17.05.2009
I've been awaiting the arrival of the definitive work on this cinematic Grail before expanding this post, but it looks like it will be a tad longer. My library contacted me yesterday that London After Midnight (Philip J. Riley; NY: Cornwall Books, 1985) had arrived. Awaiting me was not the treasured reference, but rather an anthology of short stories of the same title. . . 'disappointment' doesn't quite describe my feelings.
So I returned empty-handed and promptly resubmitted my request for Mr. Riley's opus, which includes director Tod Browning's script of "The Hypnotist", which was the basis for LAM.
Just as a sidebar note, LAM was not a horror story at all; at best, it could be described as a Gothic mystery. But with Lon Chaney as the protagonist; Tod Browning as director; the vampiric red herring in the plot; and the Forrest J Ackerman-spun mythos around this film, it has acquired a "posthumous" notoriety that some notable critics claim it can not possibly live up to. Nonetheless, the "Man in the Beaver Hat" is as much a horror icon today as Erik, the Opera Ghost.
01.06.2009
I have just received some VERY exciting news that should it come to fruition will see the Janus 1/8th scale trinity replaced by the most worthy of successors in 1/4th scale! More news as it becomes available. . .
Augie,
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what you have in store for this "little" gem!! I await your future posting with baited breath!!!:):):)
Lloyd
Hey guy!
ReplyDeleteNot much to report at this point. I pulled him out while I was waiting for the putty to set-up on Wolfie just to scope out what was in store.
The casting left something to be desired: LOADS of air bubbles. Why the caster decided to pour from the hat is beyond me! Fortunately, they were sizable bubbles and not "baby Swiss". . . In any event, all that is now behind me (as is the re-contouring and slight reduction of the pedestal), and the planning can begin in earnest.
More to follow!
A~
As a follow-up to the last comment, I pulled the other 2 busts from the "Man of a Thousand Faces" diorama by way of comparison to the "vampyr". These were poured as one would have expected: from the pedestal. Were they bubble free? No. Were the bubbles obtrusive. NO!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the MitBH was the first of the three cast, and thus became the object lesson? Or was it that the other two, being bare-headed, thankfully precluded a cranial sprue??
Hmmmm. . .
Sounds GOOD!!! I'm glad that from what you have said so far these 3 bust ,while not perfect, are pretty good castings!! And, they ought to make handsome presentations of their subjects once complete.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to future postings and ip shots as they warrant!....
While the PotO may have stiff competition, I believe the Janus MitBH and Quasimodo (Chaney) are the best renditions of their respective subjects in any scale!
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the castings, I give MithBH a C-/D+; PotO a C+; and Q a B- : not stellar by any means, but it could be worse. . .