tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post2386600356791270583..comments2023-11-10T04:17:00.492-05:00Comments on View From The Porch: Overheard in the Office...Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-79842659854237710972012-11-11T01:18:27.325-05:002012-11-11T01:18:27.325-05:00I think I actually did read the thing, maybe thirt...I think I actually did read the thing, maybe thirty years or so ago, but don't remember much about it. I think I read it so that I could say I had done so. I might read it again, if I were locked up in a jail or prison, and that was all there was to read.<br /><br />Now, for serious prison reading matter, I think I would like to have some of those long thick Russian books, like "War and Peace", and "Anna Karenina", and "Crime and Punishment." <br /><br />Just one of those will probably last you for a year or so in the joint. I have refrained from reading them up to now, because I am saving them for prison. Justthisguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17277333206171756636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-74676018148417453052012-11-11T00:59:24.111-05:002012-11-11T00:59:24.111-05:00I read Dracula in a free e-book version a few mont...I read <i>Dracula</i> in a free e-book version a few months ago. As far as I can remember, this was the first time I've read the original and unabridged Bram Stoker version, and I'm a 59-year-old inveterate reader. It's not bad for 19th Century hack work... That is, it's reasonably well plotted and although it develops at a slower pace than most 20th century work, it's not obvious that the author was paid by the word.<br /><br />As for Jack London (who was the subject of my senior high school English term paper): one hell of a story-teller, but he was the original national socialist. "Call of The Wild" and many other of his stories have fascist & racist underlying assumptions. (These are two different things - They are both attractive to certain personality types, but Mussolini and Franco definitely did not share Hitler's obsessions over Judaism and skin pigmentation.) <i>The Sea Wolf</i> is far worse than any of London's doggie stories. But for *really* cringeworthy racist hate, look around the internet for Jack London's comments on the reigning champion Jack Johnson and his the boxing match with "The Great White Hope" Jeffries.markmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-53214946144456391482012-11-10T14:09:23.254-05:002012-11-10T14:09:23.254-05:00I know others have already recommended them, but I...I know others have already recommended them, but I want to chime in with another for Fred Saberhagen's Dracula novels. The Dracula Tape, essentially a retelling of Stoker from Dracula's POV is quite good. An Old Friend Of The Family is also worth reading, but my favorite is The Holmes Dracula File. Yes, Sherlock.BryanPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18350418436430869385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-5273584529181334972012-11-09T23:01:13.656-05:002012-11-09T23:01:13.656-05:00Meh. I tried to read it. Got about 2/3 of the way ...Meh. I tried to read it. Got about 2/3 of the way through it and gave up. I've done that with less than a dozen books over a reading career that's spanned over 45 years, so to me, I thought it was pretty bad.<br /><br />You're not missing anything.Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06200886189047167777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-69897771528392387172012-11-09T23:00:00.486-05:002012-11-09T23:00:00.486-05:00Dracula - kinda meh.
Until you read Fred Saberhag...Dracula - kinda meh.<br /><br />Until you read Fred Saberhagen's "The Dracula Tapes" and it explains what REALLY went on.<br /><br />From the Count's point of view.<br /><br />Which hangs together SO much better than the original....The Infamous Oregon Lawhobbitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-57061643746230228262012-11-09T05:52:32.744-05:002012-11-09T05:52:32.744-05:00I tend to like the classics as originally written,...I tend to like the classics as originally written, not rewritten into modern (pc) English.<br /><br />Just re-read The Last Of The Mohicans.<br /><br />The only adaption of a classic I ever liked was the TV version of Kidnapped with David McCallum (I still can't watch NCIS without waiting for him in a kilt and swinging a claymore).