William Saroyan. The Human Comedy.
http://www.vimeo.com/3183111
Author's note: No one can write like William Saroyan. No one can come up with a bunch of words paraphrased and capture the simple spirit of his writings.
He is very elusive author.
The best way to do a documentary of one of his books is to pick a few sentences at random directly from one of his books and quote them exactly, ones that describe and do a lot to lay down the basic timeless setting.
The settings of his books was very close to that of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row, except that Cannery Row was on the Coast at Monterey, California, and William Saroyan's The Human Comedy is set inland, in Ithaca California, at around the same time, that being the years between 1900 and 1930.
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Friday, September 26, 2008
Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs
http://vimeo.com/3045876
Ernie Kovacs was one of the pioneers of television. His shows were on television in the 1950s. He was on television when television only had a couple of channels and was not on for more than twelve hours a day.
Ernie Kovacs was a big influence on shows that were to follow using skits, sight gags, and physical humour. Ernie Kovacs predated Saturday Night Live, and SCTV. Obviously Ernie Kovacs was an influence of Sesame Street. Here are just a few of his most memorable moments:
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http://vimeo.com/3045876
Ernie Kovacs was one of the pioneers of television. His shows were on television in the 1950s. He was on television when television only had a couple of channels and was not on for more than twelve hours a day.
Ernie Kovacs was a big influence on shows that were to follow using skits, sight gags, and physical humour. Ernie Kovacs predated Saturday Night Live, and SCTV. Obviously Ernie Kovacs was an influence of Sesame Street. Here are just a few of his most memorable moments:
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The Restaurant
The Restaurant
The Restaurant episode 1
The Weasel
Valenti the manager: Hello, I am Valenti the manager. This is a job interview. Tell me about yourself.
The Weasel: My name is Wesley. People call me the weasel because my face looks like that of a weasel. Other than that, I wash dishes fast. Fast like a weasel.
The first shift:
Restaurant din.
Waitress: I would like some soup... and crackers.
The Weasel: Hey, I'm not crazy!
A few seconds later, another waitress: I want a sundae with lots of nuts.
The Weasel: I'm not crazy!
Restaurant din.
The weasel to another dishwasher: So you have been working here as a dishwasher for two years? Do you know what is sexy? A 70 year old woman can be sexy. That look on your face.... maybe I should not have said that. Hey, come on, it is not as if this was a conversation between two CFL Football players or two politicians in high political office. We are two dishwashers and dishwashers always talk like this.
Restaurant din.
A few days later.
Valenti, speaking to a waitress: That guy thinks that every other word is a code word that refers to him as being crazy! I had to fire him. I also told him not to look out behind the kitchen door at the customers. How would customers feel if they were to walk in and see a weasel face popping out from behing the kitchen door look out at them? He looked out lots of times.
Restaurant din.
Valenti: Guess what? I was downtown this afternoon, and I saw the weasel. He changed his look and has a mustache now. He was walking with a girl. He has a girlfriend.
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The Restaurant episode 1
The Weasel
Valenti the manager: Hello, I am Valenti the manager. This is a job interview. Tell me about yourself.
The Weasel: My name is Wesley. People call me the weasel because my face looks like that of a weasel. Other than that, I wash dishes fast. Fast like a weasel.
The first shift:
Restaurant din.
Waitress: I would like some soup... and crackers.
The Weasel: Hey, I'm not crazy!
A few seconds later, another waitress: I want a sundae with lots of nuts.
The Weasel: I'm not crazy!
Restaurant din.
The weasel to another dishwasher: So you have been working here as a dishwasher for two years? Do you know what is sexy? A 70 year old woman can be sexy. That look on your face.... maybe I should not have said that. Hey, come on, it is not as if this was a conversation between two CFL Football players or two politicians in high political office. We are two dishwashers and dishwashers always talk like this.
Restaurant din.
A few days later.
Valenti, speaking to a waitress: That guy thinks that every other word is a code word that refers to him as being crazy! I had to fire him. I also told him not to look out behind the kitchen door at the customers. How would customers feel if they were to walk in and see a weasel face popping out from behing the kitchen door look out at them? He looked out lots of times.
Restaurant din.
Valenti: Guess what? I was downtown this afternoon, and I saw the weasel. He changed his look and has a mustache now. He was walking with a girl. He has a girlfriend.
