ST ch 19 French 75s, Greasy Thumb Guzik
Mark Kohut
mark.kohut at gmail.com
Wed May 13 19:39:44 UTC 2026
One smart critic once made this observation: Almost all movies of
novels.especially great ones, disappoint. If the novel
was full of the best words in their best order (me quoting Arnold). The
best scenes conceived fully and in depth with no scenes
extraneous, then how could movies of them please fans really since much
always has to be cut.
Another person one said; there are better movies made from good short
stories---all incidents used often; best dialogue---than from
great novels....
I just learned that there is an 84 CD set of What's His-Name COMPLETE
BEATLES GET BACK SESSIONS---with one of the few visible examples
of an artistic act live, pulled from nothingness and practice....98
hours....over four 24 hour days....
I think only a great animator team with a Director who planned on that much
work on film alone might do Gravity's Rainbow justice. --or however long it
would take..but,I know.....
On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 1:06 PM Laura Kelber <laurakelber at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm not at all sure that GR should be adapted. Some things are better left
> as they are. There was a short film, Impolex (2009), which I haven't seen.
> The late, great Dave Monroe saw it and thought it was reasonable.
>
> The one thing on my wish list for any Pynchon adaptation is that the
> adapter has a clear understanding of the book's meaning (to them) and has a
> Kubrick-like intensity about mapping it all out in detail ahead of time,
> and conveying that meaning on the screen (ah, if only Kubrick could have
> taken it on!). Anything less is just riffing (inspired by). That's how we
> ended up with Emerald Fennell's *"Wuthering Heights."*
>
> I can't think of any great adaptations of any of my favorite novels. The
> best adaptations (okay, just guessing here) take an underwhelming novel and
> make it better: Kubrick and *The Shining*, for example. David Lean's
> *Bridge
> On the River Kwai*.
>
> On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 11:50 AM Corbeau Castrum <filsducorbeau at pm.me>
> wrote:
>
> > What would be the appropriate way to adapt Pynchon's work? More kazoo?
> > Less improvisational filmmaking? Must the conditions of production
> between
> > a novel and a film be parallel or similar in approach? And why? Another
> way
> > of asking this question is, what would be examples of successful
> > adaptations?
> >
> > On Wednesday, May 13th, 2026 at 17:40, Laura Kelber <
> laurakelber at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Here's the link to the article about how the ending of One Battle After
> > > Another was created.
> > >
> > >
> >
> https://theplaylist.net/paul-thomas-anderson-says-one-battle-another-shut-down-production-for-2-months-for-benicio-del-toro-inpired-a-new-ending-20251211/
> > >
> > > Basically, PTA had no strong ideas about how to end the story so he
> > halted
> > > production for 2 months until Del Toro could come on set and re-imagine
> > the
> > > whole ending. He had a strong sense of who his character was (much
> > stronger
> > > than DiCaprio seemed to have of his own character), which is why
> > Benicio's
> > > character took charge of the story, with DiCaprio relegated to comical
> > > sidekick. Benicio also came up with the whole road trip/race idea,
> > > apparently. That's not how I think an adapter should approach Pynchon's
> > > work. And it's why he had to change the credit from "adapted from" to
> > > "inspired by" Pynchon's novel. Hard to understand why PTA won Best
> > Adapted
> > > Screenplay under the circumstances.
> > >
> > > On Tue, May 12, 2026 at 10:14 AM Joseph Tracy via Pynchon-l <
> > > pynchon-l at waste.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Just didn't seem right to me, since there is this dead body of a CC
> > > > member on the highway and the car from which Penn was shot ( hardly
> a
> > > > French 75 vehicle) which is gonna come to police attention,or Penn's,
> > > > since he is walking along the same road. The Penn character is
> supposed
> > > > to know how to find shit out and has the power to do so. Just seems
> > > > like a non credible loose end in order to do the scene with the Nazi
> > > > style gas chamber and Penn's smiling ripped face looking like a
> George
> > > > Grosz drawing.
> > > >
> > > > The driving scene was shot in southern California near Palm Springs
> > > > about 8-10 hours from Humboldt County. No terrain like that up there,
> > > > but one of the more stomach churning car chase scenes ever.
> > > >
> > > > On 5/12/26 4:34 AM, Mark Kohut wrote:
> > > > > O yeah....the Sean Penn character believed it was his Leftie
> enemies,
> > > > > the French 75s
> > > > > who tried to kill him.....staring at the barrel of a rifle for a
> > > > > bare second or tow before being shot in the face
> > > > > makes it hard to see who shot.....film cutting nice on that,
> imo....
> > > > >
> > > > > On Tue, May 12, 2026 at 12:05 AM Joseph Tracy via Pynchon-l
> > > > > <pynchon-l at waste.org> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > I thought the movie was a kind of surrogate imaginary revenge
> > against
> > > > > Trump for people who aren't going to do shit to work for
> change,
> > > > > or to
> > > > > stop the bipartisan genocide and scapegoating of refugees
> fleeing
> > > > > poverty and right wing narco states. No Zionists in the
> Christmas
> > > > > Club,
> > > > > no Rubio, No Condaleeza, no Clarence Thomas. Also there was no
> > > > > family
> > > > > in Humboldt County, which was quite central to the novel. The
> > only
> > > > > 'education for the Prairie character was violence and terror
> > > > > resolved in
> > > > > classic hollywood fashion when she shoots her designated
> killer.
> > > > > Why did
> > > > > Sean Penn still join the weird club after they tried to kill
> him
> > and
> > > > > left him disfigured? Vato and Blood telling the fascist prick
> he
> > > > > would
> > > > > have to leave his bones behind but he would get used to it was
> > > > > better.
