busman 's honeymoon is a 1940 british detective film directed by arthur b. woods .

an adaptation of the lord peter wimsey story busman 's honeymoon by dorothy l. sayers , busman 's honeymoon stars robert montgomery , constance cummings , leslie banks , googie withers , robert newton and seymour hicks as mervyn bunter .

the plot revolves around newly married famous amateur detective lord peter wimsey ( montgomery ) and his wife , mystery writer harriet vane ( cummings ) , who are looking forward to a quiet honeymoon at their new country cottage when they are reluctantly drawn into the investigation of a local murder .

busman 's honeymoon premiered in london in july 1940 and was released in the u.s. as haunted honeymoon in september 1940 .

busman ' s honeymoon ( film )

busman ' s honeymoon ( 1940 ) directed by arthur b . woods • reviews , film + cast • letterboxd
that ' s what i was thinking ,
said harriet .
a busman ' s honeymoon . butchered to make a——
( 1986 ) is not a remake of this 1940 film of the same name
haunted honeymoon
( aka
busman ' s honeymoon
) . the two pictures were made and first released around forty - six years apart .
i do wish they’d had the chance to film * busman’s honeymoon , * though or that i’d been able to see it on stage , but i am grateful for what we do have .
with the headline : the screen ; ' haunted honeymoon , ' a leisurely english mystery film , at loew ' s criterion .
busman ' s honeymoon is a tv movie starring peter gray , sarah lawson , and charles lloyd pack . lord peter wimsey persuades novelist harriet vane to marry him , but their honeymoon is interrupted by murder .
lord peter wimsey - busman ' s honeymoon 1940 us import : urltoken robert montgomery , constance cummings , leslie banks , seymour hicks , arthur b . woods : dvd & blu - ray
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this mystery comedy with a husband and wife team solving a murder case is very much like the thin man series starring william powell and myrna loy but haunted honeymoon ( 1940 ) based on the play busman ' s honeymoon written by dorothy l . sayers , never gets to that thin man level .
a decent work - a - day adaption of dorothy l sayers ' final lord peter wimsey novel , titled busman ' s honeymoon . this film , titled haunted honeymoon in the us , pops right along . the screenwriter excised all the psychological depth from the story and presents a surface that robert montgomery ( lord peter ) and constance cummings ( harriet wimsey nee vane ) glide over with aplomb .
there have been a number of adaptations of sayers ' lord peter wimsey stories . a 1935 british film entitled
lord peter wimsey persuades novelist harriet vane to marry him , but their honeymoon is interrupted by murder .
oh , at last , an explanation for why “gaudy night” is the one film i can never quite bear re - watching . * glares at silly producer * it was a marvelous book , and the adaptation left such a bad taste in my mouth i was glad that “busman’s honeymoon” didn’t get made . ( even though i really loved the other two films . )
arrived early , an enjoyable adaptation of the book . took me ages to find this film and i’m glad i did
. this was the fourth and final film made by m - g - m ' s british studio prior to its closure during world war ii . acccording to the m - g - m story file on the film contained in the usc cinema - television library , l . a . g . strong provided additional dialogue for the film in april 1939 , however , the extent of his work to appear in the completed film has not been determined . according to various entries in the story files and
peter ' s glance crossed harriet ' s over miss twitterton ' s head .
that ' s right ; that ' s the way he ' s made his bit . he ' s
lord byron !
cried mr . kirk , a little too promptly .
butchered to make a busman ' s—no , that don ' t seem right somehow .
after the magistrates ' court they were free until the assizes . so they finished their honeymoon in spain , after all .
overtly , the classic gangster film and the hard - boiled detective story portrayed the downfall of an individual who had sought wealth and power by immoral means .
an occurrence that rarely happens but is always refreshingly different is when the original leads from a broadway production get offered the same roles in the film version . that ' s precisely the case with
the lead , robert montgomery , is miscast , and the script isn ' t quite witty enough to emulate a thin man film instead of the original sayers novel , which was clearly the intention . it would be a two & a half star film but for the supporting class , which rises it from the watchable to the somewhat enjoyable .
the inquest ' s at eleven and i can ' t turn up in a dressing - gown . what are you after ? romance in high life ? or mysterious death in honeymoon house ?
i sincerely hope not ,
said peter .
as a matter of fact , we came here with the idea of passing a peaceful honeymoon .
news items , the film began under richard thorpe ' s direction on august 4 , 1939 , when thorpe traveled to various locations in devon , england , including dartmoor . maureen o ' sullivan sailed to england on the
it ' s beginning to convince me , peter . such a series of domestic accidents could only happen to married people . there ' s none of that artificial honeymoon glitter that prevents people from discovering each other ' s real characters . you stand the test of tribulation remarkably well . it ' s very encouraging .
according to a contemporary notation contained in the ampas library file on the film , the production was cancelled by m - g - m on february 2 , 1940 . however , a
with what extreme of womanly patience you listened to the tale of busman ' s honeymoon while it was being written , the lord he knoweth . i do not like to think how many times i tired the sun with talking—and if at any time they had told me you were dead , i should easily have believed that i had talked you into your graves . but you have strangely survived to receive these thanks .
