My new books

Interesting that you mention it - perhaps because if we look at the
horror film genre, the most outre and innovative ones came from Europe?

Kind regards,

Theo

Joey wrote:
> Theo Paijmans wrote:
>
>
>>Hi Joey,
>>
>>nevertheless, thank you verifying that. A pity though but at the same
>>time I wonder, how many experts in continental (meaning Europe and
>>Russia) supernatural literature do exist? Perhaps there's actually no
>>one around, owing to the predominance of American and English
>>supernatural tales.
>>
>>Kind regards,
>>
>>Theo
>
>
> I think a work covering non-english language supernatural fiction is
> long over due. Film, of course, is a different matter - there's a
> growing number of specialist titles on various aspects of the cinema eg
> McRoy's Japanese Horror Cinema; Fear without frontiers: horror cinema
> across the globe etc. But critical coverage of supernatural fiction is
> very sparse indeed.
>
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

I think the Tartarus website with the supernatural databse is an
admirable undertaking - who knows what it might grow into?

Kind regards,

Theo

John Pelan wrote:

> On Wed, 15 Mar 2006 22:01:21 +0100, Theo Paijmans <th.paijmans RemoveThis @wxs.nl>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Hi Joey,
>>
>>nevertheless, thank you verifying that. A pity though but at the same
>>time I wonder, how many experts in continental (meaning Europe and
>>Russia) supernatural literature do exist? Perhaps there's actually no
>>one around, owing to the predominance of American and English
>>supernatural tales.
>>
>>Kind regards,
>>
>>Theo
>
>
> I suspect that between here and Horrabin Hall we could have assembled
> enough (maybe six or seven) folk that could have contributed essays.
> In a way, if it were my project, I'd have moved the general topics
> type of essays to a fourth volume, thus leaving more room for
> discussion of individual authors. Still, it improves on the Penguin
> considerably and makes a wonderful companion for Bleiler and the St.
> James Guide.
>
> Now a bio-bibliographical set covering ALL authors named in Bleiler's
> checklist could be fun, but think of how many important writers were
> not collected in book form when the checklists were authored...
>
> Cheers,
>
> John
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

But I must say that films like SE7EN for its dark cinematography, or
Eraserhead for its surrealism (A bit like the Bed Sitting Room or Un
Chien Andalou) could only have been made in America.

Perhaps a good example of the cultural differences might be Lang's
Metropolis compared to the Georgio Moroder version. But films like
caligari and Algol could only have been made in the Germany of the
1920's. It reflects the state the country was in, at that time.

Regards,

Theo

Walter Fordyce Golding wrote:
> Theo Paijmans wrote:
>
>
>>Interesting that you mention it - perhaps because if we look at the
>>horror film genre, the most outre and innovative ones came from Europe?
>>
>>Kind regards,
>>
>>Theo
>>
>
>
> No, Theo, no! America invented everything, and what they didn't invent,
> they improved.
>
> Kinema is not about 'The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari' nor 'The Wicker Man',
> it is about how America took such weak and inferior ideas and turned
> them into acceptable art such as 'Surf Nazis Must Die' and 'I Spit On
> Your Grave'. Why, you only have to look the recent adaptation of 'War
> Of The Worlds' to realise that unless an original idea is transplanted
> to modern day America, it will fail hopelessly.
>
> CB
>
> "I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree
> with them."
> George W. Bush
>
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

Oh, but it will assimilate your harddrive. And you know: resistance is
futile:)

Regards,

Theo



RPN wrote:

> Theo Paijmans wrote:
>
>>I think the Tartarus website with the supernatural databse is an
>>admirable undertaking - who knows what it might grow into?
>
>
> Eek! When I read your post, I suddenly had a vision of the Supernatural
> Database developing along the lines of that V'ger thing in the (first?)
> Star Trek movie.
>
> RPN
>
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

Theo Paijmans wrote:

> But I must say that films like SE7EN for its dark cinematography, or
> Eraserhead for its surrealism (A bit like the Bed Sitting Room or Un
> Chien Andalou) could only have been made in America.
>
> Perhaps a good example of the cultural differences might be Lang's
> Metropolis compared to the Georgio Moroder version. But films like
> caligari and Algol could only have been made in the Germany of the
> 1920's. It reflects the state the country was in, at that time.
>
> > > Kinema is not about 'The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari' nor 'The Wicker Man',
> > it is about how America took such weak and inferior ideas and turned
> > them into acceptable art such as 'Surf Nazis Must Die' and 'I Spit On
> > Your Grave'. Why, you only have to look the recent adaptation of 'War
> > Of The Worlds' to realise that unless an original idea is transplanted
> > to modern day America, it will fail hopelessly.
> >
> > CB


And we shouldn't forget those wonderful Roger Corman films put out in
the sixties and seventies - "The Dunwich Horror", "The Masque
of the Red Death", "The Raven", "Tales of Terror", "The Pit
& the Pendulum", "The Premature burial", and, of course,
"Usher".

