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Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
Club Notice - 07/16/93 -- Vol. 12, No. 3
MEETINGS UPCOMING:
Unless otherwise stated, all meetings are in Holmdel 4N-509
Wednesdays at noon.
_D_A_T_E _T_O_P_I_C
08/04 Hugo Short Story Nominees
08/25 CONSIDER PHLEBAS by Iain Banks
(Space Opera with a Knife Twist)
09/15 WORLD AT THE END OF TIME by Frederik Pohl
(Modern Stapledonian Fiction)
10/06 SARAH CANARY by Karen Joy Fowler (Nebula Winner)
(tentative)
10/27 A MILLION OPEN DOORS by John Barnes (Nebula Nominee)
(tentative)
11/17 BRIAR ROSE by Jane Yolen (Nebula Nominee)
(tentative)
Outside events:
07/31 Deadline for Hugo Ballots to be postmarked
The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County meets on the second
Saturday of every month in Upper Saddle River; call 201-933-2724 for
details. The New Jersey Science Fiction Society meets on the third
Saturday of every month in Belleville; call 201-432-5965 for details.
HO Chair: John Jetzt HO 1E-525 908-834-1563 holly!jetzt
LZ Chair: Rob Mitchell HO 1C-523 908-834-1267 holly!jrrt
MT Chair: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 mtgzfs3!leeper
HO Librarian: Nick Sauer HO 4F-427 908-949-7076 homxc!11366ns
LZ Librarian: Lance Larsen LZ 3L-312 908-576-3346 quartet!lfl
MT Librarian: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 mtgzfs3!leeper
Factotum: Evelyn Leeper MT 1F-329 908-957-2070 mtgpfs1!ecl
All material copyright by author unless otherwise noted.
1. I see there was another summit this week with the leaders of all
the countries of what we once called the "Free" World getting
together to show how much they hate each other and all pledging
money to help support the former Soviet Union. Now I say they
don't get another penny from us or anyone else until they agree to
go back and be Soviets again. Let's face it, we all know why the
THE MT VOID Page 2
Soviet Union fell. The United States was spending godzillions of
dollars on defense. Everyone in the United States wanted to get
their hands on that money, but we all knew it was needed for
defense. The former Soviets aren't dumb, you know. They wanted to
get their hands on the same money. The comrades looked at each
other and decided the worker's revolution was flailing around
anyway. The dead carcass of Soviet communism was worth more than
the semi-live body.
So what happens? The Evil Empire closes up shop; all we stop
feeling threatened and the money stops going to military bases.
The bases close all over the place. All those Americans formerly
involved in defense are on the job market. (Hey, does anybody at
AT&T need a good, government-trained munitions expert?) And then
the former Soviets say they want that former defense money that has
freed u to keep freedom alive.
And what are we getting for our money? Well, that Evil Empire, the
former Soviet Union, is no longer inflicting itself on the former
Eastern Europe. Suddenly all the countries we knew and felt secure
with are breaking up or going to war or both. The spirit of self-
determination spread to places like Yugoslavia. There was only
this one small problem that not everyone agreed what Yugoslavia
should be. This is a favor to us? Who says? Well, it seemed like
a good idea at the time. And what about the Middle East countries
that used to play the United States off against the former Soviet
Union? Deep down they liked neither the Western infidels nor the
godless communists. But they knew each side would give them aid
for not going with the other side. (The principle is related to
farm subsidies. Uncle Sugar would rather pay to keep you doing
nothing than to have you doing something negative.) When the
U.S.S.R. turned up four paws to the moon, the game was over. Now
it's just us versus them.
Hey, I won't knock the stress on technology we had during the arms
race and the space race and all those other races. How many of us
went into math and science because of Sputnik? Why do you think
there are so many out-of-work engineers? And lots are because of
no arms race and no space race.
Now, enough is enough. I say no more money to the former Soviet
Union as long as they stay "former." Well, perhaps some if we can
still find some old hardline generals even after the coup. In any
case, I say no more funding unless they go Communist again.