> > > > > DiCaprio and Del Toro( substitute for family) and the young
> > woman
> > > > > who
> > > > > plays the Prairie type role were excellent as were several
> other
> > > > > performances. The French 75 started out with an appealing
> action
> > and
> > > > > then they are robbing banks and murdering the security guard.
> Did
> > > > > that
> > > > > make anyone want to join the revolution?
> > > > > One realistic aspect was the extreme difficulty of
> organizing
> > a
> > > > > violent revolution in an age of pervasive digital surveillance.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > The scene with the letter worked for me only because I thought
> > it was
> > > > > obvious DiCaprio wrote the letter and that his daughter knew
> it.
> > > > > Otherwise it would be like a manipulative Hollywood resolution
> > where
> > > > > abandonment and murderous betrayal is healed by a profession of
> > > > > love. In
> > > > > Vineland Frenesi takes the risk of going north and showing up.
> > > > >
> > > > > I hate to be so negative. Was looking forward to the movie.
> > Liked his
> > > > > version of IV. I found it slightly better watched on a TV in a
> > > > > second
> > > > > view with my visiting daughter, who was not too impressed.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On 5/11/26 12:34 PM, Mark Kohut wrote:
> > > > > > us thSo, we differ and maybe I’m too accepting.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Here’s to pluralism.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > On Mon, May 11, 2026 at 12:08 PM Laura Kelber
> > > > > <laurakelber at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >> I'm just not a fan of PTA, other than Boogie Nights, and I
> > find
> > > > > nothing in
> > > > > >> his movies that echos or resonates about America or the
> world
> > > > > the way
> > > > > >> Pynchon does, or even, for that matter, the old doc The
> World
> > > > > at War (which
> > > > > >> I'm currently rewatching) does. In an interview, he said
> that
> > > > > Benicio del
> > > > > >> Toro actually helped craft the plot of the latter part of
> the
> > > > > movie, which
> > > > > >> is "inspired by," not an adaptation of Vineland. So I don't
> > see
> > > > > PTA as
> > > > > >> anything approaching the deliberate craftsmanship of
> Pynchon.
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> On Mon, May 11, 2026 at 11:53 AM Mark Kohut
> > > > > <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >>> Anderson’s movies’ tones are not literally the decade they
> > > > > are set, imo.
> > > > > >>> Look at the Master, Magnolia, others. They are thematic
> > > > > thematic tones
> > > > > >>> resonating beyond their present.
> > > > > >>>
> > > > > >>> In OBAA it is the eternal present of America from the
> sixties
> > > > > to Tiffany,
> > > > > >>> imo.
> > > > > >>>
> > > > > >>> I think one reason Anderson is a fan and has had his
> artistic
> > > > > vision
> > > > > >>> shaped by TRP is to try to emulate that poised both
> > > > > sides/times now.
> > > > > >>>
> > > > > >>> See Lawrence and H Rap Brown among others on violence and
> > > > America.
> > > > > >>>
> > > > > >>> On Mon, May 11, 2026 at 11:37 AM Robin Landseadel via
> > Pynchon-l <
> > > > > >>> pynchon-l at waste.org> wrote:
> > > > > >>>
> > > > > >>>> I understand what you are saying about the initial setting
> > of
> > > > > the movie
> > > > > >>>> in the Obama era. Of course, no names are named. However,
> > the
> > > > > historical
> > > > > >>>> POV of most of the movie is in the present tense, or at
> > least
> > > > > a present
> > > > > >>>> tense. Thank you for mentioning Assata Shakur and Fred
> > > > > Hampton. That would
> > > > > >>>> be more on-point, in that regard you are right as regards
> > > > > French 75. The
> > > > > >>>> point of 24fps was to document police actions against
> > > > > protesters, something
> > > > > >>>> that was happening a lot at Earth First and associated
> > > > > rallies in the
> > > > > >>>> Emerald Triangle in the late 1980s/early 1990s, lots of
> > folks
> > > > > circling the
> > > > > >>>> scene with handheld videocams.
> > > > > >>>>
> > > > > >>>>> On 05/11/2026 8:17 AM PDT Laura Kelber
> > > > > <laurakelber at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > >>>>> Saw One Battle After Another a couple of days ago.
> "French
> > > > > 75" appears
> > > > > >>>> to be a group modeled after the SDS or Black Panthers but
> > set
> > > > > in the
> > > > > >>>> present tense rather than the late 1960s/early 1970s like
> > 24fps.
> > > > > >>>>> French 75 appears to me to be modeled after more violent
> > > > > groups like
> > > > > >>>> The Weathermen and BLA, and Perfidia clearly referenced
> > > > > Assata Shakur, who
> > > > > >>>> died about a week (if I remember) before OBAA had its
> > > > > theatrical release.
> > > > > >>>> The violence of these groups was a response to the FBI's
> > > > > assassination of
> > > > > >>>> Fred Hampton and the excesses of the Nixon administration
> > and
> > > > > COINTELPRO.
> > > > > >>>> To set a similar group ahistorically in the tepid years of
> > > > > the late Obama
> > > > > >>>> period seems politically tone deaf to me. It's not
> something
> > > > > that Pynchon
> > > > > >>>> would ever do, and certainly didn't do in Vineland. That's
> > > > > one of my many
> > > > > >>>> objections to the movie.
> > > > > >>>>> Laura
> > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > >>> --
> > > > > >>>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > --
> > > > > > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > > > > --
> > > > > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > > >
> > > --
> > > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > >
> >
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>
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