An interesting article

[Ogun]

An interesting article on straight influences on Gay and Lesbian film.

[glammaman2000]

The Nazimova"Salome"is the holy grail of silent films.It currently only exists in fragments.The design is after Aubrey Beardsley.(At one point,she wears a wig made out of ping-pong balls)The original promotional materials promised,"an all-homosexual cast!"In the 1920's!!

[garrix]

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

The Nazimova"Salome"is the holy grail of silent films.It currently only exists in fragments.The design is after Aubrey Beardsley.(At one point,she wears a wig made out of ping-pong balls)The original promotional materials promised,"an all-homosexual cast!"In the 1920's!!

Beardsley was gay, who illustrated salome for Wilde, who, as you very well know, was also gay. The story apparently has homosexual overtones as is, at least the story of wilde's. It was turned into an opera by Richard Strauss in 1905, and caused scandal.

I saw a very disturbing and fruedian painting of salome (this was painted in like 1909, so it was crazy-early for that kind of stuff) instead of Salome running off with John the baptists severed head- she runs off with his enormous severed penis, i suppose the other "head". The story is shouded in these sexual elements.

[hulkmuscle]

Originally Posted by garrix

Beardsley was gay, who illustrated salome for Wilde, who, as you very well know, was also gay. The story apparently has homosexual overtones as is, at least the story of wilde's. It was turned into an opera by Richard Strauss in 1905, and caused scandal.

I saw a very disturbing and fruedian painting of salome (this was painted in like 1909, so it was crazy-early for that kind of stuff) instead of Salome running off with John the baptists severed head- she runs off with his enormous severed penis, i suppose the other "head". The story is shouded in these sexual elements.

Wasn't Bearsdley also the artist who did all those famous Art Nouveau theatrical posters, like "La Dame aux Camelias"?

I think his artwork is also the inspiration for the London A Little Night Music logo: a young girl dressed as "Night" wearing a crown of stars and smiling mischievously.

Anyone know?

[Mdlftr]

RE: Beardsley and his influence on poster design.

Beardsley was definitely in the Art Nouveau mode before WWI: floral and natural forms, with a sense of the sensual languidness you see hinted at in artists such as Daniel Gabriel Rossetti (with the women representing the seasons, with their flowing hair and robes, e.g., "Flaming June")

Also known for his vibrant poster work, (slightly earlier period, say 1890s - on)with an emphasis on bold color and composition: Toulouse Latrec ("Jean Avril")

I can't tell you whether or not Beardsley did "La Dame Aux Camilias" or whether he was the specific source the artist who did "A Little Night Music" had in mind, but he was just one of several artists whose styles are similar.
[From Camille, by Alexandre Dumas http://www.worldwideschool.org/libra...ilias/toc.html ]

For a more recent example of Beardsley's influence, look at ANYTHING by Edward Gorey (Opening credits and end titles for PBS "Mystery") "Dracula"

A contemporary of Beardsley's: Edvard Munch, with his famous, "The Scream" and his "Vampires" combine the stark emotionalism with the ominous sexuality to create images that are not easily forgotten.

Now that I think of it, "La Dame Aux Camillias" may be by Gustav Klimpt (1862-1918) an artist active in Vienna, c. 1890s and on. He was known for richly colored, lushly sensual posters. http://members.tripod.com/empress_butterfly/gustav.html


Or it may be by Alphonse Marie Mucha (1860-1939)
If this is the image you mean: http://www.contedelseprio.altervista...6_salammbo.jpg

A little art history digression there.....




Mdlftr

[Mdlftr]

Now on to what I really wanted to say/ask:


So, if we believe the premise of this article on lesbian/gay film,

gay men are trying to be Hitler yungen Nazis, and lesbians are trying to be Jewish female intellectuals???!!!


1. So, if gay men= Nazis (according to this analysis) and gay women=Jewish intellectuals, does that mean that WWII was all about the battle of the sexes??!!