agreement to purchase with immediate possession—present owner to be left there till after honeymoon , when peter will go down and see what they want done and send the workmen in .
i am more positive about the series when i am not talking about gaudy night ! i did do the original sayers / byrne play of busman’s honeymoon with my wife emily richard as harriet – a sell out season at the lyric theatre , hammersmith . 87 or so . the play demonstrates that to write a really good novel does not qualify you to write a good play , although the piece has a delightful flawed charm .
stagey murder yarn with snooty newly - weds sussing a killer while on honeymoon . not quite the thin man , but close . fast - paced , snappy and worth a spin .
you ' ll find lots of finger - prints on that . bunter ' s and mine , and mrs . ruddle ' s—possibly puffett ' s and crutchley ' s .
niece—widow ' s a hateful word ; so weedy—let ' s stick to niece .
situates detective fiction on one level within the context of film , but on a larger level within the contexts of shifting conceptions of the family , of american values , and of the ideology of american individualism .
rather flat comical murder mystery enlivened only by montgomery ' s deft , multifaceted star turn as a former detective on honeymoon doing all he can to not investigate a bizarre killing on the property of the secluded estate he and his celebrated author wife ( the beautiful constance cummings ) just so happened to have purchased . runs in circles for the majority of the film , the whole thing an all - too obvious
thin man
clone only without that film ' s wit . but it is funny , and montgomery and cummings have terrific chemistry . on top of that , the finale is a good one , almost making up for the flat routine obviousness of the majority of the narrative mechanics that preceded it .
to appear opposite robert montgomery in the film , which was to be produced by victor saville . on september 18 , 1939 , about two weeks after the start of the war , montgomery arrived back in the united states , and on 19 september it was announced that the picture had been shelved because of the war and because the denham sound stage on which the film was to be shot was being used to store foodstuffs .
h ' mph !
said the lady .
film - actors , by the look of yer . and
( with a withering glance at harriet ' s furs )
no better than you should be , i ' ll be bound .
news item on march 22 , 1940 , noted that the production began filming in denham on the sound stage that temporarily had been used for storage , and that the extensive backgrounds and location shots done in 1939 were to be included in the film . at that time , m - g - m british production chief ben goetz was in charge of the picture and constance cummings took over the role of
harriet vane
that was originally slated for o ' sullivan . production charts and news items include gwen ffrangcon - davies in the cast ; however , her participation in the released film has not been confirmed . an article on the film in
it ' s a damned ugly story . it ' s enough to make a man——
it ' s all right ,
said harriet .
she ' s gone .
no offence ,
said mr . puffett , evidently conceding something to the honeymoon spirit .
you ' ll be his lordship , i take it . hope i sees you well .
as man to man , puffett ,
said the bridegroom ,
i thank you for those kind and sympathetic words . where , by the way , did you go for your honeymoon ?
it ' s not ,
said harriet , running to the window .
it ' s a vicar—he ' s coming to call .
crutchley , thrusting him aside , burst in .
what ' s happened ? what ' s ma ruddle shouting about ? where ' s—— ?
two hundred and four—seventeen shillings a bottle ! oh , it ' s impossible ! it ' s . . . it ' s wicked !
however , he also suggests that the recent developments in the arts , film , literature , architecture , and criticism that we call postmodernism was beginning to pose an increasing challenge to
the canonized high / low dichotomy
.
we did want him , but i expect you can help us . this is my husband and we ' ve bought talboys and we arranged with mr . noakes to come here for our honeymoon .
you were wrong , bunter . it ' s not an individual—it ' s a company .
that ' s as you like , my lord . i ' d be glad enough if you ' d stay ; you might give me a bit of help , seeing as you know the ropes , so to speak . not but what it ' ll be a kind of busman ' s holiday for you ,
he finished up , rather dubiously .
that ' s all right , sir . if an alibi ' s wanted for them times , you and him ' s out of it .
well i have loved the book since 1987 and was sorely disapointed by the film . hard not to believe , since the author dorothy l sayers loathed it also , i think on its opening night she refused to go into the cinema to see it and waited in some nearby building . the film completely loses the passion between the two protagonists lord and lady peter wimsey . he has spent 5 years trying to get her to fall in love with him and when she does so it is passionately and completely . the film is utterly sterile and also does not reflect the age difference between lord peter and his bride he is supposed to be in his mid forties and she 13 years his junior , the actress looks far too old and stayed . but if you are a sayers fan you won ' t let a bad review stop you . because i knew how bad this film was before i bought it and my curiosity just was killing me . oh and bunter was supposed to be lord peter ' s aage they fought together in the great war and yet in the film he looks about 80 . go on cheer yourself up and watch the bbc edward petherbridge version of sayers 3 previous books x : )
she tossed her head , setting some curious jet ornaments on her bonnet jingling , and followed her mistress to the car . sitting up in all that grandeur she would feel just like a film - star herself . reporters , indeed !
it ' s too bad that the criterion theatre is not equipped with a huge open fireplace and carpet slippers for all the customers . for those familiar domestic comforts might add somewhat to the enjoyment of metro ' s english - made
haunted honeymoon ,
which arrived yesterday . . . view full article in timesmachine »
that ' s so , my lord . there ' s a lot of truth in hamlet .
