found in the skin of ectothermic vertebrates. To investigate molecular mechanisms associated with eye coloration in birds, we took advantage of a Mendelian mutation found in domestic pigeons that alters the deposition of yellow pterin pigments in the iris. Using a combination of genome-wide association analysis and linkage information in pedigrees, we mapped variation in eye coloration in pigeons to a small genomic region of ~8.5kb. This interval contained a single gene, SLC2A11B , which has been previously implicated in skin pigmentation and chromatophore differentiation in fish. Loss of yellow pigmentation is likely caused by a point mutation that introduces a premature STOP codon and leads to lower expression of SLC2A11B through nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. There were no substantial changes in overall gene expression profiles between both iris types as well as in genes directly associated with pterin metabolism and/or chromatophore differentiation. Our findings demonstrate that SLC2A11B is required for the expression of pterin-based pigmentation in the avian iris. They further highlight common molecular mechanisms underlying the production of coloration in the iris of birds and skin of ectothermic vertebrates.
... Due to the inherent conspicuousness of the vertebrate eye [2], color patterns that seem to mimic eyes are often incorporated into signals and traits designed to be maximally salient [7]. However, the function of conspicuous real eyes, found in multiple species across all vertebrate classes (e.g., [16][17][18]), is largely unknown. Indeed, many fish are capable of greatly increasing their eye salience via rapid color change of chromatophores distributed across their irises [14,15,19], making them an ideal system for studying the adaptive function of eye coloration. ...
A Matador-like Predator Diversion Strategy Driven by Conspicuous Coloration in Guppies
Robert J.P. Heathcote
Jolyon Troscianko
Safi K. Darden
Lewis C. Naisbett-Jones
Darren P. Croft
Understanding the adaptive function of conspicuous coloration has been a major focus of evolutionary biology for much of the last century. Although considerable progress has been made in explaining how conspicuous coloration can be used in functions as diverse as sexual and social signaling, startling predators, and advertising toxicity [1], there remain a multitude of species that display conspicuous coloration that cannot be explained by existing theory. Here we detail a new "matador-like" divertive antipredator strategy based on conspicuous coloration in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Guppies encountering predatory fish rapidly enhance the conspicuousness of their eyes by blackening their irises. By pitting biomimetic robotic guppies against real predatory fish, we show this conspicuous eye coloration diverts attacks away from the guppies' center of mass to their head. To determine the function of this seemingly counterintuitive behavior, we developed a method for simulating escape probabilities when live prey interact with ballistic attacking predators, and find this diversion effect significantly benefits black-eyed guppies because they evade capture by rapidly pivoting away from the predator once it has committed to its attack. Remarkably, this antipredator strategy reverses the commonly observed negative scaling relationship between prey size and evasive ability, with larger fish benefiting most from diverting predators. Taken together, our results introduce a new antipredator divertive strategy that may be widely used by conspicuously colored prey that rely on agility to escape their predators.
... Boophis are notorious for lacking distinct morphological differences between closely related species and their intraspecific variability in body colour and pattern can be substantial (e.g. in B. picturatus, see Glaw et al. 2001). In contrast, the colouration of the eyes turned out to be species-specific for numerous Boophis species and therefore is a crucial character for their taxonomy (Glaw & Vences 1997, Amat et al. 2013. Similarly, the colour of the webbing between toes and fingers can be a reliable character to distinguish closely related species (e.g. ...
... In contrast, the body colouration of B. albilabris, B. praedic tus and B. tsilomaro is known to vary substantially within and among populations. These observations confirm previous studies, which found species-specific eye colouration in frogs and especially in treefrogs (Glaw & Vences 1997, Amat et al. 2013. Boophis and other treefrog species appear to be largely nocturnal, especially when breeding, making it unlikely that the colourful eyes can be used as a prezygotic isolation mechanism. ...
