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I have a blog at black-bara.blogspot.com, and I really don't utilize either LJ or blogspot as I had hoped. I'd actually thought of shutting this blog down since it's been so long since I posted, but I've been visiting over here this morning. I still like LJ and am very comfortable with it. So I'm thinking if I should continue to split my attention between the two (which will certainly lead me to continue very spotty posts, but I think that's going to happen whether I have one or two blogs), and anyone who wants to friend me can do so at whatever blog they like best. I think I'll start doing some commenting on books and movies, which will maybe help me to post more.
I watched TOTAL ECLIPSE (1995) last night with Leonardo DiCaprio and David Thewlis. IMDb summary: The
self-destructive relationship between 19th-century teenage French poet Arthur Rimbaud and his older mentor Paul Verlaine.
photo of Arthur Rimbaud (a bit of resemblance between the real AR and young LD?)
Paul Verlaine: (here, the resemblance to Thewlis is limited to the hair and beard style, also the apparent thinness of both)
The movie is striking in characterization, both in terms of the combustibility of their relationship and the way they relentlessly motivate the other to act out. Arthur is young, arrogant, brilliant, scornful of society. Paul is dissatisfied, resentful, and finds Arthur's companionship freeing.
As the relationship turned darker, Arthur found in Paul someone who almost without limit accepted whatever he chose to dole out. As much as I felt LC was at this point in his career undeveloped as as actor (though he had plenty of personal magnetism, of course), I saw something in his portrayal that I enjoyed very much - that he needed someone to draw a line in the sand, and he found himself involved with someone who seemed incapable of doing that. Paul's fascination and worship of Arthur was too much to deal with. Arthur's emotional maturity was undeveloped as yet, that fact hidden somewhat by his intelligence and world-weary persona. Neither of them seemed to consider stepping away from the other as an option. Arthur became more violent and blatantly abusive as time went on, and for awhile, no matter what he did, his behavior was accepted by Paul, who took the bad as well as the good with fervor. When Paul left him, the child he was (such as he was, anyway) was exposed: Arthur stood in the streets, crying and screaming that he'd been abandoned. Fucking nuts, honestly, and fascinating to me.
The movie sells for around $30 now. You can find it cheaper on occasion (which is what I did - I found a non-pirated copy on ebay).
I watched TOTAL ECLIPSE (1995) last night with Leonardo DiCaprio and David Thewlis. IMDb summary: The
self-destructive relationship between 19th-century teenage French poet Arthur Rimbaud and his older mentor Paul Verlaine.
photo of Arthur Rimbaud (a bit of resemblance between the real AR and young LD?)
Paul Verlaine: (here, the resemblance to Thewlis is limited to the hair and beard style, also the apparent thinness of both)
The movie is striking in characterization, both in terms of the combustibility of their relationship and the way they relentlessly motivate the other to act out. Arthur is young, arrogant, brilliant, scornful of society. Paul is dissatisfied, resentful, and finds Arthur's companionship freeing.
As the relationship turned darker, Arthur found in Paul someone who almost without limit accepted whatever he chose to dole out. As much as I felt LC was at this point in his career undeveloped as as actor (though he had plenty of personal magnetism, of course), I saw something in his portrayal that I enjoyed very much - that he needed someone to draw a line in the sand, and he found himself involved with someone who seemed incapable of doing that. Paul's fascination and worship of Arthur was too much to deal with. Arthur's emotional maturity was undeveloped as yet, that fact hidden somewhat by his intelligence and world-weary persona. Neither of them seemed to consider stepping away from the other as an option. Arthur became more violent and blatantly abusive as time went on, and for awhile, no matter what he did, his behavior was accepted by Paul, who took the bad as well as the good with fervor. When Paul left him, the child he was (such as he was, anyway) was exposed: Arthur stood in the streets, crying and screaming that he'd been abandoned. Fucking nuts, honestly, and fascinating to me.
The movie sells for around $30 now. You can find it cheaper on occasion (which is what I did - I found a non-pirated copy on ebay).
