MY BLOODY VALENTINE

My Bloody Valentine

Each year in the run up to the 14th February, the gifts and greeting cards industry prepare to do good business as many of us spend money on cards and gifts for someone we fancy. But the actual history of this particular date is far less chocolates and roses than we might think.

Valentine's Day is actually a bit of the puzzle. Although many people seem to believe that it is named after 'Valentine', and early Christian martyr, it seems that this in itself is a bit of a muddled story. Certainly, it appears to be a date that is associated with martyrdom and bloodshed, but exactly how many Valentine's were there? This section of The History Channel's site points out that there may have been as many as three Valentines.

Whatever the truth, it seems that these stories of romantic love - with a decidedly unhappy ending - were the basis for the date becoming associated with romantic love. Over the ages it has turned into a much more sedate and sentimental occasion.

This page is a bit of an oddity since it is actually part of a site about picture framing. Yet, it gives its version of the history of Valentines Day and some of the English traditions associated with it.

And of course, the other famous bloody association with the 14th of February is that date in 1929, the day of the famous 'St Valentines Day' massacre when the notorious Chicago gangster, Al Capone decided to enforce his power as an underworld baron by arranging the violent murder of other gangsters. This page on a site about 'Haunted Chicago' tells the story.

Sugar Kane

Considered on of the best comedies ever made, 'Some Like It Hot' takes the bloody St Valentines Massacre as it's starting point and manages to create a truly funny film. How is that possible? Well why not check out the plot summary to see how if you don't already know the film. It is exactly this kind of imaginative thinking that made Billy Wilder one of the greatest writers and directors of film.

Perhaps you also fancy yourself as something or a budding writer or director for films and television. Maybe you also have a talent for making weird and interesting connections between subjects and working them together into a story that you would like to tell on screen.

Well perhaps one of the places to start looking for help and advice with these efforts would Connections. This service offers a range of training and support services for people in west London seeking to get into the film and television industries. Why not check out their website to see what's on offer.

Alternatively, you might want to consider courses such as those below. In some cases these course will allow late starters. And, if they don't, they may be worth contacting to see when the courses will be restarting.

In Hammersmith & Fulham

Valentines Treats

If on the other hand you are a hopeless romantic and caught short on ideas for something to do for the 14th of February, who not check out this section of the Activity Village site which offers a lot of tips on activities for all ages.