Sarah Gray's Blog, page 5
July 13, 2017
TRANSLATING COMICS: THE ALAN MOORE ENIGMA
Join our guest writer, Leonardo Rizzi, as he recounts his times translating the legendary Alan Moore.
Translating comics is bewilderingly complex. Then again, the medium’s relationship with its readers is only deceptively simple, with comics having their effect in gradual steps. First, there is the impact the single pictures have on the reader, with their style and graphic vividness. After that, the simple act of putting pictures in some sort of order and forming a sequence is the source of this medium’s magic.Such is the power of arranging pictures in sequence. The most accomplished creators manage to guide the readers, letting their imagination fill the ‘gutter’ between the panels. With the constant task of filling in gaps, reading comics is an exercise in insight. The relationship this medium has with its audience is intricate, as it subtly beguiles readers to invest their intellects and emotions in a very active, two-way process.In comics, the written word is not the primary source of communication. Pictures and sequences convey the most basic storytelling and can powerfully evoke meaning. Creators use words to dig deep in what is shown visually, elaborating on everything that cannot be drawn, such as paradoxes, lies and the most abstract concepts.
V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.This necessary and yet surely already tedious preamble finally brings us to what translating comics entails. As crafts go, translation is always very inadequate, and yet hopefully revealing and often necessary. It is not limited to the act of carrying words from one language to another, as our own experience can prove: all our attempts at writing a meaningful email using Google Translate are met, at best, with puzzlement, sniggers or embarrassment. What a decent translation does in a way that Google Translate simply cannot, is ferrying a whole sets of concepts across two languages that can be very different in terms of worldview, values, basic philosophies, sounds and the very notion of what is considered beautiful.A good analogy would be considering translators as conjuring artists, trying to bewitch vast audiences while doing their best not to get caught using their tricks. Every time some awkward legerdemain or botched prestidigitation is spotted by the audience, any suspension of disbelief is immediately lost. And with that, gone is the playfulness, the sense of entertainment, the enchantment the original text could have. As a result, a good translator always has to take the hardest path: replicating the original writers’ storytelling strategy, being faithful to their intentions more than to their words. The translators’ ultimate goal is convincing their audiences, at least for a few fleeting moments, that the text was originally written in their own language.
Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.In order to do that, translators are constantly forced to sacrifice some subtle fragment of the text, the priority always being understanding what kind of effect the original writer wanted to generate and creating something that might have a comparable effect. Another analogy sees a translation project as the literary equivalent of playing a football match with the strongest team of the championship: most of the time, the translator will just try not to cut too sorry a figure.Well, cutting not too sorry a figure is often the main problem when translating comics created by a bold writer, where the text is dominating. The weirdest things can happen. Since most of the indispensable information is conveyed through pictures, the most capable and experimental writers will let their imagination run wild in their prose, creating made-up languages and the most extreme stylizations.Touching briefly a few meaningful challenges I met during the last two decades, spent translating comics between other things, it’s hard not discuss one of the most brilliant writers ever bestowing his multiform intelligence on this medium – unsurprisingly a very hard nut to crack for his translators. This ingenious innovator is Alan Moore, who often imbues his stories with a fractal, sinuous complexity that is rarely seen. In his work, he pushed the comic medium towards unsuspected possibilities, writing modern classics like V for Vendetta, Watchmen and From Hell. Over the years spent at the translator’s desk, I was lucky enough to work on most of his literary works and graphic novels, exploring his voice and learning his most daring storytelling techniques. Having a look at two of his works might then prove interesting.
V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.Graced by David Lloyd’s sombre and sophisticated art and masterful storytelling, V for Vendetta is a dystopian graphic novel deeply influenced by George Orwell’s work. It’s set in a futuristic and neo-fascist Britain, where a vigilante hidden behind a Guy Fawkes mask, the eponymous “V”, sows the seeds of revolution with theatrical panache and flamboyance. Not considering the sheer power of the story’s premise or daring storytelling techniques, one of the biggest pleasures in reading V for the Vendetta is Moore’s skill in shaping the English language. Meaning that those three hundred pages are littered with translation headaches.
V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.The hardest problem was definitely taking the whole load of British language and culture peppered on the novel - filled as it is with assonances, references subtly watermarked and almost invisible, jokes and puns and nursery rhymes normally learnt at kindergarten - and somehow turning it all into my native Italian, making all those references clearly understandable even for my least exotically-inclined fellow countrymen, and yet retaining the novel’s Britishness in order not to lose its authenticity. Questions abounded: how do you translate a popular drinking song linked to the novel both in theme and narrative, when Italian drinking songs are few and far between, and are generally related to what the Alpine Army Corps were singing between battles in World War 1? And how do you convey the rhyming acrobatics of a cabaret song filled with blatantly fascist and overly sexual innuendos? And let’s not get started with the notion that the title of every single chapter in the book starts with the letter “V”, a symbol obsessively running through the graphic novel and echoing Thomas Pynchon.
V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.One of my hardest tribulations was translating This Vicious Cabaret, a song serving as prologue to the second part of the novel, a smart way to summarise what went on before in an artistically satisfying manner. This song doesn’t simply provide rhyming lyrics that, let’s be honest, can be translated taking a few liberties, while being considerate to the writer’s ideas. To the horror of all translators worldwide, this song is printed at the bottom of a musical store, note after note, lyric after lyric. A few international editions solved the problem with refreshing casualness: they simply decided to skip it, and add a literal translation at the end of the song’s score. However, this solution widens the gap between the source text and the target text and no reader can take any emotional or intellectual pleasure out of the writer’s idea. Alas, the only feasible solution was finding a translation that could preserve the original text’s meaning, rhyming pattern, assonances and exact verse structure. Readers are now welcome to take some pleasure in trying to guess how many days it took this writer to translate just six pages.Another interesting challenge was finding the right language for the story’s protagonist, V. His speech is initially pretty naturalistic, but over the pages it starts speaking in non-rhyming iambic verses, revealing his romantic anarchic nature, the soul of an entertainer of destruction. Such a powerful characterization needed an Italian equivalent. Let’s the cat out of the bag: the metrical scansion is not exactly Moore’s, but I believe the emotional feeling of V’s speech has a similar effect on the reader. His slow, constant lapping of words, both in his monologues and dialogues, hopefully becomes prophetic, revealing and mesmerising.
Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.Another of Moore’s major works is the recent Providence, a graphic novel based on the opus of H.P. Lovecraft. For the unlucky ones still needing to familiarise themselves with him, Lovecraft was the early 20th century American writer who revolutionised horror literature by turning it into an exercise in metaphysics, putting Man in all his misery in front of unknowable horrors, too vast to fully comprehend. Lovecraft saw his work published on cheap pulp magazines hardly making any literary claim, but the way his ideas infected generations of readers shouldn’t be underestimated. In his latest graphic novel, Moore is interested in Lovecraft’s memes, in the way he seemed to weave a whole fictitious mythology in our reality.Writing Providence, Moore concocted a sublime hoax. He took dozens of Lovecraft stories and put them together in one dreadful mosaic, embedding them in our real world and creating a unique literary universe, in which the readers can get lost at will, to their own horrific enlightenment. Thus, it is evident how crucial it was to convey Lovecraft’s text in a consistent Italian translation, using all the versions that made the Providence writer known in Italian. Not an easy task: his opus had countless translators over the decades, creating numerous discrepancies and inconsistencies. While translating Providence, my priority was reconstituting Lovecraft’s literary universe as one consistent whole.
Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.A problem of a different nature was the diverse cultural or geographical background of the novel’s characters. Lovecraft rooted his characters in the most remote corners of New England or Neo-colonial America, trying to make his horror seem commonplace, casually hidden in plain view behind some corner of our world. In Providence, Moore pushed this idea further, featuring incredibly diversified characters speaking with the most outlandish inflections: the refined American English of the late 1910s, the equally refined but slightly awkward language of a Spanish expat doctor, the stammering dialogue of a Latino landlady, the language filled with regionalisms spoken by Irish immigrants, the code used by New York’s closeted gay population in early 20th century, the 19th century dialect developed in the more inland regions of the Eastern territories of the US, the even more ancient jargon of the 18th century sea captains, and more and more, getting to the speech of unconceivable monstrosities borrowing our language to convey alien concepts. As every reader can now imagine after this endless list, it was extremely important using a different language for every character – and yet, losing their geographical connotations was necessary. After all, what is the difference between an Irishman and an Englishman and an American when their words are translated in Italian? However, what is lost in geographical terms can be somehow regained; it can come out with the characters’ sense of culture, class, and personal warmth.
Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.In this veritable sea of words translated from language to language, what is really Alan Moore’s work and what is not? It is time for a confession: many of Moore’s subtly specific references cannot be carried to any other language, barricaded forever behind the idiosyncrasies of British culture. And yet, if a translator is really trying to pull his conjuring trick – an idea that Moore might like – a whole new literary reality can be created: a veil of illusion in another language, able to let readers feel the diversity and the deep truth of these characters. The overall effect on the reader should always, always be the same Holy Grail: convincing the readers that everything that it’s been said, is nothing less than true. And by doing so, binding them, charming them. Conjuring a spell in every language, the one great form of communication in this apparently divided world.Leonardo Rizzi, Master Wordsmith
© Gareth MundenLeonardo has been translating comics for most of his life, wrecking his brain on some of the most influential writers in the medium, including Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Chris Ware, Los Bros Hernandez, and many more. Feeling that his life was somewhat empty without more stories and narratives, he’s been writing for the theatre and TV in more languages than it’s safe to admit, winning the Ugo Betti playwright Award. He also works as a story editor and script consultant for Eurimages, NBCUniversal, BAFTA Rocliffe, Script Factory and Apulia Film Commission and has been involved in lectures and seminars intended for experienced writers, directors and script editors as well as for emerging writers.
Translating comics is bewilderingly complex. Then again, the medium’s relationship with its readers is only deceptively simple, with comics having their effect in gradual steps. First, there is the impact the single pictures have on the reader, with their style and graphic vividness. After that, the simple act of putting pictures in some sort of order and forming a sequence is the source of this medium’s magic.Such is the power of arranging pictures in sequence. The most accomplished creators manage to guide the readers, letting their imagination fill the ‘gutter’ between the panels. With the constant task of filling in gaps, reading comics is an exercise in insight. The relationship this medium has with its audience is intricate, as it subtly beguiles readers to invest their intellects and emotions in a very active, two-way process.In comics, the written word is not the primary source of communication. Pictures and sequences convey the most basic storytelling and can powerfully evoke meaning. Creators use words to dig deep in what is shown visually, elaborating on everything that cannot be drawn, such as paradoxes, lies and the most abstract concepts.V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.This necessary and yet surely already tedious preamble finally brings us to what translating comics entails. As crafts go, translation is always very inadequate, and yet hopefully revealing and often necessary. It is not limited to the act of carrying words from one language to another, as our own experience can prove: all our attempts at writing a meaningful email using Google Translate are met, at best, with puzzlement, sniggers or embarrassment. What a decent translation does in a way that Google Translate simply cannot, is ferrying a whole sets of concepts across two languages that can be very different in terms of worldview, values, basic philosophies, sounds and the very notion of what is considered beautiful.A good analogy would be considering translators as conjuring artists, trying to bewitch vast audiences while doing their best not to get caught using their tricks. Every time some awkward legerdemain or botched prestidigitation is spotted by the audience, any suspension of disbelief is immediately lost. And with that, gone is the playfulness, the sense of entertainment, the enchantment the original text could have. As a result, a good translator always has to take the hardest path: replicating the original writers’ storytelling strategy, being faithful to their intentions more than to their words. The translators’ ultimate goal is convincing their audiences, at least for a few fleeting moments, that the text was originally written in their own language.Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.In order to do that, translators are constantly forced to sacrifice some subtle fragment of the text, the priority always being understanding what kind of effect the original writer wanted to generate and creating something that might have a comparable effect. Another analogy sees a translation project as the literary equivalent of playing a football match with the strongest team of the championship: most of the time, the translator will just try not to cut too sorry a figure.Well, cutting not too sorry a figure is often the main problem when translating comics created by a bold writer, where the text is dominating. The weirdest things can happen. Since most of the indispensable information is conveyed through pictures, the most capable and experimental writers will let their imagination run wild in their prose, creating made-up languages and the most extreme stylizations.Touching briefly a few meaningful challenges I met during the last two decades, spent translating comics between other things, it’s hard not discuss one of the most brilliant writers ever bestowing his multiform intelligence on this medium – unsurprisingly a very hard nut to crack for his translators. This ingenious innovator is Alan Moore, who often imbues his stories with a fractal, sinuous complexity that is rarely seen. In his work, he pushed the comic medium towards unsuspected possibilities, writing modern classics like V for Vendetta, Watchmen and From Hell. Over the years spent at the translator’s desk, I was lucky enough to work on most of his literary works and graphic novels, exploring his voice and learning his most daring storytelling techniques. Having a look at two of his works might then prove interesting.V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.Graced by David Lloyd’s sombre and sophisticated art and masterful storytelling, V for Vendetta is a dystopian graphic novel deeply influenced by George Orwell’s work. It’s set in a futuristic and neo-fascist Britain, where a vigilante hidden behind a Guy Fawkes mask, the eponymous “V”, sows the seeds of revolution with theatrical panache and flamboyance. Not considering the sheer power of the story’s premise or daring storytelling techniques, one of the biggest pleasures in reading V for the Vendetta is Moore’s skill in shaping the English language. Meaning that those three hundred pages are littered with translation headaches.V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.The hardest problem was definitely taking the whole load of British language and culture peppered on the novel - filled as it is with assonances, references subtly watermarked and almost invisible, jokes and puns and nursery rhymes normally learnt at kindergarten - and somehow turning it all into my native Italian, making all those references clearly understandable even for my least exotically-inclined fellow countrymen, and yet retaining the novel’s Britishness in order not to lose its authenticity. Questions abounded: how do you translate a popular drinking song linked to the novel both in theme and narrative, when Italian drinking songs are few and far between, and are generally related to what the Alpine Army Corps were singing between battles in World War 1? And how do you convey the rhyming acrobatics of a cabaret song filled with blatantly fascist and overly sexual innuendos? And let’s not get started with the notion that the title of every single chapter in the book starts with the letter “V”, a symbol obsessively running through the graphic novel and echoing Thomas Pynchon.V for Vendetta Copyright ©2009, 2013 DC Comics.One of my hardest tribulations was translating This Vicious Cabaret, a song serving as prologue to the second part of the novel, a smart way to summarise what went on before in an artistically satisfying manner. This song doesn’t simply provide rhyming lyrics that, let’s be honest, can be translated taking a few liberties, while being considerate to the writer’s ideas. To the horror of all translators worldwide, this song is printed at the bottom of a musical store, note after note, lyric after lyric. A few international editions solved the problem with refreshing casualness: they simply decided to skip it, and add a literal translation at the end of the song’s score. However, this solution widens the gap between the source text and the target text and no reader can take any emotional or intellectual pleasure out of the writer’s idea. Alas, the only feasible solution was finding a translation that could preserve the original text’s meaning, rhyming pattern, assonances and exact verse structure. Readers are now welcome to take some pleasure in trying to guess how many days it took this writer to translate just six pages.Another interesting challenge was finding the right language for the story’s protagonist, V. His speech is initially pretty naturalistic, but over the pages it starts speaking in non-rhyming iambic verses, revealing his romantic anarchic nature, the soul of an entertainer of destruction. Such a powerful characterization needed an Italian equivalent. Let’s the cat out of the bag: the metrical scansion is not exactly Moore’s, but I believe the emotional feeling of V’s speech has a similar effect on the reader. His slow, constant lapping of words, both in his monologues and dialogues, hopefully becomes prophetic, revealing and mesmerising.Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.Another of Moore’s major works is the recent Providence, a graphic novel based on the opus of H.P. Lovecraft. For the unlucky ones still needing to familiarise themselves with him, Lovecraft was the early 20th century American writer who revolutionised horror literature by turning it into an exercise in metaphysics, putting Man in all his misery in front of unknowable horrors, too vast to fully comprehend. Lovecraft saw his work published on cheap pulp magazines hardly making any literary claim, but the way his ideas infected generations of readers shouldn’t be underestimated. In his latest graphic novel, Moore is interested in Lovecraft’s memes, in the way he seemed to weave a whole fictitious mythology in our reality.Writing Providence, Moore concocted a sublime hoax. He took dozens of Lovecraft stories and put them together in one dreadful mosaic, embedding them in our real world and creating a unique literary universe, in which the readers can get lost at will, to their own horrific enlightenment. Thus, it is evident how crucial it was to convey Lovecraft’s text in a consistent Italian translation, using all the versions that made the Providence writer known in Italian. Not an easy task: his opus had countless translators over the decades, creating numerous discrepancies and inconsistencies. While translating Providence, my priority was reconstituting Lovecraft’s literary universe as one consistent whole.Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.A problem of a different nature was the diverse cultural or geographical background of the novel’s characters. Lovecraft rooted his characters in the most remote corners of New England or Neo-colonial America, trying to make his horror seem commonplace, casually hidden in plain view behind some corner of our world. In Providence, Moore pushed this idea further, featuring incredibly diversified characters speaking with the most outlandish inflections: the refined American English of the late 1910s, the equally refined but slightly awkward language of a Spanish expat doctor, the stammering dialogue of a Latino landlady, the language filled with regionalisms spoken by Irish immigrants, the code used by New York’s closeted gay population in early 20th century, the 19th century dialect developed in the more inland regions of the Eastern territories of the US, the even more ancient jargon of the 18th century sea captains, and more and more, getting to the speech of unconceivable monstrosities borrowing our language to convey alien concepts. As every reader can now imagine after this endless list, it was extremely important using a different language for every character – and yet, losing their geographical connotations was necessary. After all, what is the difference between an Irishman and an Englishman and an American when their words are translated in Italian? However, what is lost in geographical terms can be somehow regained; it can come out with the characters’ sense of culture, class, and personal warmth.Providence and all related properties TM & ©2015 Alan Moore.In this veritable sea of words translated from language to language, what is really Alan Moore’s work and what is not? It is time for a confession: many of Moore’s subtly specific references cannot be carried to any other language, barricaded forever behind the idiosyncrasies of British culture. And yet, if a translator is really trying to pull his conjuring trick – an idea that Moore might like – a whole new literary reality can be created: a veil of illusion in another language, able to let readers feel the diversity and the deep truth of these characters. The overall effect on the reader should always, always be the same Holy Grail: convincing the readers that everything that it’s been said, is nothing less than true. And by doing so, binding them, charming them. Conjuring a spell in every language, the one great form of communication in this apparently divided world.Leonardo Rizzi, Master Wordsmith© Gareth MundenLeonardo has been translating comics for most of his life, wrecking his brain on some of the most influential writers in the medium, including Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Chris Ware, Los Bros Hernandez, and many more. Feeling that his life was somewhat empty without more stories and narratives, he’s been writing for the theatre and TV in more languages than it’s safe to admit, winning the Ugo Betti playwright Award. He also works as a story editor and script consultant for Eurimages, NBCUniversal, BAFTA Rocliffe, Script Factory and Apulia Film Commission and has been involved in lectures and seminars intended for experienced writers, directors and script editors as well as for emerging writers.
