Tony's Corner: A Fan's Notes
Phantom of Le Paradis
Hello, and welcome to the first of what will be a
regular featured segment here at Le Paradis de Brian De Palma. As a means of introduction,
let me say from the outset, that aside from my stealing it from the novel by Frederick
Exley, the title of this column is by no means an afterthought. I am not a professional
critic, haven't seen the inside of a classroom since I dropped out of community college
about twenty years ago, and I have absolutely no affiliation whatsoever with the movie
business in general, or Brian de Palma in particular. What I am, very simply, is a fan.
Short for fanatic, which in my case is quite apt, as I possess what might be best
described as a fanatical love for the cinema, and especially for the films of Brian De
Palma.
A fanbased website is probably not the first place you should look to, if you're
interested in obtaining fair and balanced information about whatever subject you might be
researching, and while the bulk of this site is filled with factual information, much of
which isn't available anywhere else, you won't find that here. Anyone reading this, who is
familiar with the De Palma forum on Bill Fentum's Directed by Brian De Palma website, either as a contributing member,
or as an undercover lurker, has probably come across a post or two by a rather wordy
individual who calls himself TSM560. Well, guess what? Yep, it's me, and yes, you can call
me Tony. My friend Carl was in need of some help translating his site from French into
English, he asked me to assist him, and having been an admirer of his work for a while, I
was only too happy to do so. Foolishly, as a way to say thanks, he offered me the
opportunity and the space to write this column, and so, here we are.
The burgeoning De Palma internet community is
still a fledgling, but ever expanding cottage industry of likeminded folks, who share a
love of De Palma movies, as well as the irresistible urge to spread the word to others. My
work here, will in no way preclude me from my obsessional contributions to Fentum's forum,
and vice versa. Indeed, my fervent hope is that there will sometimes be a certain spillage
of one over into the other. A posting on the forum may spark an idea expressed here, and
perhaps even the reverse will occur, and something that appears here first, will be
expanded upon by someone over there. Carl, Fentum, Geoff at De Palma a La Mod, and Giuseppe's excellent
Italian site, to name a select few, are all linked to one another, not just by mouse
click, but more importantly, by way of a shared sense of community. It is my humblest and
fondest wish for this space, that it too will help foster and contribute to that spirit of
cooperation and shared thought.
The actual content, aside from this offering, will more or less be dictated by
what's in the news regarding De Palma, as well as focusing on my own personal take on past
films and De Palma related issues. The opinions expressed here will be my own, and Carl is
not to be held responsible, in any way, for my ranting and ravings. There will also quite
likely be some regular features, such as a Quote of the Week, and a few other surprises
here and there. All in all, it will hopefully, in time, evolve into something coherent and
entertaining enough to warrant your checking it out on a regular basis. I've never done
anything like this before, but I am looking forward to the experience. I can only hope
that you'll enjoy the reading of this column, as much as I know I'll enjoy the writing of
it.
|