Made as iconic director/cinematographer Joe D’Amato was approaching the end of his prolific career (and yet, with another 97 adult-oriented films to go), Provocation / Provocazione is basically softcore adult masquerading as erotica, with long sex sequences lacking the graphic intercourse details D’Amato was well-experienced with in his hardcore efforts.
The countryside location – an old inn made of quarried stone – adds the right rustic atmosphere in this familiar tale of an innkeeper’s wife (Fabrizia Flanders) who fancies a visiting businessman (Lyle Lovett lookalike Antonio Ascani, aka “Tony Roberts”), while her husband Gianni Demartiis) goes after his cousin (Erika Savastani), set to live at the house after the recent death of her papa. An idiot nephew (Lindo Damiani) indulges in some masturbatory voyeurism by sneaking around the house without his shoes and peering through floor cracks at everyone else’s fun time.
The characters are flat, D’Amato’s directorial style can’t craft any sense of humour beyond exchanges of berating insults (most inflicted on the nephew), and the performances vary in quality; the older actors fare the best, whereas Ascani seems very uncomfortable (maybe it’s the ill-fitting, wrinkled up linen suit), and Savastani’s healthy figure can’t mask her complete lack of talent.
D’Amato also slaps on stock music, and repeats the same cheesy early eighties muzak over sex scenes, and the film isn’t particularly well lit – perhaps a sign that his years in porn made him lazy after filming some very stylish ‘scope productions (such as the blazingly colourful L’Anticristo).
D’Amato’s efforts to make something more upscale isn’t a failure – there’s more than enough nudity to keep fans happy – and one can argue he was still capable of making a slick commercial product after going bonkers with sex, blood, and animals in his most notorious efforts. The photography and editing have a basic classical style, but there’s no energy in the film, making Provocation a work best-suited for D’Amato fans and completists.
Mya’s DVD comes from a decent PAL-NTSC conversion, although there’s some flickering in the opening titles. The details are sharp, the colours stable, but there lighting is rather harsh, as though the transfer was made from a high contrast print. (The film’s titles, Italian at the beginning, and English at the end - “The story, all names, characters and incidentals portrayed in this production, are fictitius” - are also video-based, indicating Provocation was meant as product for video rental shelves.)
Besides English and Italian dub tracks, there are no extras, which is a shame, given something could’ve been written about the product and its cast, many of whom were pinched by D’Amato from prior Tinto Brass productions. Savastani had just appeared as a bit player in Brass’ The Voyeur / L'Uomo che guarda (1994), and would move on with co-star Demartiis to Fermo posta Tinto Brass / P.O. Box Tinto Brass (1995) and Senso ’45 / Black Angel (2002).
© 2009 Mark R. Hasan
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Tom Wolfe The Painted Word Pdf Better Direct
In the years since its publication, "The Painted Word" has become a classic of art criticism and cultural commentary. It has been reprinted numerous times and has been included in several collections of Wolfe's work. The essay continues to be relevant today, as the art world continues to grapple with issues of commodification, speculation, and the role of art in society.
Wolfe's "The Painted Word" is a critique of the art world's excesses and the ways in which art had become a commodity. He argues that the art world had become a closed system, in which artists, dealers, curators, and collectors were more concerned with status and profit than with creating genuine art. Wolfe contends that the art world was driven by a desire for novelty and shock value, rather than a genuine interest in artistic innovation. tom wolfe the painted word pdf better
Wolfe's essay is also a critique of the ways in which art had become a form of social climbing. He argues that artists, dealers, and collectors were using art as a way to gain status and prestige, rather than as a means of expressing themselves or exploring the human condition. Wolfe sees the art world as a form of tribalism, in which members of the art community were more concerned with belonging to the "in crowd" than with creating art that was genuinely innovative or challenging. In the years since its publication, "The Painted
"The Painted Word" had a significant impact on the art world when it was first published. Wolfe's critique of the art world's excesses and his contention that art had become a commodity resonated with many artists, curators, and collectors. The essay also helped to popularize the concept of the "art market" and the ways in which art was bought and sold. Wolfe's "The Painted Word" is a critique of
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Tom Wolfe's "The Painted Word" is a seminal work of art criticism and cultural commentary that explores the intersection of art, money, and power in the 1970s. First published in 1975, the essay was a scathing critique of the excesses of the art world and the ways in which art had become a commodity rather than a genuine expression of creativity. This report provides an in-depth analysis of Wolfe's arguments, the cultural context in which he wrote, and the lasting impact of his work on the art world. |
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