Apparently, Michel Houellebecq is to be found behind the camera these days. He is busy with the film adaptation of Platform (or is it Possiblity of an Island?). Some stills can be found on the website of Fernando Arrabal. Scarcely clad body-painted carnivalesque damsels draw the immediate attention. It has been rumored that Rem Koolhaas would design the decors. Fernando Arrabal is prominently present. –via De Papieren Man
Jahsonic
Aantekeningen van Leonardo, hoofddoodgraver van Dodenstad.
Scary thought that someone is giving a madman like Houellebecq yet more license and opportunity to offend and provoke. Cannot deny the man has enormous talent and a big brain. POSSIBILITY OF AN ISLAND is a work of skill and intellect…it also left me cold, emotionally. Will the movie version show more humanity, characters we can empathize with? I know Houellebecq won’t cater to the masses. But can he deliver a watchable movie?
Hi Cliff,
Your question is hard for me to answer because sometimes I like unwatchable films and I also like madmen like Houellebecq licensed to offend and provoke and I (sometimes) like work that leaves me emotionally cold. I do however fully agree that Houellebecq is a man of skill and intellect. Have you seen Extension du Domaine de la Lutte?. An excellent film in my opinion, but, yes, very cold indeed.
Jan
Have not, in fact, seen “Extension du Domaine”. I live wayyyy out in the Canadian prairies and access to good foreign films is well nigh impossible. Every so often we go in to the nearest big city and pillage their library shelves. That’s where I picked up a copy of Tati’s
“Jour de Fete”. The VHS was in rough shape but still watchable and I spent a portion of last night giggling my head off. Are you a Tati/Monsieur Hulot fan?
I’d like to read more Houellebecq–I hope he’s not going to be sidetracked by this film stuff (likely a lot more lucrative). He’s a born novelist and I love the fact that in these days of political correctness et all, he still has the courage to piss people off, to have views that verge from the mainstream.
I’ve seen Houellebecq’s short film La Rivière and it was visually very beautiful, and a very poetic film. It was emotionally detached in terms of the characters, but the overall tone was indeed very emotive. I unfortunately haven’t read any of his novels, but plan on it eventually. What’s the best place to start (keep in mind I’d have to read something that’s been translated into English as my French isn’t nearly good enough to read what I imagine would be a challenging novel!).
I read two of his novels and some of his essays.
Extension du domaine de la lutte (English title: Whatever) contains some witty and astute descriptions of the bureau-/technocratic milieu that Houellebecq seems to know first-hand.
The Elementary Particles is an interesting take on science fiction (in fact one of the few interesting in the nineties) which also has some autobiographical elements.
Houellebecq doesn’t seem to be very keen on sixties counterculture. He is influenced by Balzac and he hates de Sade.
Andrej
I’ ve seen “Extension du domaine de la lutte”, and read “The Elementary Particles” (excellent portrayal of the failure of the sexual revolution).
I was very much impressed by “H.P. Lovecraft: Contre le monde, contre la vie” (1991; Trans. as H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life by Dorna Khazeni, Intro by Stephen King, 2005), an analysis of the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft.
Andrej, thanks for letting me know that he is influenced by Balzac and hates de Sade.
IMO Houellebecq is one of the greats.
Jan
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