July 6, 2017
TOP 10 MOVIE ADAPTATIONS
From the pages of a book to the big screen, what is the best movie adaptation?
People always say the book is better than the film. I don’t agree. Adaptation is my hobby and one thing I love to do is read the book and watch the film. I want to see the merits of both and I think they should be consumed as two different products. When they both play to their strengths they can be amazing, they are both valid formats. Book adaptations alone account for a third of all films ever made and that doesn’t even begin to factor in short stories, plays, musicals, videogames and comic books adaptations. Generally the rule of thumb is - the more straightforward the book, the better the film. This is because of how much room it gives the filmmakers to embellish and evolve the story into another medium. That’s the perfect recipe but sometimes the adaptation can capture the spirit of the book without being slavish to plot and character. In my list I explore how different types of books and writing can be adapted into extraordinary films.10. Anna Karenina (2012) directed by Joe Wright
The Book: Anna Karenina (1877) by Leo TolstoyFirst of all, Anna Karenina is one of Russia’s most complex and influential books. Leo Tolstoy, published the story in serial installments between 1873 and 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Fyodor Dostoyevsky thought it “a flawless piece of art”. That’s gonna be hard for any filmmaker to live up to. However, Joe Wright manages to effectively capture the themes and flavour of the work. He does this by employing an ingenious storytelling device. By using a stage set to link scenes and thread plots together it bypasses the need for lengthy exposition. I wouldn’t expect anything less from veteran screenwriter Tom Stoppart whose accolades in the realm of adaptation are beyond impressive.9. The Remains of the Day (1993) directed by James Ivory
The Book: The Remains of the Day (1989) by Kazuo IshiguroKazuo Ishiguro is renowned for his exhaustive research and historically accurate novels. The Remains of the Day is in my opinion his greatest masterpiece and the film is equally as powerful. Both demonstrate the threat from fascism of the interwar period with precision. Interweaving the story of personal sacrifice and regret. It’s a true adaptation sticking close to the original, keeping the same themes and atmosphere throughout. This is the one of the entries on my list that I find hard to choose which one I prefer. 8. Kitchen (1997) directed by Yim Ho
The Book: Kitchen (1988) by Banana YoshimotoA haunting and charming coming of age story simply told. A young Japanese woman named Mikage Sakurai finds herself struggling after the death of her grandmother. Seeking out one of her grandmothers friends for comfort she becomes close to a man named Yuichi and his transgender mother, Eriko. Yim Ho captures the mood beautifully by the use of stunning visuals. Lingering shots of landscapes and extreme weather are used to create space that reflects the thoughtful nature of the storytelling. 7. Doctor Zhivago (1965) directed by David Lean
The Book: Doctor Zhivago (1957) by Boris PasternakAnother one of Russia’s greatest novels, Doctor Zhivago was denied publication by the USSR, resulting in the manuscript being smuggled to Milan and eventually published in 1957. Doctor Zhivago is torn between his individual ambition and his duty to Russia and this metaphor is perfectly rendered through the filmmaking talents of David Lean. One of Britain’s most iconic directors. He visually captures the enormity of the Russian revolution by using the huge landscapes that dwarf the individual just as the revolution was swallowing the ambitions of its people. 6. The Princess Bride (1987) directed by Rob Reiner
The Book: The Princess Bride (1973) by William GoldmanThe Princess Bride is a brilliant and hilariously written fantasy romance novel. Dashing and dastardly characters coupled with memorable one liners are abound. William Goldman is a stalwart of Hollywood having written such classics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men. The Princess Bride was his own pet project that took well over a decade to come to fruition. I’m thankful that he persevered. Having written both the novel and the screenplay have meant that the spirit of the film remained intact. However, there are fundamental differences between them. The book is framed by a Goldmanesque character trying to adapt a fairy tale style story of a forgotten monarchy. The narrative dips in and out of the misfortunes of the fictional author and the story of princess buttercup et al. Framing the film's narrative is the grandfather reading the book to his sick and initially reluctant grandson. This keeps the playful and self reflective narrative successfully intact. 5. Apocalypse Now (1979) directed by Francis Ford Coppola
The Book: Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph ConradFollowing a voyage up the Congo River, Heart of Darkness documents the narrator's obsession in finding an ivory dealer named Kurtz. Apocalypse Now successfully transposes this story to the madness of the Vietnam war. This is where it’s biggest strength as an adaptation lies, the effortless transplant of politics from one century to another. It’s commentary on colonialism and imperialism is just as relevant as it was when it was first written. 4. Cabaret (1972) directed by Bob Fosse
The Book: The Berlin Novels (1945) by Christopher IsherwoodCabaret is entertaining, poignant and terrifying. It depicts with full song and dance numbers, Germany's descent into fascism. Following the story of Brian Roberts, a young English man watching his adopted country distort before him. Using music to portray this sinister scene really makes it an immediate and visceral experience unlike any other. At the end a young boy wearing a uniform of the Hitler Youth stands up and sings "Tomorrow Belongs to Me". This chilling moment captures the change from decadent Germany to Nazi-fascism. 3. Blade Runner (1982) directed by Ridley Scott
The Book: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968) by Philip K. DickSci-fi is all about ideas and concepts and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is the perfect example. It questions the nature of reality, what makes life authentic and not just a mere imitation. Blade Runner takes this blueprint and creates a full bodied dystopian world in a way that only cinema can. It streamlines the story by giving more direction and develops the characters to aching poignancy. The film works on a variety of levels, from superficial sci-fi experience to leading the audience in a quest for the meaning of reality. Not bad for a film born from electric sheep.2. The Innocents (1961) directed by Jack Clayton
The Book: The Turn of the Screw (1898) by Henry James The Turn of the Screw is the ultimate psychological ghost story and The Innocents is a chilling and accurate adaptation. Often children in films can be annoying but the performances delivered by Martin Stephens and Pamela Franklin for Myles and Flora is mesmerising. The script is minimal and pairs the story back to its essence leaving only what we need to know as the it gradually unfolds. The characters, as with the location are isolated without sympathy for one another and this highlights Miss Giddens journey of discovery or descent into madness. Whichever you believe to be true as a viewer, the devastating outcome is the same. 1. A Room with a View (1985) directed by James Ivory
The Book: A Room With a View (1908) by E. M. ForsterSometimes classified as a romance, A Room with a View is also a critique of Edwardian society, a comedy about manners. All but one of E. M. Forster’s novels have been adapted (unlucky The Longest Journey) but this is bar far my favourite. Forster’s novels are ripe for adaptation because they are complex enough to be interesting and simple enough to work on screen. A Room with a View is almost perfect; the humour has a light touch, the characters are unique and varied and the settings stunning. The production values are incredibly high but this would be nothing without the clarity of the script. Not only do we have a room with a view but we also get a view into the mind of E. M. Forster.
