Subject
Fw: Dir. Balabanov: Nabokov's KAMERA OBSKURA (Laughter in the
Dark) may be next film & Query
Dark) may be next film & Query
From
Date
Body
EDNOTE. Do note YD's query re VN & NYCity.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Yuri Dashevsky" <info@dashevsky.com>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (47
lines) ------------------
> I must say that Alexei Balabanov, when I knew him about ten years ago, was
> quite an intelligent young man fluent in English, who generously shared
his
> VGIK hostel room with me, and we spoke about "CO" as a great movie (I
> believe in the stories of it being written as such originally). I was even
> shopping a synopsis of it that I had written - I have no complaints,
though.
> He started his feature film career with Samuel Beckett's piece, and then
> somehow shifted to the normal "Russian" empowering movie-making fare (seen
> the tapes in New York stores, read the blurbs, had no desire to watch
them).
> Stunned by the differences between this fact and my lovely memories of
him,
> I wish him luck, and more time to read great books - to the rest of the
> world.
>
> As a side note: for a graphic project I'm developing
(http://www.mynyco.com)
> I wonder what was VN's favorite thing/item about New York?
> I remember reading some scattered notes, but can't pinpoint anything at
the
> time. Any help?
>
>
> On 7/25/03 22:56, "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "yuri leving" <leving@usc.edu>
> >>
> >
> >
> >> The recent issue of a popular Russian men¹s magazine, Medved¹ (³A
Bear²),
> > features an interview with Alexei Balabanov, the celebrated creator of
such
> > post-Soviet blockbusters as ³Brother² and ³Brother 2². Balabanov reveals
his
> > artistic plans (among other things, such as hatred for Hollywood and the
> > West in general).
> >>
> >> Balabanov: ³I have five or six ideas [for new movies]. The first would
be
> > to adapt Nabokov¹s ³Camera obscura² (Laughter in the Dark Y.L.)²
> >> Interviewer: ³A girl betrays a blind man, who is unaware of the
betrayal?²
> >> Balabanov: ³Yes. And then there is the scene with the two adjacent
hotel
> > rooms that share a single bathroom. This is the most cinematic piece in
the
> > Russian literature!²
> >> (# 70, July-August 2003, P. 27).
> >>
> >> I doubt Balabanov quotes V. Khodasevich here, the first émigré critic
to
> > make that comment about the novel, but he may well prove Khodasevich¹s
> > thesis.
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
----- Original Message -----
From: "Yuri Dashevsky" <info@dashevsky.com>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (47
lines) ------------------
> I must say that Alexei Balabanov, when I knew him about ten years ago, was
> quite an intelligent young man fluent in English, who generously shared
his
> VGIK hostel room with me, and we spoke about "CO" as a great movie (I
> believe in the stories of it being written as such originally). I was even
> shopping a synopsis of it that I had written - I have no complaints,
though.
> He started his feature film career with Samuel Beckett's piece, and then
> somehow shifted to the normal "Russian" empowering movie-making fare (seen
> the tapes in New York stores, read the blurbs, had no desire to watch
them).
> Stunned by the differences between this fact and my lovely memories of
him,
> I wish him luck, and more time to read great books - to the rest of the
> world.
>
> As a side note: for a graphic project I'm developing
(http://www.mynyco.com)
> I wonder what was VN's favorite thing/item about New York?
> I remember reading some scattered notes, but can't pinpoint anything at
the
> time. Any help?
>
>
> On 7/25/03 22:56, "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "yuri leving" <leving@usc.edu>
> >>
> >
> >
> >> The recent issue of a popular Russian men¹s magazine, Medved¹ (³A
Bear²),
> > features an interview with Alexei Balabanov, the celebrated creator of
such
> > post-Soviet blockbusters as ³Brother² and ³Brother 2². Balabanov reveals
his
> > artistic plans (among other things, such as hatred for Hollywood and the
> > West in general).
> >>
> >> Balabanov: ³I have five or six ideas [for new movies]. The first would
be
> > to adapt Nabokov¹s ³Camera obscura² (Laughter in the Dark Y.L.)²
> >> Interviewer: ³A girl betrays a blind man, who is unaware of the
betrayal?²
> >> Balabanov: ³Yes. And then there is the scene with the two adjacent
hotel
> > rooms that share a single bathroom. This is the most cinematic piece in
the
> > Russian literature!²
> >> (# 70, July-August 2003, P. 27).
> >>
> >> I doubt Balabanov quotes V. Khodasevich here, the first émigré critic
to
> > make that comment about the novel, but he may well prove Khodasevich¹s
> > thesis.
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>