Eye and webbing colouration as predictors of specific distinctness: a genetically isolated new treefrog species of the Boophis albilabris group from the Masoala peninsula, northeastern Madagascar
Frank Glaw
Mark David Scherz
David Prötzel
Eye and webbing colouration as predictors of specific distinctness: a genetically isolated new treefrog species of the Boophis albilabris group from the Masoala peninsula, northeastern Madagascar Abstract. We describe a large and distinctive new treefrog species with blue webbing from the west coast of the Masoala peninsula in northeastern Madagascar. Boophis masoala sp. n. is morphologically similar to the other species of the Boophis albilabris group but can be distinguished from them easily by several chromatic characters of the eyes. Despite its similar morphology, it is genetically highly differentiated (10.5-13.3% pairwise p-distance in a segment of the 16S rRNA gene) from all other species in the B. albilabris group including the morphologically most similar Boophis praedictus. Both species share the blue webbing between toes and are distributed on the Masoala peninsula, but so far were not found in close sympatry. Although we recorded the new species only from the unprotected areas near the coast, we are confident that it also occurs within the adjacent Masoala National Park. We discuss the importance of eye colouration as a predictor of specific distinctness in the genus Boophis and that of webbing colouration as taxonomic characters of large treefrogs. Based on a micro-CT scan we provide a comprehensive description of the osteology of the new species, which is the first for any Boophis species, and furthermore describe its distress call which consists of three distinct sections corresponding to (1) the starting phase with closed mouth, (2) the opening of the mouth and (3) the final section with an open mouth.
... It is often assumed, for example, that vertically elongated pupils are associated with an arboreal lifestyle. However, while vertical pupils are common to all phyllomedusine frogs (Tyler and Davies, 1978), a genus of Central and South American tree frogs, among mantellid frogs both arboreal and terrestrial species have horizontally elongated pupils (Amat et al., 2013). Similarly, a genus of African hyperoliid tree frog has a horizontally elongate pupil, while those of close relatives are vertical (Roedel et al., 2009). ...
The pupillary light responses of animals; a review of their distribution, dynamics, mechanisms and functions
PROG RETIN EYE RES
Ronald H. Douglas
The timecourse and extent of changes in pupil area in response to light are reviewed in all classes of vertebrate and cephalopods. Although the speed and extent of these responses vary, most species, except the majority of teleost fish, show extensive changes in pupil area related to light exposure. The neuromuscular pathways underlying light-evoked pupil constriction are described and found to be relatively conserved, although the precise autonomic mechanisms differ somewhat between species. In mammals, illumination of only one eye is known to cause constriction in the unilluminated pupil. Such consensual responses occur widely in other animals too, and their function and relation to decussation of the visual pathway is considered. Intrinsic photosensitivity of the iris muscles has long been known in amphibia, but is in fact widespread in other animals. The functions of changes in pupil area are considered. In the majority of species, changes in pupil area serve to balance the conflicting demands of high spatial acuity and increased sensitivity in different light levels. In the few teleosts in which pupil movements occur they do not serve a visual function but play a role in camouflaging the eye of bottom-dwelling species. The occurrence and functions of the light-independent changes in pupil size displayed by many animals are also considered. Finally, the significance of the variations in pupil shape, ranging from circular to various orientations of slits, ovals, and other shapes, is discussed.
... In the scant literature on eye coloration in vertebrates, interspecific variation has been attributed not only to selection by the natural environment but also to predation pressure and sexual selection [5]. A study on more than 250 frog species in Madagascar found bright colored irises associated with tree frogs living in the forest canopy, whereas species with dark eyes would tend to be ground dwelling [13]. We know of no comparative studies for eye coloration of mammals, reptiles or fish. ...
Intraspecific eye color variability in birds and mammals: A recent evolutionary event exclusive to humans and domestic animals
Front Zool
Juan J Negro
maria carmen Blazquez
Ismael Galván
Background: Human populations and breeds of domestic animals are composed of individuals with a multiplicity of eye (= iris) colorations. Some wild birds and mammals may have intraspecific eye color variability, but this variation seems to be due to the developmental stage of the individual, its breeding status, and/or sexual dimorphism. In other words, eye colour tends to be a species-specific trait in wild animals, and the exceptions are species in which individuals of the same age group or gender all develop the same eye colour. Domestic animals, by definition, include bird and mammal species artificially selected by humans in the last few thousand years. Humans themselves may have acquired a diverse palette of eye colors, likewise in recent evolutionary time, in the Mesolithic or in the Upper Paleolithic. Presentation of the hypothesis: We posit two previously unrecognized hypotheses regarding eye color variation: 1) eye coloration in wild animals of every species tends to be a fixed trait. 2) Humans and domestic animal populations, on the contrary, have eyes of multiple colors. Sexual selection has been invoked for eye color variation in humans, but this selection mode does not easily apply in domestic animals, where matings are controlled by the human breeder. Testing the hypothesis: Eye coloration is polygenic in humans. We wish to investigate the genetics of eye color in other animals, as well as the ecological correlates. Implications of the hypothesis: Investigating the origin and function of eye colors will shed light on the reason why some species may have either light-colored irises (e.g., white, yellow or light blue) or dark ones (dark red, brown or black). The causes behind the vast array of eye colors across taxa have never been thoroughly investigated, but it may well be that all Darwinian selection processes are at work: sexual selection in humans, artificial selection for domestic animals, and natural selection (mainly) for wild animals.