People always say the book is better than the film. I don’t agree. Adaptation is my hobby and one thing I love to do is read the book and watch the film. I want to see the merits of both and I think they should be consumed as two different products. When they both play to their strengths they can be amazing, they are both valid formats. Book adaptations alone account for a third of all films ever made and that doesn’t even begin to factor in short stories, plays, musicals, videogames and comic books adaptations. Generally the rule of thumb is - the more straightforward the book, the better the film. This is because of how much room it gives the filmmakers to embellish and evolve the story into another medium. That’s the perfect recipe but sometimes the adaptation can capture the spirit of the book without being slavish to plot and character. In my list I explore how different types of books and writing can be adapted into extraordinary films.10. Anna Karenina (2012) directed by Joe WrightThe Book: Anna Karenina (1877) by Leo TolstoyFirst of all, Anna Karenina is one of Russia’s most complex and influential books. Leo Tolstoy, published the story in serial installments between 1873 and 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Fyodor Dostoyevsky thought it “a flawless piece of art”. That’s gonna be hard for any filmmaker to live up to. However, Joe Wright manages to effectively capture the themes and flavour of the work. He does this by employing an ingenious storytelling device. By using a stage set to link scenes and thread plots together it bypasses the need for lengthy exposition. I wouldn’t expect anything less from veteran screenwriter Tom Stoppart whose accolades in the realm of adaptation are beyond impressive.9. The Remains of the Day (1993) directed by James IvoryThe Book: The Remains of the Day (1989) by Kazuo IshiguroKazuo Ishiguro is renowned for his exhaustive research and historically accurate novels. The Remains of the Day is in my opinion his greatest masterpiece and the film is equally as powerful. Both demonstrate the threat from fascism of the interwar period with precision. Interweaving the story of personal sacrifice and regret. It’s a true adaptation sticking close to the original, keeping the same themes and atmosphere throughout. This is the one of the entries on my list that I find hard to choose which one I prefer. 8. Kitchen (1997) directed by Yim HoThe Book: Kitchen (1988) by Banana YoshimotoA haunting and charming coming of age story simply told. A young Japanese woman named Mikage Sakurai finds herself struggling after the death of her grandmother. Seeking out one of her grandmothers friends for comfort she becomes close to a man named Yuichi and his transgender mother, Eriko. Yim Ho captures the mood beautifully by the use of stunning visuals. Lingering shots of landscapes and extreme weather are used to create space that reflects the thoughtful nature of the storytelling. 7. Doctor Zhivago (1965) directed by David LeanThe Book: Doctor Zhivago (1957) by Boris PasternakAnother one of Russia’s greatest novels, Doctor Zhivago was denied publication by the USSR, resulting in the manuscript being smuggled to Milan and eventually published in 1957. Doctor Zhivago is torn between his individual ambition and his duty to Russia and this metaphor is perfectly rendered through the filmmaking talents of David Lean. One of Britain’s most iconic directors. He visually captures the enormity of the Russian revolution by using the huge landscapes that dwarf the individual just as the revolution was swallowing the ambitions of its people. 6. The Princess Bride (1987) directed by Rob ReinerThe Book: The Princess Bride (1973) by William GoldmanThe Princess Bride is a brilliant and hilariously written fantasy romance novel. Dashing and dastardly characters coupled with memorable one liners are abound. William Goldman is a stalwart of Hollywood having written such classics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men. The Princess Bride was his own pet project that took well over a decade to come to fruition. I’m thankful that he persevered. Having written both the novel and the screenplay have meant that the spirit of the film remained intact. However, there are fundamental differences between them. The book is framed by a Goldmanesque character trying to adapt a fairy tale style story of a forgotten monarchy. The narrative dips in and out of the misfortunes of the fictional author and the story of princess buttercup et al. Framing the film's narrative is the grandfather reading the book to his sick and initially reluctant grandson. This keeps the playful and self reflective narrative successfully intact. 5. Apocalypse Now (1979) directed by Francis Ford CoppolaThe Book: Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph ConradFollowing a voyage up the Congo River, Heart of Darkness documents the narrator's obsession in finding an ivory dealer named Kurtz. Apocalypse Now successfully transposes this story to the madness of the Vietnam war. This is where it’s biggest strength as an adaptation lies, the effortless transplant of politics from one century to another. It’s commentary on colonialism and imperialism is just as relevant as it was when it was first written. 4. Cabaret (1972) directed by Bob FosseThe Book: The Berlin Novels (1945) by Christopher IsherwoodCabaret is entertaining, poignant and terrifying. It depicts with full song and dance numbers, Germany's descent into fascism. Following the story of Brian Roberts, a young English man watching his adopted country distort before him. Using music to portray this sinister scene really makes it an immediate and visceral experience unlike any other. At the end a young boy wearing a uniform of the Hitler Youth stands up and sings "Tomorrow Belongs to Me". This chilling moment captures the change from decadent Germany to Nazi-fascism. 3. Blade Runner (1982) directed by Ridley ScottThe Book: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968) by Philip K. DickSci-fi is all about ideas and concepts and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is the perfect example. It questions the nature of reality, what makes life authentic and not just a mere imitation. Blade Runner takes this blueprint and creates a full bodied dystopian world in a way that only cinema can. It streamlines the story by giving more direction and develops the characters to aching poignancy. The film works on a variety of levels, from superficial sci-fi experience to leading the audience in a quest for the meaning of reality. Not bad for a film born from electric sheep.2. The Innocents (1961) directed by Jack ClaytonThe Book: The Turn of the Screw (1898) by Henry James The Turn of the Screw is the ultimate psychological ghost story and The Innocents is a chilling and accurate adaptation. Often children in films can be annoying but the performances delivered by Martin Stephens and Pamela Franklin for Myles and Flora is mesmerising. The script is minimal and pairs the story back to its essence leaving only what we need to know as the it gradually unfolds. The characters, as with the location are isolated without sympathy for one another and this highlights Miss Giddens journey of discovery or descent into madness. Whichever you believe to be true as a viewer, the devastating outcome is the same. 1. A Room with a View (1985) directed by James IvoryThe Book: A Room With a View (1908) by E. M. ForsterSometimes classified as a romance, A Room with a View is also a critique of Edwardian society, a comedy about manners. All but one of E. M. Forster’s novels have been adapted (unlucky The Longest Journey) but this is bar far my favourite. Forster’s novels are ripe for adaptation because they are complex enough to be interesting and simple enough to work on screen. A Room with a View is almost perfect; the humour has a light touch, the characters are unique and varied and the settings stunning. The production values are incredibly high but this would be nothing without the clarity of the script. Not only do we have a room with a view but we also get a view into the mind of E. M. Forster.
June 15, 2017
WHEELWOMEN: THE RIDE TO LIBERATION
Bicycles - the true weapon of feminism.
“I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel. It gives her a feeling of freedom, self-reliance and independence. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can’t get into harm while she is on her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood…”Suffragette, Susan B. Anthony (1898 letter to the editor of Sidepath magazine)I. LIBERATED WHEELSBicycles are a constant marvel to me. I'm always thinking about how versatile and easy to use they are. It's immediate and independent and accessible. No insurance, no tax, no lessons. The bicycle is the ultimate metaphor for freedom. With so much history and storytelling potential I couldn't help incorporate it into a story i'm currently working on - Urban Creatures. Here is what I've found out along the way.
The invention of the bicycle allowed women to break free of their homes cycling free through the city streets and roaming the country roads alike. Before the 1880s public life was largely the domain of men and it was rare for women to have any independent means of transportation. Many felt constrained by a society that imposed high moral standards and physically women were contained in painful corsets and cumbersome long, heavy petticoats.During the 1850s, American women’s rights advocate Amelia Bloomer, adopted the “Turkish Trouser”; a trouser made with a soft fabric and gathered at the ankle, worn beneath a mid-calf length skirt. The uproar prompted the question; what else from the man’s world women would set their sights on? So great was the backlash, Amelia and her compatriots were forced to concede.
In Britain, during 1881, the Rational Dress Society was formed. They campaigned to limit the weight of petticoats to seven pounds, were the first to introduce the divided skirt and this in turn led to the second wave of the bloomer. However, it was shorter, lighter skirts and freedom from the corset that was the lasting legacy of cycling; clothing more suited to an active lifestyle.Chaperones had been the norm for young women; kept under close supervision by their parents. Escape was made possible by the bicycle; women could go on cycling trips alone with young men for the first time.Women were now being seen in public, moving about independently, wearing more practical clothing and being featured in advertisements for bicycles. Female bicycle racers and explorers were making headlines, taking part and succeeding in acts of derring-do. Annie Londonderry attempted to bicycle around the globe; claimed by one New York newspaper to be “the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman.”A new type of women had evolved through her own experience of freedom; expectations of women’s role had irrevocably changed. Women had shown they were capable of participating in public life and drew parallels between learning to ride and learning to live. The image of the female cyclist became synonymous with the endeavour to win more rights for women.Although the popularity of cycling was superseded by the invention of the car, the legacy of the bicycle remained; the scope of women’s lives had changed.