2. Paul Chisholm reports:
(From an article by Diane Werts of Newsday, reprinted in the July
11, 1993, Asbury Park [NJ] Press; no direct quote, so no copyright
issues.)
THE MT VOID Page 3
The Museum of Television and Radio (25 West 52nd St., New York, NY,
1-212-621-6600) has an exhibit and screenings of STAR TREK: THE
NEXT GENERATION, now through October 3. There are mannequins
showing the costumes and makeup for Ferengi, Borgs, Takarans,
Cardassians, Nausicans, as well as Guinan, Lwaxana (that's the way
it was printed in the article) Troi, and various Starfleet
officers. There are also various props: tricorders, phasers, the
VISOR that Geordi LaForge uses, etc.
Episodes have been grouped by theme and are being shown, without
commercials and on a big screen. Screenings are at 12:30, 2:15,
and 4:00 p.m.; there's also a 5:45 p.m. Thursday screening, and
screenings at 5:45 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Fridays. I have no
details beyond that.
Tickets for admission (which include exhibits, screenings, and
private viewing consoles for showing various archived shows) are $5
for adults, $4 for students, and $3 for anyone over 65 or under 12
years old. You can order screening tickets up to two weeks in
advance (which may be a good idea for weekend screenings).
Hours: closed Mondays; Tuesdays and Wednesdays, noon to 6 p.m.;
Thursdays, noon to 8 p.m.; Fridays, noon to 9 p.m.; Saturdays and
Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.
The Museum of Television and Radio contains exhibits and archives
of all sorts of broadcasts. They have historical broadcast
recordings you can play back. I've been meaning to get there for a
while. [-psrc]
3. As we start volume 12, there are a few administrivia details:
The title MT VOID is pronounced "empty void." MT is the
abbreviation for the AT&T location at Middletown, where we are
based. The "Mt. Holz" part of the name is from MT for Middletown,
HO for Holmdel, and LZ for Lincroft locations.
This is volume 12 because while we started the club in 1978, we
went back to volume 1 after the divestiture in 1983, thinking the
club in what was then American Bell had to be separate. It turned
out it didn't, but we stayed with the new numbering.
We welcome reviews, comments, etc., from _a_l_l members. I know it
seems as though having the last name of Leeper is a requirement for
writing for the VOID, but it's not. Send items for publication to
mtgpfs1!ecl (or evelyn.leeper@att.com).
Survey time: we have had some requests to reformat the VOID into a
more email-friendly display. This would, however, make the print
version less "pretty." If you have a strong preference one way or
the other, please let me (mtgpfs1!ecl or evelyn.leeper@att.com)
THE MT VOID Page 4
know whether you prefer print or email format. (There may be some
compromise possible; I'm working on it.) [-ecl]
4. The meeting schedule on the first page contains some tenative
entries for Nebula nominees. Also in the works is a meeting
discussing a speculative science book, and a meeting in which we
will show "Science Fiction: Golden Age to Cyberpunk" (as shown on
the Arts and Entertainment channel). At some point, the meetings
will probably move from Holmdel to Middletown, since several of our
Holmdel members are moving and the majority (or at least the
plurality) of regular attendees will then be in Middletown. [-ecl]
Mark Leeper
MT 3D-441 908-957-5619
...mtgzfs3!leeper
When you hear a man speak of his love for his country,
it is a sign that he expects to be paid for it.
-- H. L. Mencken
IN THE LINE OF FIRE
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1993 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: Eastwood's Oscars have given
him the clout to make better films, but he is back in
a glorified Dirty Harry thriller. Besides a stand-
out performance by John Malkovich, this outing offers
little new and a lot that is old. Still, it is
competently made and so is enjoyable for 126 minutes.
Rating: +1 (-4 to +4).