... By contrast, other primates have round, dark eyes, which may be beneficial when concealing gaze from competitors and appearing less conspicuous to predators [4]. Many birds [5], amphibians [6] and fish [7] have conspicuous eyes, but the function of iris colour and its role in communication outside the primate lineage is poorly understood. ...
... It has been proposed that eye coloration may be related to ecology [5,6], aggression (e.g. [7]), mate recognition and/or sexual selection (e.g. ...
... [7]), mate recognition and/or sexual selection (e.g. [6]). Passeriformes is the largest order of birds, and has a wide range of iris colour across species, making it an ideal system for studying the evolution and function of eye coloration. ...
Evolution of iris colour in relation to cavity nesting and parental care in passerine birds
BIOL LETTERS
Gabrielle L. Davidson
Alex Thornton
Nicola S Clayton
Strong selection pressures are known to act on animal coloration. Although many animals vary in eye colour, virtually no research has investigated the functional significance of these colour traits. Passeriformes have a range of iris colours, making them an ideal system to investigate how and why iris colour has evolved. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we tested the hypothesis that conspicuous iris colour in passerine birds evolved in response to (a) coordination of offspring care and (b) cavity nesting, two traits thought to be involved in intra-specific gaze sensitivity. We found that iris colour and cooperative offspring care by two or more individuals evolved independently, suggesting that bright eyes are not important for coordinating parental care through eye gaze. Furthermore, we found that evolution between iris colour and nesting behaviour did occur in a dependent manner, but contrary to predictions, transitions to coloured eyes were not more frequent in cavity nesters than non-cavity nesters. Instead, our results indicate that selection away from having bright eyes was much stronger in non-cavity nesters than cavity nesters, perhaps because conspicuous eye coloration in species not concealed within a cavity would be more visible to predators.


White Sox Series Starts on Tuesday - Stadium Giveaways, Pregame Info and Other Stuff!
The next homestand starts on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Below are some odds and ends for this upcoming homestand. Here are some important links:
The Chicago Dog will be available for this homestand only against White Sox at the Extreme Loaded Dog concession areas located on the field, loge and reserve levels. It features an quarter pound of all-beef dog topped with Sport Peppers, Neon Green Relish, Diced Onions, Spicy mustard, Pickle Spear and Tomato Slices on a Poppy Seed Bun. See it on the right.
Tuesday, August 15th at 7:10 PM
TV: MLBN (out-of-market only), SNLA Spanish, SportsNet LA
Radio: 570 LA Sports, KTNQ 1020
Tuesday's game starts at 7:10 PM. Auto gates open at 4:40 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:10 PM.
The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive a Gil Hodges Bobblehead. See it on the right.
The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Silent Auction features autographed memorabilia and is located outside the Vin Scully Press Box.
Wednesday, August 16th at 7:10 PM
Wednesday's game starts at 7:10 PM. Auto gates open at 4:40 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:10 PM.
The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive Dodgers socks. See it on the right.
John Doe from the band X will perform the national anthem.
It is Lakers Night at Dodger Stadium. Folks who ordered a special ticket package will get an exclusive Lakers Night t-shirt. See that on the left. If not already sold out go here for information.
For this game against the White Sox only on Lakers Night the Dodgers have made the Laker Nation Cocktail that includes White Rum, Lemonade, Cranberry juice, Blue Curacao with a lemon wedge. See it below. It can be found at Field section 2, 49 and 50, Loge sections 107 and 161, Reserve section 11 and Top Deck section 5.
By ernest at Monday, August 14, 2017
Labels: Bobbleheads, Extreme Loaded Dog, Gil Hodges, homestand Info, Lakers, White Sox
JediJeff Monday, August 14, 2017 8:15:00 PM
"The Chicago Dog will be available for this homestand only against White Sox at the Extreme Loaded Dog concession areas located on the field, loge and reserve levels. It features an quarter pound of all-beef dog topped with Sport Peppers, Neon Green Relish, Diced Onions, Spicy mustard, Pickle Spear and Tomato Slices on a Poppy Seed Bun. See it on the right."