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Parables of Jesus 2
Parables Of Jesus 2
The Mustard Seed
If you had faith even the size of a mustard seed, you would accomplish great things.
The Birds And The Flowers
Look at the birds and the flowers of the field. Even the very rich people of the old days were not as finely clothed as these things of nature.
The Two Builders
There were two builders. One built his house on soft and sandy ground, and this house washed away. But the other builder built his house on strong and solid ground, and this house lasted through the ages.
The Ten Talents
A rich man gave his three servants money to see what they could do with it. The first man invested wisely in the stock market and made ten times the money he was given. The second servant went on trips to different places, travelled and although he did not make ten times the money, his experience in travelling led many people to hire him for good paying jobs and he wound up doubling his money.
The third servant simply hid his money under his bed, and all the while he sat on this bed watching television and eating junk food.
At this, the rich master was livid, "You lazy bastard! At least you could have saved the money in the bank where it would have at least collected 5 percent interest a year. Instead, the money has devalued slightly thanks to inflation. You are fired and out of this house!"
The Pearl
A man once stumbled upon a beautiful pearl in the marketplace. At great sacrifice, he sold most of what he owned for the money as he thought this a worthwhile price for such a precious girl, I mean pearl.
The Two Debtors
A servant owed money to a king. To pay back the debt, the servant would have to sell everything including his house. He would be ruined. He asked for more time to be repay the debt. Instead, his debt was totally forgiven.
However, this servant had a servant who owed him some money. For some reason, he conveniently forgot that his debt was forgiven and he became obsessed about the money that was due him. He harrassed his servant who spoke about this to others and thanks to the local grapevine rumour mill, eventually word got around to the king.
The king sent for the servant who owed him money and threw him into debtor's prison until the debt was repaid.
___________________________________________________________
The Mustard Seed
If you had faith even the size of a mustard seed, you would accomplish great things.
The Birds And The Flowers
Look at the birds and the flowers of the field. Even the very rich people of the old days were not as finely clothed as these things of nature.
The Two Builders
There were two builders. One built his house on soft and sandy ground, and this house washed away. But the other builder built his house on strong and solid ground, and this house lasted through the ages.
The Ten Talents
A rich man gave his three servants money to see what they could do with it. The first man invested wisely in the stock market and made ten times the money he was given. The second servant went on trips to different places, travelled and although he did not make ten times the money, his experience in travelling led many people to hire him for good paying jobs and he wound up doubling his money.
The third servant simply hid his money under his bed, and all the while he sat on this bed watching television and eating junk food.
At this, the rich master was livid, "You lazy bastard! At least you could have saved the money in the bank where it would have at least collected 5 percent interest a year. Instead, the money has devalued slightly thanks to inflation. You are fired and out of this house!"
The Pearl
A man once stumbled upon a beautiful pearl in the marketplace. At great sacrifice, he sold most of what he owned for the money as he thought this a worthwhile price for such a precious girl, I mean pearl.
The Two Debtors
A servant owed money to a king. To pay back the debt, the servant would have to sell everything including his house. He would be ruined. He asked for more time to be repay the debt. Instead, his debt was totally forgiven.
However, this servant had a servant who owed him some money. For some reason, he conveniently forgot that his debt was forgiven and he became obsessed about the money that was due him. He harrassed his servant who spoke about this to others and thanks to the local grapevine rumour mill, eventually word got around to the king.
The king sent for the servant who owed him money and threw him into debtor's prison until the debt was repaid.
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Monday, September 22, 2008
Parables of Jesus
Parables Of Jesus
The Fish Net
At the end of the day, the fish nets were drawn into the trawler boats. The good fish was thrown into the freezer in the hold. The bad fish, the undersized and other things were thrown away back into the sea.
Interpretation: Exclusive to NobleFilms.blogspot.com are these interpretations to The Parables of Jesus. These are my personal pedestrian attempts to elucidate the polemics of such fables. I, of course am not a professional clergyman and can not be held accountable if my interpretation differs from the general consensus of the Church.
The Fish Net, this story clearly means that in life, you will get a collected conglomerate of good and bad energies in the events you encounter. The thing to do is to hold on to and cherish the good memories and throw out and regard as irrelevant the bad memories.
The Labourers In The Field
A farmer had a few workers in the field. But he had a very large farm and not nearly enough workers for the harvest. One morning at ten am, he went to hire more labourers agreeing to pay them what he paid his usual labourers which was a hundred dollars a day.
