A few quick remarks on the "Black Panther" trailer.

Context: Hollwood superhero movies not doind so well ("Batman vs Superman", apparently), paving the way for satires such as (the execracle) "Deadpool" + election of Tr*mp + the racist and unpunishment murder of various black American men by the police and the resulting emergence of the "Black Lives Matter" movement

-enter "Dark Panther".

Starting with Cinematographic Imagery:  the title appears out of black background (2.15). BLEEDIN' BORING BALL-BREAKING FUCKIN' ANNOYING blue vs. orange colour scheme. Staccato editing (this is a trailer after all + needs to inject sense of urgency and excitement). Frenzied movement = action.

Identification: protagonist presented as a king (like N. Mandela). Black South African rounded "r" (0.53 -like N. Mandela). Protagonist wearing what appears to be a South African scarf (1.14 -like N. Mandela). Brief glimpse of, er, a black panther (1.14). Mask of feline appearance (0.55) like a -geddit?- black panther + redolent of the Marvel super-hero imagery (Batman, anyone?). Hero and antagonist shed their (civilisation) armour to fight with only their awesome (nature) musculature on show (1.36).

Heroic Figure: big muscles - weapons - catchy name - presence of aged guide (the mother) - easy lines to remember ("I never freeze") - apparent side-kick (M. Freeman)


but


Reversal: white actors/characters (not yer man from "The Office / Sherlock" hey, but the two others) apparently presented as baddies in traditional role reversal. Multiculturalism: neon signs in Japanese/Korean (1.58). Gender egalitarianism: women fighting (1.52)

Subversion: repetitive use of Gil Scot-Heron's "The Television Will Not Be Televised", a ground-breaking black anthem protest song whose slogan will resurface with the likes of -excusez du peu- Public Enemy, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, the Wu-Tang-Clan, Jamiroquai, Snoop MachinChose, Elvis Costello, Last Poets, NO FX, Pulp, and on and on and on. Interesting double-enteeeendre lines "I've never seen anything like this" "How long have you been hiding?" "I've waited my entire life for this" "it is your time".



Effects:

-----> idea of destiny / wetting the viewer's appetite:  "what kind of king will you be?" - "let's have some fun" - glimpses of muscles - hero's final move to the right cut off abruptly.

-----> despite promise of difference, a trailer in fact abiding by the stylistic conventions of the superhero genre (surely to better subvert it, huh?) - pay attention, for instance, to the very first lines ("I have seen..."): they cannot but remind you of another blockbuster! ("Blade Runner")

Judging from this trailer, the skin colour of the hero may change, viewers are still in for: loud "hip" aggressive music; frenzied "MTV gen" editing; special effects a gogo; spectacular fight scenes; FUCKIN' BORING PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT THE FUCK STOP blue-and-orange cinematography; self-styled moral rationales; bodybuilder physiques and so on (ie more of the same).

Verdict: success guaranteed.

“Frankenstein” -another look.

“Frankenstein” was written by the daughter of Uhr-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (hold that thought). What was Wollstonecraft's main point in “In Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (1791) again? That women should be granted a proper education (which would render them more respectable in the eyes of men). Wollstonecraft died less than a month after giving birth to Mary Shelley (hold that thought as well). By the time the book came out, Mary Shelley was about 19 and had already lost a child at birth (she would have been 17 or something!!) and had become a mother.

So how does “Frankenstein”'s story proceed? Well, the first half of the book pretty much consists almost entirely of an unending demonstration of personal knowledge by its author as Shelley proceeds to show us that she has read up on biology, physics, history, poetry, literature, botanics, and their likes dead hard yeah. (Note to Mary: nobody likes a show-off.)

The actual bit about -y'know- creating a living creature, huh? takes about... one page, two at the most and -lo!- the monster takes his bow for the next fifth of the book, allowing Shelley to turn her attention back onto on her ill-at-ease in society education crazy student (gee, I wonder why...)

Two thirds into the book, Shelley then remembers that she was supposed to write a story and -lo!- the creature reappears to wreck havoc on his creator's family life. Said creator, when given a chance to show clemency towards his lonely creature, shoots himself in the foot big time and more tragic events ensue to conclude -or does it???- on the North Pole.

A few remarks.

The book is narrated, like many of its time, by an extra-diegetic character who recounts the story, as told to him, by letter (cf. “Wuthering Heights” or “Dr Jekyll 'n Mister Hyde” -kind of).

There is definitely something going on about not giving birth here: first of all the creature is not born out of a woman; then Victor's future bride is adopted into the Frankenstein family; the marriage is not consumed; the narrator is childless, and so on and so forth.

You would have to be as thick as Donald Tr*mp not to get the parallel between Walton (the narrator) and Victor Frankenstein -yawwwn. Not to mention the less than subtle references to “Moby Dick”or “Paradise Lost”.

All in all, I would argue that the book is brimming with barely disguised personal hang-ups (regarding education, family structure, the victimisation of women...). 

In short, another one worth reading for yourself: you will discover an entirely different text than the one you would imagine if you were to base your appreciation of it on its seriously sexed up cinematographic adaptations.

Just for the sake of it...

If you've enjoyed some of the pix, here are the links to two artwork compilations:
"Pearls of Joy"
"Let's Get Graphic".
Only 3 Pound each.
+ Bombay's Beautiful Life (with a big cheer for Alice currently competing for the title of Miss Mimosa 2018, whoo-ooh!!)