A Hallowe'en Read

I'm about halfway through my first Dennis Wheatley novel, To The Devil--A Daughter (1953), a rather silly (so far) but fun occult thriller. Wheatley was an English writer who lived 1897-1977 and wrote some 50+ novels, mostly thrillers like this, although he wrote crime, espionage, and historical fiction as well. Hammer studios made three of his novels into decent films: the aforementioned title, plus The Devil Rides Out and The Lost Continent (aka Uncharted Seas). The novel, so far, is a bit chatty and full of midcentury English and French stereotypes (the English are tweedy, chivalrous, and full of derring-do; the French are untrustworthy, decadent, and sensual), and everyone, hero and villain alike, is given to speechifying about the perils of socialism. Even so, like I said, it's fun if you don't take it too seriously (how could you?) and just let the story take you away to the French Riviera where, despite the fact that a young demon-possessed girl has just been smuggled aboard a yacht by Satanists determined to overthrow Western Civilisation, there's always time for a pastis, a plate of oysters, and a lecture on occult symbolism.

The book I'm reading was purchased for 30p in a cozy little bookshop in Hastings, England, called Old Town Book Centre (now no longer in existence, I'm afraid), a stone's throw from the famous Mermaid fish & chips shop (now under poor management, I'm afraid). My buying it is connected in my mind with a lovely visit to my dear, dear friends Barry and Jacque, who lived in the nearby town of Denton at the time (about ten years ago). Actually there were two books--the other was The Devil Rides Out--but it has gone missing, probably a casualty from a few months back when I did a little sell-off of unread and unwanted paperbacks from around the house. It's a shame, for according to a website I happened on the other day, they may be from a somewhat collectible series of editions. These were the Heron editions, paperbacks produced in the style of their hardback counterparts--a pseudo Morroco leather soft cover with gilded lettering and framing. (Read about them in as much tedious detail as you could ever want here.) My copy of To the Devil--A Daughter from 1972 is badly abused, unfortunately, (I think Ian had a go at it--the cover's ripped and there are teeth marks), and I believe it was for that reason it survived the purging from some months ago. Here's what it should look like:

But perhaps the most interesting thing about my book is the illustrations by French artist Michel de St. Ouen. There's only three, but they've intrigued me enough to seek him out online. It seems he's a fantasy illustrator/artist whose new-agey pictures--by turns sexy, eerie, ludicrous--have a certain mystical quality, hard to describe, that draws me in. There's some good representative images online if you do a simple Google search. Here's a site he's involved with, the Society for Art of Imagination, which features some of his pictures and those of others like him. As for my book, check these out.. As I said, by turns...

...sexy (not the Tor Johnson look-alike with the man-boobs):

 ...eerie (seriously):

 

 ...and ludicrous (does this not look like something a Twilight nerdette drew on a Pee-chee?):

But they're perfect for this kind of a book, a goofy thrill-ride. As I told K, it's like spending loads of time inside a good, full-blooded Hammer film from c.1965., and perfect for the season.

Happy Hallowe'en!
~CD

Made in Portland

While blogging yesterday, I hit the "Next Blog" button at the top of the screen and was whisked away to a random blog. It turned out to be some person, not unlike myself, with a penchant for sharing oddball items for no good (or bad) reason. He had on there a link to a project by Aaron Trotter, a Portland artist who is seeking financial support for an art project--a deck of playing cards featuring his own drawings of Portland city scenes. He was looking to raise $500 for the venture, and the blog featured a video explaining his project and displaying a number of his prototypes. I liked his drawings, generally (especially the two of PDX bridges), and was intrigued enough to explore his work further on the Net today. Before I had the chance to, however, I had some errands to run with K. I dropped her off for an appointment and then drove up to Alberta street to kill an hour by having a coffee and taking a walk down the street to see what's new (a great "art street"). Amazingly, I came across one of Trotter's prints in an art studio/shop window: a drawing of the "Made in Portland" sign in Old Town! I wasn't sure it was his until I got home again and researched it on the Web. Now I'm generally not a superstitious fellow, but I do sort of half-believe in the notion that if something is consistently making itself known to you without your consciously seeking it out, you should probably pay attention to it. Soooo...here's a link to his own website on which he discusses his project: http://www.aarontrotter.com/. Spend some time there. He's got all sorts of crazy things--but I especially like his abstract drawings and paintings (most of them). There's something good a-happening there...

