Showing posts with label Guido Crepax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guido Crepax. Show all posts

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Fantagraphics releases volume 5 of Louise Brooks inspired Valentina comix

Fantagraphics, one of the leading publishers of comix and graphic novels in the world, has announced the release of volume 5 in its ongoing publication of the complete Valentina, by Italian artist Guido Crepax. This 450 page hardcover book retails for $85.00. More information about the book can be found HERE.



In volume 5, "Bonnie and Clyde, Louise Brooks, and the globetrotting photographer Valentina (a movie and TV star herself!) take center stage. The Complete Crepax Vol. 5: American Stories collects stories that span 1968–1986, such as “The Man from Harlem,” Crepax’s ode to boxer Joe Louis and jazz. In other tales, Valentina attempts to balance new relationships with lovers Bruno and Effi alongside the domestic life she shares with Phil. Meanwhile, Valentina’s rich fantasy life goes Hollywood. Bonnie and Clyde make an appearance, and there are several homages to the silent film era. The first is the wordless BDSM classic, “The Magic Lantern”; and in the second, she “meets” one of her inspirations — actress Louise Brooks!"

Guido Crepax was born in Milan in 1933 and died in 2003. After acquiring a degree in architecture, he worked on publicity campaigns for such corporations as Shell and Dunlop and book covers and jazz LP jackets before contributing comics to the Italian magazine Linus in 1965. He went on to become one of Italy’s most important cartoonists. 
 Information about some of the earlier volumes in the series can be found on the Fantagraphics website. Volume 1 does not seem to be available, though volume 4, volume 3, and volume 2 are available, as is a special boxed set of volumes 3 & 4. These books are rather expensive, and are seemingly only? available in a digital format. Fantagraphics is also offering a Valentina game, pictured below. "Valentina: the Game features illustrated snapshots of the globetrotting heroine’s adventures—in glorious color! Players assemble tiles to..."

 


Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Louise Brooks and the Louise Brooks Society in the news

The Louise Brooks Society continues to make the news. Just recently, journalist Jeanine Guilyard mentioned the LBS in her article on Guido Crepax, "A Star is Reborn," which appeared in the September 2019 issue of La Voce (an Italian-American publication) and the October 2019 issue of Fra Noi.



I've updated the "In the News" tab to include this article as well as a few others of recent vintage. Happily, I have been able to find links to these and other pieces.

Episode 509 - Louise Brooks segment, Positively Kansas, May 31, 2019.
-- appearance on KPTS-Channel 8, PBS television affiliate in Wichita, Kansas 

Williams, Tony. "Brooksie Revisited: Beggars of Life (1928) from Kino Lorber and Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film by Thomas Gladysz." Film International, May 30, 2019.
-- film and book review

Garner, Jack. "Classic movie fans can soon binge on Louise Brooks film on PBS." Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, October 14, 2018.
-- "Meanwhile, if there exists a No. 1 fan and a No. 1 chronicler of Brooks, it's Thomas Gladysz, the founder and longtime champion of the Louise Brooks Society."

Brady, Tara. "Louise Brooks: ‘I was always late, but just too damn stunning for them to fire me’." Irish Times, June 2, 2018.
-- brief mention: "She has super-fans. An online tribute site, the Louise Brooks Society, contains an extraordinary day-by-day chronology of her life."

Next year, the Louise Brooks Society will celebrate it's 25th anniversary - that's 25 years online. Here are a few of the notable clippings, blurbs and mentions from the past & from around the world.

Weissberg, Jay. "Now We're in the Air."  Pordenone / Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, 2017.
-- "Louise Brooks Society founder Thomas Gladysz found evidence that William Wellman was also attached at some point, which makes quite a bit of sense, but by June the studio revealed that the director for Now We’re in the Air would be Frank R. Strayer, a considerably lesser talent than the original three choices."

