Histoires extraordinaires
Related: Edgar Allan Poe - Charles Baudelaire - 1840s
Description
In 1846 and 1847 Charles Baudelaire became acquainted with the works of Edgar Allan Poe, in which he found tales and poems which had, he claimed, long existed in his own brain, but had never taken shape. From this time till 1865 he was largely occupied with his translated versions of Poe's works, which were widely praised. These were published as Histoires extraordinaires ("Extraordinary stories") (1852), Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires ("New extraordinary stories") (1857), Aventures d'Arthur Gordon Pym, Eureka, and Histoires grotesques et sérieuses ("Grotesque and serious stories") (1865). Two essays on Poe are to be found in his Oeuvres complètes ("Complete works") (vols. v. and vi.). --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Baudelaire#Life_and_works [Jan 2006]Histoires Extraordinaires aka Spirits of The Dead (1968) - Louis Malle, Roger Vadim, Federico Fellini
An irresistible and guilty pleasure, this anthology based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe is a rare opportunity to see three of the biggest names in 1960s European film direction working in the short form. The results are uneven, but so what? They're also plain outrageous. Roger Vadim's Metzengerstein stars real-life siblings Jane and Peter Fonda perversely cast as lovers. When the latter dies, Jane's character turns to a mysterious black stallion for companionship, the suggestion being that the dead man's spirit is within the horse. Both corny and vaguely lurid, this ghost tale is Vadim all the way. Louis Malle's William Wilson is an in-your-face take on Poe's classic doppelgänger fable, starring Alain Delon as a blackguard who gets his comeuppance from a nicer variation of himself. More craftsman-like than cinematically bold, the film displays the kind of crisp wit Malle didn't display often enough. Finally, Federico Fellini's Toby Dammit proves to be the most interesting piece in the trio, featuring Terence Stamp in a terrific performance as an actor at the end of his rope (the equivalent of Mastroianni's burned-out director in Fellini's 8½), who has come to Rome to star as Christ in a New Testament Western. Dense with Fellini's dreamy textures and iconic clutter, Toby Dammit is a fun experience. Brigitte Bardot, is stripped and tied spreadeagled to an operating table for vivisection. --Tom Keogh for amazon.com
American International Pictures distributed this horror anthology film featuring three stories by Edgar Allan Poe directed by European directors including Louis Malle and Federico Fellini. Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, and Terence Stamp are among the stars. The English language version features narration by Vincent Price. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirits_of_the_Dead [Aug 2006]
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