CONCLUSION
It is impossible on a so short study to make the turn of
Carpenter like his work, rich person and iconoclast. But to summarize, that
should one retain ? Probably two major features :
On the one hand, if Carpenter likes to endorse the role of the
director/craftsman, advised manager of the means of productions to the service
of its account (let us listen to it on this subject : « That of
which I am sure, it is that I am initially led by the account. It is always him
which guides my step of director. I always build my images starting from the
account and not the reverse. I then try to aim at greatest possible simplicity.
I especially try to make so that my style, i.e. the way in which the images
will tell the history, is almost invisible. » (86) ), it is, no
matter what it says some, undoubtedly a scenario writer a depth (political and
philosophical) rare and salutary in the contemporary cinema. It is in
particular in the work of diagram and economy (in the broad sense of the term)
that it undertakes at every moment which the secrecy of the universal resonance
of its work resides. Under fantastic cover of entertainment, Carpenter delivers
another thing well to us : a reflection on humanity, which makes its
price, its limits. John Carpenter, if that were still to prove, is,
« like Edgar G. Ulmer or Phil Karlson in their time, an author, a
truth » (87). And with those which would find surprising that cinema
of kind and cinema of the fantastic can convey direction, let us
certify with Kent Jones that « the artistic engagement of Carpenter
claims to satisfy conventions of the kind and with the requirements of the
narration while filtering through them major concerns. » (88).
Moreover Helene Frappat sees even in Los-Angeles Invasion a perfect
symbiosis of the form (science fiction film) and bottom (political
speech) : « documentary on Los-Angeles in 1988, it is
necessarily a film, at the same time of policy and science fiction. It
is the articulation between the two which makes the force and the originality
of Los-Angeles Invasion : for John Carpenter, the policy is inseparable
from the science fiction, because as soon as social reality is looked at,
economic and policy of a country like America, one rocks in the science
fiction. (...) And if one looks at more closely, them « rich
person » which populates the heights of the city, are not seen of in
bottom, from « the poor », as strange as of the
extraterrestrial ones ? » (89)
In addition, there is at Carpenter a general movement of
outside towards the interior, a movement which one could in the
broad sense describe as introspective term : the external threat becomes
an internal threat, the evil which threatens the hero carpentérien
becoming a metaphor of the interior demon that it must fight (fear, mistrust,
selfishness, cowardice...) just like the fantastic threats that the scenario
writer makes weigh on America in his catalog of films become metaphors of the
evils which corrode the American company of the interior (social fracture,
marginalisation, loss of identity...). Because Carpenter, if he is an author,
is also (and perhaps especially) sincerely and deeply humanistic. Humanistic
certainly sometimes critical like Clint Eastwood, not hesitating to be delayed
over « obscure side » of the human nature, but humanistic
all the same in the sense that it places the Man and his potentialities of
going beyond of oneself in the center of its work, making survival of Humanity
(and its values, its principles and its way of life) the stake absolutely
necessary of a combat between the Good and the Evil : however as we have
just specified it, for Carpenter the combat whom Humanity must carry out it is
initially a combat with itself, with « the brutality and the
brutality which belong to each one among us and which if one are paid there
there not attention » (90), but a combat which is worth the sorrow to
be carried out because the man has in him the resources necessary and
sufficient to leave there victorious. Like it also specifies it (91),
« there are two types of accounts of horror. Imagine that we all are
(.) members of the same tribe, and which we speak around a fire. Our chief will
say to us that where is the devil, he will protect us from this manner, by
pointing finger the obscure zone beyond the light of the flames.
