About Frankenstein

Two weeks ago, we saw Frankenstein, acted by four actors in a play. First, we must say that it would be a great challenge for them, I think. The scene was narrow, it was the first time that they acted this play, above all for only young people… But they were very involved in their play and gave many energy….and we have understood. The third man who acted a comical character gave a new dimension to Frankenstein which only belongs to the romantical genre. I have tried to read the book but I didn’t finish it because I don’t know why, but I found it boring. However, the play wasn’t boring, I think it was thanks to the comical dimension.

Play : Frankenstein  » The Modern Prometheus « 

I want to talk about the play that we saw on Monday 6 January. This play talked about the story of Frankenstein. I wanted to see this play because I wanted to pour my general knowledge in english litterature. And like I am in litterature studies, in my mind, it was something important to see.

So, I explain what I saw. First Elisabeth’s father wanted to recreate life with electricity in a dead body, but something turn wrong, The student Victor’s tried to help him but they failed, and after that, the father of Elisabeth is died. Elisabeth and Victor are in love, but after have break the promise between them to never try again to recreate life, Victor has a idea, and with the stronger of lightning, he creates a terrible monster totally out of control.

This play was very interresting, and the actors was very talented because they spoke clearly. We could understand almost all of their replies. The staging was also very well done, and there were lots of costumes, characters, even if the troup had limited ressources. I found this play really well maked.

A crazy project: Hobbit and the Beatles?

For many years we have seen appear many projects like fantasy books or movies. For example Bilbo the Hobbit written by J.R.R Tolkien in the thirties. This book is a entertainment for children. In the fifties he published Lord of the rings a fantasy book too but for adults. This book has been written to attract other public.

The literature projects can meet the musical projects. For instance in the sixties the Beatles, a popular band from England asked to make a movie about Lord of the rings with them in the lead roles (An anecdote: John Lennon should play Gollum!). This request has been refused by Tolkien.

Despite this failure the Hobbit and Lord of the rings will be adapted in cinema after many years.

The Shining

The Shining is a movie by Stanley Kubrick.

Kubrick is one of my favorite film directors. The storie comes from a novel of Stephen King (american writer) which is called The Shining too.

Jack Torrance has to keep a hotel during the winter, when it’s close. However, the last keeper killed his wife and his two girls but Jack doesn’t care. He wants to keep this hotel  with his wife and his son Danny.

Danny seems to know many things about this hotel and he has got a lot of bloody visions.

During the movie, there are more and more strange things. At the beginning nobody is worry except Danny, but his mother becomes scared because of Jack, who becomes more and more aggresive, strange and mad…

Kubrick succeed in making a scary and oppresive atmosphere thanks to the loneliness in  this big hotel, it reminds us a kind of labyrinth.

It’s a very good movie, you should watch it ! (except if you are fearful…)

The Monster and the Myth.

Frankenstein is one of the most famous monsters to the world but who is the real monster ? The creature or the creator?

Mary Shelley began the writing of Frankenstein at the age of nineteen. The responsibility of the man in front of the evolution of the science is an interesting question which is implicitly mentioned in the text because of characters’s Frankenstein. Her novel of horror reflects at the same time the taste of the youth for the fantastic universes but also its curiosity and its commitment in the modern world.

On January, 6th, 2014, we saw the Frankenstein’s show in English version inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel and the Hollywood movies, written by Paul Stebbings and Phil Smith.

Four British actors will give life to the creature and to his creator in a simple and intriguing decoration. The multimedia room being very small, the actors managed well to play and the troop adapted itself with their decoration and I feel it is very impressive: the work is really satisfactory. Besides, the work of the direction and the game of the actors make us understand the story, although they changed some elements, supported by the strength of the images, funny situations and feelings.

On the whole, I was very admiring and satisfied with this show.

Mike Hill : The Maker of monsters!