But of course there is a subtle difference in the "concept" of film
as an "art form" in mainland Europe, and the film "business" in
the States (the UK falls somewhere between the two, depending on which
way the wind's blowing, and who's pocket Gordon Brown's hand is
in at any particular time): IMOH a director such as, say, Rainer Werner
Fassbender, working in the way he felt necessary for his "art",
would not have raised funding to make a commercial on US TV - he'd
have found it equally hard in the UK.

Film in the US and UK has primarily been seen as "entertainment"
and to make the product, investment is sort on the understanding that
there will be a "return" on that investment once the film is
released.

France, for example, invests double the amount in its film industry as
do the Brits in theirs. The French government take 11% of all ticket
sales in cinemas and 2% on all video sales for reinvestment in
filmmaking. The US has nothing comparable.

The UK produces half the number of films as France. All tax on ticket /
video sales goes to the government.

I used the example of Fassbender earlier. The German Cinema has been
subsidised since the fifties - but big arguments between the
"commercial sector" and the "art house" producer has led to a
decline in quality film output - there's been a shift in outlook
from art to entertainment. Fassbender had he survived his drug overdose
probably would not have been able to make films in Germany today.

Of course there is a well-known "support system" for Belgium
filmmakers supplied in the first instance by their government.

So support by government to film exhibitors, as an example: all in
Euros -

Belgium 400,000
Demark 4,300,000
France 34,400,000
Germany 5,200,000
Italy 3,750,000
Spain 2,180,000
Netherlands 1,300,000
UK 1,000,000

And the return on this in Euros is some 63.600,000.

In the states there's no safety net - winner takes all, or losses
all. The government do not, as far as I'm aware, supply a good
healthy subsidy to produce a film. Steven S to produce "WoW" had to
come up with hard cash.

If you want quality and experimentation, you will not get it purely by
relying on "market forces". Innovation costs. Its value? Well,
that's decided, I guess, by us?
I loved "Der Amerikanische Freund" - Wim Wenders directed, with
Dennis Hopper as Tom Ripley, based on Ripley's Game by Pat Highsmith.
I've watched this film so many times and each time got more from it.
It's nothing short of ACE. But with out government funding it
wouldn't exist,

As far as Stinkers go - well, I've seen 'em from Italy, France,
Japan, Korea, Turkey, Hong Kong, Germany and, yes, the US. And I'm
sure every country has the ability to produce duds. So what?
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

Maya Deren actually made a film about voudoun (or voudou, voodoo, etc.)
while she was in Haiti. It's called DIVINE HORSEMEN, and is an
absolutely fascinating glimpse into another culture.

Huw
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

And there is another aspect - the role, function and origin of the
experimental film. Where did it actually blossom, take fruit or
originate? That is a difficult question to answer, I suppose. One of the
greatest experimental filmers, Maya Deren - who stoped filing to become
a scholar of Voodoo, was, I believe, from America. There's Kenneth
Anger, also an American filmer, the films of Andy Warhol and the success
of the Blair Witch Project. There was, however the French nouvelle
vague, or further east the films by Eisenstein and Tarkovsky (Stalker,
Solaris etc.)

Juxtapose that with Japanese modern horror cinema, I refer to Body
Hammer Iron Man, Tetsuo, Ju-On and Ringu, for instance (or the original
Godzilla movies), even Manga as compared to Disney, say, Akira compared
to Bambi, would be interesting juxtapositions.