At noon, he still did not have enough workers and he went to hire more, agreeing to pay them what he paid the others already working at his farm, a hundred dollars.
At 4 pm, he went to hire the last of the workers and at 9 pm, the workday ended.
As the queue formed to collect the payout, workers who were there since ten am complained about why people who started at 4 pm got paid the same.
"Did you not agree to the hundred dollars a day?! You started at ten, but others who have started at 8 am still are getting a hundred dollars a day. Are you questioning my generosity?!"
Interpretation: Who can put a price tag on anything in life? Early love, love found later on in life is still worth the same. Who can put a price tag on time?
The Four Soils
A farmer was sowing out some farm seeds throughout his farm estate.
Some soil inadvertently fell on the paved asphalt road and birds ate the seeds. Some fell on soil that was stony and although the seeds sprung up sure enough, because they had no roots, the sun quickly fried them.
Some soil fell on thorny ground and the thorns soon choked them.
However, most of the soil fell on good ground. And these seeds grew well.
Interpretation: Your choices, or soils as you go through life is important.
The Barren Fig Tree
A man went to a fig tree and saw that there were only leaves on that tree. It was early in the year and not yet the season, but he still thought out loud to the fig tree, "May no one ever eat from you ever again."
Interpretation: The impatient perfectionist demands things be ready before they usually are, as an exception to him, and when that does not happen, he resorts to the most extreme form of perfectionist passive aggression; the boycott. Patience....
A Lost Sheep Then Found
A shepherd had a flock of 100 sheep. One of the sheep one day strayed from the flock. The shephered looked in a lot of places, many fields until he eventually found the lost sheep, carrying it in his arms. He said to the sheep, "For this time, you are more important than all the other 99 sheep."
Interpretation: It is important to hold on to what is important to you.
The Prodigal Son
There was a man who had two sons. One of his sons asked his father for his share of his inheritance while his father was still living.
This son went abroad and squandered his money on loose women, parties, and riotous living. But eventually he spent the money and out of pride did not contact his father. His low point was working at a farm feeding pigs and cleaning out their stables.
He thought of returning to his father's luxurious estate, rationalizing that being a servant at his father's rich estate was better than working on this old run down farm.
He went to his father's house expecting retribution, but instead his father was really glad to see him. Go and order take out restaurant food and also some beer too.
The other son was a little bit jealous and told his father so, saying, "But he has been away for so many years."
The father said, "You know your place and I know that you know that I know that you know your place as a loyal son, and you know that you all that I have is yours, but consider that this brother who at one point, may have very well been dead is alive and returned to us. That is a cause for celebration."
Interpretation: Better late than never.
*Author's note: A person has to have a theology degree to make an actual movie about Jesus and/or the Bible. This is not a film about Jesus.
It is a film about the stories of Jesus and boy, did he ever tell some strange stories.
One of his stories is too bizarre to put on film. It is the Wedding Feast. A king sends invitation cards to important powerful business people living in a distant city in his kingdom. They all ignore him. A few go on to their jobs, but most of them seize the king's servants and abuse them and then kill them. The king in turn has these people killed.
The king then sends invitations to normal people, even poor people. They show up and the king is glad to see them until he sees one man who is not wearing formal clothing. The enraged king has this insolent individual kicked out.
A lot of Jesus' stories has to do with wrestling with the disparate dissolute forces of bad.
______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
The Fish Net
At the end of the day, the fish nets were drawn into the trawler boats. The good fish was thrown into the freezer in the hold. The bad fish, the undersized and other things were thrown away back into the sea.
Interpretation: Exclusive to NobleFilms.blogspot.com are these interpretations to The Parables of Jesus. These are my personal pedestrian attempts to elucidate the polemics of such fables. I, of course am not a professional clergyman and can not be held accountable if my interpretation differs from the general consensus of the Church.
The Fish Net, this story clearly means that in life, you will get a collected conglomerate of good and bad energies in the events you encounter. The thing to do is to hold on to and cherish the good memories and throw out and regard as irrelevant the bad memories.
The Labourers In The Field
A farmer had a few workers in the field. But he had a very large farm and not nearly enough workers for the harvest. One morning at ten am, he went to hire more labourers agreeing to pay them what he paid his usual labourers which was a hundred dollars a day.
At noon, he still did not have enough workers and he went to hire more, agreeing to pay them what he paid the others already working at his farm, a hundred dollars.
