I'm looking too, but my understanding is that there really is no definitive edition yet, just varying degrees of 'not quite'. Even if there were a perfect translation you'd still need some serious annotations. It's not a long book but it's dense.
31 Days of Halloween (2022)
- Thread starter Sean Whitmore
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I'm looking too, but my understanding is that there really is no definitive edition yet, just varying degrees of 'not quite'. Even if there were a perfect translation you'd still need some serious annotations. It's not a long book but it's dense.
I last looked into it a few years ago, and I don't remember now much of what I read, but I added the Mireille Ribière version to my Amazon bookmarks at the time. I included a note that said "not the best translation; but has the best annotations".
Amazon.com: The Phantom of the Opera (Penguin Classics): 9780141191508: Leroux, Gaston, Ribiere, Mireille, Ribiere, Mireille, Matlock, Jann: Books
Amazon.com: The Phantom of the Opera (Penguin Classics): 9780141191508: Leroux, Gaston, Ribiere, Mireille, Ribiere, Mireille, Matlock, Jann: Books
www.amazon.com
I would have bought it back then, but the version I found was a paperback, and didn't sound like much of a display item.
It's hard to tell with Amazon, because they have a bad habit of lumping reviews from different editions all together. They do this with DVDs too.
I have some edition of Phantom of the Opera that I read for a book report in High school. I'll see if I can find it this evening for a photo. It was beautifully illustrate. It's been so long since I've read it, so I can't speak to the quality of the translation, if you could even find it today.
Lik I said, I'll try and find it this evening (probably in one of the boxes in the garage).
Lik I said, I'll try and find it this evening (probably in one of the boxes in the garage).
This is my copy of Phantom of the Opera
Here's the publishing data for it if it helps on your hunt. I love Greg Hildebrant's art in this.
I did find a $10 eBay listing.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (1988, Hardcover) for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (1988, Hardcover) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
I'll look into that. Illustrated editions are a lost art.
I've been watching mainly old favorites so far this month, but tonight I watched a movie that I'd been meaning to get around to for years.
5. Wishmaster (1997)
And it wasn't bad; solid B-movie territory. The Djinn is an interesting monster with a unique spin on an old gimmick. It's the standard Monkey's Paw, "be careful what you wish for" shtick, but instead of the victims slowly realizing this over time, the Djinn uses the wishes to kill people instantly and move on to the next person, like a slasher villain. He's played by Andrew Divoff, and spends half his time in the monster makeup and the other half disguised as a human. And honestly, I think he's a lot more interesting when in disguise. Has a real Agent Smith thing going, constantly flashing an arrogant smile that barely conceals his contempt for humanity. When he's in the makeup, especially when smoking or cursing in the makeup, he comes off a little like a Freddy wannabe.
I feel like it could have really been something if it had been either a little less funny, or a lot more funny. As it is, it tries to walk that best-of-both-worlds Sam Raimi road, but without the benefit of Raimi's imagination.
5. Wishmaster (1997)
And it wasn't bad; solid B-movie territory. The Djinn is an interesting monster with a unique spin on an old gimmick. It's the standard Monkey's Paw, "be careful what you wish for" shtick, but instead of the victims slowly realizing this over time, the Djinn uses the wishes to kill people instantly and move on to the next person, like a slasher villain. He's played by Andrew Divoff, and spends half his time in the monster makeup and the other half disguised as a human. And honestly, I think he's a lot more interesting when in disguise. Has a real Agent Smith thing going, constantly flashing an arrogant smile that barely conceals his contempt for humanity. When he's in the makeup, especially when smoking or cursing in the makeup, he comes off a little like a Freddy wannabe.
I feel like it could have really been something if it had been either a little less funny, or a lot more funny. As it is, it tries to walk that best-of-both-worlds Sam Raimi road, but without the benefit of Raimi's imagination.
I liked how the Djinn's speech patterns are just slightly off. It's a subtle hint to his true nature.
The second movie is also pretty good, leaning a bit more on the black comedy. But, uh....stop there. Two more were made, but they're not good. At all.
The second movie is also pretty good, leaning a bit more on the black comedy. But, uh....stop there. Two more were made, but they're not good. At all.
