Subject
Re: American Beauty (fwd)
Date
Body
Everybody,
I have to admit that the name "Angela Hays" in American Beauty immediately
made me think of Dolores Haze, and that the subsequent flirtations and
fantasy sequences between the seductive (but significantly, it turns out,
innocent and insecure) Angela and Kevin Spacey's hapless, rather foolish,
romantic Humbert figure did keep reminding me of moments in Nabokov's
novel. To the other echoes already mentioned, I would add, for the
benefit of Galya's research, the entire "red rose" motif, which colors the
entire film as well as the fantasy sequences a la "Red Rocks," "Rose
Carmine," and the ubiquitous rose motif in Lolita. One could also compare
Spacey's voice-overs to Humbert's narration (although the tone is
considerably different), and the film's deceptive treatment of the
murderer's identity to Nabookv's handlling of the victim's identity.
And yet, even as I made some of these connections while watching American
Beauty, I thought that they were actually "my static," as Humbert says
when registering at the Enchanted Hunters.
Susan Elizabeth Sweeney
Holy Cross College
Worcester, MA 01610
ssweeney@holycross.edu
<<< Wayne Daniels 10/18 11:12a >>>
------------------
I don't know. Comparisons with Lolita seem a little
forced, except perhaps in the details. The decency of Lester's response
when the object of his desire is finally within reach suggests -- to me at
least -- that he has little resemblance to the predatory HH, whose initial
diffidence seems to have more to do with fear than decency, and whose
remorse comes a little late in the novel for all concerned.
A little off topic, perhaps, but did any of you read the piece Michael
Wood wrote in a recent NYR about Kubrick? I have a high regard for Wood,
as a rule, but could not find any merit in his remarks this time. What
*can* it mean to be a "master of the obvious"? And why does he find
problematic scenes such as the tracking shot along the trench in "Paths of
Glory", scenes which cause the viewer no difficulty at all? Is the added
scene in _Lolita_, in which HH confronts Quilty as a cigarette-smoking
psychiatrist sitting in the dark, either obvious or problematic? I'd
settle for "bloody marvellous" myself.
Cheers,
Wayne Daniels
I have to admit that the name "Angela Hays" in American Beauty immediately
made me think of Dolores Haze, and that the subsequent flirtations and
fantasy sequences between the seductive (but significantly, it turns out,
innocent and insecure) Angela and Kevin Spacey's hapless, rather foolish,
romantic Humbert figure did keep reminding me of moments in Nabokov's
novel. To the other echoes already mentioned, I would add, for the
benefit of Galya's research, the entire "red rose" motif, which colors the
entire film as well as the fantasy sequences a la "Red Rocks," "Rose
Carmine," and the ubiquitous rose motif in Lolita. One could also compare
Spacey's voice-overs to Humbert's narration (although the tone is
considerably different), and the film's deceptive treatment of the
murderer's identity to Nabookv's handlling of the victim's identity.
And yet, even as I made some of these connections while watching American
Beauty, I thought that they were actually "my static," as Humbert says
when registering at the Enchanted Hunters.
Susan Elizabeth Sweeney
Holy Cross College
Worcester, MA 01610
ssweeney@holycross.edu
<<< Wayne Daniels 10/18 11:12a >>>
------------------
I don't know. Comparisons with Lolita seem a little
forced, except perhaps in the details. The decency of Lester's response
when the object of his desire is finally within reach suggests -- to me at
least -- that he has little resemblance to the predatory HH, whose initial
diffidence seems to have more to do with fear than decency, and whose
remorse comes a little late in the novel for all concerned.
A little off topic, perhaps, but did any of you read the piece Michael
Wood wrote in a recent NYR about Kubrick? I have a high regard for Wood,
as a rule, but could not find any merit in his remarks this time. What
*can* it mean to be a "master of the obvious"? And why does he find
problematic scenes such as the tracking shot along the trench in "Paths of
Glory", scenes which cause the viewer no difficulty at all? Is the added
scene in _Lolita_, in which HH confronts Quilty as a cigarette-smoking
psychiatrist sitting in the dark, either obvious or problematic? I'd
settle for "bloody marvellous" myself.
Cheers,
Wayne Daniels