Re: Salinger turns to the Dark Side

Thor Cameron (my_colours@hotmail.com)
Mon, 28 Jun 1999 13:21:15 -0700 (PDT) 

Meant to add this to my last post:
Much like Stranger in a St.... and Star Wars, Salinger's stories bring more 
meaning to other stories.  I'm in the middle of Hapworth right now, first 
time reading, & there are a few things that he used from Ocean Full of 
Bowling Balls.  Also, of course, it brings more meaning to other Glass 
stories.
I'm reading it like this:
I cannot, cannot, cannot read this thing from a 7 yr old.  Forget it, 
absolutely no friggin, no, no, no friggin way.  I don't care WHO this kid is 
no, no, no, no, no way.
So, I'm reading a letter dictated by a 7 yr old to an older person with a 
free-flowing pen.  Having said that, I can, indeed, accept most, not quite 
all, but most of the sentiments from a child, just not the eloquence.
Anyway, I love how he's directly referring to things from Seymore & 
Bananafish, though they've not happened yet.  Some is simple genius 
guesswork, some is Teddy-style insight.  Not entirely comfortable with that 
yet, but it still joins the Glass stories quite nicely.

Thor

>On Sat, 26 Jun 1999, Camille Scaysbrook wrote:
> > Jim wrote:
> > > 1. The original movies weren't all that great artistically to begin 
>with.
> > >  They're melodrama and intended for fun.
> >
> > Yes, I agree totally. I went to see Star Wars with a critical eye when 
>it
> > was re-released and I thought it was a piece of crap. However, I went to
> > see it again with a Saturday Matinee eye and came out thoroughly
> > exhilarated and enjoyed it totally - it was a good story with resonances
> > for everybody and it was a whole lot of fun. The Phantom Menace I 
>thought
> > was a lousy lumbering story and not very much fun at all. Characters 
>acted
> > as if they were working off a cue sheet full of plot-turns. Who believes
> > Anakin and Princess Amilada are going to get it on for any other reason
> > that the plot dictates it? Not me.
>
>   Okay, I can't defend Episode I, because, well, I hated it.  The only way
>that movie will be any good is if Episode II sheds strange light on it,
>showing that all the problems Lucas created actually enhance the
>plot/world.  But as for the original SW and family, my critical eye sees a
>lot going on, a lot of perfection.
>    The first thing is Luke Skywalker as Joseph Camble's "Hero of a
>Thousand Faces," the theory that ever culture has a myth hero, and they
>are all basically the same archetype.  Luke makes a pretty good one (even
>though he whines all the time, but that shows his age and maturity).  Has
>a lot going on.  The major thematic question is, "Will Luke make the leap
>of faith necessary to embrace the force, and save the day."  Sometimes
>hero films find their answer in the hero trusting himself/herself, but
>this is strangely the hero forgeting himself.  It's very Zen for a
>american popular movie.
>    Also the POV is great.  The story is essentially that of two droids.
>What other movie tells the story of two machines? And there are some
>masterful scenes defining these two characters.  For instance, when R2 is
>blown away in the X-wing trench run the camera flashes to the control
>room.  Luke reports "I've lost R2."  C3P0, even though Anthony Daniels
>(actor inside) has no movable facial features, clearly shows concern.  The
>camera shot contrasts Leia's complete lack of concern, her stone face.
>Machines with emotions, people without.  Wonderful.
>    Han Solo's set up as the Atheistic counter point to Obi-wan's Theism.
>Wonderful.  Some of the dialog in this film is incredible.  "Hoaky
>religions and ancient weapons, are nothing compared to blaster at your
>side.  Ain't no 'force' that governs my life.  Just a bunch of simple
>tricks and nonsense."  Incredible.  What other SciFi film has this meaty
>a dialog.  Now think of the dramas that bring up similar heavy issues as a
>sub-text.  I could probably count them on my fingers if i could think of
>one.
>    Okay, I could go on and on about SW, but just for the sake of things
>I'll throw in a perfect slice of dialog.  I mean perfect in the most
>literary of senses.  In _Empire_ Han is about to be lowered into the
>carbonite freezing chamber.  Leia is there with Chewy.  She and Han have
>been antagonistic the whole film.  He's been giving her strong, assertive,
>swashbuckler comeon lines, and she's rebuffed him -- "scruffy looking nerf
>herder."  So, Han's about to be lowered inside.  She calls to him "I love
>you." (trite)  He replies, "I know."  Perfection, Perfection Perfection.
>In two words Harison Ford shows Han's supreme confidence and his complete
>love for her all in the same.  It's in the inflection.  It's in the movie.
>It is the best reply i've ever heard to "I love you."  This is a SciFi
>film!  What the heck is it doing worrying about love?
>    In interaction between characters, the fullness of characters is
>incredible.  Again in _Empire_ they are in the holding cell.  Chewy grabs
>Lando and starts choaking him, roaring all the time.  Leia leans right
>into Lando, while he's saying "You don't understand."  Leia replies, "Oh,
>we understand, don't we Chewy."  The empathy with Chewy is great.  Also it
>hints that she cars a lot about Han, but doesn't explicity show it.  It
>show her irrational mean side.  I think what I love about Leia's character
>so much is that from her very escape from the holding block in SW she's
>been anything but the typical princess.  She's rude, whitty, assertive and
>strong headed.  She's yelling at her rescuers.  "Into the garbage shoot,
>fly boy."  She's weilding a rifle, taking out Stormtroopers, she's
>standing up to darth vader and gov. tarken.
>
>    Cam, I've spent most of my life trying to move things about the room
>with my mind.  SW is the late 20th century American Mythology.  It's given
>me one of the only understandings I have of faith.  It's given me hero's
>and people to emulate.  It has wisdom that I've let influence my life.
>It's the classic struggle, the epic.  I can't think of a movie that's
>affected me more, how i think, what my value system is.  The Zen motif,
>the pacifism, the struggle, the discipline.  It's all in there if you look
>for it.  But yes, it's a great Matinee as well.
>
>May the Force be with you, always.
>
>-jay
>


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