I was able to get the Lugosi version for cheap on Amazon Prime digital. It's nice to have just because the version is so iconic. But boy oh boy does it have little to nothing to do with the book...so far as I've read so far. It was rather disappointing.
Though now having read a lot of the book, I see where the Coppola version also took a lot of liberties. I mean, it's closer than Lugosi or the Nosferatu version. But that love story that they included just takes it down so many notches now that I know.
I will say one thing for the Coppola version though...it had awesome atmosphere and awesome music.
The 1977 BBC adaptation is supposed to be even closer overall, though there's still some things only Coppola gets right. It's frustrating.
This is an excellent rundown.
This is an excellent rundown.
I actually just watched that a couple days ago. It is frustrating that no one has really gotten it right. I mean, I know it's a long book and condensing it to a feature length film would be next to impossible. But it's like on so many points they just don't even try.
The one I feel the most bad for is the Mummy. The "reincarnated lover" thing was his entire shtick! Then Dracula comes in and steals it.
Day 6. Jason X (2001)
I got into the Jason series very much after the fact; I saw most of the series for the first time just last year. Jason X was actually the first full one I ever saw. I wouldn't say I have a soft spot for it...it's not a very good movie...but I have enough distance that I can view it fondly as the end point of an increasingly ridiculous series rather than some offensive last gasp for relevance.
We're well out of whatever horror cache the franchise had by this point, though. It's essentially an R-rated version of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
I got into the Jason series very much after the fact; I saw most of the series for the first time just last year. Jason X was actually the first full one I ever saw. I wouldn't say I have a soft spot for it...it's not a very good movie...but I have enough distance that I can view it fondly as the end point of an increasingly ridiculous series rather than some offensive last gasp for relevance.
We're well out of whatever horror cache the franchise had by this point, though. It's essentially an R-rated version of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
A friend of my wife posted some Halloween cards that her daughter had made. Most were the standard "kid makes a Halloween card" fare, but this one....this one was something special:
Statistically, at any given point you are no more than three feet from a skeleton.
Um, what story element was completely original?
(Also who's Demeter and what happened to the mom looking for her baby?)
The whole Dracula/Mina relationship...him trying to romance her because she's the spitting image of his dead wife...is not from the book.
The Demeter is the ship that brings Dracula to London. And the mother of the snack baby was killed...I actually don't remember if it was by wolves, or Drac's human servants.
All the Dracula talk put me in the mood, so I checked out one adaptation I've never seen before and one I haven't seen in a while.
Day 7. Dracula (Spanish version) (1931)
Day 8. Count Dracula (1977)
For anyone who doesn't know, the Spanish version of Dracula was filmed on the same sets as the Lugosi movie, and using the same script. The Spanish cast and crew would come in and shoot at night after their English counterparts finished for the day. What's really interesting about it is that, between the different sensibilities of the two directors and the slightly more permissive nature of the Spanish market, this version of the movie is often thought of as the superior of the two. At least from a story perspective. The last act in particular is hugely improved, but the whole thing just makes a little more sense in this version.
Count Dracula was a BBC movie. I saw it once, was unimpressed, and mostly forgot about it. Watching it again, and paying closer attention to the fidelity of the adaptation, it really does edge out the Coppola movie as the closest to the book. But it's also dull as dishwater. All the right ingredients, none of the flavor.
Day 7. Dracula (Spanish version) (1931)
Day 8. Count Dracula (1977)
For anyone who doesn't know, the Spanish version of Dracula was filmed on the same sets as the Lugosi movie, and using the same script. The Spanish cast and crew would come in and shoot at night after their English counterparts finished for the day. What's really interesting about it is that, between the different sensibilities of the two directors and the slightly more permissive nature of the Spanish market, this version of the movie is often thought of as the superior of the two. At least from a story perspective. The last act in particular is hugely improved, but the whole thing just makes a little more sense in this version.
Count Dracula was a BBC movie. I saw it once, was unimpressed, and mostly forgot about it. Watching it again, and paying closer attention to the fidelity of the adaptation, it really does edge out the Coppola movie as the closest to the book. But it's also dull as dishwater. All the right ingredients, none of the flavor.