Film Noir
Film Noir is a cinematic genre that has its roots in France, where pulpy, paperback American crime novels became wildly popular (Ebert).
The overall tone of Film Noir is pessimistic, as emphasized by the starkly shadowy, often colorless visuals and ominous music ( "Film Noir."). The characters are cynical and world-weary, the women are dangerous and stylish, and everyone smokes cigarettes. The setting is almost invariably urban.
Key examples of the genre include The Maltese Falcon, Out of the Past, Spellbound, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard ("Film Noir.") Modern homages include Chinatown, Bladerunner, L.A. Confidential, and The Man Who Wasn't There.
The overall tone of Film Noir is pessimistic, as emphasized by the starkly shadowy, often colorless visuals and ominous music ( "Film Noir."). The characters are cynical and world-weary, the women are dangerous and stylish, and everyone smokes cigarettes. The setting is almost invariably urban.
Key examples of the genre include The Maltese Falcon, Out of the Past, Spellbound, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard ("Film Noir.") Modern homages include Chinatown, Bladerunner, L.A. Confidential, and The Man Who Wasn't There.
Photography Technology
In addition to the artistic aspects of photography (like tone, lighting and composition) a photographer of Sam Hendrix's day would have had to engage in a variety of technical processes that today, with our cell phone cameras, we do not need to think about.
He would have had to control the shutter speed manually, to load and unload the film very carefully or risk ruining his photographs, and developed them himself in a darkroom (LaCour).
Polaroids had just been invented in this time, so Sam Hendrix, as a professional, would have been in competition with this technology that allowed people to take pictures themselves.
He would have had to control the shutter speed manually, to load and unload the film very carefully or risk ruining his photographs, and developed them himself in a darkroom (LaCour).
Polaroids had just been invented in this time, so Sam Hendrix, as a professional, would have been in competition with this technology that allowed people to take pictures themselves.
Blindness
Most cases of blindness in the United States are not sudden occurrences related to "accidents." The four most prominent reasons are age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma ("Fact Sheet: Leading Causes of Blindness in the U.S. [NEI Health Information]."). Based on her age (as it has been represented by casting choices) and her health, we can assume that none of these are the causes. Also, she has both her eyes in physically good condition, so her accident could not have been one that directly caused eye injury.
Most likely, her accident was one that caused damage to her Occipital Lobe, located at the back of the head ("Cognitive Skills of the Brain."). It is unlikely that this would result in sudden and complete blindness; most who suffer from this sort of brain injury end up with stranger and less dramatic symptoms, like partial blindness or a loss of depth perception. Alternatively, retinal detachment can result from a sudden snapping movement of the head, and can cause complete blindness.
Adults who become suddenly blind may experience psychological trauma as well ("The Twenty Losses of Blindness."). Many go through the entire mourning process, wherein they lament the loss of much of their independence and mobility. We see this when Susy resents Gloria; it may be partially because of her unpleasant personality, but is likely also related to the girl as a symbol of Susy's new dependence. Newly-blind people also find themselves unable to perceive body language or facial expressions, making spoken communication more difficult. And, of course, Susy cannot experience her husband's photography.
Blind people, like other disabled people, often encounter prejudice and stigma. For example, many feel that they are defined by others in terms of their disabilities ("The Twenty Losses of Blindness."). Some feel that the association of the lack of sight with darkness carries its own group of negative connotations, leading the people around them to feel like the blind person is doomed to a life of darkness, sadness, and the feeling of being lost. By the time the story begins, Susy has managed to work through these mourning stages and fight back against stigma. When she refers to herself as a "champion blind lady," even though she uses the phrase to fight back against her husband's expectations, she is showing that she has come to terms with her new state.
Newly-blind people may need to make many adjustments to systems in their home that were designed by the sighted ("Introduction to Home Management."). For example, clutter can be devastating to a blind person's need to find an object or be able to navigate safely. Generically-shaped objects like cans must be labeled in a way that the person can detect, and money will probably be arranged a certain way in a wallet. Even a skill as basic as cooking may need to be entirely re-learned. Different forms of recording information have to be practiced; often Braille and/or a system that the person themselves develops.
Most likely, her accident was one that caused damage to her Occipital Lobe, located at the back of the head ("Cognitive Skills of the Brain."). It is unlikely that this would result in sudden and complete blindness; most who suffer from this sort of brain injury end up with stranger and less dramatic symptoms, like partial blindness or a loss of depth perception. Alternatively, retinal detachment can result from a sudden snapping movement of the head, and can cause complete blindness.
Adults who become suddenly blind may experience psychological trauma as well ("The Twenty Losses of Blindness."). Many go through the entire mourning process, wherein they lament the loss of much of their independence and mobility. We see this when Susy resents Gloria; it may be partially because of her unpleasant personality, but is likely also related to the girl as a symbol of Susy's new dependence. Newly-blind people also find themselves unable to perceive body language or facial expressions, making spoken communication more difficult. And, of course, Susy cannot experience her husband's photography.
Blind people, like other disabled people, often encounter prejudice and stigma. For example, many feel that they are defined by others in terms of their disabilities ("The Twenty Losses of Blindness."). Some feel that the association of the lack of sight with darkness carries its own group of negative connotations, leading the people around them to feel like the blind person is doomed to a life of darkness, sadness, and the feeling of being lost. By the time the story begins, Susy has managed to work through these mourning stages and fight back against stigma. When she refers to herself as a "champion blind lady," even though she uses the phrase to fight back against her husband's expectations, she is showing that she has come to terms with her new state.