Mike Hill is an artist and a portrait sculptor. He appreciates, in particular, the horror genre, but he also ventures into the world of Comic Books, Superheroes, etc. It created several sculpture as by example that of Regan McNeil, Quasimodo, Superman and the subject which we treat in this moment: the Monster of Frankenstein. I join you some impressive pictures.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/4e109ee11c240efc5b1235d9122acbd8/tumblr_mysa3fIVWw1qhdrjpo1_400.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cMdbfkl3Rz4/SPz9_2goccI/AAAAAAAAD9w/kD2Rvm_by2o/s800/views.jpg

Don’t hesitate to give your impressions over these pictures.

Underworld

 [youtube]http://youtu.be/SP-lHUtNeHg[/youtube]

When I look at the entire blog, I noticed that everyone was talking about either Frankenstein or Bilbo, or somethings like that ;so  in fact, about something seen in class. So I wanted to do something different and make you discover movies called Underworld.

This film is actually in 4 parts, so 4 films. Each lasts around two hours. It was directed by the American Len Wiseman for the first two films, the French Patrick Tatopoulos for the third and by the Swedish Mans Marlind and Björn Stein for the fourth. The main actors are Kate Beckinsale (who plays a main role in my favorite film Pearl Harbor too) in the role of Selene, Scott Speedman in the role of Michael Corvin and Bill Nighy in the role of Viktor. These films combine several genres such as gothic, fantasy, action, and horror. The story in general is a war between vampires and werewolves (lycan).

It’s a perfect movie to watch in bed under a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate, or coffee. We’re easily absorbed by the story and by the constant action there is. The special effects are quite well done and the senario is not cutesy (in the romantic parts of the movie).

In summary, this is movies which are in my top 5 !

Song’s about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

If you are a music lover, you probably know the adaptations of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the popular song. Serge Gainsbourg was the first artist to talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in a song  in 1966. Two years later The Who wrote a song inspired by the novel. Since 1968, many artists have composed  songs inspired by the novel as Renaud or the BB Brunes. To conclude, we can say that this novel is well known, even in the music industry …

Talk about the illustrator ( Bilbo and the Lord of the Rings) too

Hi people ! I am going to tell you about Bilbo‘s and The Lord of the rings‘ illustrator because a lot of people don’t pay attention to him but he is an artist as the autor ahah. AND he also was in all movies of the Saga The lord of the rings !

So, I will start with a short biography of him : Alan Lee was born in 1947 in England. He studied art of illustration at the Ealing School of Art. A few years after he discovered a real passion for J.R.R Tolkien and he chose to illustrate his books for their 100th birthday.

You can see the others elements of his life here : http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Lee

And a lot of illustrations by Alan Lee here : http://www.google.fr/search?q=alan%20lee%20illustrate%20bilbo&um=1&hl=fr&gbv=2&safe=vss&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

I hope you will enjoy !

Talk about Frankenstein (a play )

Last monday I have seen a play about Frankenstein. Each person (except the man who played Victor) played differents characters. I think it was a good production for a little band of four actors. The young woman and the young man seemed to be particularly involved in the play.

I was surprised because I think I understood a lot of things and it helped me to understand Frankenstein’s story and the character’s relationships. I am so happy that I could see this play only for ten euros. Thank you for this idea, it was a good one !

And you ? Have you seen this play ? What is your point of view ?

The Hobbit or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ?

The Hobbit proves that courage and strength (of mind) are most stronger than worry and fear.
But, the transformation of Dr. Jekyll is my favorite part because it confirm that two parts (the good and the darkness) exist on ourselves. Then, we can seperate them and become kind. Why not?
These texts are a morality who explain that we can fight our faults.

 

First published on November 30th,2013

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella written by Robert L. Stevenson and published in 1886. This story relate an investigation directed by a london lawyer, Gabriel Utterson, on Edward Hyde. He suspects him of blackmailing his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, but the truth is worse than he could have imagined.

This novel belongs to Gothic literature. I appreciated this story because on the one hand, I like to be frightened by different elements (weird atmosphere, strange events, …) . Moreover, the theme of duality reinforces the fear, especially during the transformation scene, when Dr. Jekyll wants to separate the good side and the evil side. On the other hand, I enjoyed this story because I like very much Robert L. Stevenson. He was a great author and his novel, Treasure Island is a classical in literature.