In a suspense film, higher stakes do not make for more
suspense. That was the mistake that the James Bond series made up
through _M_o_o_n_r_a_k_e_r. They started with villains trying to sabotage
one missile or just to embarrass the British Secret Service, and at
the same time get a decoded. As the series progressed, you
eventually got to villains trying to precipitate nuclear war or to
destroy all life on Earth. But the best stories had the least
flamboyant villains and concentrated on credibility. I mention this
because while _I_n _t_h_e _L_i_n_e _o_f _F_i_r_e, with its psychotic trying to kill
the President, does not have an absurdly exaggerated villain, it is
starting to get up there. This is essentially a Dirty Harry film
with the stakes upped a little. This is also an anti-violence film
like _U_n_f_o_r_g_i_v_e_n, but it is an Eastwood sort of anti-violence film.
That means that the good guys who survive feel angst over the
violence afterward.
Frank Horrigan (played by Clint Eastwood) is an agent for the
Secret Service. His independence and his insubordinate attitude get
him in trouble with the people for whom he works. And he is just a
bit sexist, but for the rare woman who can see beyond the attitude
problem he is really a diamond in the rough. In other words, he is
just like a Dirty Harry of the Secret Service. The one difference
is that Horrigan was the Secret Service agent protecting--or at
least trying to protect--Kennedy in Dallas. Twenty-nine (or
thirty-three?) years later, he is still in the Secret Service trying
to protect the President. But now there is a new assassin who wants
to kill the current President. He has nothing special against the
Chief Executive, but he really likes the idea of killing a
President.
First the bad news. In spite of good advance critical comment,
this is a very familiar, if not out-and-out hackneyed, script. The
conscienceless killer feels impelled to call the policeman (or
Secret service agent) and unburden his neuroses on the man looking
for him. It adds to the thrill of the hunt, but it has been done
many times since _N_o _W_a_y _t_o _T_r_e_a_t _a _L_a_d_y or even the real-life Jack
the Ripper murders. And, yes, there is an attractive woman, Lilly
In the Line of Fire July 10, 1993 Page 2
Raines (played by Rene Russo, who looks a lot like Blair Brown) in
the Secret Service, and she goes from disliking the obnoxious
Eastwood character to feeling sorry for him to bedding him. The
plot also has some real stretches of credibility. And it has more
than its share of violence, including two scenes that could be
disturbing to those who are particularly susceptible being disturbed
by movies.
So Clint's Oscars have not earned him better scripts, but at
least he gets one heck of a good actor as the assassin. John
Malkovich, who usually plays people either icy or irritating, gives
a flesh-crawling performance as an assassin who is both. This is a
polished and suspenseful action film, perhaps a little more so than
Eastwood's pre-_U_n_f_o_r_g_i_v_e_n films. Now I recognize that I am assuming
that Eastwood was not just an actor on this film but actually had
much of the artistic control. That may be a false assumption, but
given his recent Oscars, I suspect it is not.
The film is directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who directed the
exceptional war film _D_a_s _B_o_o_t and the unexceptional science fiction
film _E_n_e_m_y _M_i_n_e. The score is by Ennio Morricone, who built his
reputation on Eastwood's "Man with No Name" films. It's worth
seeing as a reasonably crafted suspense film, but a month from now I
will barely remember it, while Eastwood's _O_u_t_l_a_w _J_o_s_e_y _W_a_l_e_s and
_U_n_f_o_r_g_i_v_e_n will still be standing out in my memory. I give this one
a very flat +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Three Silent Horrors
An article on film by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1993 Mark R. Leeper
I am from the generation of horror film fans that grew up with
Forrest J. Ackerman's magazine _F_a_m_o_u_s _M_o_n_s_t_e_r_s _o_f _F_i_l_m_l_a_n_d. It was
a magazine of dubious literary merits created by a man of
questionable writing talent or cinematic taste, but he did grow up
with fantasy films of the silent era and he did give his readers a
perspective that the horror film had a long and proud history
stretching back into the silent era. These days if you read the
electronic bulletin boards you often find someone trying to identify
a "really old" horror film that turns out to be eight years old.
Readers of _F_a_m_o_u_s _M_o_n_s_t_e_r_s knew that eight years did not make a film
"really old."