First, it's just called "a hot dog". :)
Second, SPICY MUSTARD DOES NOT BELONG ON A DOG!!! It's just regular yellow mustard.
Third, that better be a Vienna dog. Otherwise, it's crap.
ernest Tuesday, August 15, 2017 8:55:00 AM
"dog" "hot dog" -- ain't they all the same? I for one actually agree with the mustard thing -- yellow mustard, all the way. As for a Vienna dog, I say that's for those mid-westerners. Out here in LA we want Farmer John's.
Unknown Monday, August 13, 2018 11:30:00 PM
vận chuyển gửi hàng sang Gruzia
ship cấp tốc sang Mexico
ship hàng hóa tới Guatemala
ship hỏa tốc đi Guatemala
White Sox Series Starts on Tuesday - Stadium Givea...
2017 Topps National Baseball Card Day Promo Cards ...


$12 / $8 Members
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon at a Quaker school in the mountains above Beirut, 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate about his crush on her, while his teachers on different sides of the political divide, try to mask their fears. Mouaness, who also wrote the script, splits the film between two perspectives; that of the adults and that of the children. The result is a layered script that delicately explores the social schisms and the complexities of love and war.
3 day rental • NR • 100 min. • Arabic & English with subtitles
Abla runs a modest local bakery from her home in Casablanca where she lives alone with her 8-year-old daughter Warda. Their routine of housework and homework is interrupted one day by a knock on the door. It is Samia, a young woman looking for a job and a roof over her head. The little girl is immediately taken with the newcomer, but her mother initially refuses to allow a pregnant stranger into their home. Gradually, however, Abla's resolve softens and Samia's arrival begins to offer all of them the prospect of a new life.
3 day rental • NR • 98 min. • Arabic with subtitles
Aimee & Jaguar
In 1943, while the Allies are bombing Berlin and the Gestapo is purging the capital of Jews, a dangerous love affair blossoms between two women. One of them, married and the mother of four sons, enjoys the privileges of her stature as an exemplar of Nazi motherhood. For her, this affair will be the most decisive experience of her life. For the other woman, Felice Schragenheim (Maria Schrader), a Jewess and member of the underground, their love fuels her with the hope that she will survive.
3 day rental • NR • 125 min. • German with subtitles
A Greek saying states that only women who have washed their eyes with tears can see clearly. This saying does not hold true for Manuela. The night a car ran over her son Esteban, Manuela cried until her eyes ran completely dry. Far from seeing clearly, the present and the future become mixed up in darkness. She begins looking for his father who has become a transvestite.
3 day rental • R • 99 min. • Spanish with subtitles
One of Pedro Almodovar's finest films, BAD EDUCATION is an outrageous tale of desire, revenge and murder. Filmmaker Enrique (Fele Martínez) gets a visit from an aspiring actor claiming to be his old school friend Ignacio (Gael Garcia Bernal--The Motorcycle Diaries, Y Tu Mama Tambien), who has written a story about their traumatic childhood spent at Catholic school.
3 day rental • NC-17 • 106 min. • Spanish with subtitles
Being Julia
A role that Annette Bening was born to play! Julia Lambert (Bening) is a true diva: beautiful, talented and famous. She has it all, including a devoted husband who has masterminded her brilliant career, but after years in the spotlight she begins to suffer from a severe case of boredom. Julia finds exactly what she's looking for in a handsome young American fan, but it isn't long before the novelty fling adds a few more sparks than she was hoping for.
3 day rental • R • 104 min.
The 400 Blows
François Truffaut's first feature is also his most personal. Told through the eyes of his cinematic counterpart, Antoine, the film sensitively re-creates the trials of his own childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. It marked Truffaut's passage from leading critic to trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave.
3 day rental • NR • 99 min.
CITY LIGHTS, the most cherished film by Charlie Chaplin, is also his ultimate Little Tramp chronicle. The writer-director-star achieved new levels of grace, in both physical comedy and dramatic poignancy, with this silent tale of a lovable vagrant falling for a young blind woman who sells flowers on the street (a magical Virginia Cherrill) and mistakes him for a millionaire. Though this Depression-era smash was made after the advent of sound, Chaplin remained steadfast in his love for the expressive beauty of the pre-talkie form. The result was the epitome of his art and the crowning achievement of silent comedy.
3 day rental • G • 86 min.