. the novel version appeared in 1937 , one year after the play began its run . in 1939 , director arthur b . woods began production on the screen version of the novel for mgm , at the company ' s british studio . robert montgomery ( who had gotten his acting start on broadway ) and maureen o ' sullivan were cast as the crime - fighting duo , but o ' sullivan soon bowed out and returned to the united states . world war ii had begun , causing problems with film production abroad . first of all , woods was a royal air force pilot and was only able to work on the film when given official permission . to make matters worse , the germans threatened to bomb the studio because mgm had recently released an anti - nazi film ,
stated
seldom has there been a film so pleasantly conducive to browsing as this leisurely , bookish fable of murder . . . a glass of port , at least , should be taken along with it .
in a time of world crisis ,
. —they have fixed up with noakes to have honeymoon at talboys , nobody to know anything about it . apparently n . can clear out at short notice and lend all furniture , & c . i asked ,
what about
it ' s no good ,
said wimsey .
it ' s got to come out .
well ,
said crutchley again , with the philosophy we keep for other men ' s misfortunes ,
he ' s unlucky , that ' s all .
yes , it ' s very like him . who ' s this one ? he ' s got a queer , visionary sort of face , rather nice .
two friends and i rushed to see “busman’s honeymoon” at the lyric after the television series , but of course you’re right – it really isn’t a very good play . dorothy l . sayers was confined to the limits of what ended up as not much more than a who - and - how done it , and it didn’t suit her . she made up for it by spreading herself in the book of the same title , and if the television people had had any sense they might have adapted that too , although if they’d butchered it we might have even more to moan about .
it ' s that , right enough . helen ' s going to make a grand cockadoodle over this .
for granted that there was now no more question of harriet ' s going to sleep with a friend or driving to denver alone . after dinner , peter had merely said ,
it ' s no good going down to the house yet ,
and they had turned into a news - cinema and seen a mickey mouse and an educational film about the iron and steel industry .
newlywed sleuths lord peter wimsey and harriet vane have their honeymoon interrupted by the discovery of a dead body , and set out to find the killer . robert montgomery and constance cummings star as the detective duo in arthur b woods ' murder mystery .
little elsie ' s bottom ! now , see here , aggie , it ' s time we got down to brass tacks . you and me getting spliced with the idea of coming into your uncle ' s money—that was one thing , see ! that ' s business . but if there ' s no money from you , it ' s off . you get that ?
arthur and vivian are just married , but when the get to their honeymoon suite in washington d . c . , they find it occupied . arthur goes to meet slade , his new boss , and when he comes back , he . . . see full summary »
it ' s a motive—i see it ' s a motive . but you didn ' t want to hear about motive .
doing first - rate , my lord , thank you . bill ' s got his sergeant ' s stripes last week .
no matter—it ' s an occasion . let ' s occupy this handsome seat and contemplate the landscape . the car ' s well off the road if anybody wants to get up the lane .
thank you so much for your absolutely perfect lord peter . i only wish you could have also done busman’s honeymoon . i have long been a fan of dorothy sayers’ titled detective , but fell in love all over again when i watched you bring him to life in strong poison . i didn’t have a tv at the time , so i drove an hour to watch the show on my mother’s tv each week — it was well worth it . i now own the dvd set and watch it over and over . like beadtific above , i enjoy the subtle moments that so eloquently convey lord peter’s feelings . my personal favorite in gaudy night is the moment when harriet salvages a bad moment by asking peter to teach her to tango . the light - hearted bounce in his step , just as the camera cuts away , says it all .
here’s a very odd literary puzzle . apparently an 18th - century english farmer’s wife kept a diary , from sometime ear… urltoken 1 month ago
it ' s all loaded and ready , sir ,
said mrs . ruddle , proudly conscious of her bert ' s efficiency .
what ' s that ?
said the superintendent .
that ' s a new one on me . ' garden of bright images , ' eh ? that ' s pretty , that is .
there ' s someone at the door . if that ' s kirk , we ' ll have to make up our minds .
i got the address from that chap williams over at hancock ' s . seems she ' s a good - looking young woman——
there ' s that about it ,
admitted kirk .
but there ' s circumstances in which you might rather it was you than somebody else , if you take my meaning . and there ' s
mr . macbride ' s men worked expertly . harriet , watching the swift disintegration of her honeymoon house into a dusty desert of straw and packing - cases , rolled - up curtains and spidery pictures spreading their loose wires like springes , wondered whether the whole of her married life would have the same kaleidoscopic quality . character is destiny : probably there was something in her and peter that doomed them never to carry any adventure to its close without preposterous interruptions and abrupt changes of fortune . she laughed , as she assisted matters by tying a bunch of fire - irons together , and remembered what a married friend had once confided to her about her own honeymoon .
you down a fool . nor was he the sort who said ,
i know what i ' m doing and you must take my word for it .
