It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
I really appreciate this information. I only recently discovered that this theatre still existed. After reading you article, I can see this is a place that would be good to take travelers that aren’t interested in Beijing Opera, but would be interested in old cinema.
Very informative, thanks again!
I really appreciate this information but I belive taht the historic Cinema Lumière in Pisa (Italy) is the oldest purpose-built, continually operating cinema in the world. The Lumière opened in December 16th, 1905.
http://www.lumierecinema.it/LumiereP…riainbreve.htm
One of the first commercial screening of movies with fully synchronized sound took place in the Cinema Lumière (Pisa – Italy) in October 19th, 1906 by the Fabbrica Pisana di Pellicole Parlate, patented by Pietro Pierini with the name of “Isosincronizzatore”.
Until march 2009, Korsør Biograf Teater (opened january 30th, 1907) in the danish city Korsør is the oldest cinema in the Guinness Book of World Records. Before a cinema in Szczecin, Poland, was listed as the oldest.
I really appreciate this information but I belive taht the historic Cinema Lumière in Pisa (Italy) is the oldest purpose-built, continually operating cinema in the world. The Lumière opened in December 16th, 1905.
http://www.lumierecinema.it/LumiereP…riainbreve.htm
One of the first commercial screening of movies with fully synchronized sound took place in the Cinema Lumière (Pisa – Italy) in October 19th, 1906 by the Fabbrica Pisana di Pellicole Parlate, patented by Pietro Pierini with the name of “Isosincronizzatore”.
Until march 2009, Korsør Biograf Teater (opened january 30th, 1907) in the danish city Korsør is the oldest cinema in the Guinness Book of World Records. Before a cinema in Szczecin, Poland, was listed as the oldest.
The oldest movie theater in the world is neither in Poland nor China, it is in Denmark.
It is located in the city of Korsør, west of Copenhagen. It is the “Korsør Biograf Theater”, and is today officially listed in Guinness Book of World Records, as the oldest in the world.