The City of Lost Children
Old and decrepit Krank has lost his capacity for dreaming and is attempting to fight death by stealing the dreams of children. Krank's cadre of cloned henchmen snatch 5-year-old Denree to subject him to the horrific dream-retrieval process. The boy's father, One (Ron Perlman), the hulking strongman of a traveling circus, and his precocious 9-year-old friend, Miette, join forces to defeat Krank's minions and save Denree.
3 day rental • R • 111 min. • French with subtitles
Cleo From 5 to 7
Selfish pop singer Cléo (Corinne Marchand) has two hours to wait until the results of her biopsy come back. After an ominous tarot card reading, she visits her friends, all of whom fail to give her the emotional support she needs. Wandering around Paris, she finally finds comfort talking with a soldier in a park. As they talk and walk, Cléo comes to terms with her selfishness, finding peace before the results come back. From legendary director Agnes Varda.
3 day rental • NR • 89 min. • French with subtitles
Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocrat prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face to face with their worst enemy - and the inescapable, enduring power of love.
3 day rental • PG-13 • 120 min. • Chinese with subtitles
Days of the Bagnold Summer
DAYS OF THE BAGNOLD SUMMER sweetly draws you into the wobbly relationship between well-intentioned single librarian Sue Bagnold and her black-clad teenage son, Daniel, who would rather listen to Metallica than his mother. Daniel was meant to spend the summer in Florida visiting his dad and his dad's new wife, but when his dad cancels the trip at the last minute, he and his mom suddenly face the prospect of spending six long weeks together. An epic war of wills ensues in their suburban home as Daniel just wants to listen to heavy metal and start a band while his mom hopes to rekindle the fun times they used to have together.
NR • 86 min.
A misanthropic poet (Lily Tomlin), estranged from her daughter and recovering from a breakup, agrees to take her granddaughter (Julia Garner) across Los Angeles and help her find the money she needs to terminate her unwanted pregnancy.
3 day rental • R • 78 min.
Magic tricks can't compete with rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, so a French illusionist (Jean-Claude Donda) finds himself touring Scotland's shabby pubs and run-down restaurants. But things brighten for him when he meets Alice (Eilidh Rankin), a girl who believes his powers are real. Together they travel to Edinburgh for a performance, but he doesn't have the heart to reveal that his feats are merely tricks, and risks financial ruin by giving her gifts supplied by his "magic."
3 day rental • PG • 90 min.
The Lives of Others
Academy Award Winner: Best Foreign Language Film. At once a political thriller and human drama, THE LIVES OF OTHERS begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. The film traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler, a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany's all-powerful secret police.
3 day rental • R • 137 min. • German with subtitles
LUCKY follows the spiritual journey of a 90-year-old atheist and the quirky characters that inhabit his off-the-map desert town. Having outlived and outsmoked all of his contemporaries, the fiercely independent Lucky finds himself at the precipice of life, thrust into a journey of self-exploration, leading towards that which is so often unattainable: enlightenment.
3 day rental • NR • 88 min. • Closed Captioning Available
The Lunchbox
Lonely housewife Ila decides to try adding some spice to her stale marriage by preparing a special lunch for her neglectful husband. Unfortunately, the delivery goes astray and winds up in the hands of Saajan, an irritable widower. Curious about her husband's lack of response, Ila adds a note to the next day's lunchbox, and thus begins an unusual friendship in which Saajan and Ila can talk about their joys and sorrows without ever meeting in person.
3 day rental • PG • 105 min. • Hindi with subtitles
Ten years have gone by since Elena's six-year-old son has disappeared. The last thing she heard of him was a phone call he gave her, saying that he was lost on a beach in France and couldn't find his father. Nowadays, Elena lives on this same beach and manages a restaurant. She is finally beginning to emerge from this tragic episode when she meets a French teenager who strongly reminds her of her lost son. The two of them will embark on a relationship which will sow chaos and distrust around them.
NR • 129 min. • Spanish with subtitles
An enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin is a self-taught proletarian who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry. The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this passionate, enveloping tale, based on Jack London's 1909 novel. "An absolute blast!" - NY Times.
5 day rental • NR • 129 min. • Italian with subtitles
Maudie
MAUDIE, written by Sherry White, stars Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, is based on a true story of an unlikely romance in which the reclusive Everett Lewis (Hawke) hires a fragile yet determined woman named Maud (Hawkins) to be his housekeeper. Maud yearns to be independent, to live away from her protective family, and she also yearns, passionately, to create art. Unexpectedly, Everett finds himself falling in love. MAUDIE charts Everett's efforts to protect himself from being hurt, Maud's deep and abiding love for this difficult man, and her surprising rise to fame as a folk painter.