King, Susan. "The Eternal Louise Brooks." American Cinematheque blog, May 17, 2017.
-- dual interview with Thomas Gladysz and Cari Beauchamp

Mack, Megan. "Connections: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Louise Brooks." WXXI, December 2, 2015. (Rochester, NY NPR)
-- hour long program with film critic Jack Garner, documentary filmmaker Charlotte Siller, and Thomas Gladysz, director of the Louise Brooks Society

Toole, Michael T. "Reopening Pandora’s Box in San Francisco." Film International, August 22, 2012.
-- interview

Blackburn, Gavin. "Forgotten book by Margarete Boehme to be revived in US." Deutsche Welle, November 3, 2010.
-- article on English-language German news site

Matheson, Whitney. "Happy birthday, Louise!" USA Today, November 14, 2006.
-- "My favorite Louise Brooks site belongs to the Louise Brooks Society, a devoted group of fans that even keeps a blog. There, you can find just about everything about the actress: articles, filmography, photos, links and more."

Maltin, Leonard. "Links We Like: Louise Brooks Society." Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy, August 1, 2005.
-- "Not many sites of any kind can claim to be celebrating a tenth anniversary online, but that’s true of the Louise Brooks Society, devoted to the life and times of the magnetic silent-film star and latter-day memoirist. Thomas Gladysz has assembled a formidable amount of material on the actress and her era; there’s not only a lot to read and enjoy, but there’s a gift shop and even a 'Radio Lulu' function that allows you to listen to music of the 1920s. Wow!"

O'Connell, Pamela Licalzi. "Online Diary." New York Times, August 29, 2002.
-- "The Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com) is an excellent homage to the art of the silent film as well as one of its most luminous stars."

Anderson, Jeffrey M. "Thirteen great film sites." San Francisco Examiner, November 29, 2001.
-- "This San Francisco-run site pays tribute to one of the greatest and most under-appreciated stars of all time, Louise Brooks, who played numerous bit parts and starred in only two films during the silent era. It contains tons of info, pictures and history." - short write-up in California newspaper

Forestier, Katherine. "Private Icon." South China Morning Post, December 1, 1999.
-- "The renewed interest in her, fueled by the cyberspace Louise Brooks Society, prompted Turner Classic Movies to fund the television profile Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu."

Evenson, Laura. "Lovely Lulu Lives Again." San Francisco Chronicle, May 3, 1998.
-- feature article in California newspaper (alternative archive link)

Farrant, Darrin. "On the Web." Melbourne Age, April 16, 1998.
-- "The Louise Brooks Society has an exhaustive web site about this fascinating siren." - mention in Australian newspaper

Silberman, Steve. "Fan Site Sparks Biopic." Wired News, April 10, 1998.
-- article on Wired magazine website

Meddis, Sam Vincent. "Net: New and notable." USA Today, May 23, 1996.
-- "Silent-film buffs can get a taste of how a fan club from yesteryear plays on the Web. The Louise Brooks Society site includes interview, trivia and photos. It also draws an international audience."(this piece was syndicated to various newspapers, including Florida Today)

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Homage to Valentina, Homage to Lulu

Omaggio alla Valentina di Guido Crepax, a Louise Brooks e a Rina Ketty.


And


From YouTube: Valentina nasce nel 1965 da uno dei disegnatori più innovativi della storia del fumetto: Guido Crepax, un grafico pubblicitario e illustratore di successo, scomparso il 31 luglio 2003 a Milano all'età di 70 anni.

La prima pubblicazione di Valentina comparve all'interno della rivista mensile "Linus" e si intitolava "La curva di Lesmo". Protagonista era appunto Philip, alias Neutron, critico d'arte e investigatore dilettante, dotato di particolari poteri psichici, che gli consentivano di paralizzare con lo sguardo, qualsiasi individuo o qualsiasi macchina. Tale capacità gli derivava dal suo legame di parentela con i Sotterranei, una popolazione cieca che viveva nel sottosuolo a 20.000 mt di profondità.