At 4 pm, he went to hire the last of the workers and at 9 pm, the workday ended.
As the queue formed to collect the payout, workers who were there since ten am complained about why people who started at 4 pm got paid the same.
"Did you not agree to the hundred dollars a day?! You started at ten, but others who have started at 8 am still are getting a hundred dollars a day. Are you questioning my generosity?!"
Interpretation: Who can put a price tag on anything in life? Early love, love found later on in life is still worth the same. Who can put a price tag on time?
The Four Soils
A farmer was sowing out some farm seeds throughout his farm estate.
Some soil inadvertently fell on the paved asphalt road and birds ate the seeds. Some fell on soil that was stony and although the seeds sprung up sure enough, because they had no roots, the sun quickly fried them.
Some soil fell on thorny ground and the thorns soon choked them.
However, most of the soil fell on good ground. And these seeds grew well.
Interpretation: Your choices, or soils as you go through life is important.
The Barren Fig Tree
A man went to a fig tree and saw that there were only leaves on that tree. It was early in the year and not yet the season, but he still thought out loud to the fig tree, "May no one ever eat from you ever again."
Interpretation: The impatient perfectionist demands things be ready before they usually are, as an exception to him, and when that does not happen, he resorts to the most extreme form of perfectionist passive aggression; the boycott. Patience....
A Lost Sheep Then Found
A shepherd had a flock of 100 sheep. One of the sheep one day strayed from the flock. The shephered looked in a lot of places, many fields until he eventually found the lost sheep, carrying it in his arms. He said to the sheep, "For this time, you are more important than all the other 99 sheep."
Interpretation: It is important to hold on to what is important to you.
The Prodigal Son
There was a man who had two sons. One of his sons asked his father for his share of his inheritance while his father was still living.
This son went abroad and squandered his money on loose women, parties, and riotous living. But eventually he spent the money and out of pride did not contact his father. His low point was working at a farm feeding pigs and cleaning out their stables.
He thought of returning to his father's luxurious estate, rationalizing that being a servant at his father's rich estate was better than working on this old run down farm.
He went to his father's house expecting retribution, but instead his father was really glad to see him. Go and order take out restaurant food and also some beer too.
The other son was a little bit jealous and told his father so, saying, "But he has been away for so many years."
The father said, "You know your place and I know that you know that I know that you know your place as a loyal son, and you know that you all that I have is yours, but consider that this brother who at one point, may have very well been dead is alive and returned to us. That is a cause for celebration."
Interpretation: Better late than never.
*Author's note: A person has to have a theology degree to make an actual movie about Jesus and/or the Bible. This is not a film about Jesus.
It is a film about the stories of Jesus and boy, did he ever tell some strange stories.
One of his stories is too bizarre to put on film. It is the Wedding Feast. A king sends invitation cards to important powerful business people living in a distant city in his kingdom. They all ignore him. A few go on to their jobs, but most of them seize the king's servants and abuse them and then kill them. The king in turn has these people killed.
The king then sends invitations to normal people, even poor people. They show up and the king is glad to see them until he sees one man who is not wearing formal clothing. The enraged king has this insolent individual kicked out.
A lot of Jesus' stories has to do with wrestling with the disparate dissolute forces of bad.
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
Zen Stories 3
Zen Stories 3
The Master Swordsman
There was once a student who asked a martial arts teacher to teach him the martial arts. The teacher started with a few preparatory katas and then one day attacked the student with a samurai sword. The student dodged the attack that might have turned out worse. Once every few days, the master would suddenly turn up and surprise attack the student.
Within a year, the student's martial arts skills improved immensely.
The Waves
There was once a Sumo wrestler. The master taught the sumo wrestler to meditate thinking about waves that moved out from him like the waves lapping the shore of a beach. Then the waves would become a lake, and then an ocean, and then the ocean would become giant sweeping five storey high waves.
Soon the sumo wrestler was the best in the land. No one could beat him. His nickname in the arena became, "The Waves Of The Ocean".
The Best Piece Of Meat
A man went to a butcher shop. He said to the butcher, "I want the best piece of meat."
"Each one of these, is the best piece of meat."
With these words, the man became enlightened.
A Tree Grows
A rich old woman was the patron of a monk for many years.
To see what he has learned, he arranged for a rich young woman in desire to be sent to him.
