Any "Blue Velvet" fans on the list? Jeffrey, the protagonist of the movie, finds a severed ear at the beginning of the movie. That severed ear represents the "seething underbelly of suburbia."
The ear is what leads Jeffrey into danger. Indeed, just as Jeffrey's troubles begin, the audience is treated to a nightmarish sequence in which the camera zooms into the ear canal of the severed, decomposing ear. Notably, the camera does not reemerge from the ear canal until the end of the film. When Jeffrey finally comes through his hellish ordeal unscathed, the ear canal shot is replayed, only in reverse, zooming out through Jeffrey's own ear as he relaxes in his yard on a summer day. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Yeah-- distillation ---thats it. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > I know it's accurate, just seems to be more the distillation of the > > times, not the full thing. But i see your point, and *great* idea > > about pairing with the Dick van Dyke show. What a trip of a n evening > > of TV watcing that'd make! > > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > > From: "ravenadal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:ravenadal%40yahoo.com>> > > I agree with everything Keith said EXCEPT I think "Mad Men" is dead > > nuts on in depicting the dark under belly of post fifties America. > > Showing us "what was REALLY going on," if you will. It's sort of like > > post millenium America where pious righteous demogogues get busted > > soliciting in airport bathrooms. > > > > A great companion piece to MM is "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Rob and > > Laura's idylic life in New Rochelle is the true stylized fever dream > > (remember the famous "walnut" episode), where Jewish gag writer Carl > > Reiner's avatar is Dick Van Dyke. > > > > ~rave! > > > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > <mailto:scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com>, KeithBJohnson@ wrote: > > > > > > i watch it, but find it to be strange. "Dark", indeed, it's almost > > like some kind of funhouse mirror of the time, showing all the warped > > and borderline perverted aspects of the time. Can't quite put my > > finger on it, but it makes me uncomfortable. There's palpable menace > > in every show, even when the people are joking. It's as if any second > > you expect one of the men (and this is about men) to do something > > brutal. They can be extremely callous towards and dismissive of women, > > most of whom are just objects to be used for work or play, then > > discarded. Of course the only blacks I've seen are elevator operators > > and janitors. Many of the men speak in slow, stilted speech, almost > > mumbling, like they're angry or guarded. > > > > > > It's almost like a stylized dream (nightmarish) version of the time. > > The look is dead on, but almost too much so, if that makes sense. The > > colors feel too vibrant, the suits and hairstyles too perfect, the > > sets too dead on, as if someone took all the obvious visual aspects of > > the time and put them on screen. It almost feels like a Julie Taymor > > ("Freda", "The Lion King" musical) type treatment. > > > > > > I can't get comfortable with any of the men, who run the gamut from > > predatory to psycho. Some of the women seem really troubled, as if the > > oppression of the times has warped their minds--they can't fulfill > > themselves as they'd like in a man's world, so they find other, odd > > ways to get release. > > > > > > Everyone in the show feels slightly off, twisted, more like patients > > in a mental ward. Really weird vibe. > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > > > From: "Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" <tdlists@> > > > > > > > I remeber there being a few fans of this dark look at the 60ths on > > the > > > > list, so I thought this would interest you. > > > > > > > > Mad Men Gets a Second Season > > > > AMC series will be back for more. > > > > by IGN Staff > > > > > > > > September 19, 2007 - Variety reports that AMC's Mad Men is about > > to be > > > > renewed for a second season, with the official announcement set to be > > > > made as early as the end of today. The series, focusing on New > > York City > > > > advertising executives in the 1960s, has been a critical favorite > > this > > > > season and done well for the cable station. > > > > > > > > Variety notes the ratings for the series have shown a particular > > upswing > > > > in the male demographic for AMC. > > > > http://tv.ign.com/articles/821/821190p1.html > > <http://tv.ign.com/articles/821/821190p1.html> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > >
