Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Tristram on Film



This could be good. Last year I read The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and it was definitely an experience. Afterwards I felt like I enjoyed it. At times during it I felt like I was under the influence of something other than the genius of Lawrence Sterne. In a way it is hard to believe it was written in the 1760's as it really does spin your head trying to keep track of what is going on, if anything is actually going on or if it is some sort of gross exaggeration. I wonder how it will be translated as a film? The website promoting the film is another use of web media to promote a film in a parallel sense with a email browser window opening on what looks like a desktop graphic (think Requiem for a Dream). There is a sound file of a worried sounding female voice who says that everyone seems to have access to her emails from the office. Such ironic content may be an attempt to capture something of the satire of Sterne's work or the self-reflexivity of it all but then maybe it is just trying to be "crazy" (the Nike trainers of the only human figure in the picture also point in this direction). If you have the patience and the attitude try the book first:

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