~CD

Soon to be Viewed!

I can't wait to blog about this, so here goes.

The Mystery of Oberwald arrived in the mail recently, and I'm going to view it very soon (I'll explain). It's a 1980 film directed by my one of my cinematic heroes, Michelangelo Antonioni, and starring his former wife Monica Vitti, certainly my favorite Italian actress (sorry Sophia). The two had long since separated by 1980, but they saw fit to team up one last time to give this project--an experiment, no less-- a whirl. Get this: it's based on Jean Cocteau's play "The Eagle with Two Heads," an historical melodrama (way out of MA's alley) about a 19th century noblewoman who falls in love with the agent sent to assasinate her. Antonioni eschews his usual celluloid for a new-fangled technology: videotape! Yes, he videotaped the entire film, eager to see what innovations might come through tape--speed of production, costs, coloring, and general texture. Most reviews have been lukewarm on the film, though it's never panned; it's got so many intriguing elements at play I can't wait to see it. Now, I just need to find me a VCR...

The cassette came from Facets Video in Chicago (who are also the distributers, apparently), a favorite haunt of mine when we lived there. The second best video rental place in the country, I think. Those of you who live in PDX know very well who number one is.

~CD

Recently Viewed

OSS 117: Lost in Rio. 2009. Anglo-French super-spy Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath is at it again in this sequel to 2006's OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies. As with that film, it's a parody of a popular French espionage book and film series featuring the character of the same name (as if the Austin Powers films [which they resemble a bit] parodied a previously legit Austin Powers character). In this one, de la Bath is rooting out Nazis in Brazil with the help of a beautiful Israeli agentess. Plenty of giggles here if not guffaws. **1/2

Bad Timing. Nicholas Roeg, 1980. Brooding, semi-linear narrative about an American psychiatry professor in Vienna (Art Garfunkel) and his love affair with the young American wife (Theresa Russell) of an older Czech man whom she crosses the border to visit at times. Her reckless behavior--sleeping around, boozing, etc.--disturbs the psychiatrist deeply, and his inability to define her, control her, and possess her eventually drives him to commit an atrocious act while she is unconscious (due to an intentional overdose of pills). Harvey Keitel plays a Viennese detective investigating the sordid situation. Not one of Roeg's better films, I think, but hardly deserving of the scorn it received on its first being released (a "sick film for sick people" one reviewer famously said.) However, it's not merely exploitive twaddle--it's an honest attempt to examine the psychology of a controlling narcissist. *** (Great poster, eh? -->)

My Name is Bruce. Bruce Campbell, 2007. B movie stalwart Bruce Campbell plays himself in this send-up of the genre that almost made him a star. Here he's been recruited by a fanboy to fight an ancient evil--the spirit of a Chinese sorceror (or something) who has been unintentionally revived and is wreaking vengeance on behalf of a group of 19th century Chinese miners killed in a cave-in. The plot isn't important. What's important is...well none of this is important. It's Bruce directing Bruce playing Bruce. But I wouldn't mind a little less self-conscious cheese and a few more honest to goodness thrills. Sam Raimi understood that to be be funny and horrifying in the same instant you need to fight the temptation to wink at your audience too much. Here the eye-lids never stop fluttering.**

Here's a link to a great blog discussion of Bad Timing. Enjoy.

http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/2009/04/966-108-bad-timing-1980-nicholas-roeg/

~CD

Another Recent Read

Bardot, Deneuve, Fonda: My Life with the Three Most Beautiful Women in the World. Roger Vadim. 1987.
What a guilty pleasure this was! This kiss 'n' tell by film director Roger Vadim is funnest, for me, when he's not describing bedroom antics so much as the European filmmaking environment of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Vadim claims that he wrote this to set the record straight for his children and grandchildren--so there would be something to counter the other biographies, news-stories, and general gossip. Still, he comes across as a chauvinist whose narcissism (at times I wondered if he was even sociopathic) makes for a sick but enjoyable read (in a seedy, Eurotrashy sort of way). Best if read out loud with a thick French accent and Serge Gainsbourg's Comic Strip playing in the background. And a pack of Gaulois cigs on your bedside table. **

Here's a link to a discussion of the book and of Vadim et al. Quite an interesting site. I'll put it on my blogroll: http://www.2blowhards.com/archives/001948.html.

Au revoir,

~CD