Today, Breeze, a campaign run by British Cycling was set up to promote women cyclists and asserts that although cycling is an increasing activity in the UK, three times more men than women ride bikes and the proportion of women cycling is on the decline. Freewheeling is a call to wheels and geared-up to show the original spirit of the pioneering women cyclists still lives.II. WARWHEELS
“Wake embarked on a marathon bike ride, cycling about 500 km in 72 hours and crossing several German checkpoints, in order to find an operator to radio Britain and request new codes.”Female SOE Agents and the Bicycle: Liberating Nazi Occupied FranceSOE was a secret organisation set-up by the British government to help the French liberate Nazi occupied France. From the summer of 1940, 40 women were recruited as Special Operative Executives for the SOE F- section.Women were enlisted due to a shortage of eligible men. The lack of men also made women less conspicuous as they travelled freely, often seen on bicycles with large baskets looking for work or food, supporting the family while husbands were away.
Until 1944, female agents rarely carried firearms; their bicycle being their main weapon. Organised within a wider network they slipped surreptitiously into the role of courier, saboteur or radio operator. Taking advantage of societal prejudice, women deployed their feminine skills to evade scrutiny from german soldiers.SOE agents were selected for their language skills; able to mingle with the native French population with ease, they were bright, quick-witted and brave. All of the female agents rejected the cyanide pill offered before departure for France and none were deterred by the extremely dangerous, potentially life threatening work they had been selected to do.For those women the bicycle was a necessity to fight for freedom; for us the bicycle maintains that freedom.
“I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel. It gives her a feeling of freedom, self-reliance and independence. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can’t get into harm while she is on her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood…”Suffragette, Susan B. Anthony (1898 letter to the editor of Sidepath magazine)I. LIBERATED WHEELSBicycles are a constant marvel to me. I'm always thinking about how versatile and easy to use they are. It's immediate and independent and accessible. No insurance, no tax, no lessons. The bicycle is the ultimate metaphor for freedom. With so much history and storytelling potential I couldn't help incorporate it into a story i'm currently working on - Urban Creatures. Here is what I've found out along the way.The invention of the bicycle allowed women to break free of their homes cycling free through the city streets and roaming the country roads alike. Before the 1880s public life was largely the domain of men and it was rare for women to have any independent means of transportation. Many felt constrained by a society that imposed high moral standards and physically women were contained in painful corsets and cumbersome long, heavy petticoats.During the 1850s, American women’s rights advocate Amelia Bloomer, adopted the “Turkish Trouser”; a trouser made with a soft fabric and gathered at the ankle, worn beneath a mid-calf length skirt. The uproar prompted the question; what else from the man’s world women would set their sights on? So great was the backlash, Amelia and her compatriots were forced to concede.In Britain, during 1881, the Rational Dress Society was formed. They campaigned to limit the weight of petticoats to seven pounds, were the first to introduce the divided skirt and this in turn led to the second wave of the bloomer. However, it was shorter, lighter skirts and freedom from the corset that was the lasting legacy of cycling; clothing more suited to an active lifestyle.Chaperones had been the norm for young women; kept under close supervision by their parents. Escape was made possible by the bicycle; women could go on cycling trips alone with young men for the first time.Women were now being seen in public, moving about independently, wearing more practical clothing and being featured in advertisements for bicycles. Female bicycle racers and explorers were making headlines, taking part and succeeding in acts of derring-do. Annie Londonderry attempted to bicycle around the globe; claimed by one New York newspaper to be “the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman.”A new type of women had evolved through her own experience of freedom; expectations of women’s role had irrevocably changed. Women had shown they were capable of participating in public life and drew parallels between learning to ride and learning to live. The image of the female cyclist became synonymous with the endeavour to win more rights for women.Although the popularity of cycling was superseded by the invention of the car, the legacy of the bicycle remained; the scope of women’s lives had changed.Today, Breeze, a campaign run by British Cycling was set up to promote women cyclists and asserts that although cycling is an increasing activity in the UK, three times more men than women ride bikes and the proportion of women cycling is on the decline. Freewheeling is a call to wheels and geared-up to show the original spirit of the pioneering women cyclists still lives.II. WARWHEELS“Wake embarked on a marathon bike ride, cycling about 500 km in 72 hours and crossing several German checkpoints, in order to find an operator to radio Britain and request new codes.”Female SOE Agents and the Bicycle: Liberating Nazi Occupied FranceSOE was a secret organisation set-up by the British government to help the French liberate Nazi occupied France. From the summer of 1940, 40 women were recruited as Special Operative Executives for the SOE F- section.Women were enlisted due to a shortage of eligible men. The lack of men also made women less conspicuous as they travelled freely, often seen on bicycles with large baskets looking for work or food, supporting the family while husbands were away.Until 1944, female agents rarely carried firearms; their bicycle being their main weapon. Organised within a wider network they slipped surreptitiously into the role of courier, saboteur or radio operator. Taking advantage of societal prejudice, women deployed their feminine skills to evade scrutiny from german soldiers.SOE agents were selected for their language skills; able to mingle with the native French population with ease, they were bright, quick-witted and brave. All of the female agents rejected the cyanide pill offered before departure for France and none were deterred by the extremely dangerous, potentially life threatening work they had been selected to do.For those women the bicycle was a necessity to fight for freedom; for us the bicycle maintains that freedom.
June 2, 2017
FORTUNE AND FELICITY: BECOMING MRS MOSSWORTH
Join our guest writer, Josephine Rydberg, as she LARPs about with Jane Austen.
I larp, beg your pardon, LARP, Live Action Role Playing. Like cowboys and indians but with adults. Just recently I took part in the LARP of my life; Fortune and Felicity. Being an Austen fan it was a given I would sign up for this particular LARP. I had also been involved in the very early stages of planning the LARP. While the organisers were deciding about design and production of the whole affair, I had been very outspoken about my support about the idea in general.However, when it actually came to doing any actual work, I was otherwise engaged. When the tickets were released I didn't even sign up. I can be like that sometimes, you know... stupid.Fortunately there was a lottery of the last available tickets for female characters and I decided to let fate decide. Fate obliged and I bought my ticket to become Mrs Esther Mossworth.
By this time the website was up and running - photos and general buzz around the LARP was enough to convince me to make the effort to find time and money to prepare for a dive into Regency romance.When the first batch of characters was released I found myself being cast as Mrs Mossworth, a widow of some £1,000 a year. The daughter of Lady Mossworth (£10,000) the Mater Familias, mother of three children and also blessed with three nephews. All unmarried. Actually all of us were unmarried but Austen focuses usually on young romance (the possibility of older inheritable relations marrying is used more as a plot device-threat than as a real possibility) so only the young ones are expected to get engaged. Especially those with good family connections and lots of money.Mrs Mossworth had loved and lost. As a young woman she had been in love with Mr Rosewood but her mother had intervened. Exploiting another young woman’s affection for Mr Rosewood and paying her to seduce him. He then had to do the honourable thing (by her, not Esther) and marry her. Esther married a cousin on the rebound and lived unhappily ever after. Until now.
Now she is back at Primrose surrounded by a new generation of hopeful lovers. Mr and Mrs Rosewood will be there too. And Mother. The scene is set.Before we got there however, I had to sew. I have a closet full of costumes but they were all wrong. Regency fashions are like no other. I hate sewing, so naturally I put it off until the last minute. Old tablecloths and curtains were dug out, patterns found online and all else was put on hold. My (real) children would have to cook their own meals, the house would go without cleaning and the washing would pile up. Only the cat was amused by my efforts; as it included spreading fabrics on the floor. Fabric on floors are like Tivoli for cats. Fun! Fun! Fun!Of course I was not completed when it was time to leave. No buttons, hems un-sewn and I still hadn’t actually tried anything on with the corset. However, I sort of managed 3 outfits; 2 for day wear and 1 ballgown. Oh and I was rescued by my cousin who lent me a bonnet. It was green. I love my cousin.
Green is the colour of the Mossworths so it was good to wear, made us easy to identify as a family. Another grouping is the romance set, this consist of of players from different families whose intrigues are entangled in different ways and stories that tend to play off one another. Every romance group has a motto. Esther Mossworth belongs to a group whose motto is “All is fair in love and business”.Before the LARP begins both family groups and romance groups meet in workshops. This is to get to know each other and help each others’ play along. These workshops are repeated between the three acts that make up the LARP as a whole. This makes Fortune and Felicity a transparent LARP, there are other kinds. This transparency means all the players in my family and romance group knows each other's full backstories e.g. that my mother bribed a young woman to seduce my fiancé all those years ago. This means they can all support me (and others involved) in reacting to this and creating drama around it. The players know but their characters don’t of course. Until they do, shock, shock, horror, horror.