Ben presto Valentina grazie al suo carisma e al successo di pubblico, scalza il protagonista Philip Rembrandt, conquistandosi il ruolo di protagonista in tutte le storie seguenti. Ciò che colpisce maggiormente di questo personaggio sono i suoi viaggi onirici, ricchi di simbologia surrealista e di introspezione psicologica, che la vedono spesso e volentieri sconfinare nel mondo dell'eros. I fumetti che narrano le sue vicende sono di fatto destinati a un pubblico adulto.

Se le vicende di Neutron era nate mescolando hard-boiled e fumetto supereroico, con Valentina Crepax trova il personaggio adatto per scavare in profondità nella società del suo tempo, e soprattutto nelle pieghe più remote dell'inconscio.

Ciò che contraddistingue l'originalità grafica del fumetto di Guido Crepax è lo stile delle inquadrature e la disposizione delle vignette all'interno della tavola, che ne mettono in risalto il potere espressivo. Queste scelte stilistiche sono sempre funzionali alla storia e contribuiscono ad amplificare la dinamicità di un movimento oppure a mettere in evidenza un dettaglio, o a comunicare un sentimento.

Valentina Guido Crepax Tribute
Music by Fio Zanetti
Editing KodyPoldino
Thx to LaBellaAddormentataNelFosso for supervision and support!
Thx To All friends, All Pets, All stars!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Another Valentina exhibit now in Italy

There is another big Valentina exhibit in Italy. "Guido Crepax: Portrait of an Artist" opened June 20 at the Palazzo Reale, Piazza del Duomo, 12 - Milan. It runs through September 15. After only a few days, the exhibit has generated a fair amount of media coverage, including this piece on La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno and another on the AffairItalian website. Be sure and check them out. The latter piece contains not only a slide show, but also a brief Italian TV clip which contains a couple of lovely images of Louise Brooks. 


The exhibit is not the only big Louise Brooks related news out of Italy. Amazon.it announced that Archive Crepax has chosen Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to publish the digital version of the saga of Valentina, the ever-popular comic book series created by Guido Crepax. The first episode, The Curve Lesmahagow: Part One, is now available. Upcoming is The Curve Lesmahagow: Part Two, Hello Valentina and many others. The entire collection will be available exclusively on the Kindle Store for downloading and reading on the Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD and, thanks to the free apps for reading Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android smartphones and tablets.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Valentina come Louise Brooks

Speaking of Valentina, and speaking of Louise Brooks . . . there is a recently published book which is terrific, and which every serious Brooks fan will want to own. The book was published in Italy in 2012 by Fandango Libri. It's Valentina come Louise Brooks - Il Libro Nascosto (Valentina as Louise Brooks - The Hidden Book), by Vincenzo Mollica and Antonio Crepax.


The book looks at the life and work of the late Italian cartoonist and illustrator Guido Crepax. And in particular, it looks at the creation of Crepax's most celebrated comix creation, Valentina, which was inspired by the silent film star Louise Brooks. Valentina come Louise Brooks - Il Libro Nascosto includes a handful of photographic images of Brooks, including one image of a portrait of Brooks on Crepax's desk, as well as numerous drawings of Brooks / Valentina by Crepax. The book also includes a few handwritten letters from Brooks to Crepax. 

All in all, it's a beautifully illustrated hardback book and a must read or must look for every Louise Brooks fan. If you don't read Italian, don't worry. Here, the pictures tell the story. Below is a snapshot of the front endpapers.


Sunday, March 31, 2013

Louise Brooks - Valentina exhibit in Italy


As fans and followers of Louise Brooks know, the actress was the inspiration behind Guido Crepax's internationally celebrated Valentina comix / graphic novels. A show currently on display at the Cart Gallery in Rome, Italy celebrates the artist and his best known work. Be sure and visit the page for "Ciak: Valentina," which contains descriptive text and examples of Crepax's art. Here are a few examples. The first references Diary of a Lost Girl, the celebrated 1929 Brooks film directed by G.W. Pabst.