 

In Gothic literature, I am also interested in The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde because I would be explore an another environment but I always want to be frightened and surprised by literary genre.

First published on November 30th,2013

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

I’ve decided to talk about The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a book of Robert Louis Stevenson and the cinematographic adaptation of Frederic March and particularly in the ape-like appearance.

(link of the movie extract :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbg5oXpq42Y ).

The director of the film, Fredric March had decided to underline the dopplegänger of Dr Jekyll. In this movie Mr Hyde play at hyde and seek with Dr Jekyll, he had tried to be face-full with the mind representation of a monkey with a part of wereworf. The monkey can’t control his basic instincts like the bad part of a human. The monkey was perhaps choose by the director because it capture well the mind conception of a free slave body, who explode with wide movement at every single time which wake him up, and who his very expressive at the screen. Dr Jekyll is the scapegoat of Mr Hyde in this novella.

Last but not least The free slave body in Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus of Mary Shelley also catch my attention for the same reason.

First published on December 7th, 2012

Bilbo and Harry: heroes of fantasy books

I would like to talk to you about Harry Potter, a similar hero to Bilbo.

As the hobbit, the best-seller Harry Potter written by J.K Rowling, is a fantasy novel.
In the first book, Harry is an eleven year old shy boy and he is orphan.
More he grow up more his qualities of hero are remarkable.
He is a wizzard. He has a magic wand and a cape of invisibility.

Harry Potter is brave and always defends his friends.
Like Bilbo, Harry Potter has a magic sword (of Gryfondor is going to appear to help him in his quest).
So the hobbit and Harry Potter become gradually a hero.

Harry Potter by J.K Rowling is a great book which is maybe a little more childish than The Hobbit. If you are fan of fantasy books go to read it , or watch movies !

The Gothic Novel

Among the extracts that we have studied this year,  I prefered « The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde » by Robert Louis Stevenson,  in: « Characters: from Evolution to Metamorphosis. »  I loved analyze the passages of this novel, because it’s easy to recognize the Gothic elements.  For instance : the stranges events,  the darkness and transgression moral codes like awe.  I found this extract very interesting, I would like watch the two movies  (the first who has made in 1931 and the second who dated from 1996).

« The Jekyll Legacy » by Robert Bloch and André Norton

It’s a sequel of « The strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde » wrote in 1992 . It’s a thriller.

Summary : Hester Jekyll is the niece of Dr. Henry Jekyll. Hester arrived in England to claim her legacy. She discovers that she gets nothing. So her friends are aloof. Hester discovers the mysterious past of her uncle and a series of brutal deaths. She wonder if anybody have seen Dr. Jekyll  or Mr. Hyde.

I haven’t read this book but I think that it’s interesting for the people who studies « The strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde ».

Bilbo The Hobbit’s Book Review

Bilbo The Hobbit was published in 1937 by Tolkien.This book is different from the other book :this atmosphere is more fairy and with elements magical (enchanting sword, magic ring). Elves and dwarves were a kind of important characters important.Thanks to that,this book looks like a fairy tale but for a writting style’s Tolkien who give a lot of little details not necessary but agreeable.The character’s description is unusual but it’s not disturbing.So,Bilbo the hobbit is a only book very different from the other book, more fantasy because the main character and a atmosphere is interresting but this book doesn’t has many action and it’s a little boring.

Representation of a story

I saw a picture which sums up fairly well the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: 
http://johantroianowski.canalblog.com/archives/2011/03/21/20685616.html

They are two people in the same body: The right one, seems wicked, evil, naucious..whereas the left one looks nice and kind ! The only colors are black and white, that remind me the yin and the yang: the good (in white) and the bad (in black). What is good with this picture is that it shows the bad in each of us, that we can have two personnalities.