( thank god for that , anyway ! ) he wanted you to agree with him intelligently or not at all . and her intelligence did agree with him . it was her own feelings that didn ' t seem to be quite pulling in double harness with her intelligence . but whether it was her feeling for peter or her feeling for the deceased mr . noakes , butchered to make a busman ' s honeymoon for them , or a merely selfish feeling that she didn ' t want to be bothered at this moment with corpses and policemen , she was not sure .
towards crutchley , who recoiled with a gasp , broke from the vicar ' s supporting hand and flung herself hysterically into harriet ' s arms .
that ' s not quite fair , macbride . anybody could have told that from bunter ' s manner . i know i could .
and i could give piano - lessons again . i know i could get pupils . there ' s the stationmaster ' s little elsie——
who ' s to say crutchley put them there ? they may have been part of one of old noakes ' s little games .
kirk cleared his throat . harriet , who was as a rule good at handkerchiefs , discovered to her annoyance that on this particular morning she had provided herself only with an elegant square of linen , suitable for receiving such rare and joyful drops as might be expected on one ' s honeymoon . peter came to the rescue with what might have been a young flag of truce .
( 1940 ) , the film features sayers ' detective lord peter wimsey ( robert montgomery ) and crime novel writer harriet vale ( constance cummings ) as newlyweds who have pledged to temporarily give up their interest in crime while honeymooning at a remote cottage . lord wimsey and harriet discover that they may not be able to hold to this pledge when a body is found in the cellar of the by the house ' s cleaning staff . scotland yard inspector kirk ( leslie banks ) is brought in to work on the case but he is not sly enough to determine the identity of the murderer . the newly married couple realize they must crack the case on their own before they can be allowed to enjoy their honeymoon .
mr . puffett ' s little twinkling eyes looked into peter ' s , which were like twin grey lakes of limpid clarity and wholly deceptive depth .
of course , as you say ,
agreed peter , with relish .
wednesday always is choir practice . quod semper , quod ubique , quod ab omnibus . nothing ever changes in the english countryside . harriet , your honeymoon house is a great success . i am feeling twenty years younger .
excellent . strictly speaking , i suppose , mr . macbride , it ' s your client ' s beer . but if you have no objection——
my dear , if he treats you like that he ' s not superior at all . he ' s not fit to clean your shoes .
i don ' t care ,
retorted mr . solomons ,
if it ' s been running as long as charley ' s aunt !
wednesday morning , under our very eyes , while we all sat round and watched . that ' s how , peter , that ' s how !
i can—easily ,
said crutchley , in the sweep ' s ear .
thank you , harriet . what ' s your poison , padre ?
mostly gilbert , i fancy . it ' s more likely , if crutchley
that ' s what it very often does mean ,
said harriet .
just a minute . what ' s all this about the wireless ?
now , joe sellon . what ' s the meaning of this ?
yes , of course . by the way , you don ' t insist on a husband ' s right to read his wife ' s letters ?
now let ' s hear the case against crutchley and the vicar .
but every englishman loves a lord . that ' s the idea .
and tidy myself into the cellar . that ' s the idea .
it ' s a whacking great motive , harriet . a middle - aged woman ' s last bid for love—and the money to make the bid .
he stood staring down into the flames .
it ' s abominable !
cried harriet , in a sort of consternation . her excitement broke against his rigidity like water against a stone .
it ' s—it ' s brutal .
oh ! well , that ' s very smelly and useless . i ' m glad he ' s gone . are we going to keep things ?
oh , thank you . i—you—everybody ' s so good to me .
peter ' s glance swept over her as though she had been a stranger .
really steady , but it ' s too late to say that now .
well ,
replied kirk , cautiously ,
that ' s neether here nor there . nine - thirty news . that ' s on the national .
approach is somewhat reactionary , he nevertheless extends his thinking beyond the rigid formulations of ronald knox and s . s . van dine to consider the function of the detective storys formula , positing a much more sophisticated internal logic than anyone else had previously offered .
harriet ' s glance had caught peter ' s again , and he had nodded . the money for the house . but if he had told crutchley as much as that——
she said , ' uncle ' s dead and all the money ' s gone ! ' just like that . then she had the jim - jams . nothing like £ s . d . for going straight to the heart , is there ?