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-12569608789382950782012-11-09T03:11:18.883-05:002012-11-09T03:11:18.883-05:00I read Dracula in my mid-teens, and scared myself ...I read Dracula in my mid-teens, and scared myself badly with it. Might still work for me, I like the slow old-fashioned horror a lot better than the action/torture porn/everybody or almost everybody dies in the end versions more fashionable today. More atmospheric, and I rather like the idea of the good guys winning in the end (and most of them surviving) because they are, you know, the good guys - relatively smart, ethical and so on.Marjanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-87407381468043936962012-11-08T21:23:19.529-05:002012-11-08T21:23:19.529-05:00I was hooked on "Count of Monte Cristo" ...I was hooked on "Count of Monte Cristo" as a kid, and read "Man in the Iron Mask" and "Three Musketeers", and have them in my collection today. I revisit them every now and then, and have decided that there will NEVER be a version of "Three Musketeers" on film that will be worth a dam. Jim Caveziel's "Count of Monte Cristo" was pretty good, though. As for Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", the book was excellent (must re-read at some point!), and most of the movies barely paid lip-service to the books. I can't recall if I ever read Brahm Stoker's "Dracula". Gonna have to hit Gutenberg.org and nab it. Today's literature, for the most part, simply can't hold a candle to that written a hundred years ago. Most of today's stuff has no depth, poor editing, plotholes big enough to drive my truck through, and more unresolved threads than Florida has dangling chads.RabidAlienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035887632706442114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-3641638266034703942012-11-08T20:04:52.433-05:002012-11-08T20:04:52.433-05:00I recently started reading Frankenstein on the kin...I recently started reading Frankenstein on the kindle. <br /><br /> Another one of those culturally known books that no one reads is Don Quixote. Most of the cultural references to it come from the first third of the first volume. I'm guessing that's about as far as most students get when they are told to read it. Long drives in an eighteen wheeler are perfect for listening to the audio versions of such long books.fast richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05947715402204312013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-25980109868996381532012-11-08T19:33:37.881-05:002012-11-08T19:33:37.881-05:00Funny, I'm actually in the middle of re-readin...Funny, I'm actually in the middle of re-reading Dracula on Kindle right now. I think it's better than I remember. Good hunting blind reading.45erhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05397455410329074837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-44269441921827052712012-11-08T19:31:59.929-05:002012-11-08T19:31:59.929-05:00I liked Moby Dick more for the descriptions of the...I liked Moby Dick more for the descriptions of the life on a whaling ship than for the allegorical stuff with Ahab and the Whale. Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is another good book about life at sea. Most such books are available free for the kindle.fast richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05947715402204312013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-74730443356056660152012-11-08T19:20:36.643-05:002012-11-08T19:20:36.643-05:00Well, I'll just chime in on Branagh's Fran...Well, I'll just chime in on Branagh's Frankenstein as being a very good movie. So much so that I might even buy it, given that the library copy crapped out and left me hanging. But as much of it as a saw made me surely wanting to see the rest. And DeNiro is splendid.<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_%281994_film%29jedhttp://freedomsight.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-73992894101183772012-11-08T17:05:28.750-05:002012-11-08T17:05:28.750-05:00@John A, Polidori was not a character in the novel...@John A, Polidori was not a character in the novel, but was un the 1973 television version, with James Mason playing the part. There was a real john William Polidori that knew Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and that lot. Probably why they used the name in the TV version.<br /><br />The Kenneth Branagh movie with Deniro as the Creature was based on the novel more than most.Leatherwinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11490062287496074480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-11806097527932753572012-11-08T17:00:18.580-05:002012-11-08T17:00:18.580-05:00Similar for me and Casablanca.
Perhaps I should w...Similar for me and Casablanca.<br /><br />Perhaps I should watch.Buzznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-4947509626682185702012-11-08T16:49:39.365-05:002012-11-08T16:49:39.365-05:00@JohnA: Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein is a lo...@JohnA: Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein is a lot more faithful to most of Shelley's novel than anything else I've seen, and quite well done. <br /><br />Stephen King has quite a lengthy riff on Stoker's Dracula in Danse Macabre, worth checking out.<br /><br />I reread Dracula at least once every few years. I love the atmosphere. Stoker's original first chapter, available as "Dracula's Guest," is worth reading too. Davidwhitewolfhttp://www.softgreenglow.com/wpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-75370820573960252192012-11-08T16:42:48.466-05:002012-11-08T16:42:48.466-05:00Read Anno Dracula -- good.