3 day rental • PG-13 • 115 min.
Nowhere In Africa
A love story spanning two continents, NOWHERE IN AFRICA is the extraordinary true tale of a Jewish family who flees the Nazi regime in 1938 for a remote farm in Kenya. Abandoning their once-comfortable existence in Germany, Walter Redlich, his wife Jettel and their five-year-old daughter Regina each deal with the harsh realities of their new life in different ways.
3 day rental • R • 141 min. • German and Swahili with subtitles
When we first played Orlando in 1992, it left audiences breathless, due to the luminous performance of a then unknown young actress named Tilda Swinton. ORLANDO is a bold, unsentimental re-working of Virgina Woolf's classic novel in which an innocent aristocrat journeys through 400 years of English history - first as a man, then as a woman. A quest for love, an ironic dance through English history, and a contemporary exploration of gender and identity.
3 day rental • PG-13 • 93 min.
Three sisters meet their younger half-sister for the first time at their father's funeral. Set against the summer ocean sparkling with sunlight, radiant autumn foliage, a tunnel of gorgeous yet impermanent cherry blossom trees, and brilliant fireworks heralding the arrival of another summer, their moving and deeply relatable story depicts the irreplaceable moments that form a true family.
3 day rental • PG • 126 min. • Japanese with subtitles
Persepolis first garnered attention as a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, the story of her years growing up as an outspoken and precocious girl in the midst of the Iranian revolution. In this film adaptation, Satrapi's incredible tale and beautiful animation come together to create something magnificent. The New York Times calls it "full of warmth and surprise, alive with humor and a fierce independence of spirit."
Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Márta Vizy is a 39-year-old Hungarian neurosurgeon. After 20 years in the United States, she returns to Budapest for a romantic rendezvous at the Liberty Bridge with János, a fellow doctor she met at a conference in New Jersey. Márta waits in vain, while the love of her life is nowhere to be seen. When she finally tracks him down, the bewildered man claims the two have never met. Shot with impeccable symmetry on entrancing 35mm, it is an Orphic tale reminding us that, while the heart is an abstruse trickster, the human brain — ruling us with over 80 billion interconnected neurons — is our most complex organ.
3 day rental • NR • 95 min. • Hungarian with subtitles
A closely observed portrait of Agnes (Kelly Macdonald), who has reached her early 40s without ever venturing far from home, family or the tight-knit immigrant community in which she was raised by her widowed father. That begins to change in a quietly dramatic fashion when Agnes receives a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift and experiences the heady thrill of not only doing something she enjoys, but being very, very good at it.
As an affluent New England family prepares for one daughter's wedding, another named Kym (Anne Hathaway) -- just out of her latest stint in rehab -- whirls into town causing upheaval. The sister, Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), is more than a bit resentful of Kym's antics taking center stage, and as time ticks by, long-simmering family tensions come boiling to the surface.
Rose Plays Julie
As an only child, Rose enjoyed a loving relationship with her adoptive parents. However, for as long as Rose can remember she has wanted to know who her biological parents are and the facts of her true identity. What Rose cannot possibly foresee is that she is on a collision course that will prove both violent and unsettling – dark forces gather and threaten to destroy her already fragile sense of her own identity. **Includes disturbing images involving animals.**
3 day rental • NR • 100 min.
Run Lola Run
The internationally acclaimed sensation about two star-crossed lovers who have only minutes to change the course of their lives. Time is running out for Lola (Franka Potente in her star debut). She's just received a frantic phone call from her boyfriend, Manni, who's lost a small fortune belonging to his mobster boss. If Lola doesn't replace the money in twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe consequences. Set to a throbbing score.
A gorgeous biopic about the legendary French Designer navigating a decade of freedom from the 60s into the 70s. The New York Times calls it "giddy, intoxicating, decidedly decadent."
$9 / $6 Members
Skate Kitchen
Camille, an introverted teenage skateboarder, meets and befriends an all-girl, New York City-based skateboarding crew called Skate Kitchen. She falls in with the in-crowd, has a falling-out with her mother, and falls for a mysterious skateboarder guy. SKATE KITCHEN precisely captures the experience of women in male-dominated spaces and tells a story of a girl who learns the importance of camaraderie and self-discovery.