( thank god ! thought peter . not in my lady ' s chamber . )
the constable ' s hand paused in its note - taking . kirk said sharply :
yes ,
muttered sellon , dully ,
that ' s right .
telling the truth . all the same—— he stopped abruptly at kirk ' s side .
oh !
said mrs . ruddle .
not as there ' s anything wrong in borrowin ' a drop of paraffin , w ' en it ' s easy replaced . but them there pleecemen do twist a woman ' s words so .
it ' s only a theory , after all . we haven ' t proved a word of it . that ' s the worst of you mystery - mongers . anything ' s a solution so long as it holds together . let ' s make a theory about somebody else . whom shall we have ? how about mrs . ruddle ? she ' s a tough old lady and not an altogether sympathetic character .
on a woman when she ' s down . have some of this—i don ' t know what it is—this thing bunter ' s made . it looks absolutely marvellous .
oh , he ' s married all right . tied up good and proper .
that ' s a fact ,
he admitted .
he might .
it ' s all right , darling . you were only quoting donne .
that ' s it . the chain . we were all chained together .
but the vicar , not being peter ' s wife , took the thing otherwise .
the remains of the cake . however , the dowager saw them and was quite nice to them , so they tooled off , fairly happy , but without any photographs or any information about the honeymoon . as a matter of fact , i don ' t believe anybody , except the dowager , knows where the bride and bridegroom really have gone to .
hæmorrhage ?
suggested kirk , taking possession of the letter .
that ' s it . hæmorrhagic effusion into the cortex . that ' s a good one .
never mind that now ,
said the superintendent .
that ' s gone west , that has , and it ' s no use crying over spilt milk .
that ' s rather a good idea . and can ' t we take bunter ? i don ' t believe he ' s had anything to eat for years .
his shoulders are disappointed ,
said peter aloud to his wife .
he has found a mare ' s - nest , full of cockatrice ' s eggs .
27 september . —peter came to me and said that if this went on they would both be driven mad . he and h . have decided to do the whole thing quietly , without telling anybody except their own personal friends . small wedding at oxford , reception here , honeymoon in some peaceful spot in the country . i have readily agreed to help them .
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i don ' t believe it ' s such a risk as all that .
he ' s got to be there to let us in ,
said harriet .
perhaps ,
cried miss twitterton ,
that ' s uncle coming now .
but he ' s coming back , no doubt ,
said mr . goodacre .
it ' s going to be a grand concert ,
said harriet , peering over her husband ' s shoulder .
when is it ? shall we be here ?
but , peter—need you investigate this ? it ' s rather rotten for you .
rid of , whatever one ' s feelings might be . much better to accept the situation and do one ' s best . superintendent kirk came in , followed by joe sellon .
kirk and sellon , from the window , had watched mr . macbride ' s departure .
that ' s right . he never troubled with the 6 o ' clock .
peter ' s face changed . he got up and walked slowly over to the fireplace .
the fact is ,
said harriet ,
he ' s completely baffled .
it ' s beautiful ,
said harriet , fervently .
all corners !
very well , then , i will ,
said the vicar ' s lady .
and i ' ve found the other vegetable - dish—only it ' s broke .
bunter ' s world reeled about him and he clutched at the corner of the settle .
the devil she did !
said peter . he caught harriet ' s eye .
can this man give you any help ? he ' s the gardener here .
it ' s all right ,
said peter .
the plant won ' t fall out . it ' s a dead tight fit—as you know . haul steady .
there ' s the chain and the hook and the lead in the pot .
no , not a bit . just a touch of powder ' s all you want . where ' s my—oh ! i left it in peter ' s pocket . no , here it is on the what - not . that ' s bunter . he always clears up after us . poor bunter and the port—it must have been a blow to him .
ah !
said mrs . ruddle , with a deep , sentimental sigh .
and w ' ere ' e ' s ' appy , she ' s ' appy . ah ! it ' s easy to see she worships the ground ' e treads on .
it ' s right now ,
said kirk , glancing at his watch . harriet ' s wrist - watch confirmed this , and so did joe sellon ' s . peter , after a blank gaze at his own watch , said ,
mine ' s stopped ,
in a tone which might have suggested that newton ' s apple had been observed to fly upward or a b . b . c . announcer heard to use a bawdy expression .
thanks to edward petherbridge and harriet walter for embodying lord peter’s unrequited love and harriet’s spirited resistance… . and then saving and acting the joyful key scene wherein she accepts his proposal at last .
simon goodacre and john jellyfield . he ' s the doctor from pagford . it ' s all in order . what did miss twitterton say when your man discovered the body ?
though , come to think of it , he ' s tall enough . he ' s taller nor what you are—pretty well as tall as mr . noakes was , i reckon .
that ' s just it ,
he broke out , with unexpected passion .
that ' s why i can ' t leave it alone . it ' s not picturesque . it ' s not exciting . it ' s no fun at all . just dirty , brutal bashing , like a butcher with a pole - axe . it makes me sick . but who the hell am i , to pick and choose what i ' ll meddle in ?
speaking of the bbc adaptation . near the end of the film when peter is dining at the high table ( or some such thing ) , he refers to a book on the scientific method . i think he calls it the quest . i did not catch the author or title for sure , but it sounded interesting . i could not find the reference in the novel . does anyone know the book being referred to ?
a delightful post and even more delightful poem and sketches . i have loved edward petherbridge’s wimsey .
and clement greenberg , ultimately culminating in dwight macdonalds 1960 essay ,
masscult and midcult
.