Forry's magazine's illustrations made me familiar with
cinematic images than the silent days of film and made me anxious to
see the whole film. For a handful of films it turned out not to be
a really great effort. Silent films like _T_h_e _P_h_a_n_t_o_m _o_f _t_h_e _O_p_e_r_a
or _M_e_t_r_o_p_o_l_i_s were not very difficult to locate, even in the days
before video. They were available. Now advances in video
technology have made the seeing of old classic films--and even the
owning of copies of those films--far easier than at any time in the
past. But even so, some classics have remained out of reach due to
low demand. I am certain I will never see many of the classic
silent films of which I have heard. Some, like _L_o_n_d_o_n _a_f_t_e_r
_M_i_d_n_i_g_h_t, are thought to be completely lost. But there are many
others I have never heard were available or were lost. It is a rare
pleasure when one of these films surfaces. In the last month or so,
three classic silent films have become available to me. Three films
that until now have been legendary to me are now showing up in my
collection.
Those films are _T_h_e _H_a_n_d_s _o_f _O_r_l_a_c, _W_e_s_t _o_f _Z_a_n_z_i_b_a_r, and _T_h_e
_M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s. _W_e_s_t _o_f _Z_a_n_z_i_b_a_r features Lon Chaney (Sr.). The
other two feature Conrad Veidt. But Veidt was very much Germany's
"Man of a Thousand Faces," just as Chaney was in the United States.
The _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s may star Veidt, but it has strong echoes of
Chaney. It almost certainly was made to recapture the popularity of
the _T_h_e _H_u_n_c_h_b_a_c_k _o_f _N_o_t_r_e _D_a_m_e and _T_h_e _P_h_a_n_t_o_m _o_f _t_h_e _O_p_e_r_a. It
too is a period piece with a stigmatized and disfigured central
character. _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s is almost halfway a Chaney film,
being based on a novel by the same author as _T_h_e _H_u_n_c_h_b_a_c_k _o_f _N_o_t_r_e
_D_a_m_e and using _P_h_a_n_t_o_m's co-star, Mary Philbin. All three of these
films involve men who have been abused or injured. Each in its own
way is a study of stigma.
Three Silent Horrors July 9, 1993 Page 2
_T_h_e _H_a_n_d_s _o_f _O_r_l_a_c
It is one of the unfortunate characteristics of film that
visual images slow down the story-telling. It takes the camera a
lot longer to show you images that can be described in less time.
Of course, to describe a scene fully one picture is worth a thousand
words, but rarely is it necessarily to describe a scene fully in
telling a story. Silent film is even slower at telling a story,
since a much higher proportion of the story is told by visual
images. For this reason, silent films will often be more simple
stories than sound films of equivalent length, though they can be
just as much or even more atmospheric. The whole story of _T_h_e _H_a_n_d_s
_o_f _O_r_l_a_c (1924) could well be told in six or seven sentences--
including plot twists I will not reveal.
_T_h_e _H_a_n_d_s _o_f _O_r_l_a_c reunites _T_h_e _C_a_b_i_n_e_t _o_f _D_r. _C_a_l_i_g_a_r_i
director and its star. Robert Weine directs the vastly under-
appreciated horror actor Conrad Veidt in this adaptation of Maurice
Renard's novel. The story should be familiar to any who have seen
the three other film versions including _M_a_d _L_o_v_e (1935), _H_a_n_d_s _o_f
_O_r_l_a_c (a.k.a. _H_a_n_d_s _o_f _a _S_t_r_a_n_g_l_e_r) (1960), and _H_a_n_d_s _O_f _A _S_t_r_a_n_g_e_r
(1962). Paul Orlac is a great concert pianist who loses his own
hands in a train wreck. In their place, a surgeon grafts the hands
of a guillotined knife murderer, Vasseur. To Orlac's horror the
hands seem to desire to return to their career of crime. It is an
idea that would be used many times in film, but this was the first
and perhaps the most stylish use of the idea.