Here is the Italian text from the gallery website.Use Google Chrome or a web translation feature to read its meaning in your language of choice.
Apparsa per la prima volta sulla rivista Linus nel 1965, Valentina è uno dei personaggi femminili dei fumetti più noto in tutto il mondo: l’unica capace di brillare di luce propria senza bisogno di un protagonista maschile. Per questo, oltre che dagli uomini, per i quali incarna un sogno erotico elegante e sofisticato, essa è molto apprezzata dalle donne come simbolo di indipendenza, fascino e seduzione.

Personaggio simbolo degli anni Sessanta e Settanta, ha continuato a riflettere modi e mode anche nei due decenni successivi. Il suo stile, innovativo e anticipatore, la rende ancora oggi incredibilmente attuale. La complessità del carattere, ricco di sfaccettature e contraddizioni, è una delle chiavi del suo successo, tanto che molte donne hanno finito con l’identificarsi in lei.

Crepax si è sempre preoccupato di costruirle intorno un mondo credibile. La data di nascita, la carta d’identità, il naturale e costante invecchiamento (unico caso nel mondo dei fumetti), le relazioni, il figlio, il lavoro, la macchina, i vestiti, gli oggetti: tutto è reale, fedele riproduzione di un quotidiano possibile. Anche i sogni svolgono un ruolo importante nelle sue storie non solo per evadere, ma per fornire una chiave interpretativa dei fatti. Talvolta inventati, altre fedelmente riportati da sogni veri, essi hanno dato ulteriore spessore al personaggio avvicinandolo alla psicologia di una donna reale.

Spesso il cinema e la fotografia hanno caratterizzato l’opera di Crepax, non solo sotto il profilo dell’impostazione grafica della pagina. Montaggio, inquadratura, sequenza, stacco, particolare: nei fumetti di Valentina tutto è cinema, tutto è immagine. Crepax dimostra una particolare passione per tutto ciò che è dettaglio, accessorio: diversi punti di vista dai quali ricostruire la scena.

Da ciò nasce la volontà di proporre, con la preziosa collaborazione dell’Archivio Crepax ed approfittando anche di alcuni Pezzi proposti nella Mostra Valentina Movie, un’Esposizione che ci presenta lo strettissimo legame ultratrentennale che Valentina ha avuto con il mondo del Cinema: oltre 30 Opere Originali in grado di calarci in una realtà parallela, nella quale veniamo accompagnati dalla fotografa milanese – moderno, raffinato e sexy Virgilio – in un percorso a volte onirico ma sempre fonte di forti emozioni.

E allora … Ciak: Valentina … si gira !!!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Recommended New Releases for the Louise Brooks Fan

It’s that time of the year when critics, journalists, bloggers and others issue their "Best of" lists - the year’s recommended new releases in the world of books, movies, music and more. Here's the best of 2012 with a twist, exceptional new releases for fans of the silent film star Louise Brooks.

Like last year, 2012 saw the release of a small but distinguished number of new releases related to the legendary silent film star. Prominent among them is Laura Moriarty's widely acclaimed bestselling novel, The Chaperone, as well as a handful of DVD's including the first ever DVD release of Brooks' last film, Overland Stage Raiders. Fans of the actress will want to check out all of these recent releases.


In 1922, only a few years before becoming a famous silent-film star, fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks left Wichita, Kansas to study dance in New York City. Accompanying Brooks was her thirty-six-year-old, somewhat stodgy neighbor, who acted as chaperone. Based on these few facts, Laura Moriarty has penned a captivating, quietly powerful, and moving historical novel about these two woman and the summer they spent together which changed them both. Both critically acclaimed and a New York Times bestseller, this new book is highly recommended. Also available as an audio book read by actress Elizabeth McGovern. (Riverhead)



DVD-R: God's Gift to Women, directed by Michael Curtiz

It's no secret that Louise Brooks appeared in mostly mediocre sound films. With her career in decline, the one-time silent era star took what roles came her way in the sound era. God's Gift to Women, one of three films she made in 1931, is easily the actress' best talkie. It is also an enjoyable pre-Code romp, a comedy about romance with an impressive cast that includes Frank Fay, Laura La Plante, Joan Blondell, Charles Winninger, Yola d'Avril and Margaret Livingston (Brooks' voice double in The Canary Murder Case). Brooks doesn't have a very big part in this farce, but she makes an impression in a bedroom scene when some of the film's pulchritude gets into a cat fight.  (Warner Archive)


BOOK: Valentina come Louise Brooks. Il libro nascosto, edited by Vincenzo Mollica and Antonio Crepax.

