Juri Nummelin (jurnum@utu.fi)
Mon, 20 Sep 1999 14:01:08 +0300 (EET DST)
If Harry Whittington made a movie, but couldn't sell it, it
shhould be published now. There must be a copy of the film
somewhere and if Whittington's widow is still alive, she has
the rights (at least I believe she does). It would be a very
good thing to do. It could even interest someone - there
seems to be quite many hardboiled fans around. On video or
DVD, if not in cinema.
And Spillane.. What can I say more? The most dangerous thing
in Spillane is that Mike Hammer is a hero. If he were at
least ambivalent or something like that, a reluctant hero,
but he just isn't. And he keeps beating people up and
enjoying it. If there is a book in which the main character
says he enjoys beating freaks and stuff, he mustn't be a
hero. In Dan J. Marlowe or in Jim Thompson or in Chester
Himes, they simply are not heroes. Either they are
psychopaths or the society doesn't give them any other
chances than to get violent. Mike Hammer is clearly a psycho,
but nevertheless he is the hero. And if someone says he does
what he does because the society doesn't work, I say the
society should be changed and not leave everything to Hammer
and the like.
That said I must confess that I somewhat enjoy Spillane's
"narrative drive" (this is what I meant saying that he writes
well).
Juri jurnum@utu.fi
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