Not Untamed, But Childish

Joan Crawford’s all-talkie debut, Untamed, begins as a drama with music set in South America, then makes a choppy transition to a society romance in which the lovers are reconciled only after she attempts to murder him. The film’s tone shifts with every new scene. At no time does any character in Untamed resemble any human being who ever lived, but its flamboyant unreality gives the film a vaguely comic, unintentional charm.

-Scott Eyman, The Speed of Sound

So I watched it for the madness.

It was something alright.

It is all over place, with a dash of South American exoticism. They're acting as if South America (as a monolith) is the anals of hell, dear lord.

Anyway, wow this lady sounds a lot like Joan Crawford, I thought in the first five seconds. You doofus, she is Crawford! And this is how I learn that she was in The Unknown. I saw her onscreen way before I saw her in Mildred Pierce. Fuck my stupid baka brain.

See, the thing that I could not take from this movie, which sadly made it more painful than funny, was that her character (B-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was her name-o) was supposed to be naive, but came across childish. And it wasn't Crawford's fault (this was her first talkie, she still sounds a bit Southern even), but the writing's. And it's not even in a teenager way, she acts like she's five years old.

And then pulls a 180 and she acts like she's ten when we get to the high-society bit.

I did guffaw at the improvised boxing match, and how willing Bingo was to punch people she didn't like.

The Artist

From an early talkie, to a late silent (really late, 2011).

I had to rewrire my brain for this one. It's not supposed to emulate a silent film, but to be a modern silent. It's not supposed to be historically accurate, but to be like Singin' in the Rain, grabbing the myth and twisting it to tell its story.

Because it was filmed on digital, and the camera acts very modern, and the acting is still very modern talkie.

Afterwards, I was on board. At the end of the day, it's a celebration, of the silents, of the talkies (musicals), of melodrama. And I had a blast.

It's weird, because it won so many awards and it didn't create this wave of modern silent movies. Like La La Land didn't create a wave of musicals. Sigh.

And it has a top tier dog. Such a good boy. Deserves all the pats.

Films Watched

• Vendémiaire (1919)


• The Phantom Fiend (1932)


• L'engrenage (1919)


• Wicked: For Good (2025)


• I Lived With You (1933)


• Belle (2021)

Books being read (for leisure)

• Anno Dracula by Kim Newman


• The Speed of Sound by Scott Eyman

Books on hold

• Terrarium by João Barreiros and Luís Filipe Silva

Arts

• 3 finished pieces (Erich Keith of Tempête sur l'Asie, Karl von Marwitz, Otto Becker)


• No dumb doodles :(

Words Written

• Barbara's Great Wine Search: 0 words, ugh


• Pre-canon AadA fic: 163 words (total 762 words), ugh


• Else & Paul bonding moment: 129 words (total 782 words) - pretty much finished!


• Miscellaneous short fics: two fics (total 200 words)

Total: 492 words

Bringing you this, a "documentary"/"interview" with Asta Nielsen in 1968! Everything is in quotes because it's very clear with all those multiple cameras it's staged. But it was nice seeing her hanging out at her catholic-chique home (with her gay boytoy? I think that's her gay boytoy), reminiscing about how awesome she was. No fake humility, she knows she's awesome and loves listening to compliments.

I dunno, it's just nice that we got reports of people who worked on film way back in the silent days. We have interview footage of Alice Guy, pioneer woman filmmaker! Pretty sure there's a radio interview with Musidora somewhere (wouldn't be able to experience it, blah French)!

Title: Pretense
Rating: General
Fandom: The Last Performance
Pairing(s) / Character(s): Julie Fergeron, Erik the Great
Warnings: n/a
Spoilers: n/a

Note: For fic_prompt, prompt was "any, any, "pretend I'm someone you like"".