The young woman embraced the monk and asked him what he was going to do about it.
"A tree grows on a cold stone in winter
Nowhere is there any warmth."
The young lady told the old woman what the monk said. At this, she was livid.
"He should have been wordly enough to show you, as well as himself some consideration. He has learned nothing!"
She immediately went to the hut of the monk and burned it down.
Love Openly
One day, a monk had written to a nun insisting upon a private meeting.
At the assembly hall for the next day's lecture, when all were silently seated, the nun suddenly stood up and addressed the monk who had written her the letter, saying,
"If you love me so much, come and embrace me now!"
_____________________________________________________________
The Master Swordsman
There was once a student who asked a martial arts teacher to teach him the martial arts. The teacher started with a few preparatory katas and then one day attacked the student with a samurai sword. The student dodged the attack that might have turned out worse. Once every few days, the master would suddenly turn up and surprise attack the student.
Within a year, the student's martial arts skills improved immensely.
The Waves
There was once a Sumo wrestler. The master taught the sumo wrestler to meditate thinking about waves that moved out from him like the waves lapping the shore of a beach. Then the waves would become a lake, and then an ocean, and then the ocean would become giant sweeping five storey high waves.
Soon the sumo wrestler was the best in the land. No one could beat him. His nickname in the arena became, "The Waves Of The Ocean".
The Best Piece Of Meat
A man went to a butcher shop. He said to the butcher, "I want the best piece of meat."
"Each one of these, is the best piece of meat."
With these words, the man became enlightened.
A Tree Grows
A rich old woman was the patron of a monk for many years.
To see what he has learned, he arranged for a rich young woman in desire to be sent to him.
The young woman embraced the monk and asked him what he was going to do about it.
"A tree grows on a cold stone in winter
Nowhere is there any warmth."
The young lady told the old woman what the monk said. At this, she was livid.
"He should have been wordly enough to show you, as well as himself some consideration. He has learned nothing!"
She immediately went to the hut of the monk and burned it down.
Love Openly
One day, a monk had written to a nun insisting upon a private meeting.
At the assembly hall for the next day's lecture, when all were silently seated, the nun suddenly stood up and addressed the monk who had written her the letter, saying,
"If you love me so much, come and embrace me now!"
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Friday, September 19, 2008
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis, In The Penal Colony
Franz Kafka
This is going to be two movies.
Title: The Metamorphosis
German: Die Verwandlung
Franz Kafka
Narrator: One morning, Gregory Samsa had awoken to find himself transformed into a giant insect.
Family knocking on door and calling: Gregory! Gregory! Gregory! He must be sleeping in again. He usually does not sleep in this late.
Father: Gregory's job is keeping all of us afloat. The income that he has at the prestigious office he works at is funding my early retirement.
Sales clerk: Knocking on door. Gregory, I am your supervisor. Why haven't you shown up for work lately. In five years with our firm, this is your first sick day. Actually, I have been very disappointed with your performance as of late. The boss is shortlisting people for promotion. How do you think this stunt that you are pulling today will look towards that?
Gregory opens the door to reveal himself.
The salesclerk backpeddles in horrors and runs out the door.
The angry father growls and his fist punches Gregory's carpace or wing covering and then he kicks Gregory in the stomach and Gregory, falls backward into his room.
Gregory's sister Grete lovingly feeds him with milk and bread which he used to love when he was a human. But he refuses this. His sister feeds him garbage from the garbage can, he thinks outloud with a tear flowing from his eye:
"How things have degenerated that I am eating this garbage that my sister is lovingly feeding me. And she is also draping a cloth covering over a sofa so that I could hide comfortably."
The sister drapes a cloth covering over a sofa so that Gregory could hide underneath it.
He uses his insectoid hands to bring some money, a violin, and a school diploma as well as a miniature Christmas tree as if to tell his sister that previously, he intended to give his sister money to go to violin school this upcoming Christmas, that is, before he turned into an insect.
Sister: You mean to tell me that you intended to give me this money for violin school this Christmas?
The women decide to move the furniture out of the room to give him more room, but are careful not to take out all of the furniture so as to remind him that he was once a human, and they say as much.
Grete: We better not take out all the furniture so as to remind Gregory that he was once a human.
The father returns. Seeing Gregory, he throws two apples one misses and the next one hits Gregory in the back. Gregory only groaned resignedly.