2. Aren't there more types of people out there than that??!!


3. Did someone get TENURE as a result of "scholarly (*cough cough*) analysis" like this?

[deetrakt]

For any of you interested in art and/or Salome, I recommend going to an incredible site, search engine actually, called Artcyclopedia:

http://www.artcyclopedia.com

You'll see three search boxes. Type "salome" in the "title" one, et voila: at least 30 and probably more Salomes from the Renaissance into the 20th century. Many by Moreau, one by Klimt, several Redons, Corinth, etc., etc.

However, in a quick check, I did not spot a single penis.

BTW, you should know that there are an equally large number of paintings out there of another lady brandishing a severed male head: Judith/Holofernes (Identical iconography as far as I know).

Here are two nice Salomes, by Lovis Corinth and Gustave Moreau (both a little trashy, but so is the story):

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...inthsalome.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...reausalome.jpg

[glammaman2000]

Best Salome(opera)video.Teresa Stratas(voice wasn't big enough to sing it onstage,but a great actress)Best Salome(opera)recording.Montserrat Caballe.At approx.5'6",240lbs.;you don't want to see her do the"Dance of the Seven Veils"(in performance;she swooshed behind a large pillar;a skinny dancer would swoosh out to dance;&Montserrat would swoosh back out again to sing)But noone else could combine a girlish sound with the power to blast over the orchestra like she does!

[Mdlftr]

Salome is one of those operas that lends itself to great visuals, music and special effects.

During the climactic (!) moments, Salome dances with the freshly severed head of Johannan (John the Baptist, who has earlier rejected her overtures). The singer/dancer in the Wash. Opera production of several years ago talked about how tricky it was to dance, sing and avoid the slippery stage blood that dripped out of Johannan's prop head while she danced around stage, singing to it.

[Nice image--imagine what Tim Burton could do with that!]

The special effects folks had a blast. Johannan's prop severed head was hollow plastic, molded on the actor's face and fitted out with an appropriately gory wig. They filled the head with red-tinted gelatin and stored it, severed neck up. When Salome took the stage each time, she would invert the head, as she began her dance. The gelatin plug in the neck would begin to dissolve under the hot stage lights, and more of the viscous stage gore would seep out of the stump of the neck as the dance continued and the gelatin melted. By the end of the dance, it was quite a mess. Very effective, dramatically, but a mess!

Opera to the "horror movie demographic!"

[deetrakt]

Probably nobody in opera history had more fun made of her. Most acknowledged the beauty and power of her voice, but her hugeness, unwillingness/inability to act and vocal idiosycrasies led to nastiness such as the following:

-Being referred to as "Monsterfat Cowbelly"
-"She never lets a consonant get in the way of her bel canto"
-"Montserrat, didn't anyone ever tell you not to sing with your mouth full?"

and many more.

[glammaman2000]

Easily my favorite singer EVER!A lazy,silly woman with the MOST amazing voice!She sometimes garbled words;but usually the problem was she never learned them in the 1st.place.She could be a GREAT actress,but she had to be in the mood(I saw some performances when she had family in from out of town.Incredible)At her worst,her singing was more beautiful than most others at their peak.A glorious,miraculous,goofball.

[glammaman2000]

...She was also affectionally known as"Mount Suet".

[deetrakt]

I only saw her in live performance once, in Norma, with, who, Fiorenza Cassotto (sp)?
I don't know very much about opera, and she didn't act at all that night, but "Casta Diva" was so incredible I went out and bought my first (and last) opera album.

[glammaman2000]

...than Caballe singing"Casta Diva".Fiorenza Cosotto was also a powerhouse."No scenery left unchewed!"(It is considered bad form;in some opera houses,to take a bow after an aria;in the middle of an opera.I once saw Cosotto take bows after INDIVIDUAL NOTES!)*Adriana Lecourvrieur(stupid opera)co-starring La Montserrat!Who conducted her 1st.aria from the stage!