This Italian book was the companion publication to "Valentina Movie," an exhibit held this past summer at the Palazzo Incontro in Rome. It featured the work of the late Italian comix artist Guido Crepax, a longtime admirer of Louise Brooks. The exhibit detailed the influence the actress had on the creation and development of Crepax's best known creation, Valentina, a popular character who appeared in numerous comic strips, graphic novels, books, and spin-off films. Whether or not you read Italian, the dedicated fan will want to own this illustrated book. (Fandango Libri)





Louise Brooks' film career came to an end in 1938 with a supporting role in Overland Stage Raiders, a B-western starring a young John Wayne. This new release marks the film's first official release on DVD and Blu-Ray. (It had been released on VHS some years ago, and is now hard to find.) Said to be only for the John Wayne or Louise Brooks completist, Overland Stage Raiders (presented here in a 1950's revival print) is worth watching at least once. Brooks, 32 years old and sporting a new look, is still alluring and holds her own in what is essentially a guy's film. (Olive Films)





While a young man in the early 1980s, Berkal had the almost unique experience of meeting and befriending  the then older and reclusive Louise Brooks. The story of that friendship is chronicled in this self-published, ebook-only release. (It is also referenced in Barry Paris' 1989 biography.) Benevolent Siren is a brief recounting, which in the end leaves you wanting more. (Smashwords) Also keep in mind Youthful Places, a small collection of poetry also by Berkal. It contains "MLB," a poem about and dedicated to the actress. (Amazon Digital Services)




DVD/BluRay: La Canarina Assassinita (Canary Murder Case), directed by Malcolm St. Clair. 

The Canary Murder Case (1929), with Brooks in the title role of the "Canary," has not yet been released on DVD in the United States. But it has been, at least twice, in Italy. This new release is the latest out of Europe. Not seen at time of review. (Ermitage Cinema) Also keep in mind Mystery Movies Series of 1930's Hollywood, by Ron Backer. This recommended book opens with The Canary Murder Case and details the many subsequent Philo Vance films which followed. (McFarland)






This collection of academic essays on popular German literature of the late nineteenth century includes "Taking Sex to Market: Tagebuch einer Verlorenen: Von einerToten and Josefine Mutzenbacher, Die Lebensgeschichte einer wienerischen Dirne, von ihr selbst erzählt," by the English academic Elizabeth Boa. The essay, by a noted German scholar whose fields of interest include Frank Wedekind, looks at the book which was the basis for the 1929 Louise Brooks' film, The Diary of a Lost Girl.  That book was Margarete Bohme's Tagebuch einer Verlorenen, a controversial bestseller which sold more than 1.2 million copies. In its review of this new book, the Times Literary Supplement said, "The essays are often fascinating and always informative. The best of them make their arguments against the forgetting of their once-bestselling authors exciting. They share a passion for getting to the bottom of why, in or outside Germany, we know so little about books that were, in the main, not just flashes in the pan, as they often endured for up to a century." That's true for Boa's take on Bohme's still valuable and provocative work. (Camden House)

ALSO KEEP IN MIND....


Colleen Moore was the cute-as-a-button silent era actress who first achieved stardom in Flaming Youth (1923). It was in that film, in which Moore plays a flapper, that the actress first sported bobbed-hair. That was also a couple years before Louise Brooks entered films and made her own mark. Both actresses were known for their signature look, a straight bob with bangs, and that fact has led some to wonder who first wore the iconic hair style. Codori discusses that question and more in this appealing biography. (McFarland)




