Actual Line
The previous headline may not ring a bell for some. It’s taken from a scene in Ken Russell‘s Altered States. Brainy psychotherapist Blair Brown says to brainy but eccentric psychotherapist Bill Hurt that their careers are in alignment, they’re both moving to Boston, love is obviously there, sex is great or at least impassioned, and all the pieces are in place so “I think we should get married.”
A mildly surprised, faintly amused Hurt says, “You know of course that I’m supposed to be at least a little bit nuts?”
Blair’s reply: “A little bit? You’re an unmitigated madman. You don’t have to tell me how weird you are. I know how weird you are. I’ve been in your bed for the last two months, and even sex is a mystical experience to you. You carry on like a flagellant which would be very nice, but I sometimes wonder if it’s me who’s being made love to. Sometimes I feel like I’m being harpooned by some raging monk in the act of receiving God.”
Ever since seeing this 1980 film I’ve wanted a girlfriend to tell me that I “carry on like a flagellant.” Thirty years later and it’s never happened.
Two others dialogue snips, courtesy of the IMDB:
Bob Balaban: “The way I feel, I don’t expect to go to sleep for a year. I’m on fucking fire!”
Bill Hurt: “Memory is energy! It doesn’t disappear. It’s still in there. There’s a physiological pathway to our earlier consciousnesses. There has to be; and I’m telling you it’s in the goddamned limbic system.” A colleague tells him he’s “wacko,” and Hurt replies: “What’s whacko about it? I’m a man in search of his true self. How archetypically American can you get? We’re all trying to fulfill ourselves, understand ourselves, get in touch with ourselves, face the reality of ourselves, explore ourselves, expand ourselves. Ever since we dispensed with God we’ve got nothing but ourselves to explain this meaningless horror of life.”
After the Criterion release of Stagecoach, I wonder if the ghost of John Ford feels like he was harpooned by a raging grain monk.
The raging grain monk or monks of course being the Criterion guys…right? Please, no further hijackings.
I love how Hurt enters the party where he and Brown first meet — heavenly light blowing out the doorway behind him, Ray Manzarek’s organ wailing. It’s her-larious.
I saw this at the Lowe’s State Theater in Manhattan when it opened in December of 1980, and loved it. Who cares if Paddy Chayefsky disowned Mad Man Ken Russell’s feverish adaptation of his novel, and is listed as “Sidney Aaron” in the screenwriting credits? The combination of Russel’s cinematic hyperbole, Chayefsky’s glorious dialogue, and the subject matter made for a heady good time. My favorite line, among all that fantastic pontification, is I believe in the scene you are describing, Jeff, the post coital classic Hurt to Brown, “I know God is out there, and I’m going to find the fucker”.
They just don’t make many films like this one anymore. If Russell could’ve toned down some of his cinematic/intellectual urges, this film might not have stalled at the box office like it did. That, or if it would’ve come out in 1972 rather than 1980.
Jeff: I was actually picturing your nemesis Glenn Kenny in Captain Ahab garb.
The film hasn’t really aged well, but it’s still engaging and I agree with a lot of what it has to say. Better people taking hallucinogens and trying sensory deprivation to find themselves than going to fucking Burning Man.
I still prefer Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain as a trippy inspirational film.
She talks just like William Holden in Network.
Love both the book and the film. Book hit me as such an impressionable age it’s a miracle I didn’t become raging devotee of hallucinogenics and Blair Brown was the template for every girl I wanted throughout high school and college.
Hey, at least lazarus has something to add that I didn’t mind reading, if you are going to start threatening folks over thread hijacking, we all know who ENEMY NO 1 is on that fucking list.
One of my all-time favs, and while I do know something about the history of the production it doesn’t detract for me at all (maybe because I’ve only learned of that in the last few years). Films stand or fall on their own once the lights go down.
They really don’t make films like this anymore — so rich in ideas, with this kind of dialogue, with this kind of insanity in the visuals, with such a complex relationship between Jessup and his wife.