that was eight by the church clock and the sun ' s simply blazing in .
yes , my lord ; there ' s one at the garridge where i work .
there ' s the furniture ,
said harriet .
that belongs to him .
it ' s her job ,
said peter .
she writes detective stories .
that ' s right .
he tightened an imaginary noose about his own bull neck .
wring ' em or string ' em up—it ' s the sharp jerk does it .
i seem to have married my only intelligent reader . that ' s the way you construct it from the other end , of course . artistically , it ' s absolutely right .
it ' s all very well , peter—but the poor old thing was really killed .
frank ! he ' s a married man . how can you say such things ?
the door - knob moved under his hand . then her ladyship ' s voice—warm and friendly :
i believe she ' s shaken the bottle ,
she faltered .
oh !
like the cat that ' s swallowed the canary . out with it—what have you discovered ?
broken ,
he said .
that ' s what violence does . once it starts , there ' s no stopping it . it catches us all , sooner or later .
thing has got to be done . by any means , so long as we get to the bottom of it . that ' s your job , and it ' s worth doing .
that ' s right . well , going past there , i see a light , as
mine ' s good advice , too ; but it isn ' t exactly cynical .
right you are , lady ,
said the head—jack ' s , presumably—and disappeared whistling .
i noticed it too . that ' s the thing i couldn ' t remember .
i say , for god ' s sake don ' t wait up for me .
it ' s this damned waiting about till they ' ve finished . . . .
i knew it , i knew it !
shrieked miss twitterton , recklessly .
i knew something terrible had happened ! uncle ' s dead and all the money ' s gone !
he broke off .
i don ' t know why blue uniforms—it ' s usually something to do with the war . and telling one ' s dreams is the last word in egotism .
and there ' s a sight o ' things in the outhouse ,
said george .
jack ' s out there ; he ' d be glad of a hand with them .
noted that director arthur b . woods , who was an raf pilot , had to take time off from his military duties to complete the film . the article noted that the cast and crew were threatened with bombing in a broadcast by
lord haw haw ,
the nazi propaganda broadcaster , but they were unharmed . it also noted that robert montgomery sailed to france when the production was halted and drove a red cross ambulance for three weeks .
your uncle ' s business , miss ,
said mr . macbride , bluntly but not altogether unsympathetically ,
hasn ' t got a leg to stand on . mortgage on the shop and not a hundred pounds ' worth of stock in the place—and i don ' t suppose that ' s paid for . your uncle ' s broke , that ' s what it is . broke .
* a project gutenberg canada ebook * this ebook is made available at no cost and with very few restrictions . these restrictions apply only if ( 1 ) you make a change in the ebook ( other than alteration for different display devices ) , or ( 2 ) you are making commercial use of the ebook . if either of these conditions applies , please check urltoken before proceeding . this work is in the canadian public domain , but may be under copyright in some countries . if you live outside canada , check your country ' s copyright laws . if the book is under copyright in your country , do not download or redistribute this file . title : busman ' s honeymoon . a love story with detective interruptions . author : sayers , dorothy leigh ( 1893 - 1957 ) date of first publication : 1937 edition used as base for this ebook : london : gollancz , 1937 ( first edition ) date first posted : 19 january 2010 date last updated : 19 january 2010 project gutenberg canada ebook # 460 this ebook was produced by : iona vaughan , woodie4 , mark akrigg & the online distributed proofreading team at urltoken
no—and if i hadn ' t refused helen ' s ten villas on the riviera ! . . . hurray ! somebody ' s throttled the hound—that ' s a step in the right direction . . . . cheer up ! the night is yet young , and we may even find a goosefeather bed
but ,
said peter ,
that ' s just the trouble . we haven ' t
frank crutchley ' s eyes wandered over the room as though seeking counsel from the dust - sheets , the aspidistras , the chimney , the bronze horsemen , mr . puffett ' s bowler , the cactus and the radio cabinet , before at length coming to rest on peter ' s in mute appeal .
the shadow of some powerful emotion passed over bunter ' s face ; but his training held good .
here !
said mr . puffett ,
let ' s ' ave a look .
sellon ' s telephoned from the post - office and the super ' s coming over from broxford with the police - surgeon . so i came up to put on a collar and tie .
so ,
said peter ,
galahad will sit down in merlin ' s seat .
he ' s going to say it !
said peter to harriet , in a whisper .
as usual , and—and that ' s the—the last time i saw him . oh , dear !
well . . . that there note - case of mr . noakes ' s—what he lost——
surely you could get a friend to see to bert ' s dinner ,
suggested harriet .
aggie twitterton ' s a - comin ' down the ' ill on ' er bicycle .
hell ' s bells !
said crutchley ,
they ' re comin ' in .
a loud yelp of anguish rent the air within . peter ' s voice lifted to a wail :
you ' ll get there in the end . it ' s all right , peter .
distance . but perhaps in a cactus that ' s merely the bloom of a healthy complexion .
bagatelles ! we ' ve only the vicar ' s opinion about the metabolism of cacti .
