A new entry from Jamie Uhler:
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Wonders in the Dark is a blog dedicated to the arts, especially film, theatre and music. An open forum is highly encouraged, as the site proctors are usually ready and able to engage with ongoing conversation.
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Is it Russian?
Nope, not Russian
Is it from the 70s?
nope, not the 70’s.
From what era (or are we only doing yes/no questions? 😉 )?
It’s from the 20th century. The novel I mean.
It’s not Polish btw.
This is Von Trier, isn’t it Jamie!!!!
Nice guess based on my taste’s but again, no.
Are novel and film from the same country of origin?
No. Which is sort of strange that they aren’t, as the novel seems so set in the country in which it was written.
Related to that question– was the original novel written in the same country that it takes place in? Because if not, I might be inclined to guess Kafka’s “Amerika”, although I’m not entirely certain if there’s ever even been a movie based on it (aside from Fellini’s abortive film-within-a-film in “Intermezzo”, I think).
Yes, Bob, the novel was written in the country in which it is set.
It is not ‘Amerika’, and I do not know of any film versions of that book. Plus I’ve never sought one out, so if there is one I wouldn’t know.
Speaking to you Bob, off topic, I finally watched ‘How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman’. I must say it really impressed me. The final love portion of the story where she tells him how to take the ritual was so fantastic and touching. And so bizarre–romance within a monologue about how to prepare to be the main course in a cannibalistic ceremony. I watched it for the upcoming horror countdown (that’s all I’ve been watching is horror films), though it’s not really ‘horror’ so I can’t include it, I’ve already recommended it to about 3 people.
I’ll add thinking along the lines of Kafka’s meme is a pretty good idea….
That’s a HUGE clue.
As in, it’s based on a work by Kafka, or the work is Kafkaesque? (Or something else?)
Something else it reminded me of (which I know it isn’t)– “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Now, there is a made-for-TV movie version of it that I’m certain wouldn’t be on DVD, but I doubt that’s what this is.
Is it Das Schloß (aka “The Castle”)??
Nope.
Z. (Costa Gavres).
nope, my initial clue post on the lack of DVD availability of this film, Z has pretty widespread DVD availability.
Oh ok, The Stranger.
But why the Kafka connection?
And ok, I get the Cure – “I’m a stranger, killing an Arab” – and I guess Godard (Le Petit Soldat?) and Jarhead (a bit of a stretch, but due to combination of region + main character’s existential desire to “kill an Arab” I’ll grant you) but why Fellini & particularly Blue Velvet? Still, good pick! Do I win without knowing country/year (refusing recourse to IMDb!)?
I was going to guess the movie “Kafka” myself, but it’s not actually BASED on anything, so that’s out of luck. But yeah, I didn’t make a connection between Kafka and Camus, either. I’m assuming this is the Visconti take?
Yeah, I just realized it’s the Visconti one. It’s got Mastroianni (the Fellini connection), Anna Karina (Godard) and produced by De Laurentiis (Blue Velvet). I’ve wanted to see this movie for a while now (mostly for Karina), but not being available on DVD makes that difficult. I just now realized I should’ve checked if it was on youtube– and it is.
So, there we go.
Okay, I wouldn’t have guessed that was a coffin in there, thanks to the poor image quality (not your fault, obviously, without dvd to rely on). Frankly, I was spending most of my time wondering what the hell was going on there.
Perhaps an even easier clue might’ve been the 4th season finale of “Lost”– “We’re going to have to take him, too, Jack!”
Yes it is Visconti’s ‘The Stranger’ from 1967.
the connections:
you’ve both mentioned… ‘Jarhead’ isn’t that ambiguous… watch it again MovieMan Jake’s character is seen reading ‘The Stranger’ in the film in at least two occasions (once on the jon and Jamie Foxx’s character takes it away). The Kafka is rather obvious too; both authors are existential/absurdist practitioners.
I recommend the film, it’s not bad, though IMHO Mastroianni is poorly miscast, though Karina (and her infectious lilty laugh) is a great treat. I was able to watch it via torrent download, and I see Bob has found it on youtube.
I’ll let you two decide who guessed it first and pick the next still.
I might’ve guessed this sooner, were it not for a few key things:
(1) I’ve never seen “Jarhead”, so I didn’t get that reference.
(2) I’ve never listened to the Cure, so I didn’t get that reference.
(3) I’ve never read “The Stranger”, so… yeah.
I’ve never really considered Kafka an existential writer, by the way. Absurdist, perhaps. Surrealist, sure. But I’ve never really seen his work as falling in too well with the likes of the existentialists.
Anyway, since Joel guessed the source material, and I guessed the right version, I figure we should collaborate on the next pic.
Bob has never listened to the Cure? Wow. There is something I would have never guessed (not that you seem like a fan or anything, but rather you seem like a pop culture junkie like many around here), they are such a prevalent influence for our generation.
There ya go. Also surprised you’ve never read the Camus, or considered Kafka existentialist. Whatever, I suppose.
The only thing I know about the Cure is that they guest-starred on an episode of “South Park”. Which would mean something if I liked “South Park”. As for having never read Camus– I guess at the age that people tend to read him (or are assigned to read him in class) I was reading Becket, Joyce and DeLillo, so my plate was pretty full. I’d make some time now, but I’m in the middle of “Children of Dune”, so that’ll have to wait.
Also, from wiki (‘Existentialism’ entry):
“Dostoyevsky and Kafka
Two of the first literary authors important to existentialism were the Czech Franz Kafka and the Russian Fyodor Dostoevsky.[34] Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground portrays a man unable to fit into society and unhappy with the identities he creates for himself. Others of Dostoevsky’s novels covered issues raised in existential philosophy while presenting story lines divergent from secular existentialism: for example, in Crime and Punishment the protagonist Raskolnikov experiences an existential crisis and then moves toward a Christian Orthodox worldview similar to that advocated by Dostoevsky himself.
Kafka created surreal and alienated characters who struggle with hopelessness and absurdity, notably in his most famous novella, The Metamorphosis, or in his master novel, The Trial. In his philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus (of which the Stranger borrows themes –edit mine), the French existentialist/absurdist Albert Camus describes Kafka’s oeuvre as “absurd in principle”,[35] but he finds the same “tremendous cry of hope” expressed by religious existentialists such as Kierkegaard and Shestov —which Camus rejects.”
But I can’t expect your guys’ minds to work like mine. I’ve read probably 5 of Camus’ works, so I’m a staunch admirer. I guess I was also surprised knowing your literary tastes (of which you mention a few here that I share and we’ve discussed in the past).