Best line in the film: “Somewhat? This guy’s a fucking gorilla.”
‘Inception’ might be a more accessible 2nd cousin to this film.
just read chayefsky’s biography ‘mad as hell’ – the whole story in detail.
From the depths of hell I spit at thee for hate’s sake…oh, wait a minute…
I love “Altered States” to death, but always found it to be relatively restrained and straightforward by Russell standards; no cheeky sneaking in of pop culture references like the “Bye, bye, blackbird” in “The Devils” or any such thing…
Which is my long winded way of saying I’m not sure what Ray is talking about apropos Russell toning down his urges. Given the material, I don’t know how much more toned-down he could have gotten!
Sky Captain, no, Sin City, wait, Sucker Punch teaser.
Let Me In red-band.
What’s your father’s background again, Oliver? And who are you working with on Wall Street 2 again? But he’s not religious, so he’ll probably get a pass like Helen Thomas.
Craig wears a tattoo.
Non-M*A*S*H Hawkeye confirmed.
Captain America cast Q+A.
Iron Man anime teaser.
Icahn vs LG: Round 2.
Raven writer update.
Cowboys & Aliens panel.
Ironic role for Casey Affleck?
Wolverine 2 director short-list.
Some Comic Con panel clips here, here, and here.
Charlie St. Cloud clips.
Carrell+Rudd Q+A.
Oh, and Digital Bits has the specs on the Apocalypse Now Blu-Ray and a Time Life release of The Six Million Dollar Man.
Let’s see if Wells is man enough to acknowledge D.Z.’s blatant mockery of the “no more hijacking” disclaimer.
A genuine question: who here is willing to admit to ever even *reading* one of Danny’s link dumps, let alone *clicking* on a link?
And if Wells has ever used a link off of our boy wonder’s “public service posting,” I don’t recall.
Oh well. It’s comforting talking to yourself, must be comfortable writing to yourself, too.
“They really don’t make films like this anymore — so rich in ideas, with this kind of dialogue, with this kind of insanity in the visuals, with such a complex relationship between Jessup and his wife.”
THE FOUNTAIN
John Lilly … cogitate
Want a probably unpopular but surefire way of getting Wells to address the DZ moronathon? Every time DZ drops a batch of links, pick one and run with it. Seriously. One of the reasons it’s easy for Wells to ignore him is that the links actually rarely disrupt the thread. People just ignore them (or at least refuse to engage with them), as any sane body should.
But imagine if every thread were instantly derailed at the first glimmer of an off-topic link. How long do you think that would last?
LOL at the above.
Mickey: I see where you’re going with that, but I doubt that will work. Feeding trolls is never a good thing.
Eh, spare me the “feed the trolls” platitudes. I’m not saying it would be pleasant, but you can’t tell me that should this happen it wouldn’t be nipped in the bud.
Frankly, I don’t think many people will admit that they like and want to get all indignant and self-righteous over DZ. The only thing more tired than DZ’s link posts are the bloated threads of people trying to argue with him. Now if you could just harness that fervor towards an actual purpose … problem solved.
Sorry, I meant “religulous like Mel”.
people that argue with deezee are insane
Blair Brown should have had a much more stellar career than she was afforded. She was/is an ideal “everywoman”. I still remember the debacle of her Molly Dodd show, which was too progrssive for the times. She missed the big cable payout by a decade. I always like her when she shows up in something.
Surely DZ has a website, and those few people who care could go there to see the list of daily links? I just ignore those posts but now that it’s been brought up, it’s true: they ARE a form of hijacking, and he should pay money to advertise here or get deleted for being off-topic.
Clearly this board is well-moderated, because I’ve never seen any “FIRST!” posts here, and thank God for that.
But to get back on-topic myself: I’ve never aspired to be called “flagellant” in bed, but that’s a pretty hilarious term / image. I really enjoyed that movie as a teen but I fear it hasn’t aged well – I’d rather see a new-to-me Ken Russell film before revisiting that one.
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