Newly-blind people may need to make many adjustments to systems in their home that were designed by the sighted ("Introduction to Home Management."). For example, clutter can be devastating to a blind person's need to find an object or be able to navigate safely. Generically-shaped objects like cans must be labeled in a way that the person can detect, and money will probably be arranged a certain way in a wallet. Even a skill as basic as cooking may need to be entirely re-learned. Different forms of recording information have to be practiced; often Braille and/or a system that the person themselves develops.
Criminal Culture and Common Scams
The two criminals in the play are confidence artists. Talman and Carlino, as per their own admission, are not murderers. Their skills lie in crime for their own monetary benefit.
We are familiar with internet scams, but all scams done in the characters' era would have all been done face-to-face. A famous example is played out thus: one man leaves a beat-up thrift shop violin with another man at a restaurant while he supposedly runs an errand or leaves to do some other task. Someone else, a purported violin expert, tells the man that the violin now in his possession is priceless, offers to buy it, and then leaves. When the first con man comes back, the victim offers to buy the violin from the man, so that he can sell it to the "expert," giving the seemingly reluctant owner more money than the violin's actual worth. The "expert" never comes back, leaving the victim short his money ("How Con Artists Work."). This exact con game would probably have been well known by this time, meaning that more complicated ones would probably be employed. Making money this way requires a keen sense of observation, the ability to read people, and convincing acting and improvisation.
The play also addresses the "revolving door" problem, in which convicts upon their release often slip back into the prison system post-haste. As the play demonstrates, once a person is immersed in criminal culture, it can be hard to escape, even if one wants to.
We are familiar with internet scams, but all scams done in the characters' era would have all been done face-to-face. A famous example is played out thus: one man leaves a beat-up thrift shop violin with another man at a restaurant while he supposedly runs an errand or leaves to do some other task. Someone else, a purported violin expert, tells the man that the violin now in his possession is priceless, offers to buy it, and then leaves. When the first con man comes back, the victim offers to buy the violin from the man, so that he can sell it to the "expert," giving the seemingly reluctant owner more money than the violin's actual worth. The "expert" never comes back, leaving the victim short his money ("How Con Artists Work."). This exact con game would probably have been well known by this time, meaning that more complicated ones would probably be employed. Making money this way requires a keen sense of observation, the ability to read people, and convincing acting and improvisation.
The play also addresses the "revolving door" problem, in which convicts upon their release often slip back into the prison system post-haste. As the play demonstrates, once a person is immersed in criminal culture, it can be hard to escape, even if one wants to.
Heroin
Heroin is an opiate, meaning that it is derived from the opium poppy ("Heroin."). It is a stronger version of morphine and was originally intended to be used as a painkiller, but doctors found that it was too addictive to be practical. In its purest form it is bright white, but it often appears brown. In a powder form, as would be inside the doll, it can be sniffed, or dissolved in a solution so it can be injected.
It acts as a depressant, and causes bodily functions (like breathing and digestion) to slow down, giving a feeling of blissful relaxation. A heroin high will last two to four hours. Withdrawal symptoms are the opposite: restlessness, body aches, insomnia, and diarrhea.
One danger of heroin lies in the fact that one's tolerance disappears very quickly, so an experienced user who has not used in a few days can give themselves their regular dose and die. Another is that it may be cut, or diluted, with other substances that are not healthy to imbibe.
It acts as a depressant, and causes bodily functions (like breathing and digestion) to slow down, giving a feeling of blissful relaxation. A heroin high will last two to four hours. Withdrawal symptoms are the opposite: restlessness, body aches, insomnia, and diarrhea.
One danger of heroin lies in the fact that one's tolerance disappears very quickly, so an experienced user who has not used in a few days can give themselves their regular dose and die. Another is that it may be cut, or diluted, with other substances that are not healthy to imbibe.
“I am not so much fun
Anymore; Couldn’t carry the role of ingenue In a bucket, you say, laughing. And I want to punch you. I was never innocent, but Thanks to you I know things I wish I did not remember. You don’t like it When I talk to the man myself, Specifying quantities and Give him the money Instead of giving it to you And letting you take care of it. You keep asking me, Where’s the dope? Until I finally say, I hid it. The look you give me is Pure bile. Well, fuck you. This isn’t like Buying somebody a drink. You don’t leave your stash out Where I might find it. Finally I think I’ve made you wait Long enough, So I get out the little paper envelope And hand it to you. You are still in charge of This part, so you relax. Performing your junky ritual with Your favorite razor blade, until I ask you how to calculate my dose So I won’t O.D. when I do this And you’re not around. Then you really flip. You tell me it’s a bad idea For me to do this with other people. ** Was it such a good idea For me to do it with you? Do you wait for me to turn up Once every three months So you can get high? Is this our version of that famous Lesbian fight about Nonmonogamy? |
Let me tell you what I don’t like. I don’t like it when you Take forever to cut up brown powder And cook it down and Suck it up into the needle And measure it, then take Three times as much for yourself AS you give me. I don’t like it when you Fuck me After you’ve taken the needle Out of my arm. You talk too much And spoil my rush. All I really want to do Is listen to the tides of blood Wash around inside my body Telling me everything is Fine, fine, fine._ And I certainly don’t want to Eat you or fuck you Because it will take forever To make you come, If you can come at all, And by then the smack will have worn off And there isn’t any more. I’m trying to remember What the part is that I do like. I think this shit likes me A lot more than I like it. Now you’re hurt and angry because I don’t want to see you again And the truth is, I would love to see you, As long as I knew you were holding. So you tell me Is this what you want? I bet it was what you wanted All along.” ― Patrick Califia |