Just watched Rosemary's Baby last night! It's such a beautifully-shot movie and sad, as well as scary. It stuck with me all last night and into today; I'm still thinking about it.
Now I want to read the book by Ira Levin, who also wrote The Stepford Wives. Imagine a time when a man could write two novels that explore the world from a fem…
Just watched Rosemary's Baby last night! It's such a beautifully-shot movie and sad, as well as scary. It stuck with me all last night and into today; I'm still thinking about it.
Now I want to read the book by Ira Levin, who also wrote The Stepford Wives. Imagine a time when a man could write two novels that explore the world from a female POV ... and not be attacked for it. There was so much creative freedom in mid-century America and it produced great popular entertainment.
-RANT AHEAD-
I would say that about half the modern books I read are garbage, but since they're from the "correct" authors, with the "correct" message, they get published. Recently I read this book called Reluctant Immortals. The main character was Lucy from Dracula. I've always loved Dracula, and Lucy is my favorite character. In the original she's so sparkly, flirty, and fun, so when (SPOILER) Dracula turns her into a vampire it's a blow, and then when she gets staked ... well, I almost stopped reading. I've always wanted to see a version where Vampire Lucy lives and is able to break free from the Victorian norms that held her down.
Well, the Lucy in Reluctant Immortals was ... dour, joyless, and kept talking about how "men like Dracula" have ruined so many girls. She lives in poverty, like a nun. UGH. BORING. And it misses the incredibly obvious subtext of Dracula, which was about repressed female sexuality. A Vampire Lucy who not only survives, but is unburdened by Victorian norms would be very interesting and, dare I say ,"feminist'. But writers today are so simplistic. Man = bad (the author of all evil). Woman = good (but she must suffer).
Anyway. I'm sure Ira Levin will be a lot more interesting.
Writing from a female POV ... if The Bard could do it, or whoever wrote A Thousand and One Nights (probably a male author, or anthologist) ... why not Ira Levin?
Postmodern vampires are so annoying. They have feelings and they’re misunderstood and of course they’re dealing with the pain of being members of a marginalized community. Oh, and the whole sex thing is just so, so complicated! Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt— we miss you!
I just found out she was a holocaust survivor AND escaped from East Germany by swimming across the river in costume (govt was about to raid the theater before a performance to arrest her). Now I'm obsessed.
Just watched Rosemary's Baby last night! It's such a beautifully-shot movie and sad, as well as scary. It stuck with me all last night and into today; I'm still thinking about it.
Now I want to read the book by Ira Levin, who also wrote The Stepford Wives. Imagine a time when a man could write two novels that explore the world from a female POV ... and not be attacked for it. There was so much creative freedom in mid-century America and it produced great popular entertainment.
-RANT AHEAD-
I would say that about half the modern books I read are garbage, but since they're from the "correct" authors, with the "correct" message, they get published. Recently I read this book called Reluctant Immortals. The main character was Lucy from Dracula. I've always loved Dracula, and Lucy is my favorite character. In the original she's so sparkly, flirty, and fun, so when (SPOILER) Dracula turns her into a vampire it's a blow, and then when she gets staked ... well, I almost stopped reading. I've always wanted to see a version where Vampire Lucy lives and is able to break free from the Victorian norms that held her down.
Well, the Lucy in Reluctant Immortals was ... dour, joyless, and kept talking about how "men like Dracula" have ruined so many girls. She lives in poverty, like a nun. UGH. BORING. And it misses the incredibly obvious subtext of Dracula, which was about repressed female sexuality. A Vampire Lucy who not only survives, but is unburdened by Victorian norms would be very interesting and, dare I say ,"feminist'. But writers today are so simplistic. Man = bad (the author of all evil). Woman = good (but she must suffer).
Anyway. I'm sure Ira Levin will be a lot more interesting.
Thank you for that trigger warning :)
Writing from a female POV ... if The Bard could do it, or whoever wrote A Thousand and One Nights (probably a male author, or anthologist) ... why not Ira Levin?
Postmodern vampires are so annoying. They have feelings and they’re misunderstood and of course they’re dealing with the pain of being members of a marginalized community. Oh, and the whole sex thing is just so, so complicated! Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt— we miss you!
Ingrid Pitt! YES. I love 70s vampire movies. She was perfection.
I just found out she was a holocaust survivor AND escaped from East Germany by swimming across the river in costume (govt was about to raid the theater before a performance to arrest her). Now I'm obsessed.