Under Weine's direction, Veidt's acting is very effective as a
man almost being dragged around by his own hands. Veidt's face
shows increasing madness as the film progresses. Perhaps the most
effective image of the film shows a crazed Veidt, a mad look on his
face, as his half-clenched hand, filmed in the foreground, seems to
be leading or even dragging him. Beyond this the film has a
gratuitously Gothic feel, the camera making much of taking place in
a cavernous old house with its huge bullet-shaped doorways. It is a
style that would later be imitated by Universal Studios in their 30s
horror cycle.
More could be done with this story, as Karl Freund's _M_a_d _L_o_v_e
would prove. Still, the film has enough of its share of effective
images to make it worth seeking out.
_W_e_s_t _o_f _Z_a_n_z_i_b_a_r
Most people who are fans of horror films--and who know a little
something of the history of the horror film--respect the name of Lon
Chaney. Chaney is the best-remembered horror actor of the silent
era, at least for his silent work. (Karloff, of course, had his
share of horror parts in the silent era, but he is remembered much
Three Silent Horrors July 9, 1993 Page 3
more for his sound roles.) Chaney is the American horror actor most
associated with the silent era. But oddly, his current reputation
is based for all but a few horror fans on only two roles and a few
stills from other films. It is relatively easy to find opportunity
to see _T_h_e _H_u_n_c_h_b_a_c_k _o_f _N_o_t_r_e _D_a_m_e (1923) and _T_h_e _P_h_a_n_t_o_m _o_f _t_h_e
_O_p_e_r_a (1925). But how many of us have seen _S_h_a_d_o_w_s (1922), _A _B_l_i_n_d
_B_a_r_g_a_i_n (1922), _T_h_e _T_r_a_p (1922), or _T_h_e _S_h_o_c_k (1923)? Films like
_L_o_n_d_o_n _a_f_t_e_r _M_i_d_n_i_g_h_t (1927) appear to be totally lost. Most of his
other roles require some effort to find. Resurrected for Turner
cable television is one of his more interesting efforts, Tod
Browning's _W_e_s_t _o_f _Z_a_n_z_i_b_a_r.
Browning is best remembered as the director of the 1930 film
_D_r_a_c_u_l_a, and is a bit less well-remembered for _F_r_e_a_k_s (1932), but he
has a number of interesting films to his credit. He did several
previous films with Chaney including _T_h_e _U_n_h_o_l_y _T_h_r_e_e (1925), _T_h_e
_B_l_a_c_k_b_i_r_d (1926), _T_h_e _R_o_a_d _t_o _M_a_n_d_a_l_a_y (1926), and the lost and
legendary _L_o_n_d_o_n _A_f_t_e_r _M_i_d_n_i_g_h_t (1927). He is also remembered for
two sound era films: _M_a_r_k _o_f _t_h_e _V_a_m_p_i_r_e, his 1935 remake of _L_o_n_d_o_n
_a_f_t_e_r _M_i_d_n_i_g_h_t with Bela Lugosi and Lionel Barrymore, and his 1936
_D_e_v_i_l _D_o_l_l, again with Barrymore.
The story opens in a London music hall. Phroso the Magician
(played by Chaney) is a popular attraction, particularly when he
performs the illusion of turning a skeleton into his beautiful wife.
How, his wife is more interested in Crane, an ivory trader played by
a young and handsome Lionel Barrymore. Phroso gets into a fight
with Crane only to have his back broken. The magician has lost both
his wife and the use of his legs in one evening. Some years later,
Phroso's wife returns from Africa, dying and with Crane's baby.
Phroso decides to take revenge on Crane and his daughter. Flash
forward eighteen years and Phroso is no more, but in his place is
the vengeful mystery man called Dead-Legs. In a cannibal village in
the title location, Dead-Legs is hatching a plot to destroy Crane.
Using his stage magic to control the superstitious natives, he has
Crane's daughter brought to his jungle outpost. There he begins to
exact his revenge.
Admittedly, _W_e_s_t _o_f _Z_a_n_z_i_b_a_r has a plot that is a bit
simplistic and the twists in that plot telegraph themselves well in
advance of actually occurring. This makes it difficult to say this
is actually a good film by modern standards. But the macabre jungle
melodrama is told with more than a little style and the resulting
film is surprisingly enjoyable as an artifact.