Narrator: Gregory's peculiar pathology had roused the family out of their complacency and thus they decided to become employed. The father works at an office. The mother worked as a seamstress. And Grete decided to work as a teenage model for the Sears catalogue. They made lots of money, more money than if things had gone on normally, if Gregory had not turned into a giant cockroach.
Three boarders move in. They are sitting on couches in the living room.
Boarder: We are lucky that the three of us got to be boarders in this lovely rooming house. Mrs. Samsa is a gracious landlady."
When they see Gregory, they sarcastically exclaim, "Mr Samsa! How disgusting. If that man sized insect is staying here, we are leaving and don't expect us to pay rent for such a roach infested dive."
Father: Gregory. Look what you have done. You have jinxed things for us again. You in your present form, that is bad magic for the family.
Gregory goes to his room and says to himself: I ruined it for the family that I love. Perhaps I am better off dead.
Narrator: This story is just as much about the gracious feminine personality of the sister Grete. When Gregory first turned into an insect, she was a merely a scrip of a girl.
On a streetcar ride with her family, her transformation was complete. She has transformed from a normal young flatchested girl into a beautiful young woman with large breasts and a curvy figure.
On the streetcar, she shined with her new and powerful female presence, a female who has had the rare experience of nursing a 150 pound insect. Always, as she went through life, with life in all its different phases, city, forest, desert, tropic, tundra, her brother's spirit when he was a normal human was on one side of her, and the spirit of her brother when he was an insect was on the other side of her.
____________________________________________________
In The Penal Colony
Colony Music. I decided to upload the music separately, due to technical duress.
In The Penal Colony. The main story.
Narrator: Franz Kafka was someone who lived in the early part of the last century. He lived in Germany with his parents for most of his life, he had a few girlfriends but died young of tuberculosis before he could get married. Much of his work has been lost to the disparate and evil forces of the Second World War which pervaded the part of the world which he lived.
He was employed as an office clerk. A humble man, he is regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century.
Title: In The Penal Colony
Narrator: Once there was a traveller that travelled to a land where they were just outlawing an archaic method of extracting justice, more extracting than justice.
Traveller: I have been granted permission to watch and then to record the events of this court room. I have travelled a great distance for this.
Controller: I can't get it out of my mind that the current Commandant is going to outlaw this machine. The previous Commandant authorized the use of this machine but he transferred to another place and has since been replaced with this Commandant with whom I am at odds with. In fact, this is going to be the last scheduled execution. No one knows who invented this machine. This machine exemplifies the meaning of penitence in the word penitentiary as the condemned goes through the most profound psychological change before he is released from the machine. The typical designated time in the machine set up is six hours.
Narrator: The machine is a bed in which the condemned lies on his stomach on a mattress. A series of spikes is delicately, and some might say diletanttely controlled through an exquisite and strange series of controls through a lever which results in the lances of the spikes scrawling a blood drawn message on the back of the victim.
The condemned: Groans loudly.
The machine's levers still being controlled.
The Controller: Stop. It isn't nobody knows who invented the machine. I invented the machine! I now realize that this is going to be the last use of this machine. I must be the last recipient of the machine.
Strap me in! This is going to be an interesting next six hours. Oh no!
The person working the lever: There seems to be a problem here. I can't control the lever....
The machine snaps shut suddenly. The spikes emerge from underneath the mattress, all blood drenched.
__________________________________________________________________________
This is going to be two movies.
Title: The Metamorphosis
German: Die Verwandlung
Franz Kafka
Narrator: One morning, Gregory Samsa had awoken to find himself transformed into a giant insect.
Family knocking on door and calling: Gregory! Gregory! Gregory! He must be sleeping in again. He usually does not sleep in this late.
Father: Gregory's job is keeping all of us afloat. The income that he has at the prestigious office he works at is funding my early retirement.
Sales clerk: Knocking on door. Gregory, I am your supervisor. Why haven't you shown up for work lately. In five years with our firm, this is your first sick day. Actually, I have been very disappointed with your performance as of late. The boss is shortlisting people for promotion. How do you think this stunt that you are pulling today will look towards that?
Gregory opens the door to reveal himself.
The salesclerk backpeddles in horrors and runs out the door.
The angry father growls and his fist punches Gregory's carpace or wing covering and then he kicks Gregory in the stomach and Gregory, falls backward into his room.