At Fortune and Felicity an international set of some 150 players danced together in the ballroom (live music of course), got engaged, got jilted, duelled, had tea, picnicked, wrote each other letters, went to church and, of course, drank the waters to improve their health. All with different character goals and intrigues to pursue. It goes without saying that the game design was pretty complicated. It all worked beautifully. And it did feel and look very Austen. The location was the lovely little village Medevi Brunn, built in the 16th & 17th hundreds around a famous well. For the LARP this was transformed into Primrose, a smaller version of Bath.There were three acts to Fortune and Felicity each with a different season and a different theme.Spring: Romance.Summer: Reality (all falls apart more like).Autumn: Redemption.The LARP had other design features as well. A black box disguised as a Fortune Teller for instance, where characters could explore the “what ifs” with the aid of two game masters. Mr Rosewood and Esther explored scenes from their life as a happily married couple. Very happy indeed as it turned out. Oh well…
I loved being Mrs Mossworth, it was sometimes exhausting and emotionally draining but the drama worked, the design worked and that was extremely satisfying. Walking along the little gravel road between the Mossworth rooms and the church was such an immersive experience. Meeting other characters in uniform and high waisted dresses and silly bonnets, nodding and talking nonsense felt like stepping into a film.There are many scenes I will carry with me, my nephew boring some young ladies to tears with his collection of dried flowers, meeting Mr Rosewoods eyes across a crowded dance floor, my “mother” rushing off at midnight to stop a duel, sitting in our parlour alone writing a letter in the light from the window. Fortune and Felicity reminded me why I LARP, even though it means having to sew. When location, story, design and all else works, it’s magic, with me in the middle.Josephine Rydberg, Crossmedia Developer and dedicated LARPer.
Josephine runs projects that crossover between different art forms and media platforms. These projects are designed to reach a wider audiences and encourage participation.For more information on these fascinating LARPs visit www.austenlarp.com.And for more Jane Austen goodness watch Lucy Worsley’s Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doorshere on BBC Iplayer.
I larp, beg your pardon, LARP, Live Action Role Playing. Like cowboys and indians but with adults. Just recently I took part in the LARP of my life; Fortune and Felicity. Being an Austen fan it was a given I would sign up for this particular LARP. I had also been involved in the very early stages of planning the LARP. While the organisers were deciding about design and production of the whole affair, I had been very outspoken about my support about the idea in general.However, when it actually came to doing any actual work, I was otherwise engaged. When the tickets were released I didn't even sign up. I can be like that sometimes, you know... stupid.Fortunately there was a lottery of the last available tickets for female characters and I decided to let fate decide. Fate obliged and I bought my ticket to become Mrs Esther Mossworth.By this time the website was up and running - photos and general buzz around the LARP was enough to convince me to make the effort to find time and money to prepare for a dive into Regency romance.When the first batch of characters was released I found myself being cast as Mrs Mossworth, a widow of some £1,000 a year. The daughter of Lady Mossworth (£10,000) the Mater Familias, mother of three children and also blessed with three nephews. All unmarried. Actually all of us were unmarried but Austen focuses usually on young romance (the possibility of older inheritable relations marrying is used more as a plot device-threat than as a real possibility) so only the young ones are expected to get engaged. Especially those with good family connections and lots of money.Mrs Mossworth had loved and lost. As a young woman she had been in love with Mr Rosewood but her mother had intervened. Exploiting another young woman’s affection for Mr Rosewood and paying her to seduce him. He then had to do the honourable thing (by her, not Esther) and marry her. Esther married a cousin on the rebound and lived unhappily ever after. Until now.Now she is back at Primrose surrounded by a new generation of hopeful lovers. Mr and Mrs Rosewood will be there too. And Mother. The scene is set.Before we got there however, I had to sew. I have a closet full of costumes but they were all wrong. Regency fashions are like no other. I hate sewing, so naturally I put it off until the last minute. Old tablecloths and curtains were dug out, patterns found online and all else was put on hold. My (real) children would have to cook their own meals, the house would go without cleaning and the washing would pile up. Only the cat was amused by my efforts; as it included spreading fabrics on the floor. Fabric on floors are like Tivoli for cats. Fun! Fun! Fun!Of course I was not completed when it was time to leave. No buttons, hems un-sewn and I still hadn’t actually tried anything on with the corset. However, I sort of managed 3 outfits; 2 for day wear and 1 ballgown. Oh and I was rescued by my cousin who lent me a bonnet. It was green. I love my cousin.Green is the colour of the Mossworths so it was good to wear, made us easy to identify as a family. Another grouping is the romance set, this consist of of players from different families whose intrigues are entangled in different ways and stories that tend to play off one another. Every romance group has a motto. Esther Mossworth belongs to a group whose motto is “All is fair in love and business”.Before the LARP begins both family groups and romance groups meet in workshops. This is to get to know each other and help each others’ play along. These workshops are repeated between the three acts that make up the LARP as a whole. This makes Fortune and Felicity a transparent LARP, there are other kinds. This transparency means all the players in my family and romance group knows each other's full backstories e.g. that my mother bribed a young woman to seduce my fiancé all those years ago. This means they can all support me (and others involved) in reacting to this and creating drama around it. The players know but their characters don’t of course. Until they do, shock, shock, horror, horror.At Fortune and Felicity an international set of some 150 players danced together in the ballroom (live music of course), got engaged, got jilted, duelled, had tea, picnicked, wrote each other letters, went to church and, of course, drank the waters to improve their health. All with different character goals and intrigues to pursue. It goes without saying that the game design was pretty complicated. It all worked beautifully. And it did feel and look very Austen. The location was the lovely little village Medevi Brunn, built in the 16th & 17th hundreds around a famous well. For the LARP this was transformed into Primrose, a smaller version of Bath.There were three acts to Fortune and Felicity each with a different season and a different theme.Spring: Romance.Summer: Reality (all falls apart more like).Autumn: Redemption.The LARP had other design features as well. A black box disguised as a Fortune Teller for instance, where characters could explore the “what ifs” with the aid of two game masters. Mr Rosewood and Esther explored scenes from their life as a happily married couple. Very happy indeed as it turned out. Oh well…I loved being Mrs Mossworth, it was sometimes exhausting and emotionally draining but the drama worked, the design worked and that was extremely satisfying. Walking along the little gravel road between the Mossworth rooms and the church was such an immersive experience. Meeting other characters in uniform and high waisted dresses and silly bonnets, nodding and talking nonsense felt like stepping into a film.There are many scenes I will carry with me, my nephew boring some young ladies to tears with his collection of dried flowers, meeting Mr Rosewoods eyes across a crowded dance floor, my “mother” rushing off at midnight to stop a duel, sitting in our parlour alone writing a letter in the light from the window. Fortune and Felicity reminded me why I LARP, even though it means having to sew. When location, story, design and all else works, it’s magic, with me in the middle.Josephine Rydberg, Crossmedia Developer and dedicated LARPer.Josephine runs projects that crossover between different art forms and media platforms. These projects are designed to reach a wider audiences and encourage participation.For more information on these fascinating LARPs visit www.austenlarp.com.And for more Jane Austen goodness watch Lucy Worsley’s Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doorshere on BBC Iplayer.
May 18, 2017
FEAR AND DELIGHT: MY INFATUATION WITH HORROR
The allure of horror has endured throughout the ages. Wouldn’t we be able to sleep easier without the nightmares?
“I delight in what I fear” - Shirley JacksonI. TRAUMATISEDAt the age of 11 I saw George A. Romero'sDawn of the Dead. The experience was terrifying. It made me physically sick for two weeks and every night for a year I begged my elder sister to share her bed. I couldn't say the word zombie until I was 24.As a child I was always nervous. Being unusually small for my age, I was acutely aware of my powerlessness. I waited for the worst to happen, waited for my delicate world of finely balanced calm to turn into chaos. The evening I watched the film I was supposed to have taken what I had produced in a cookery lesson home to feed my family. They were to be wowed by my first attempt at meatballs. Instead, I allowed a friend to tempt me back to her house, meatballs and all, to watchE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.The house was empty - no comforting parent to greet us at the door and give us snacks. My world teetered. There was no copy ofE.T, onlyDawn of the Dead. I couldn't back out. I couldn't show fear. Halfway through the film, my friend's mother turned up. My momentary relief at her arrival crumbled as instead of ending my nightmare she laughed at me as I cowered behind a cushion. Chaos reigned.
The film falsely quotes the Book of Revelation: "when hell is full the dead will walk the earth". Attributing it to the Bible leant it authenticity to my 11 year old mind. It made sense that hell would indeed get full up and the dead would end up walking the earth. Although, what was truly frightening was this: the world had changed, gone so entirely wrong that there was no way to make it right again. No matter what you do the zombies will get you in the end.II. FEAR THERAPYThis was in direct contrast to my subsequent experiences with horror. On my regular Friday night sleepovers at my Nan and Grandad's house I was allowed to watch Hammer House of Horror or Amicus films. This was safe, a cosy fear with a frisson of excitement: being up late with my aunts and uncle, watching horror films and eating super noodles was a double-edged treat. The films were scary, but we laughed together, they were ridiculous too. I could indulge my fear and allow Nan's creepy collection of old ornaments to insight my fantasies. The large crucifix at the top of the stairs and the three wise monkeys apportioned judgement. The monkeys giving a sinister warning: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. A ship's bell hung over the fireplace, which I feared would ring of its own accord, summoning ghoulish pirates. My aunt would also joke about the ghost, Albert, who only haunted the upstairs, for some unexplained reason.
