Antonin Artaud

Anybody out there an Antonin Artaud fan? Nothing like a little Theatre of Cruelty to start off the morning right! I'd love to direct some of his film scenarios someday, personally. The man was definitely ahead of his time.

Don't know whether I'm a fan; just don't know enough about him. The book I have from him is a translation in Dutch of : Van Gogh: le suicide de la societe. (Van Gogh: selfmurderer by the society?) Long time since I read it and made me think of films by Peter Greenaway as I remember. Long sentences that created lots of associations in my mind. Your remark will make me read it again. As an aside: if you are into film what do you think of Andrei Tarkovski?

I'd recommend reading "The Theatre and Its Double," which is basically his masterwork. I just got a collection with a bunch of his other stuff, but I haven't gotten to the Van Gogh piece yet, although I've heard it's good.

If you're interested, one of Artaud's most famous short plays for the Theatre of Cruelty is at a webpage somewhere: http://www.cis.vt.edu/modernworld/d/artaud.html

The only two Tarkovsky films I've seen thus far are My Name is Ivan and Solaris. I didn't really dig either of them too much; well made defintely, and great cinematography in Solaris, but for some reason they just didn't click with me too much. I thought the American remake of Solaris was good, especially in that it was half as long, but the ending of the original was a lot higher on the mindfuck scale. I have a few more of his on my list to see. Didn't he only make 8 films or something like that? Pretty good for being one of Russia's most acclaimed directors.

I read "L'ombilic des limbes" (in French) 14 years ago, when I was 17. I think I liked this book, but I should read it again to be able to give a frank opinion.

I have an LP of some of his radio broadcasts from 1939, it's pretty great, I think you can get it on CD. I wouldn't want to have lived his life, but he definitely had an intense creative persona.

Originally posted by David&nbspChurch I'd recommend reading "The Theatre and Its Double," which is basically his masterwork. I just got a collection with a bunch of his other stuff, but I haven't gotten to the Van Gogh piece yet, although I've heard it's good. If you're interested, one of Artaud's most famous short plays for the Theatre of Cruelty is at a webpage somewhere:http://www.cis.vt.edu/modernworld/d/artaud.html The only two Tarkovsky films I've seen thus far are My Name is Ivan and Solaris. I didn't really dig either of them too much; well made defintely, and great cinematography in Solaris, but for some reason they just didn't click with me too much. I thought the American remake of Solaris was good, especially in that it was half as long, but the ending of the original was a lot higher on the mindfuck scale. I have a few more of his on my list to see. Didn't he only make 8 films or something like that? Pretty good for being one of Russia's most acclaimed directors.

Just to let you know that this thread makes me going to read the Theatre and its Double. Having read the Peter Brook, Grotowski and Stanislavski views on theatre long time ago it's probably time to get back via Artaud. Sometimes things click, sometimes they don't. I watched all of Tarkovski's films except "the steamroller and the violin" which was his first of the 8 he made. His films flow in a slow pace especially with the camera movements that he applies. There is also a book by Tarkovski where he explains his views on the art of film. I think it is called "the mirror of time"? (In dutch: de verzegelde tijd; which is not a one to one translation). Artaud is probably more radical in his approach as I will find out I guess?. Or is it just that the expression of his ideas is more radical?