					

The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug

In class we studied an extract from The Hobbit. And on  the 11th of December , The Hobbit  : The Desolation of Smaug was released at cinema. It is the second film of this saga. Bilbo continued his aventures with his companions and trys to help Thorïn to get back his mountain , and the treasure which is there. But to do that , they owe to kill the horrible dragon Smaug. It’s in this film that we can see Bilbo fight against the giant spider.

That film was very appreciated by the public.

Bilbo The Hobbit

Being a huge fan of the lords of the rings, I immediately thought that The Hobbit would be as wonderful as the others and it does not disappointed me . I think it is a logical beginning and to reflects on over the trilogy. Unfortunately there is a lot less action but leaves us winks eg when Gloin and the other dwarves are caught by Elfs , he mentions the name of his son Gimli which is found in adventures of lords of the rings and also we also find Legolas and Frodon all at the beginning .
The film, like the book highlights the courage of Bilbo , because at first he did not want to come but eventually has decide to accompagnied them, it was not to his advantage because he was get used to having a house , a bed and plenty of foods, but he got used to it faster than you can imagine . Bilbo was frightened before, throughout the adventure he learned courage and to confront the danger, in the eyes of dwarves, readers and spectators he became a hero.

How bilbo the hobbit was born

While correcting his students’tests, Tolkien found a white sheet of paper and started to write the bilbo’s story on that page, up to the dragon smaug’s death.
At home, he read the beginning to his children but while they grew up, the novel disapeared step by step.One of his student discovered it and was very interesed so he decided to write the end of his first success.

Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s travels is a novel written by Jonathan Swift.

This novel is divided into four parts who tells about four travels of the character, Gulliver.

Before the first part, in the preamble, he gives us a short outline of his life and his love for travel. So, after a shipwreck, Gulliver is on the Island of Lilliput, and finds himself prisoner of a race of little people, less than 6 inches tall. After giving assurances of his good behavior, he had a residence and become the favorite of the court then he helps the Lilliput’s people to subdue their neighbors, the Blefuscudians, by stealing their fleet. But after, Gulliver refuses to reduce the Island of Blefuscu to a privince of Lilliput, so he is accused of treason, he finds an abandoned boat and sails to be rescued by a passing ship.

In the second part, after sailing, he finds a farmer who is 72 feet tall, the farmer brings him to Gulliver’s Home and cares by his daughter. But Gulliver is too small for using their hugs chairs, tables. So the Queen commissions a small house for him. Then, his house is seized by a giant eagle which drops Gulliver and his house in a sea where he is found by some sailors who returns him to England.

In the third part, Gulliver’s boat was attacked by pirates and he was desert in an island near India. Fortunately, he is rescued by the flying Island of Laputa and then taken to Balnibarbi for wait a trader who can drive him to Japan. After he go to the Island of Glubbdubdrib, where he visits a magician’s house and discusses with him. Then, he finally arrives to Japan by asking to the Emperor to « excuse my performing the ceremony imposed upon my countrymen of trampling upon the crucifix ». So he go home determined to stay ther for the rest of his days.

In spite of his intention to stay at home, Gulliver returns to the sea but must finds new addition to his crew because he thinks to have turned the rest of his crew against him. But he is abandoned in a boat which sails him in an Island who people are save humanoid creatures, the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver admires their lifestyle, but they thinks Gulliver is an danger to their civilizations and expels him. Then he is rescued by a Portuguese ship and returns to England, at his home. He is unable to live like his family and think all the day about the Houyhnhnms up to be crazy.

Black Beauty : The Autobiography of a Horse

Black Beauty is a novel published in 1877. It’s the only novel of Anna Sewell. It’s a story narrated by the horse Black Beauty who describes her life. We follow her life since her beginning, when Black Beauty was a foal to his death.                                                   Black Beauty is going to have several masters during his life : good master who cares about her horse and bad master who ill-threat her horse.
Thanks to the novel written in the first person, we can feel the emotions of Black Beauty. The novel touching us because the story show how the human can be cruel with animals and how we must working all your life for hope to be reward.