Subject
Mashenka/Mary film
Date
Body
EDITOR's NOTE. Svetlana Polsky (c/o <roman.laskowski@slav.gu.se>), who has
has recently comppleted a doctoral dissertation of VN's stories, is the
discoverer of the long lost VN story "Easter Rain." She is the author of
several VN articles including one in a recent issue of NABOKOV STUDIES.
--------------------------------------------
I would like to address Peter
A. Kartsev's question about films based on Nabokov's works. I happened to
record a film 'Mashen'ka' [Mary] (with Jurij Jakovlev as Podtiagin) that
was shown on Russian TV three or four years ago. About the same time the
same Russian TV showed 'Izobretenije Val'sa [The Waltz Invention]'; I
think, the play was staged in Riga (?).
And now in connection with 'any films based to any degree on Nabokov's
writings'. I have read somewhere that the author of 'Silence of the Lambs'
was influenced by Nabokov. I really think that this movie exploits, distorts
and carries to an absurdity one of Nabokov's most beautiful and central
images, namely butterflies. (The protagonist of the movie kills women and
uses their skin creating his new 'costume': he wants to turn into a woman.
This 'metamorphosis' is associated in the murderer's mind with butterflies
that go through different stages developing into a perfect creature.) This is
quite an 'unusual' way of using the ancient symbol, don't you think?
Svetlana Polsky
has recently comppleted a doctoral dissertation of VN's stories, is the
discoverer of the long lost VN story "Easter Rain." She is the author of
several VN articles including one in a recent issue of NABOKOV STUDIES.
--------------------------------------------
I would like to address Peter
A. Kartsev's question about films based on Nabokov's works. I happened to
record a film 'Mashen'ka' [Mary] (with Jurij Jakovlev as Podtiagin) that
was shown on Russian TV three or four years ago. About the same time the
same Russian TV showed 'Izobretenije Val'sa [The Waltz Invention]'; I
think, the play was staged in Riga (?).
And now in connection with 'any films based to any degree on Nabokov's
writings'. I have read somewhere that the author of 'Silence of the Lambs'
was influenced by Nabokov. I really think that this movie exploits, distorts
and carries to an absurdity one of Nabokov's most beautiful and central
images, namely butterflies. (The protagonist of the movie kills women and
uses their skin creating his new 'costume': he wants to turn into a woman.
This 'metamorphosis' is associated in the murderer's mind with butterflies
that go through different stages developing into a perfect creature.) This is
quite an 'unusual' way of using the ancient symbol, don't you think?
Svetlana Polsky