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Gentlemen of the Shade: My Own Private Idaho
(Pop Classics #7)
by
Gus Van Sant’s film and the ’90s cult of the alternative
Gus Van Sant’s 1991 indie darling My Own Private Idaho perplexed and provoked, inspiring a new ethos for a new decade: being different was better than being good. Gentlemen of the Shade examines how the film was a coming-of-age for a generation of young people who would embrace the alternative and bring their outs ...more
Gus Van Sant’s 1991 indie darling My Own Private Idaho perplexed and provoked, inspiring a new ethos for a new decade: being different was better than being good. Gentlemen of the Shade examines how the film was a coming-of-age for a generation of young people who would embrace the alternative and bring their outs ...more
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A little too Gen-X self-congratulatory for my taste, and more nostalgic flashback than cultural or film analysis (not to mention shallowly researched), but still a pleasant extended essay on "Idaho," and worth a read of you're a fan of the film.
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I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for feedback and review.
This was an interesting look at the author's interaction with the film and the culture of the early 90s. It was an adequate discussion of the work of Van Sant and the celebrity of Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix. I'm sure it fits in nicely with this series, and I don't have any major complaints. It was a good enough launching point. It's just very slim and didn't really surprise me. ...more
This was an interesting look at the author's interaction with the film and the culture of the early 90s. It was an adequate discussion of the work of Van Sant and the celebrity of Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix. I'm sure it fits in nicely with this series, and I don't have any major complaints. It was a good enough launching point. It's just very slim and didn't really surprise me. ...more
Gentlemen of the Shade is a wonderful, albeit slim, companion piece to Gus Van Sant’s film My Own Private Idaho. I liked how the author recounted her own experiences upon seeing the film for the first time and how it impacted her views on sexuality and mainstream culture as an adult. Although this is a very short book (which is unfortunate because I wouldn’t have minded reading 100+ more pages of this), I felt like there was a lot of interesting critiques of not only the film itself, but also of
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This is the second book in the "Pop Classic" series that I've read; the first being It Doesn't Suck: Showgirls.
I love film criticism, especially when it's as well written as this one. Jen Sookfong Lee does an excellent job of describing the context of when "My Own Private Idaho" was released in 1991--what was happening in Pop Culture and how gays and lesbians were being portrayed in films and on TV. She explains where the movie fit in with the Grunge scene, how it influenced fashion, and the ris ...more
I love film criticism, especially when it's as well written as this one. Jen Sookfong Lee does an excellent job of describing the context of when "My Own Private Idaho" was released in 1991--what was happening in Pop Culture and how gays and lesbians were being portrayed in films and on TV. She explains where the movie fit in with the Grunge scene, how it influenced fashion, and the ris ...more
No es un libro que solamente se enfoque en la película, sino un libro que habla del contexto de la época en la que se realizó la película, se lanzó al público y el efecto que tuvo en toda esa generación. Lo cual es una maravilla. Creo que también sirve como guía, por las referencias que hay dentro, de esas películas que sirven para distinguir aun más como era el entorno, expectativas de ese entonces.
Tengo sentido mmmm en fin. Fue una buena lectura que merece una relectura en el futuro.
Tengo sentido mmmm en fin. Fue una buena lectura que merece una relectura en el futuro.
I'm glad I read this book. The first time I didn't pay attention to the movie and the second time I liked it but I didn't understand the significance so this book created a context I wouldn't have otherwise. I like and understand Gus Van Sant's style more now.
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probably closer to 2.5. I know the whole point of this series is that it’s a) a short essay and b) the authors subjective view of the piece of pop culture, but the things that interested me about it felt way too briefly touched upon. just personal preference I guess.
An excellent analysis of both the film and the 90s. Made me want to watch the film again. A very easy, yet contemplative read.
A lovely read about a lovely film and the culture that inspired it.
Beautifully deconstructs the importance, cultural significance, and raw beauty of MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO.
Over the past few weeks, I have been slowly making my way through the extended essays on Generation X Pop Classics book series by Canadian publisher ECW Press. I might not have ever picked these up were it not for their availability on Hoopla through my library and it popping up with a quick search for one of my favorite things in the world, Twin Peaks. From there, I realized that there was a series of books that explored some of my favorite obsessions, and I burned through all of the ones that
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Jen Sookfong Lee writes, talks on the radio and loves her slow cooker.
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, wa ...more
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, wa ...more
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