Franz Kafka

[xylokopos]

Quote

An Imperial Message The Emperor--so they say--has sent a message, directly from his death bed, to you alone, his pathetic subject, a tiny shadow which has taken refuge at the furthest distance from the imperial sun. He ordered the herald to kneel down beside his bed and whispered the message in his ear. He thought it was so important that he had the herald speak it back to him. He confirmed the accuracy of verbal message by nodding his head. And in front of the entire crowd of those witnessing his death--all the obstructing walls have been broken down, and all the great ones of his empire are standing in a circle on the broad and high soaring flights of stairs--in front of all of them he dispatched his herald. The messenger started off at once, a powerful, tireless man. Sticking one arm out and then another, he makes his way through the crowd. If he runs into resistance, he points to his breast where there is a sign of the sun. So he moves forwards easily, unlike anyone else. But the crowd is so huge; its dwelling places are infinite. If there were an open field, how he would fly along, and soon you would hear the marvelous pounding of his fist on your door. But instead of that, how futile are all his efforts. He is still forcing his way through the private rooms of the innermost palace. Never will he win his way through. And if he did manage that, nothing would have been achieved. He would have to fight his way down the steps, and, if he managed to do that, nothing would have been achieved. He would have to stride through the courtyards, and after the courtyards through the second palace encircling the first, and, then again, through stairs and courtyards, and then, once again, a palace, and so on for thousands of years. And if he finally burst through the outermost door--but that can never, never happen--the royal capital city, the centre of the world, is still there in front of him, piled high and full of sediment. No one pushes his way through here, certainly not someone with a message from a dead man. But you sit at your window and dream of that message when evening comes.

Selected Shorter Writings by Franz Kafka, tr. Ian Johnston

[miguel1984]

Even though the Orson Welles' version is a masterpiece, I also happen to love this 1994 version of The Trial, starring Kyle MacLachlan:

The Trial 1993 - YouTube

[Ascrobius]

If you get a chance, this documentary is fascinating.

Kafkas Last Story - YouTube

[miguel1984]

Thanks; I will definitely check it out.

[miguel1984]

Steven Soderbergh said he was going to edit a new version of Kafka (1991); here is the original:

Kafka 1991 - YouTube

[miguel1984]

Oh, I would also recommend Introducing Kafka by David Zane Mairowitz and the great Robert Crumb, if only for the illustrations.

[ChildofOldLeech]

- Soderbergh's Kafka was one of the most formative films of my adolescence , so I would be overjoyed to see him release a director's cut; of course, at this point, just having the movie out on dvd would be great too.

[miguel1984]

Here is Soderbergh talking about the new version of Kafka in an interview with Vulture (http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/steven-soderbergh-in-conversation.html):

Question: I once asked Tarantino if he would change anything in any of his films. He said, “No. It wouldn’t be in the film if I didn’t want it there.” That doesn’t sound like something you would say.

Answer: Well, I’m remaking—it’s been a long process—but I’m overhauling Kafka completely. It’s funny—wrapping a movie 22 years later! But the rights had reverted back to me and Paul Rassam, an executive producer, and he said, “I know you were never really happy with it. Do you want to go back in and play around?” We shot some inserts while we were doing Side Effects. I’m also dubbing the whole thing into German so the accent issue goes away. And Lem (Lem Dobbs, the screenwriter) and I have been working on recalibrating some of the dialogue and the storytelling. So it’s a completely different movie. The idea is to put them both out on disc. But for the most part, I’m a believer in your first impulse being the right one. And I certainly think that most of the seventies directors who have gone back in and tinkered with their movies have made them worse.

Will Selfs Kafka Journey: A Prague Walking Tour - YouTube

[paeng]

Essay: Looking for Kafka | Weird Fiction Review