Gregory's sister Grete lovingly feeds him with milk and bread which he used to love when he was a human. But he refuses this. His sister feeds him garbage from the garbage can, he thinks outloud with a tear flowing from his eye:
"How things have degenerated that I am eating this garbage that my sister is lovingly feeding me. And she is also draping a cloth covering over a sofa so that I could hide comfortably."
The sister drapes a cloth covering over a sofa so that Gregory could hide underneath it.
He uses his insectoid hands to bring some money, a violin, and a school diploma as well as a miniature Christmas tree as if to tell his sister that previously, he intended to give his sister money to go to violin school this upcoming Christmas, that is, before he turned into an insect.
Sister: You mean to tell me that you intended to give me this money for violin school this Christmas?
The women decide to move the furniture out of the room to give him more room, but are careful not to take out all of the furniture so as to remind him that he was once a human, and they say as much.
Grete: We better not take out all the furniture so as to remind Gregory that he was once a human.
The father returns. Seeing Gregory, he throws two apples one misses and the next one hits Gregory in the back. Gregory only groaned resignedly.
Narrator: Gregory's peculiar pathology had roused the family out of their complacency and thus they decided to become employed. The father works at an office. The mother worked as a seamstress. And Grete decided to work as a teenage model for the Sears catalogue. They made lots of money, more money than if things had gone on normally, if Gregory had not turned into a giant cockroach.
Three boarders move in. They are sitting on couches in the living room.
Boarder: We are lucky that the three of us got to be boarders in this lovely rooming house. Mrs. Samsa is a gracious landlady."
When they see Gregory, they sarcastically exclaim, "Mr Samsa! How disgusting. If that man sized insect is staying here, we are leaving and don't expect us to pay rent for such a roach infested dive."
Father: Gregory. Look what you have done. You have jinxed things for us again. You in your present form, that is bad magic for the family.
Gregory goes to his room and says to himself: I ruined it for the family that I love. Perhaps I am better off dead.
Narrator: This story is just as much about the gracious feminine personality of the sister Grete. When Gregory first turned into an insect, she was a merely a scrip of a girl.
On a streetcar ride with her family, her transformation was complete. She has transformed from a normal young flatchested girl into a beautiful young woman with large breasts and a curvy figure.
On the streetcar, she shined with her new and powerful female presence, a female who has had the rare experience of nursing a 150 pound insect. Always, as she went through life, with life in all its different phases, city, forest, desert, tropic, tundra, her brother's spirit when he was a normal human was on one side of her, and the spirit of her brother when he was an insect was on the other side of her.
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In The Penal Colony
Colony Music. I decided to upload the music separately, due to technical duress.
In The Penal Colony. The main story.
Narrator: Franz Kafka was someone who lived in the early part of the last century. He lived in Germany with his parents for most of his life, he had a few girlfriends but died young of tuberculosis before he could get married. Much of his work has been lost to the disparate and evil forces of the Second World War which pervaded the part of the world which he lived.
He was employed as an office clerk. A humble man, he is regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century.
Title: In The Penal Colony
Narrator: Once there was a traveller that travelled to a land where they were just outlawing an archaic method of extracting justice, more extracting than justice.
Traveller: I have been granted permission to watch and then to record the events of this court room. I have travelled a great distance for this.
Controller: I can't get it out of my mind that the current Commandant is going to outlaw this machine. The previous Commandant authorized the use of this machine but he transferred to another place and has since been replaced with this Commandant with whom I am at odds with. In fact, this is going to be the last scheduled execution. No one knows who invented this machine. This machine exemplifies the meaning of penitence in the word penitentiary as the condemned goes through the most profound psychological change before he is released from the machine. The typical designated time in the machine set up is six hours.
Narrator: The machine is a bed in which the condemned lies on his stomach on a mattress. A series of spikes is delicately, and some might say diletanttely controlled through an exquisite and strange series of controls through a lever which results in the lances of the spikes scrawling a blood drawn message on the back of the victim.
The condemned: Groans loudly.
The machine's levers still being controlled.
The Controller: Stop. It isn't nobody knows who invented the machine. I invented the machine! I now realize that this is going to be the last use of this machine. I must be the last recipient of the machine.
Strap me in! This is going to be an interesting next six hours. Oh no!
The person working the lever: There seems to be a problem here. I can't control the lever....
The machine snaps shut suddenly. The spikes emerge from underneath the mattress, all blood drenched.
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