I wanted to add a bit to the class discussion from Friday about the different \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feels\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of Yojimbo and The Glass Key. Dr. Campbell told us \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feel\u00e2\u20ac\u009d didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite encapsulate what we were trying to articulate, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to propose an alternate word \u00e2\u20ac\u201c aesthetic. According to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), when used as an adjective, aesthetic describes a sensuous perception. So the way we perceive things, the sense we get about the story, changes with the film. The Glass Key fills the plot lines of the novel, but Yojimbo gives us more the novel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s aesthetic, if not the same plot structure and events. Interestingly, an alternate definition of aesthetic is, (noun) \u00e2\u20ac\u0153of or pertaining to a late nineteenth-century movement in England of artists and writers who advocated a doctrine of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcart for art\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Now, I know neither film was made in 19th century England, but I do think this gives us a window of insight. We have established that Yojimbo is a much more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153self-conscious\u00e2\u20ac\u009d film, one that wants to call attention to the fact it is an art form rather than pretending to portray reality. This is, at least it is my understanding, of the concept of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153art for art\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d So, perhaps it is better to say that Yojimnbo captures the aesthetic of Hammett\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Glass Key, while the film The Glass Key, captures more of its plot structure. <\/p>\n
I want to talk a bit more about adaptations, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m late for a phone date, so that will have to wait \u00e2\u20ac\u02dctill tomorrow. Also, we haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really talked about Miller\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Crossing in class yet, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to wait and see if my ideas on adaptations will pan out after we discuss the film in more detail. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I wanted to add a bit to the class discussion from Friday about the different \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feels\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of Yojimbo and The Glass Key. Dr. Campbell told us \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feel\u00e2\u20ac\u009d didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite encapsulate what we were trying to articulate, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to … Continue reading