Spring Blossom
Suzanne is 16. She is bored with people of her age. Every day on her way to high school, she passes a theater. There, she meets an older man, and becomes obsessed with him. Despite their age difference, they find in each other an answer to their ennui and fall in love. But Suzanne is afraid she's missing out on life – that life of a 16-year-old, which she had struggled so much to enjoy in the same way as her peers.
Sublet
Ethan Fox's new film is a lovely and wistful drama about what binds two game men - one American, one Israeli - despite, or maybe because of, their generational differences. Starring Tony Award-winning and Emmy-nominated John Benjamin Hickey and featuring the debut of Niv Nissim, SUBLET focuses on a New York Times writer who visits Tel Aviv after suffering a tragedy. The city's energy and his relationship with a younger man he meets there bring him back to life.
Sun Children
SUN CHILDREN is the story of 12-year-old Ali and his three friends. Together they work hard to survive and support their families, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes to make fast money. In a turn of events that seems miraculous, Ali is entrusted to find a hidden treasure underground. He recruits his gang, but first, to gain access to the tunnel, the children must enroll at the Sun School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and child laborers, close to where the treasure is located.
3 day rental • NR • 99 min. • Persian with subtitles
The Band's Visit
A fading Egyptian police band arrives in Israel to play at the Arab Cultural Center. When they take the wrong bus, the band members find themselves in a desolate Israeli village. With no other option than to spend the night with the local townspeople, the two distinctly different cultures realize the universal bonds of love, music and life. Set against a breathtaking desert landscape, this cross-cultural comedy proves that getting lost is sometimes the best way to find yourself.
3 day rental • PG-13 • 87 mins. • Hebrew and Arabic with subtitles
A young woman, Yoko, travels with a small crew to Uzbekistan to shoot an episode of her reality TV travel show. Despite her best efforts, all the shootings end unsuccessfully. Frustrated by the failed filming, she takes to the streets of this mysterious country on her own. Lost in the streets of Tashkent, she finds herself adrift and alone, confronting her deepest fears and hidden aspirations.
3 day rental • NR • 120 min. • Japanese with subtitles
Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) works and lives Madrid with her husband Paco and daughter Paula. Her sister Sole lives nearby and they both miss their mother Irene, who died several years ago in a house fire along with their father. A former neighbor from their hometown reports that she has seen the ghost of Irene and both daughters do not believe her. After a murder and a family tragedy, Irene's spirit materializes around her daughters to help comfort them.
3 day rental • R • 111 min. • Spanish with subtitles
Halla is a fifty-year-old independent woman. But behind the scenes of a quiet routine, she leads a double life as a passionate environmental activist. Known to others only by her alias "The Woman of the Mountain," Halla secretly wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminum industry in this dark comedy.
3 day rental • NR • 101 min. • Icelandic with subtitles
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French Communist Party's origins in Tours + a brief look at Stalinism & Trotskyism in France
In 1920 Tours, the major city of the Touraine, became the birth place of the French Communist Party.
When the 18th Congress of the French United Socialist Party opened in Tours on 25 December 1920. The main question delegates addressed was whether to join the 3rd Socialist International which had been founded by the Russian Bolshevik revolutionaries earlier in the same year.
There were three factions at the Tours Congress: the left-wing of the party that favoured joining the 3rd International, the right-wing opposed to membership; and the centre faction which was itself split on the issue. The left-wing faction represented around 70% of the votes being cast, the right-wing 10% and the centrists 20%. Following an ultimatum sent by the executive of the 3rd International, the opponents to joining were excluded from the party which was then renamed the French Communist Party. Those Socialists who had been excluded, which included a majority of MPs and elected officials, met in Tours and founded the SFIO (Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière). The SFIO became the Socialist Party in 1971 at which time it also absorbed a few lesser parties and associations.
The Vietnamese Revolutionary, Ho Cho Minh, who later founded the Viet Minh in 1941 and then declared the independence of Vietnam, was present at the Tours Congress.
The founders of the French Communist Party retained control of the party paper, L'Humanité, which had been founded in 1904 and which remained tied to the party until the 1990s and is still printed today.
After the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the PCF was declared a "proscribed organisation" by Édouard Daladier's government. At first the PCF continued its commitment to national defence, but after Comintern of the 3rd International declared the war to be 'imperialist', the French party changed its position. PCF members of Parliament signed a letter calling for peace and were favourable to Hitler's peace proposals.
In September 1938, just prior to the outbreak of War in Europe, Trotsky and international supporters of his political programme held a conference near Paris and established the 4th International. The French Trotskyist Party was called Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI). (In fact Trotsky was a fluent French speaker and had been in France in 1914, as a war correspondent for the Kievskaya Mysl. In January 1915 he was the editor of Nashe Slovo ("Our Word"), an internationalist socialist newspaper produced in Paris. He was later deported to Spain and from there to the USA.). During the Stalinist campaign and purge of Trotsky and Trotskyism from the 3rd International many French members of the PCF supported Trotsky. When Trotsky was deported from the Soviet Union in 1929 he was offered asylum in France in 1933. In 1935 he was no longer officially welcome in France and moved to Norway.
During the Nazi occupation of France the relationship between the Communists and the occupation was ambivalent to say the least. It was obliged to follow Stalin's line of non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union. It did, however, organise various actions against occupation including a demonstration of thousands of students and workers in Paris on 11 November 1940. In May 1941, it helped to organise more than 100,000 miners in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments in a strike. On 26 April 1941, along with the Gaullists, the it called for a National Front for the independence of France.
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the PCF expanded it activities in the French Resistance and called for the use of systematic and direct action and political assassinations. By 1944 the PCF reached the height of its influence in France. Through the Resistance units under its command it had control of large areas of the country. Some members of the Party wanted to launch an armed revolution as the Germans withdrew from the country, but the Stalinist leadership opposed such action and instead pushed for a line of co-operating with the Allied powers and promoting a new Popular Front government. By the end of 1945 the membership of the PCF stood at around half a million. In the elections of 21 October 1945 for the interim Constitutional National Assembly, the PCF had 159 deputies elected out of 586 seats.
From 1945 to the 1970s the French Communist Party was the largest of all the French left-wing parties. It participated in three governments: in the provisional government of the Liberation (1944–1947), at the beginning of François Mitterrand's presidency (1981–1984) and in Plural Left's cabinet led by Lionel Jospin (1997–2002). It started to loose support in the 1980s, falling behind the Socialist Party (PS).
After the 2007 election, the party did not have, for the first time since 1962, the minimum level of 20 deputies needed to form a parliamentary group by itself. The PCF then allied itself with The Greens and other left-wing MPs to form a parliamentary group to the left of the Socialist Party, called The Democratic and Republican Left.
The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European United Left–Nordic Green Left Group (sic!).
I am hoping to meet a few elderly people of the Touraine who themselves, or their parents, lived through the period of WWII and the post war years and know of the activities and levels of support for the Communist Party in the region during that period. There should be some interesting material for blog posts arising from the conversations.
This entry was posted in French Communist Party, Tours, Trotskyism and tagged French Communist Party, History of the Left in France, Ho Cho Minh, Loire Valley History, Touraine History, Tours, Tours Congress, Trotsky. Bookmark the permalink.
7 Responses to French Communist Party's origins in Tours + a brief look at Stalinism & Trotskyism in France
Pingback: Gaston Monmousseau (1883-1960): trade unionist and political agitator of the Touraine. | Social history in the Touraine ~ Central France
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Martine Bottreau says:
I'm impressed by your great job!! excelent!!! I'm french and you teach me about this part of France that I didnt know as well as you do. I'm looking for people who have memories of this time, in my husband but you know what: it seems that they dont like to speak about those years, as they dont like to speak about war's years. I have an idea of the reasons,but I'll tell you in private.
My father born on 1925, go to fight against german at 17th. But we lived on north africa, when north africa was french departement!!! My father was very patriotic and went to south of France to liberate Toulon and its coasts. But in Tourain, I only meet people talking about "resistance", about "réfractaire" or "partit zone libre". In fact, you'll find in Touraine, very few people who have fight against german. Sorry for my bad english!!! Thanks for you great job and for sharing with us.
Thanks for the comment. You must come over with your husband and have a meal with us soon.
Just let me have some possible dates.
Colin Dyson says:
Great post Jim
Thanks for the comment, Col. As I mentioned in the blog, I hope to be meeting soon with some people in Descartes who have memories of WWII and the activities of Communist Party members and supporters. The number of French farmers who were members was, I think, quite high ~ it's a totally different tradition and folk/political culture from the UK at the time. It'll keep me busy for the next 10 years or so!
Hope you're keeping well.