We see here two of Chaney's claimed thousand faces. Phroso the
Magician's stage make-up is obviously played for a laugh, with
Chaney even borrowing a gesture or two from Charlie Chaplin. Out of
the stage make-up he looks very normal. But Dead-Legs is something
very different, something reptilian. His head is shaved so he looks
nearly hairless. Out of his wheelchair, he slithers his way
Three Silent Horrors July 9, 1993 Page 4
lizard-like across the floor not unlike a serpent.
Much of the scripting is dated. Natives have names like King
Lunkaboola and Bumbu. There is no Kunta Kinte in Tod Browning's
Africa! These are savages who glisten as if they had been
laminated. They eat their enemies and have independently invented
their own version of Indian suttee. But they are easily fooled by
the simplest of stage magic. But underneath everything is a story
of deep emotions and Chaney's rubberlike face shows impressive
subtlety of expression. In short, this film was worth resurrecting.
It does show us more of the range of Chaney's acting skills than has
been available previously. _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s
When the 1989 film _B_a_t_m_a_n was being cast there was a strong
opinion in many people's minds that Jack Nicholson was perfect for
the role of the Joker. Nicholson seems to smirk very naturally,
like the Joker. In my opinion, Nicholson made a very bad Joker
having the wrong stature and actually the wrong facial structure. I
told friends at the time that, just as a historical fact, there was
once an actor who really could have looked like the Joker. In fact,
the comic book figure of the Joker was visually based on the looks
of Conrad Veidt in the 1928 film _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s. Also, the
visage was the inspiration for a later horror film, _M_r. _S_a_r_d_o_n_i_c_u_s
(1961). Gwynplaine of _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s, however, was not a
villain like his later imitators but like Quasimodo a tragic, noble
figure living in a deformed body. _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s is, in fact,
an adaptation of a lesser novel in which Victor Hugo explored some
of the same themes he employed in _T_h_e _H_u_n_c_h_b_a_c_k _o_f _N_o_t_r_e _D_a_m_e.
Gwynplaine was the son of a Scottish nobleman who refused to
vow loyalty to James II of England. The noble was given a double
punishment of being executed in the Iron Maiden and of having his
son have a surgical operation that twisted his (the son's) mouth
into a perpetual grin. Whatever Gwynplaine would ever feel
internally, to the world his face would always be a broad grin.
Gwynplaine is eventually adopted into a traveling show where he
becomes a famous clown. There he falls in love with a beautiful
blind woman, Dea. Dea is played by Mary Philbin, who seems to
attract stigmatized lovers, though here she is spared the unmasking
scene she withstood in _T_h_e _P_h_a_n_t_o_m _o_f _t_h_e _O_p_e_r_a. But the royal
court of England is not through with the tortured soul with the
smiling face.
The plotline of the _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s is a bit muddled and
confusing. The story features a dog whose intelligence puts Rin-
Tin-Tin to shame. There are good reasons why this film was not the
success for Universal that two similar predecessors, _T_h_e _H_u_n_c_h_b_a_c_k
_o_f _N_o_t_r_e _D_a_m_e (1923) and _T_h_e _P_h_a_n_t_o_m _o_f _t_h_e _O_p_e_r_a (1925), were. But
none of the film's faults can be attributed to the terrific
performance of Conrad Veidt. Given only his eyes for expression
over that horrible grinning mouth, he manages to convey a tremendous
Three Silent Horrors July 9, 1993 Page 5
range of emotion. Most people have seen Veidt at most only as Cesar
the Somnambulist in _T_h_e _C_a_b_i_n_e_t _o_f _D_r. _C_a_l_i_g_a_r_i and as Colonel
Strasser in _C_a_s_a_b_l_a_n_c_a--neither film allowing him much range of
emotion. And neither film prepares the viewer for the excellent
range of Veidt's acting in _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s.