Read The Bloody Red Ba...Read <i>Anno Dracula</i> -- good.<br /><br />Read <i>The Bloody Red Baron</i> -- sucktastic.<br /><br />No desire to give Mr. Newman a third shot at my ammo money.Geodkythttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17340718574781403778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-13065976866862697432012-11-08T16:29:41.126-05:002012-11-08T16:29:41.126-05:00Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" triology...Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" triology was rather entertaining. The story uses a mash-up of historical figures and fictional characters from all genres. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-37154885458062692152012-11-08T16:02:05.288-05:002012-11-08T16:02:05.288-05:00I like epistolary novels, done well, and Dracula w...I like epistolary novels, done well, and <i>Dracula</i> was done well. None of the movies have ever quite done it justice, though Coppola's version is great if you like ham and cheese sandwiches with a gothic spread, which as it happens I do.<br /><br />Watching everybody chew the scenery around Keanu was hysterical.LabRathttp://www.atomicnerds.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-16985325101872682642012-11-08T15:19:10.876-05:002012-11-08T15:19:10.876-05:00There was one wherein J.Harker goes out walking on...<i>There was one wherein J.Harker goes out walking on Walpurgisnacht, the locals warn him not to, but he being a headstrong English, does it anyways...</i><br /><br />That is available as the title story to <i>Dracula's Visitor</i>, which I read immediately after finishing the novel. Other than that first story, the collection I read had nothing to do with the novel, and consisted of short stories of various sorts of horror. Quite good stuff.Sabrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-67586122628834616612012-11-08T14:02:19.498-05:002012-11-08T14:02:19.498-05:00I RATHER LIKE MOBY DICK MELVILLE GOES INTO ALL SOR...I RATHER LIKE MOBY DICK MELVILLE GOES INTO ALL SORTS OF DETAILS SA TO WHALES WHALING AND WHALE SHIPS AS TO THE MOVIES THE 1956 CLASSIC DIRECTED BY JOHN<br />HUSTON IS A MUST SEE ! HE DID HIS HOMEWORK !!! ALSO YOU WANT TO VISIT THE MYSTIC SEAPORT IN MYSTIC CONNECTICUT <br />WHERE THE LAST WOODEN WHALE SHIP THE<br />CHARLES W. MORGAN IS UNDERGOING A MAJOR<br />REBUILD TO RESTORE HER TO ITS 1841 GLORY! THEY HAVE A SPLENDID MUSEUM A RECREATED 19TH CEN VILLAGE SAIL LOFT ROPE WALK BLACK SMITH COOPERAGE CARPENTER CHANDLER Y GO AND ENJOY!NAVIGATORnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-5555959913108040502012-11-08T13:01:50.257-05:002012-11-08T13:01:50.257-05:00I even like Frank Langella's 1979 version!
gf...I even like Frank Langella's 1979 version!<br /><br />gfaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-36552215068971280612012-11-08T13:00:27.518-05:002012-11-08T13:00:27.518-05:00I loved the Young Frankenstein scene with Gene Hac...I loved the Young Frankenstein scene with Gene Hackman, not who you usually think of as a comedic actor...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-92066157172078568922012-11-08T12:59:11.108-05:002012-11-08T12:59:11.108-05:00There was a version of Dracula that had some '...There was a version of Dracula that had some 'outtakes' from the book, short seqences that didn't add to the story so much that the editor or Bram himself cut out. There was one wherein J.Harker goes out walking on Walpurgisnacht, the locals warn him not to, but he being a headstrong English, does it anyways...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-15311983326437366172012-11-08T12:51:48.312-05:002012-11-08T12:51:48.312-05:00Re Frankenstein I am only aware of one filmed (OK,...Re <i>Frankenstein</i> I am only aware of one filmed (OK, BBC television special) that used the book as primary source rather than te Hollywood/Karloff version. <br /> <br />Can anyone else recall another film version that even <i>mentions</i> the Polidori character? John Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00801684602403824157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-23047077317632432402012-11-08T12:43:26.180-05:002012-11-08T12:43:26.180-05:00Second BobG's recommendation of Saberhagen'...Second BobG's recommendation of Saberhagen's re-telling of Dracula (The Dracula Tapes). Best read while Stoker's version is fresh in your mind.<br />The sequel "An Old Friend of the Family" is excellent and can stand on its own.<br />For scary ass, scream out loud film the original Night Stalker with Barry Atwater (damn! I didn't have to look that up!) as the vampire is a modern (40 years old? That I looked up.) masterpiece. Stretchnoreply@blogger.com