User:TPoole/sandbox: Difference between revisions

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game of film history, the repurposing of some particular character name or

line of dialogue. During the lengthy crane shot in ''The Player'' (1992), we know that Altman is thinking about ''Touch of Evil'' (1958) and that, in turn, he knows that those of us “in the know” will be thinking about it as well.

In the past two decades, the environmentally conscious state of California’s most financially successful recycling project has been the Hollywood

remake. Old television programs into movies (the ''Beverly Hillbillies'' ride

again). Old movies into movies (there is more than one ticket on the ''3:10 to Yuma''). And even old movie genres into modern movie genres (The 1970s horror film is the horror film of today). These examples brim with film history.And then the cup overfloweth; it spills onto the floor with maybe little more than instant coffee from a cheap vending machine. In other words, we might also ask if a film has ''too much'' film history?

As fascinating and as maddening as these questions of film history are to me, I do know whether they held much interest for Norman Mailer. As a writer, Mailer towered over the twentieth century. That he is not more studied in Departments of English at American universities is to their discredit, not his. But I suspect that his novels will outlast his critics. They already have a good track record in that regard.

Mailer’s film career is another matter. Cinematic adaptations of his literature

began with ''The Naked and the Dead'' (1958), and continued with such films as ''See You in Hell, Darling'' (1966), ''Marilyn: The Untold Story'' (1980), and ''The Executioner’s Song'' (1982). But then there is also the quartet of films that Mailer directed over a period of two decades: ''Wild 90'' (1968), ''Beyond the Law'' (1968), ''Maidstone'' (1970), and ''Tough Guys Don’t Dance'' (1987). At the time of this writing, the first three are not available on DVD in the United States.

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 game of film history, the repurposing of some particular character name or
 line of dialogue. During the lengthy crane shot in ''The Player'' (1992), we know that Altman is thinking about ''Touch of Evil'' (1958) and that, in turn, he knows that those of us “in the know” will be thinking about it as well.
+In the past two decades, the environmentally conscious state of California’s most financially successful recycling project has been the Hollywood
+remake. Old television programs into movies (the ''Beverly Hillbillies'' ride
+again). Old movies into movies (there is more than one ticket on the ''3:10 to Yuma''). And even old movie genres into modern movie genres (The 1970s horror film is the horror film of today). These examples brim with film history.And then the cup overfloweth; it spills onto the floor with maybe little more than instant coffee from a cheap vending machine. In other words, we might also ask if a film has ''too much'' film history?
+As fascinating and as maddening as these questions of film history are to me, I do know whether they held much interest for Norman Mailer. As a writer, Mailer towered over the twentieth century. That he is not more studied in Departments of English at American universities is to their discredit, not his. But I suspect that his novels will outlast his critics. They already have a good track record in that regard.
+Mailer’s film career is another matter. Cinematic adaptations of his literature
+began with ''The Naked and the Dead'' (1958), and continued with such films as ''See You in Hell, Darling'' (1966), ''Marilyn: The Untold Story'' (1980), and ''The Executioner’s Song'' (1982). But then there is also the quartet of films that Mailer directed over a period of two decades: ''Wild 90'' (1968), ''Beyond the Law'' (1968), ''Maidstone'' (1970), and ''Tough Guys Don’t Dance'' (1987). At the time of this writing, the first three are not available on DVD in the United States.