now , don ' t you pinch your sister again . it ' s not cricket .
lord peter wimsey gets married and vows to drop all his detective work until a corpse appears in his honeymoon hideaway in deepest devon . based on the novel by dorothy l sayers , you can almost hear the stage boards creaking , though robert montgomery and constance cummings are delightful company as the lead couple and there ' s a host of stalwarts like robert newton and googie withers to please fans of vintage british cinema . the clear camerawork is by freddie young , who later won oscars for lawrence of arabia and doctor zhivago .
that ' s ' er . you mind the little cottage down by the river , miss—mum , i should say—where old blunt useter live ? well , that ' s it , an ' she ' s got a key to the ' ouse—comes over ter see ter things w ' en ' e ' s away , though , come ter think of it , i ain ' t seen ' er this last week . maybe she ' s poorly , because , come ter think of it , if ' e knowed you was coming it ' s aggie twitterton ' e ' d a - told about it .
jealous !
he looked at her and began to laugh . it was not a pleasant laugh , though it showed all his teeth .
that ' s good ! that ' s rich , that is ! what ' s the idea ? startin ' to make eyes at his lordship now ?
crutchley ' s times are all wrong . though he may have been an accomplice . if so , he ' s got damned good reason for giving her the chuck now . in fact , it ' s the best move he can possibly make , even if he only suspects she did it .
come , come ,
interposed mr . goodacre again .
it ' s not miss twitterton ' s fault . you must not fly into a passion . we must all try to think calmly——
miss twitterton , unexpectedly quick - witted , sprang to her feet .
he ' s dead ! uncle ' s dead !
the mug rolled from her hands to crash on the hearth - stone .
yes ,
said peter .
that ' s where it is . but don ' t touch that cabinet , or i won ' t answer for the consequences . i fancy that ' s where that cactus was at 9 . 5 p . m . last wednesday week , and that ' s why sellon was able to see the clock . this is what ' s called reconstructing the crime .
nothing like telling the exact official truth and no more . kirk must have coached him pretty thoroughly . i wonder if kirk—— no , dash it ! i won ' t wonder . i won ' t be bothered with all these people . we seem curiously unable to get any time to ourselves this honeymoon . and that reminds me—the vicar wants us to go round to his place this evening for a sherry - party .
dorothy l . sayers had enjoyed some notoriety as a mystery writer in the 1920 ' s and 1930 ' s , especially with her novels featuring lord peter wimsey . in the 1930 ' s , her friend and fellow writer muriel st . clare byrne convinced her to bring lord wimsey to the london stage , resulting in
you must see what you can do with the bedroom fire ,
was harriet ' s suggestion .
not much you miss , is there ? and the lady ' s as smart as the gentleman .
the quiet , incisive tone had its effect . a kind of illumination spread over crutchley ' s features .
of course it was going . it ' s an eight - day , i tell you . and it was right enough this morning when i wound it . what ' s the odds , anyhow ?
very good ,
said the superintendent ,
that ' s all i want to know .
it ' s about the murder of a journalist—and the title is , curiosity killed the cat .
joe ' s wife , o ' course ,
said mrs . ruddle .
what ' ave
' ere ' s miss twitterton ,
said mrs . ruddle , unnecessarily , and banged out .
i ' m sure it ' s beautiful to see two people so devoted to one another .
with only a very light sediment . it seems to have travelled all right—it ' s quite clear .
wants to know what he ' s to do with some of that tinned and bottled stuff .
you know . most remarkable . it ' s being so black and so fine , i suppose .
that ' s their younger son , mortimer ; he was as mad as a hatter and founded a new religion with himself as its only follower . that ' s dr . gervase wimsey , dean of st . paul ' s ; he was a martyr under queen mary . this is his brother , henry—he raised the standard for queen mary in norfolk at her accession . our family ' s always been very good at having a foot in both camps . that ' s my father , like gerald , but much better looking . . . . that ' s a sargent , which is about its only excuse for existence .
eh ?
said cousin matthew .
what ' s that ? somebody in the library ?
thank you ,
said peter . he whipped the roll of black line deftly from the sweep ' s slow fingers .
yes . that ' s it . that would hold a twenty - pound salmon . and i ' ll bet you there ' s a sinker at each end . i thought so—yes .
?
peter said , damn drains—no drains ( to speak of ) at the hall when he was a boy ( well i remember it ! ) . wedding ( archbp ' s licence ) on the 8th october and let helen think what she likes till last moment—also newspapers . harriet very much relieved . peter adds , anyway , honeymoon in hotels disgusting—own roof ( especially if elizabethan ) much more suited to english gentleman . fierce bustle about wedding - dress—worth ' s—period gown in stiff gold brocade , long sleeves , square neck , off - the - face head - dress , no jewels except my long ear - rings that belonged to great - aunt delagardie . (
they must have very little imagination . it ' s not a plant—it ' s a morbid growth—something lingering happening to your kidneys . besides , it makes me wonder whether i ' ve shaved . have i ?
dunno about that ,
retorted the landlord .
