Tonight I went to CSUN for a special Halloween screening of "The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse" (1933). Man, what a weird and creepy movie! I have probably mentioned it before, as I have the dvd and have seen it several times, but never before had I seen it on a movie screen, and as always, you see things you didn't notice before, and everything is magnified (or actually, is seen the way it was meant to be seen in the first place). The screening was hosted by another film Professor this time - although Professor Tim was present - and this Professor gave an interesting lecture about Fritz Lang, the director of "Mabuse" and many other famous films. I did not know that Lang was basically a really bad guy, one step above being a tyrant, but I did know that he's made some tremendous movies, like "Metropolis" and "M" and two "Mabuse" films, and others. New research shows that, even though his mother was Jewish, he collaborated with the Nazis and was asked by Goebbels to be the Film Minister of Germany, which he turned down, but still.....
I guess in that sense, he is like Richard Wagner, the great composer. Wagner was likewise an unpleasant man, actively anti-Semitic, and the Nazis were even inspired by his works. Still, few would argue that his music ranks with the greatest of the classical composers, as one listen to the Ring Cycle or the Prelude to "Tristan und Isolde" (one of the greatest pieces of music ever written) will demonstrate.
The subject of Art and Artist is an interesting one, and this Professor tonight gave us a lot of insight into the egomaniacal mind of Fritz Lang. Perhaps he created "Dr. Mabuse" as his counterpart. I shant give my usual lengthy review of the film, just because it's weird and must be seen rather than described to you. It's a crime film at heart, but not just any crime film. More like a Supernatural Crime Film or a Psychological Crime Film, or both. Dr. Mabuse is the ultimate anarchist, who wants to create an Empire Of Crime, and by perfecting the methods of every manner of crime, he wants to demoralise the human race by creating a criminal empire that will run rampant and be unstoppable, that will commit horrific crimes for no apparent reason. But the thing is that Dr. Mabuse is an an Insane Asylum. He is catatonic. But he is able to project his philosophies by mental telepathy to his psychiatrist, who then conveys them to a local criminal gang.
Then the elderly Mabuse dies, and his ghost possesses the psychiatrist, and everything proceeds from there. I will post a short clip on Facebook, to give an idea of what I am talking about. I think I may have posted this clip before, but it bears repeating, to quote The White Stripes in that ridiculous song. :)
"The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse" also has elements of German Expressionism, and one of these elements is the use of sound. Lang has his actor's voices mic-ed up loud, and there is a lot of shouting and exclaiming in German, perhaps not the most easy-on-the-ear language ever spoken, and so this adds an abrasiveness to parts of the film that can strain the uninitiated viewer. You don't just sit down and watch "Mabuse"; you have to be ready. There is also no soundtrack, no music whatsoever, and so that can give it a bit of a "dry" feel. But if you can handle the "cheese grater" voice effect and the German style of acting from the early 30s, then a date with Dr. Mabuse should prove to be no problem for you, and the rewards will be many. Though it's not the easiest watch, I love this movie and think that it's one of the most original films I've seen. ///
This afternoon I had a nice hike up at Whitney Canyon in Newhall. I've been a Hiking Machine these past few days, eh? In past years, since I began hiking in 2013, I used to love to go to Placerita or Walker Ranch at Halloween, just because of the Wilderness Ghost Vibes at those places, and it was a beautiful feeling, like Good Ghosts, Spirits Of Nature, and so I was establishing a Halloween Tradition of hiking at Walker on October 31st, and I did it in 2014 and 2015. But in 2016, there was a horrible fire up there, that Summer, and they still haven't restored the trails. So I went to El Scorpion yesterday and Whitney today, instead. They are beautiful in their own way, magnificent really, but I hope Walker Ranch and Placerita Canyon will be open again next year because I miss those places.
They have the best Ghosts for this time of year, and I take my Ghosts very seriously.
Tomorrow I will try to do a good Halloween for the Trick Or Treaters here at Pearl's, and then I will head home at about 8 or 8:30 and go on my walk, and check out all the Halloween Houses in my 'Hood.
One of these years it would be great to have the time and resources to do a costume, or even a costume party.
In that respect, I saw your post Elizabeth, of the Halloween Costume suggestion from Eric Whitacre. I can't say that I understood his musical reference, haha (I've got a ways to go in that respect), but I certainly liked his idea of a "couple's costume". I think that would be the perfect way to go Trick Or Treating! Hey, Halloween is like Valentines Day that way....right?
You've got your chocolates (i.e treats) and your romance both days. But on Halloween you've got your Weirdness, too! And you have got to have Your Weirdness, or you can't function.
I will outdo Tim Burton by combining Halloween with Valentines Day. :):)
Yeah I know I'm nutty.
See you in the morn.
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