By Mary F. Sibley
 

             The evening started out with the house lights being dimmed.  The audience  knew that this was the signal for the lecture to begin and the noise from the  audience was reduced to the semblance of being able to hear a pin drop on the  floor.  A few seconds later, Ralph, Sophie and Joseph Fiennes strode across  the stage and took their places at a long, barren and rectangular table.   Ralph on the left, Sophie in the middle and Joseph on the right.  The  audience applauded with politeness, mixed with a decided fervor and the knowledge that they knew that they were in for a treat on this hot and muggy New York evening.

              Ralph Fiennes was attired in what looked to be a brushed denim blue overjacket or shirt that had the look of chamois to it.  Underneath of it was a button down, open necked, creme coloured shirt.  The ever present and adored pair of khaki slacks drew the eye down to a pair of Birkenstock slip on shoes that had an air of being well-traveled and well loved.  His hairstyle was done in the style of his character from "The English Patient," and appeared to have a wet appearance to it.

          Sophie Fiennes was a picture of understated elegance, and I was impressed with her choice of clothing.  Her hair is brunette and was cut in the style of a bob with a slight upwards flip to it.  Her dress was a straight line, but it was reminiscent of a flapper style from the 1920s.  It was black and possessed a wonderful colour wheel of beadwork consisting   of red, black and clear beading, done in an Art Deco pattern of design.  The neckline of the dress plunged to a decent level and the ensemble was completed with black, sensible shoes.

               Joe Fiennes was clad all in black with an open necked shirt revealing a hint of the bohemian about him, and he completed the trio with unobtrusiveness and finesse.

               The recitations from the books, "Blood Ties" and "On Pilgrimage" were wonderful to hear and to witness as each sibling took their  turns with the various passages.  I was quite struck that when Ralph took his  turn at the recitation of his mother's words, that you could almost feel the devotion and closeness that he shared with Jini Fiennes.  His heart and soul  seemed to be on his sleeve as the words flowed from his mouth, as though each  and every syllable brought his mother ever closer to the assembled audience  and that through his vocalizations she would be "with us" once again.  The  deliberate pacing and emphasis that he placed on his portion of the readings, to me, endeared him as his mother's child.

              I watched his actions as his siblings read and you were witness to a man caught up in the heat of the moment, and perhaps remembering better  times with a parent that are now but a memory.  He would look down to the floor and then his gaze would divert to the rafters and he was possessed with his thoughts.  He would fumble with his fingers and hands under the table, as though there were a hint of slight nervousness about him, and the urge to present the facts in as dedicated a fashion as he could muster.

              Sophie Fiennes more than held her own with her two brothers, and the delicate nature of her voice put a truly female perspective onto the words that she embraced as her own.  I felt like I was hearing a young Jini, emoting impressions and characterizations that had so moved and impressed her enough to put them into words for others to perhaps discuss, debate and think about.  Sophie had a quiet and elegant demeanor about her, having fun with the evenings events.

               Joseph Fiennes was particularly appealing to the audience, and my impression of his reading was to see a thespian, trained and true, reciting with great emphasis, the emotions that his mother witnessed and felt, especially in "On Pilgrimage."  He showed the humour that Jini was known for, and when he read a passage from the aforementioned book, and it involved a German accent, he did it with great effect and the audience thoroughly enjoyed it.  After reciting it, the audience rewarded him with an increased vigor of clapping, and he smiled.

               The siblings were quite gracious in answering questions from the audience members and these lasted for approximately 10 minutes.  When a  woman wanted to ask a question about Ralph Fiennes soon to be released film, "Onegin," she was politely rejected by  Ralph Fiennes, who told her that he was sorry, but that "we are here to talk  about books."  She more than understood, and the evening continued.

               When it came time for the book signing, we all went to the stage area.  In the audience, there had been several famous personalities...Fiona Shaw,  Julianne Moore and Peter Carey and his wife.        Ralph Fiennes spotted Peter Carey and  he came over to the end of the stage and hopped down, and was standing shoulder to shoulder with me while he conversed with Mr. Carey.  He gave every impression to the bystander of being completely and absolutely at ease with the evening and his surroundings.

            Eventually, I think Mr. Fiennes realized that he was holding up the line for signatures and he casually hopped back up onto the stage and took his place at the table.  It was then that the signings commenced.

            I was able to talk with Sophie Fiennes, and she asked me how I had liked the reading and I told her that it was "beautiful."  She also inquired as to how I thought that audience had received it and I told her that I knew that it had gone over very well and that people were appreciative of their efforts.  She thanked me for my perceptions.  I did not have a chance to say
 anything to Ralph Fiennes as he was talking with someone he knew as he signed autographs and I would have never have interrupted him.  I moved onto their brother, Joseph Fiennes and after he finished signing my books, I thanked him, and he looked up at me and said, "No, thank you."

             Need I tell you that I was impressed??  There was not a  conceited air about any of these three, and they made a person feel as though they (the person) were the special ones and not them.

             The mood of the evening was conveyed upon me as one of old friends meeting and remembering a person who has left us, and gone ahead for a while.  The atmosphere was charged with pleasure and the audience members  were respectful at all times.  It was a casual and carefree evening shared by  one and all, a time that was made all the more special by the three  individuals who had lived their lives with a truly extraordinary woman, their mother, Jini Fiennes.  I for one felt privileged to have been there, a witness to a window on time.

              Wherever Jini is, she must feel so proud to see her children carrying on as standard bearers to her work and name.  It is true caring and understanding that has made her family into the individuals that they are today, and not only they, but we are better for it.  The Fiennes siblings are to be commended for presenting a memorable evening for one and all, and doing so with a grace and candor that cannot be forgotten.

              This event is etched into my mind, and I am so happy to have been a part of it, however small.

              BRAVO!!!!
 

                 -----------------Mary F. Sibley
                                  28 July 1999