Mae Murray, popularly known as "the girl with the bee-stung lips," was a fiery presence in silent-era Hollywood. Renowned for her sultry beauty, Murray rocketed to stardom as a dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies before entering films. She appeared in The Delicious Little Devil (1919), Jazzmania (1923), and most famously, The Merry Widow (1925). With the coming of sound, her career went into decline, and eventually Murray found herself nearly destitute. The parallels with Louise Brooks' career are striking. This highly recommended biography, featuring much original research, includes never before published observations about Murray drawn from Brooks' letters to Kevin Brownlow.  (University Press of Kentucky)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Rare footage of Louise Brooks

Speaking of comic art.... There is a big exhibit in Rome devoted to the graphic art of Guido Crepax, the Italian cartoonist whose  Valentina comix were inspired by Louise Brooks. "Valentina Movie" runs through September 30 at the Palazzo Incontro in Rome.

Italian LBS member Gianluca Chiovelli sent an email pointing out this recently posted related YouTube clip, which excerpts material from an Italian documentary dating from when I am not quite sure. It also contains footage I don't think I have ever seen before.


For more about this fantastic exhibit, be sure and check out this fantastic blog by Anna Battista.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Cool pic of the day: poster for Valentina art exhibit

Cool pic of the day
 

This, apparently, will be the poster image for the upcoming Guido Crepax
"Valentina Movie" exhibit in Rome.
See the prior blog for details.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

New art exhibit inspired by Louise Brooks

If I am reading it right, this Italian webpage notes that a new exhibit titled "Valentina Movie" about Guido Crepax's Valentina artwork (which was directly inspired by Louise Brooks) will be on display in Rome, Italy starting in late May and running through September. The exhibit is curated by the Archivio Crepax and Vincenzo Mollica.


According to LBS member and Italian friend Gianluca Chiovelli, Mollica was "an incredible Louise Brooks’ fan, "who wrote one book on the actress and participated in the 1983 interview in Rochester together with Hugo Pratt." Here is the text of the Italian announcement.

VALENTINA MOVIE
Roma, Palazzo Incontro
30 maggio – 30 settembre 2012
 
ANTEPRIMA STAMPA
Martedì 29 maggio ore 12.00
 
VALENTINA MOVIE, curata da Archivio Crepax e Vincenzo Mollica, è la prima mostra romana dedicata a Valentina. Promossa dalla Provincia di Roma nell’ambito del Progetto ABC Arte Bellezza Cultura ed organizzata da Civita, apre al pubblico dal 30 maggio al 30 settembre, a Palazzo Incontro.

Nata nel 1965 dalla penna di Guido Crepax, la donna più complessa e sensuale del fumetto italiano si presenta in un'esposizione "anarchica" ed emozionale, costituita da sale tematiche che avvolgono il pubblico in un'atmosfera sempre in bilico tra sogno e realtà.

Sagome di Valentina a grandezza naturale guidano gli spettatori lungo il percorso, raccontando il mondo di Crepax e fornendo spunti dal ricco bagaglio culturale che caratterizza le storie della saga. Il tutto, amplificato da ambientazioni e spettacolarizzazioni di grandi dimensioni tratte dai disegni, animato da installazioni e contributi video e valorizzato da 120 tavole originali scelte tra le circa 2.600 che quest'Autore ha dedicato a Valentina.

I am curious to find out if there will be a catalog or any related screenings? And of course, should you find yourself in Rome this Summer do check out this exhibit and post something about what you see.

 

Monday, October 25, 2010

Valentina postcards of Louise Brooks

A set of four postcards by the Italian comix artist Guido Crepax featuring Louise Brooks as Valentina are currently for sale on eBay. They were published in 1985.

The last card, orange tinted, has LB doing the Potempkin as von Stroheim looks on - curious and curiouser. The drawings are completely mystifying.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Guido Crepax in mostra - Oltremoda

Check out this fabulous Italian video clip (on youtube) about Guido Crepax and his graphic novel heroine Valentina. I don't speak Italian and don't really know what they are talking about, but I do know that Louise Brooks is featured throughout! There even seems to have been an exhibit in Italy about Crepax that also featured the comix silent film star muse.



Thank you Gianluca Chiovelli for forwarding this clip.
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