Horror stories are controlled chaos. We become fascinated with what frightens us. It becomes a dare: can I face this next horror? As a child I would imagine a seemingly endless variety of horrific scenarios and outcomes as I would lie in bed or walk home alone. Everything became a threat; my bedroom curtains, the noise of the boiler and the woods at the back of my house. My level of fear would depend on how safe I felt, how much in control. The world is scary and illogical. Our level of control an illusion. These insecurities fuelled me to tell stories. Fear allowed my imagination free reign.Unconcerned with gore porn, my fascination is with the psychological and the mundane things that haunt us. Horror is a way of talking about the human condition while still maintaining an air of titillation and excitement for the reader. The conditions are safe, it's a story after all, but what I am really telling the reader is that the real horror is in the everyday: betrayal, abuse, disease, old-age and death. These can't be escaped, much like a zombie apocalypse. Ghosts and zombies were human after all.III. DREADED INFLUENCESI wasn't a strong reader as a child and attended a reading group throughout primary school. This never curbed my love for books and stories. My fascination with the written word grew as I got older. I became committed to the notion that the key to knowledge is reading. Forcing myself to become a better reader, I read as much as possible, anywhere that I could.My Grandad was rather gruff and intimidating, so when he invited me to listen to an audio cassette ofA Midsummer Night’s Dream, I complied. I didn't entirely understand it all but was beguiled by the mystery and magic of the faerie folks’ forest home.Wuthering Heightsby Kate Bush followed shortly after. WatchingTop of the PopsI became mesmerised by the drama of the ghostly Cathy at the window and her hypnotic performance. It left me wondering whatWuthering Heightscould really be. I read the book and fell in love with the ghost who wandered the windy moors.
The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania by Joseph Noel PatonAs a grown adult I felt my fear of zombies needed to come to an end. I was enticed into watchingShaun of the Deadbecause of my love of Simon Pegg’s earlier sitcomSpaced. I'm not claiming it cured me of my zombie fear, I still occasionally look over my shoulder returning home on a dark evening, but it has released some of the tension - enabled me to peek from behind my metaphorical cushion. This is why comedy horror is probably my favourite genre. Horror heightens fear and comedy releases it. They perfectly complement each other. Well executed, it can be responsible for the most extreme of emotional roller-coaster rides.I like to scare people but it's only a story right? Both comedy horror and horror fulfil this fabulous function: they enable us to face the worst that can happen and then get back to everyday life pretending the terrible stuff only happens to other people. As Shirley Jackson says 'I delight in what I fear', but I would add only if the worst doesn't happen today.To indulge in Sarah's unique take on horror, her books are available for purchase on Amazonhere.
“I delight in what I fear” - Shirley JacksonI. TRAUMATISEDAt the age of 11 I saw George A. Romero'sDawn of the Dead. The experience was terrifying. It made me physically sick for two weeks and every night for a year I begged my elder sister to share her bed. I couldn't say the word zombie until I was 24.As a child I was always nervous. Being unusually small for my age, I was acutely aware of my powerlessness. I waited for the worst to happen, waited for my delicate world of finely balanced calm to turn into chaos. The evening I watched the film I was supposed to have taken what I had produced in a cookery lesson home to feed my family. They were to be wowed by my first attempt at meatballs. Instead, I allowed a friend to tempt me back to her house, meatballs and all, to watchE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.The house was empty - no comforting parent to greet us at the door and give us snacks. My world teetered. There was no copy ofE.T, onlyDawn of the Dead. I couldn't back out. I couldn't show fear. Halfway through the film, my friend's mother turned up. My momentary relief at her arrival crumbled as instead of ending my nightmare she laughed at me as I cowered behind a cushion. Chaos reigned.The film falsely quotes the Book of Revelation: "when hell is full the dead will walk the earth". Attributing it to the Bible leant it authenticity to my 11 year old mind. It made sense that hell would indeed get full up and the dead would end up walking the earth. Although, what was truly frightening was this: the world had changed, gone so entirely wrong that there was no way to make it right again. No matter what you do the zombies will get you in the end.II. FEAR THERAPYThis was in direct contrast to my subsequent experiences with horror. On my regular Friday night sleepovers at my Nan and Grandad's house I was allowed to watch Hammer House of Horror or Amicus films. This was safe, a cosy fear with a frisson of excitement: being up late with my aunts and uncle, watching horror films and eating super noodles was a double-edged treat. The films were scary, but we laughed together, they were ridiculous too. I could indulge my fear and allow Nan's creepy collection of old ornaments to insight my fantasies. The large crucifix at the top of the stairs and the three wise monkeys apportioned judgement. The monkeys giving a sinister warning: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. A ship's bell hung over the fireplace, which I feared would ring of its own accord, summoning ghoulish pirates. My aunt would also joke about the ghost, Albert, who only haunted the upstairs, for some unexplained reason.Horror stories are controlled chaos. We become fascinated with what frightens us. It becomes a dare: can I face this next horror? As a child I would imagine a seemingly endless variety of horrific scenarios and outcomes as I would lie in bed or walk home alone. Everything became a threat; my bedroom curtains, the noise of the boiler and the woods at the back of my house. My level of fear would depend on how safe I felt, how much in control. The world is scary and illogical. Our level of control an illusion. These insecurities fuelled me to tell stories. Fear allowed my imagination free reign.Unconcerned with gore porn, my fascination is with the psychological and the mundane things that haunt us. Horror is a way of talking about the human condition while still maintaining an air of titillation and excitement for the reader. The conditions are safe, it's a story after all, but what I am really telling the reader is that the real horror is in the everyday: betrayal, abuse, disease, old-age and death. These can't be escaped, much like a zombie apocalypse. Ghosts and zombies were human after all.III. DREADED INFLUENCESI wasn't a strong reader as a child and attended a reading group throughout primary school. This never curbed my love for books and stories. My fascination with the written word grew as I got older. I became committed to the notion that the key to knowledge is reading. Forcing myself to become a better reader, I read as much as possible, anywhere that I could.My Grandad was rather gruff and intimidating, so when he invited me to listen to an audio cassette ofA Midsummer Night’s Dream, I complied. I didn't entirely understand it all but was beguiled by the mystery and magic of the faerie folks’ forest home.Wuthering Heightsby Kate Bush followed shortly after. WatchingTop of the PopsI became mesmerised by the drama of the ghostly Cathy at the window and her hypnotic performance. It left me wondering whatWuthering Heightscould really be. I read the book and fell in love with the ghost who wandered the windy moors.The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania by Joseph Noel PatonAs a grown adult I felt my fear of zombies needed to come to an end. I was enticed into watchingShaun of the Deadbecause of my love of Simon Pegg’s earlier sitcomSpaced. I'm not claiming it cured me of my zombie fear, I still occasionally look over my shoulder returning home on a dark evening, but it has released some of the tension - enabled me to peek from behind my metaphorical cushion. This is why comedy horror is probably my favourite genre. Horror heightens fear and comedy releases it. They perfectly complement each other. Well executed, it can be responsible for the most extreme of emotional roller-coaster rides.I like to scare people but it's only a story right? Both comedy horror and horror fulfil this fabulous function: they enable us to face the worst that can happen and then get back to everyday life pretending the terrible stuff only happens to other people. As Shirley Jackson says 'I delight in what I fear', but I would add only if the worst doesn't happen today.To indulge in Sarah's unique take on horror, her books are available for purchase on Amazonhere.
May 3, 2017
THE GODS COMPLEX: OUR RISING OBSESSION WITH MYTHS
Ancient mythology is once again making an impact on the cultural zeitgeist. After a resurgence in the 50s and 60s the gods retreated, until Neil Gaiman'sAmerican Gods...
I. THE GODS ARE MAKING A COMEBACKMy storyKilling Rachelis a god-fest. Gods of different cultures and pantheons administer their own unique influence to the human world. They're the perfect story-telling vehicles. I love gods and I'm not the only one. Classic bygone stories of the gods are returning to the forefront of mainstream media. Late last year we saw Disney’s latest princess film,Moana, revive Polynesian mythology to critical acclaim. 2016 also brought usGods of Egypt, the controversial multi million dollar blockbuster.Thor returns this summer for the third film in his franchise, alongside the charismatic Loki and stoic Odin inThor: Ragnarok. This entry in the series will focus on the lesser known Norse concept of Ragnarok; their version of the apocalypse. There are endless reasons to why audiences are being drawn back to the gods, but I feel one cultural phenomenon in particular may have acted as a significant catalyst.II. NEW GODSSuperheroes could in fact be the main culprits behind this rekindling of interest towards these forgotten ideas. Superheroes are the new gods; or reboots if you will.Many Roman gods were re-workings of Greek mythology and the same can be said for the caped crusaders dominating our screens today. Beings of immeasurable power have captivated imaginations throughout the ages; all that changes are the costumes they’re wearing. Superman for example is arguably an amalgamation of Jesus, the Egyptian god Horus and other solar deities. Other superheroes wear their influences a bit more literally, specifically Jay Garrick AKA the original Flash, who dons his infamous helmet inspired by the Roman god Mercury (recently portrayed on the CW’sThe Flash).