On AO3
On Squidge

( Read more... )

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Title: my heart still brims with hope
Rating: General
Fandom: Anders als die Andern (1919)
Pairing(s) / Character(s): Kurt Sivers/Paul Körner
Warnings: n/a
Spoilers: n/a

Note: For comment_fic, prompt was "Any, any, an AU where everything is happy and nice".
The title comes from The Tales of Ise.
AU where everyone lives and is happy yay!

On AO3
On Squidge

( Read more... )

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Title: A Minor Mistake
Rating: General
Fandom: Anders als die Andern (1919)/Orlacs Hände (1924)
Pairing(s) / Character(s): Paul Orlac, original characters, mentioned Paul Körner and Yvonne Orlac
Warnings: n/a
Spoilers: n/a

Note: For comment_fic, prompt was "author's choice, any two characters with the same name, there's been a (minor? major?) mix-up".
Silly crack crossover.

On AO3
On Squidge

( Read more... )

Doing the rest in one go.

Creative Fan Endeavors

Have you ever created fan art, fan fiction, or any other fan work for your fandom?
As it's written in my profile:

Fannish activities I have done: drawn fanart, written fic, made icons, made a fanfic masterlist, created fan characters, made very bad fanvids for myself that are now lost because old PC went kahput!

Can you talk about a fan project that you’re particularly proud of?
Denouement is still the best thing I've written. Tried being more descriptive and it actually worked!

How do you see creativity as a part of your participation in the fandom?
All I have to offer.

What’s your process like when creating something inspired by your fandom?
Get a brainworm (metaphorically) out of nowhere and then exorcise it by drawing/writing it.

Are there any tips or advice you’d offer to someone wanting to start creating fan content?
Do it. Just do it. There will be people who'll hate your work (and yourself) but fuck 'em. Do it still because you will have fun and feel fullfilled. Believe me.

Do you collaborate with other fans on projects or creations? If so, what is that like?
Never done that.

How has the feedback from the community affected your creative works?
Didn't draw for months :)

What motivates you to contribute your own creations to the fan community?
The need to exorcise the demons simply share, because you never know if someone out there needs something like what I've created.

Have any of your fan creations ever been recognized by the creators or actors involved in the fandom?
Well, most are dead. The ones who are alive, oh god please no never.

Is there a creative skill you’ve developed or improved on through your fan activities?
All of them. I think.

How do you balance originality and adherence to the source material in your creations?
Hahahaha

What’s been the most ambitious or large-scale fan project you’ve seen or participated in?
None, really.

Multifandom Community

Have you ever participated in a multifandom challenge where you were the only person from your fandom(s)?
Of course *cries in small fandoms*

Do you interact with multifandom spaces such as forums, social media, etc? If so, why do you choose this space?
Yes, because it's the only places I get to talk about my weird lil movies and no one bats an eye at them. Sometimes, some people have seen those movies and that's nice.

Have you ever entered a new fandom through fan content such as fic, videos, gifs, etc? Which one(s)?
Not really.

Have you ever organized a multifandom event? If so, which one? (Yes, promote yourself, babyyyy!)
Nom

What's your favorite multifandom challenge or event?
threesentenceficathon! Always have a blast with it!

Have you or your work ever been involved in fandom wank that escaped containment?
...

Do you or any of your projects have a fanlore page?
Absolutely not, and I hope I never have one. I'm not self-centered enough to make my own, either.

Do you like crossovers? Have you created any crossover in any form?
Yes and yes. The latest one was a one-sentence fic crossover of Around the World in 80 Days and Ox Tales (it's called Bocas over here). Very normal.

What's your favorite piece of worldbuilding that you apply to multiple fandoms?
I don't... do that.

Do you have any trope or tag that you read fandom blind? Which one?
Not really. I don't do fandom blind.

If you've ever read/seen something fandom blind, did you want to interact further with the fandom afterwards?
I said... I don't do fandom blind.

How do you balance your time between fandoms?
Very badly. Poor Doctor Who. All sad and neglected...