Regards,

Theo

Joey wrote:
> Theo Paijmans wrote:
>
>
>>But I must say that films like SE7EN for its dark cinematography, or
>>Eraserhead for its surrealism (A bit like the Bed Sitting Room or Un
>>Chien Andalou) could only have been made in America.
>>
>>Perhaps a good example of the cultural differences might be Lang's
>>Metropolis compared to the Georgio Moroder version. But films like
>>caligari and Algol could only have been made in the Germany of the
>>1920's. It reflects the state the country was in, at that time.
>>
>>
>>>>Kinema is not about 'The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari' nor 'The Wicker Man',
>>>
>>>it is about how America took such weak and inferior ideas and turned
>>>them into acceptable art such as 'Surf Nazis Must Die' and 'I Spit On
>>>Your Grave'. Why, you only have to look the recent adaptation of 'War
>>>Of The Worlds' to realise that unless an original idea is transplanted
>>>to modern day America, it will fail hopelessly.
>>>
>>>CB
>
>
>
> And we shouldn't forget those wonderful Roger Corman films put out in
> the sixties and seventies - "The Dunwich Horror", "The Masque
> of the Red Death", "The Raven", "Tales of Terror", "The Pit
> & the Pendulum", "The Premature burial", and, of course,
> "Usher".
>
> But of course there is a subtle difference in the "concept" of film
> as an "art form" in mainland Europe, and the film "business" in
> the States (the UK falls somewhere between the two, depending on which
> way the wind's blowing, and who's pocket Gordon Brown's hand is
> in at any particular time): IMOH a director such as, say, Rainer Werner
> Fassbender, working in the way he felt necessary for his "art",
> would not have raised funding to make a commercial on US TV - he'd
> have found it equally hard in the UK.
>
> Film in the US and UK has primarily been seen as "entertainment"
> and to make the product, investment is sort on the understanding that
> there will be a "return" on that investment once the film is
> released.
>
> France, for example, invests double the amount in its film industry as
> do the Brits in theirs. The French government take 11% of all ticket
> sales in cinemas and 2% on all video sales for reinvestment in
> filmmaking. The US has nothing comparable.
>
> The UK produces half the number of films as France. All tax on ticket /
> video sales goes to the government.
>
> I used the example of Fassbender earlier. The German Cinema has been
> subsidised since the fifties - but big arguments between the
> "commercial sector" and the "art house" producer has led to a
> decline in quality film output - there's been a shift in outlook
> from art to entertainment. Fassbender had he survived his drug overdose
> probably would not have been able to make films in Germany today.
>
> Of course there is a well-known "support system" for Belgium
> filmmakers supplied in the first instance by their government.
>
> So support by government to film exhibitors, as an example: all in
> Euros -
>
> Belgium 400,000
> Demark 4,300,000
> France 34,400,000
> Germany 5,200,000
> Italy 3,750,000
> Spain 2,180,000
> Netherlands 1,300,000
> UK 1,000,000
>
> And the return on this in Euros is some 63.600,000.
>
> In the states there's no safety net - winner takes all, or losses
> all. The government do not, as far as I'm aware, supply a good
> healthy subsidy to produce a film. Steven S to produce "WoW" had to
> come up with hard cash.
>
> If you want quality and experimentation, you will not get it purely by
> relying on "market forces". Innovation costs. Its value? Well,
> that's decided, I guess, by us?
> I loved "Der Amerikanische Freund" - Wim Wenders directed, with
> Dennis Hopper as Tom Ripley, based on Ripley's Game by Pat Highsmith.
> I've watched this film so many times and each time got more from it.
> It's nothing short of ACE. But with out government funding it
> wouldn't exist,
>
> As far as Stinkers go - well, I've seen 'em from Italy, France,
> Japan, Korea, Turkey, Hong Kong, Germany and, yes, the US. And I'm
> sure every country has the ability to produce duds. So what?
>
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

I was lucky enough to see all her experimental films years ago at a
small festival, in a very small cinema, it was an unforgettable
experience... she was truly a great artist, and a scholar, as her study
on voodoo, published as 'The Four Horsemen', is superior to Alfred
Metraux' 'Voodoo in Haiti', and is still in print.

Regards,

Theo

huw.lines.RemoveThis@gmail.com wrote:
> Maya Deren actually made a film about voudoun (or voudou, voodoo, etc.)
> while she was in Haiti. It's called DIVINE HORSEMEN, and is an
> absolutely fascinating glimpse into another culture.
>
> Huw
>
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

Theo, you're lucky to have seen those films, especially at a festival!
I've only seen the 'Divine Horsemen' film; I have the book of the same
title as well, but I've never heard of 'The Four Horsemen'. Milo Rigaud
also wrote some good books on the subject; his tri-lingual compilation
of voudoun ritual symbols ('Veve') is particularly valuable.

Huw
 >> Stay informed about: My new books 

I am sorry - my mistake - indeed it is entitled 'Divine Horsemen'.

regards,

Theo

huw.lines DeleteThis @gmail.com wrote:
> Theo, you're lucky to have seen those films, especially at a festival!
> I've only seen the 'Divine Horsemen' film; I have the book of the same
> title as well, but I've never heard of 'The Four Horsemen'. Milo Rigaud
> also wrote some good books on the subject; his tri-lingual compilation
> of voudoun ritual symbols ('Veve') is particularly valuable.
>
> Huw
>
 >> Stay informed about: My new books