With the film and television industry constantly on the hunt for potential franchises, it didn’t take long to set their sights on the gods. Most of the popular superheroes have been snatched up. What better way to compete with this juggernaut, than to explore its influences. The gods are public domain, you can’t copyright them. Established characters with cheap price tags means less risk in today’s uncertain climate.Although, in this Golden Age of television, the old gods are seldom seen. Unlike their superhero descendants who currently dominate the realm of television, a lack of serialisation exists for the gods of the past. Their stories have remained finite, opposing the fundamental nature of the gods. These stories are supposed to be endless and built upon previously acquired knowledge of character traits, powers, personalities and relationships. Hundreds of expanded universes filled with sequels, prequels and spinoffs(Sound familiar at all?). Well that trend is about to change.III. ENTER THE AMERICAN GODSFor those unaware,American Godsis a new television series developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green for Starz (Amazon Prime here in the UK). Based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, who is also serving as an executive producer. A lot of the hype surrounding the show is thanks thanks to its two showrunners, Bryan Fuller (Hannibal TV series) and Michael Green, who is writing and co-writing projects such as Denis Villeneuve'sBlade Runner 2049, Ridley Scott'sAlien: Covenant, Kenneth Branagh'sMurder on the Orient Expressand James Mangold'sLogan.It’s not surprising when the source material to work with is so strong, that there have been such great reviews from critics and fans alike. Gaiman’s cult classic novel is an engaging story that taps into the provincial, underbelly of American life alongside ancient mythology. Fantasy and legend are a staple of Gaiman's work. Throughout his many novels, comic books and television series, these themes are repeatedly represented.
When I readAmerican Gods, I was amazed by Gaiman’s approach to the theme of belief. I'd often wondered what happened to these gods and Gaiman provides a unique perspective. It made me reflect on how such powerful ideas could be forgotten and how new ones could be forged.To me, these ideas haven't been forgotten - mythologies are contemporary. As Gaiman says himself, “We are a story creating race. It could well be that, the thing that got us out of the African Savannah and into skyscrapers and planes, really, is stories.”“We are a story creating race. It could well be that, the thing that got us out of the African Savannah and into skyscrapers and planes, really, is stories.”IV. PERSONAL DEMONSMy fascination for the gods started with the Vikings; a culture that was raw and full of a raucous energy. Norse gods are earthly - they feel real. Their stories combine high drama with unbridled chaos. They are unpredictable, nonsensical and in some cases foolish.As a child, I loved theClash of the TitansandJason and the Argonautsfilms. Seeing these fantastical adventures brought to life stimulated my imagination. The Greek gods were also mischievous. They fought and bickered with one another. They were deceptive, they were human.
It made sense to me that there were gods for every human activity or emotion. A god for the hunt? Why not. A god for sex?Sign me up. There are hundreds of love gods. Motherly love, self love, matrimonial love: the list goes on. This is what inspired me to create Jimmy - the god of anxiety, in my short storyKilling Rachel.During my 20s I suffered from acute social and health anxieties. At any given time I was plagued with thoughts of illness, disaster and death. The impact on my perception of the world and its threats was monumental. I used gods inKilling Rachelto dramatise the perceived low status of mental illness to avoid making it too earnest. I wanted the story to be funny yet a meaningful experience for the reader, not something that read as a lecture.After years of therapy, I slowly gained control over my mental health; although it remains obvious to me that mental illness is still a very much neglected subject. So I wroteKilling Rachelto share my experiences and show the gods are still with us.Killing Rachelfeatures inHalf Life, available on Amazonhere.American Godsis available on Amazon Prime in the UK and Starz in the US.
I. THE GODS ARE MAKING A COMEBACKMy storyKilling Rachelis a god-fest. Gods of different cultures and pantheons administer their own unique influence to the human world. They're the perfect story-telling vehicles. I love gods and I'm not the only one. Classic bygone stories of the gods are returning to the forefront of mainstream media. Late last year we saw Disney’s latest princess film,Moana, revive Polynesian mythology to critical acclaim. 2016 also brought usGods of Egypt, the controversial multi million dollar blockbuster.Thor returns this summer for the third film in his franchise, alongside the charismatic Loki and stoic Odin inThor: Ragnarok. This entry in the series will focus on the lesser known Norse concept of Ragnarok; their version of the apocalypse. There are endless reasons to why audiences are being drawn back to the gods, but I feel one cultural phenomenon in particular may have acted as a significant catalyst.II. NEW GODSSuperheroes could in fact be the main culprits behind this rekindling of interest towards these forgotten ideas. Superheroes are the new gods; or reboots if you will.Many Roman gods were re-workings of Greek mythology and the same can be said for the caped crusaders dominating our screens today. Beings of immeasurable power have captivated imaginations throughout the ages; all that changes are the costumes they’re wearing. Superman for example is arguably an amalgamation of Jesus, the Egyptian god Horus and other solar deities. Other superheroes wear their influences a bit more literally, specifically Jay Garrick AKA the original Flash, who dons his infamous helmet inspired by the Roman god Mercury (recently portrayed on the CW’sThe Flash).With the film and television industry constantly on the hunt for potential franchises, it didn’t take long to set their sights on the gods. Most of the popular superheroes have been snatched up. What better way to compete with this juggernaut, than to explore its influences. The gods are public domain, you can’t copyright them. Established characters with cheap price tags means less risk in today’s uncertain climate.Although, in this Golden Age of television, the old gods are seldom seen. Unlike their superhero descendants who currently dominate the realm of television, a lack of serialisation exists for the gods of the past. Their stories have remained finite, opposing the fundamental nature of the gods. These stories are supposed to be endless and built upon previously acquired knowledge of character traits, powers, personalities and relationships. Hundreds of expanded universes filled with sequels, prequels and spinoffs(Sound familiar at all?). Well that trend is about to change.III. ENTER THE AMERICAN GODSFor those unaware,American Godsis a new television series developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green for Starz (Amazon Prime here in the UK). Based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, who is also serving as an executive producer. A lot of the hype surrounding the show is thanks thanks to its two showrunners, Bryan Fuller (Hannibal TV series) and Michael Green, who is writing and co-writing projects such as Denis Villeneuve'sBlade Runner 2049, Ridley Scott'sAlien: Covenant, Kenneth Branagh'sMurder on the Orient Expressand James Mangold'sLogan.It’s not surprising when the source material to work with is so strong, that there have been such great reviews from critics and fans alike. Gaiman’s cult classic novel is an engaging story that taps into the provincial, underbelly of American life alongside ancient mythology. Fantasy and legend are a staple of Gaiman's work. Throughout his many novels, comic books and television series, these themes are repeatedly represented.When I readAmerican Gods, I was amazed by Gaiman’s approach to the theme of belief. I'd often wondered what happened to these gods and Gaiman provides a unique perspective. It made me reflect on how such powerful ideas could be forgotten and how new ones could be forged.To me, these ideas haven't been forgotten - mythologies are contemporary. As Gaiman says himself, “We are a story creating race. It could well be that, the thing that got us out of the African Savannah and into skyscrapers and planes, really, is stories.”“We are a story creating race. It could well be that, the thing that got us out of the African Savannah and into skyscrapers and planes, really, is stories.”IV. PERSONAL DEMONSMy fascination for the gods started with the Vikings; a culture that was raw and full of a raucous energy. Norse gods are earthly - they feel real. Their stories combine high drama with unbridled chaos. They are unpredictable, nonsensical and in some cases foolish.As a child, I loved theClash of the TitansandJason and the Argonautsfilms. Seeing these fantastical adventures brought to life stimulated my imagination. The Greek gods were also mischievous. They fought and bickered with one another. They were deceptive, they were human.It made sense to me that there were gods for every human activity or emotion. A god for the hunt? Why not. A god for sex?Sign me up. There are hundreds of love gods. Motherly love, self love, matrimonial love: the list goes on. This is what inspired me to create Jimmy - the god of anxiety, in my short storyKilling Rachel.During my 20s I suffered from acute social and health anxieties. At any given time I was plagued with thoughts of illness, disaster and death. The impact on my perception of the world and its threats was monumental. I used gods inKilling Rachelto dramatise the perceived low status of mental illness to avoid making it too earnest. I wanted the story to be funny yet a meaningful experience for the reader, not something that read as a lecture.After years of therapy, I slowly gained control over my mental health; although it remains obvious to me that mental illness is still a very much neglected subject. So I wroteKilling Rachelto share my experiences and show the gods are still with us.Killing Rachelfeatures inHalf Life, available on Amazonhere.American Godsis available on Amazon Prime in the UK and Starz in the US.