The centerpiece of the film is a scene in which Josiana, a
rather sexy and over-sexed duchess, tries to seduce Gwynplaine with
the latter wanting the love of a sighted woman, but still trying to
hide his mouth from her. Veidt carries the scene masterfully with
his eyes only. (Josiana, incidentally, is played by Olga Baclanova,
who played the villainous Cleopatra in Tod Browning's _F_r_e_a_k_s.) This
scene and any scene in which we see Gwynplaine's whole face,
requires two interpretations from the viewer. How would others
interpret the scene if they did not know the smile was meaningless,
and secondly, by looking at Gwynplaine's eyes, can we tell what he
is feeling? And Veidt controls both interpretations at the same
time--an amazing feat of acting.
_T_h_e _M_a_n _W_h_o _L_a_u_g_h_s is also an artifact of the advent of sound
into films. It has a complete soundtrack, mostly music, but also
with sound effects, occasional voices, and a song repeated twice in
the film.
The film heavily abridges the Hugo story and reaches a little
too far to place a happy ending where Hugo never intended. But
while this is a flawed film, it boasts some of the most impressive
acting of the silent era. It certainly has sharpened my interest in
Veidt. This may be a hard film to find--it took me several years--
but it is a film well worth the wait.
These three films show the ability of two similar actors: Chaney
the American and Veidt the German. Veidt, incidentally emigrated with
the coming of Naziism to Germany. Apparently he returned to Germany
for a short visit in 1930 and was held prisoner by the Nazis until
Gaumont British Studios were able to get him out safely. (There is
a short account of this in Ephraim Katz's _F_i_l_m _E_n_c_y_c_l_o_p_e_d_i_a.) Each
made major contributions to the pre-sound horror film.
SNOW CRASH by Neal Stephenson
Bantam Spectra, 1993 (1992c), ISBN 0-553-56261, $5.99.
A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
Copyright 1993 Evelyn C. Leeper
Where was this at Hugo nomination time?
I mean, I had heard some recommendations, but after reading the
book, I don't understand why I didn't hear more. To paraphrase from
_T_h_e _L_i_o_n _i_n _W_i_n_t_e_r, why did no one say "Hugo" and think of _S_n_o_w
_C_r_a_s_h?
In _S_n_o_w _C_r_a_s_h out hero/protagonist, Hiro Protagonist (yes, it's
that sort of novel) starts out as a pizza deliverer for Uncle Enzo's
Cosa Nostra Pizza. That's because in the early 21st century, the
United States leads the world in four areas: music, movies,
software, and high-speed delivery. Forced by circumstances to
accept the help of Y.T., a young woman who finds excitement in
high-speed skate-boarding as a courier, Hiro soon finds his hacker
expertise tested in the Metaverse (Stephenson's version of virtual
reality) to fight the "snow crash" virus--a virus that attacks not
only computers, but people as well. And it's all connected with
ancient Sumeria and the Tower of Babel....
Stephenson has certainly pulled together an unusual assortment
of disciplines in this novel. His postulations regarding Sumer seem
a bit weak (Sumer may have been the major civilization of its time
in the Middle East, but it was not the only civilization, and there
were many civilizations isolated from Sumer), and the description of
pre-Sumerian cultures and memes does not sound accurate for a number
of reasons.
Stephenson avoids the path taken by many cyberpunk/virtual
reality authors. He does not create a new language that the reader
has to decipher (which concept, by the way, ties into the novel's
premise, emphasizing the analogy of the relationship between reality
and the novel to the relationship between the novel's reality and
its Metaverse). He does use pop culture as a referent; for example,
Hiro talks about Captain Kirk beaming up.
Stephenson starts off at a break-neck pace, and by page 40 I
found myself thinking, "If he keeps this up for 470 pages, I'm going
to be exhausted by the time I finish this book!" Well, he does ease
up a bit, but not much. _S_n_o_w _C_r_a_s_h is a roller coaster ride of
virtual reality, linguistic theory, the origin of religions, and the
future of our culture. I wish I had known about _S_n_o_w _C_r_a_s_h before
Hugo nomination time. I _h_i_g_h_l_y recommend _S_n_o_w _C_r_a_s_h.