« over there in the black they are our enemies, they do not
resemble to us. » It is the first kind of account of horror. For
the second, in the same situation, the chief will say that the enemy is here,
among us, around fire... « We all are capable of this kind of
things. We must choose not to do it, and our humanity saves
us. » This second option is most difficult in America because
people go directly towards the other, « them », those which
do not have the same color of skin, which has the funny ones of hats on the
head, which speaks an odd language. We are like that. ». And this
combat against « brutality and brutality », Carpenter knows
it better than whoever, him that it tried out it (very) near ; thus it in
November 2001 entrusts: « I dealt with the very young devil and of
very, very near. Another kind of devil, it was... something of similar so that
one sees in some of my films... a difficult situation... (...)What I know, it
is which the films that I turn are the result of what arrived to me. On a side
that was a chance : I had something to build a work, a field in which I am
an expert. But from a personal point of view, that was difficult and that is
still » (92). It will be noted how the impact strength about which
Carpenter speaks to us seems sudden a quite painful echo with the characters of
its work who also build themselves them in the combat and the suffering... But
despite everything, Carpenter keeps faith in humanity, as it entrusts it to
Dario Argento : « If the glance that you carry on the company,
and more largely on humanity, is negative, if you do not believe any more in
the other, if you are not able any more to make a film moved by a feeling of
love or humanity, then it is necessary to change trade. » (93)
QUOTATIONS
(1) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.34-35
(2) : Ibid p.35
(3) : in Fog, a reading of film of John Carpenter,
Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema, p.53
(4) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.72
(5) : Ibid discussion with John Carpenter p.22
(6) : Ibid discussion with John Carpenter p.9-10
(7) : conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p.36
(8) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.16
(9) : in New York 1997, a reading of film of John
Carpenter, Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema,
(10) : Ibid p.36
(11) : Ibid p.41
(12) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.35
(13) : Ibid p.34
(14) : Ibid p.52
(15) : Ibid discussion with John Carpenter p.18
(16) : conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p. 48-49
(17) : in Prince of darkness, a reading of film of John
Carpenter, Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema, p.33
(18) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.18
(19) : in Prince of darkness, a reading of film of John
Carpenter, Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema, p.30
(20) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.34
(21) : in Making of a good scenario a formidable
scenario, Linda Seger, Dixit, p.216
(22) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.34
(23) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.54
(24) : in Prince of darkness, a reading of film of John
Carpenter, Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema, p.43
(25) : in Discussion with Helene Frappat and Olivier
Joyard, Books of the Cinema n°562, November 2001, p.60
(26) : in Prince of darkness, a reading of film of John
Carpenter, Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema,
p.50-51
(27) : in Discussion with Bill Krohn, Books of the
Cinema n°488, February 1995 p.44
(28) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.8
(29) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.16
(30) : conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p.35
(31) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.7
(32) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.34
(33) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.19
(34) : in Discussion with Helene Frappat and Olivier
Joyard, Books of the Cinema n°562, November 2001, p.59-60
(35) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.27
(36) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.90
(37) : ibid p.54
(38) : conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p.36
(39) : in Los-Angeles Invasion, a reading of film of
John Carpenter, Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema,
p.43-44
(40) : Ibid p.50
(41) : : conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p.51
(42) : in Fog, a reading of film of John Carpenter,
Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema, p.40
(43) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.72
(44) : in H.P. Lovecraft, against the world, against the
life, Michel Houellebecq, I read, p.90
(45) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.22
(46) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.109-110
(47) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.19
(48) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.52
(49) : : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.34
(50) : in Fog, a reading of film of John Carpenter,
Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema, p.25
(51) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.52-53
(52) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.22
(53) : Ibid p.22
(54) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.72
(55) : conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p.48
(56) : Ibid p.49
(57) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.72
(58) : in Fog, a reading of film of John Carpenter,
Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema, p.63
(59) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter
(60) : Ibid p.7
(61) : Ibid p.12
(62) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter p.34
(63) : in Fog, a reading of film of John Carpenter,
Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema,
(64) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.10
(65) : Ibid
(66) : Ibid
(67) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter
(68) : Ibid p.111
(69) : Ibid p.111
(70) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.18
(71) : Ibid
(72) : Ibid
(73) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, introduction to maintenance
(74) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter appendices p.144
(75) : conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p.51-52
(76) : in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection
realizers n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter p.23
(77) : Ibid
(78) : Ibid p.16
(79) : Ibid p.26
(80): in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection realizers
n°1, John Carpenter
(81): in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection realizers
n°1, John Carpenter, discussion with John Carpenter
(82): Ibid
(83): in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection realizers
n°1, John Carpenter p.107
(84): in Mad Movies, out of the ordinary collection realizers
n°1, John Carpenter p.41
(85): conversation with John Carpenter, in Myths and
Masks : phantoms of John Carpenter, Luc Lagier and Jean-baptiste
Thoret, dreamland editor, Paris, 1998 p.51-52
(86) : Depth and surface, conversation between John
Carpenter and Dario Argento, in n°2 Shows : Circulations,
p.110
(87) : American Classic Movie : John Carpenter in
n°1 Shows: To film the fear, p.78
(88) : American Classic Movie : John Carpenter in
n°1 Shows: To film the fear, p.77
(89) : in Los-Angeles Invasion, a reading of film of
John Carpenter, Helene Frappat, Books of Video- the StudioCanal Cinema,
p.43-44
(90) : in Discussion with Helene Frappat and Olivier
Joyard, Books of the Cinema n°562, November 2001, p.59
(91) : in Discussion with Helene Frappat and Olivier
Joyard, Books of the Cinema n°562, November 2001, p.60
(92) : in Discussion with Helene Frappat and Olivier
Joyard, Books of the Cinema n°562, November 2001, p.60
(93) : Depth and surface, conversation between John
Carpenter and Dario Argento, in n°2 Shows : Circulations,
p.115
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