we ' ll ' ave to close the ' ouse till it ' s over . ' tis only decent . and mr . kirk ' s particular .
he ' s not been back home ,
said sergeant foster ,
and he ' s neither rung up nor left a message . i shouldn ' t be surprised if he ' d made tracks .
the other that i remember so strongly is the joyful surprise that flits over peter’s face when he and harriet are piffling about over something or other and he thinks for a brief second that she’s accepted one of the proposals right as she’s bustling out of the room . the expression he has before he bolts after her is priceless .
no—but i ' ve an idea there was an elderly labourer of that name in pagford parva who used to beat his wife or something . they weren ' t dad ' s patients . it ' s funny , even if she ' s ill , that she shouldn ' t have sent mrs . ruddle a message .
that ' s okay ,
agreed the baker .
he ' s a builder by rights , is tom puffett , but he ain ' t above obliging with a chimbley . you stopping here long ? a month ? then maybe you ' d like me to book the bread . where ' s old noakes ?
no—it ' s the power he ' s putting behind it . there ' s corroded soot in the pot or something , which makes it very hard work . . . . peter , i do wish you could have seen the place before noakes filled it up with bronze horsemen and bamboo what - nots and aspidistras .
after which ,
said peter , when they had reversed through the gate and were once again headed for great pagford ,
bunter will proceed to make it quite plain to mrs . ruddle—in case she hasn ' t grasped the idea—that lord and lady peter wimsey are my lord and lady . poor old bunter ! never have his feelings been so harrowed . film - actors , by the look of you ! no better than you should be ! these commercial fellers will say anythink !
that ' s right . we ' ll check the payment at the bank , but it ' s not really necessary . wonder what they thought of him taking it away in cash instead of paying it in . h ' m . it ' s a pity it ain ' t the bank ' s business to give us the office when people do things that look like bolting . but it wouldn ' t do , naturally .
signing off now–and sorry for the elaborate explanation . it’s one of my favorite chapters in this beloved book ! michelle
one ' s own son . . . . but i needn ' t have been so cross with paul .
it ' s smoking , at any rate ,
said harriet ,
like nothing on earth .
he ' s kept it awfully well ,
said harriet .
i thought it looked lovely .
my uncle ' s business——
began miss twitterton .
oh , there must be some mistake .
i do wish he hadn ' t to be worried like this ! it ' s too bad .
that ' s what i wanted to know . you had better order enough coal for a month .
nor it ain ' t ' geranium ' neither—leastways , there ' s no tail to the g .
that ' s right . along of their other chap , williams . he ' ll tell you .
it ' s quite clean ,
he said , cheerfully .
i always carry a spare .
that ' s all very fine ,
observed mrs . ruddle ,
but ' oo ' s to give my bert ' is dinner ? twelve o ' clock ' s ' is time , and i ain ' t a - goin ' to see my bert go ' ungry , not for king george nor nobody .
you watch your step , polly . maybe ' e ' s married three times a ' ready .
so he could . shall i run down and see whether it ' s working now or not ?
wot it is to be the answer to the maiden ' s prayer !
said mrs . ruddle .
ah , no , it ' s not ,
he said quickly , taking courage from her fear .
you can ' t take people ' s trust and make it into a rope for their necks . peter——
oh , no , really . i must be getting home . it ' s so good of you——
here ' s the library ,
said peter .
yes , bates , what is it ?
that ' s what i told her ,
said the duchess ; and the conversation took another turn .
i was sorry i could not come to the reception—you seem to have diddled the press very neatly—but my asthma has been very bad lately . still , i must be thankful to have retained my faculties and my sense of humour so long . tell peter to bring his harriet to see me as soon as they return from this mysterious honeymoon of theirs , and believe me , dear honoria , always ( in spite of my venomous old tongue ) most affectionately yours ,
bricks saying she wasted five years of p . ' s life and can ' t forgive herself and it ' s no good saying he ' s over age because he has m . i . written all over his conscience and if he was seventy he might still be gassed or bombed in an air - raid . earnestly hope we shall
have keys to other folks ' barns . ' i didn ' t say anything about the young lady in london , because that ' s over and done with , but where there ' s one there might be two .
there ' s a little architect who would make a good job of that bathroom extension . his name ' s thipps . he ' s a common little blighter , but he has very real feeling for period stuff . he did the church at duke ' s denver , and he and i got really friendly about thirteen years ago , when he was troubled with a corpse in his bathroom . i think i ' ll send him a line .


naked lunch is a 1991 science fiction drama film co-written and directed by david cronenberg and starring peter weller , judy davis , ian holm , and roy scheider .

it is an adaptation of william s. burroughs ' 1959 novel of the same name , and an international co-production of canada , britain and japan .

the film was released on december 27 , 1991 in the united states and april 24 , 1992 in the united kingdom by 20th century fox .

it received positive reviews from critics , but was a box office bomb , garnering only $ 2.6 million out of a $ 17 – 18 million budget due to a limited release .

it won numerous honours , including the national society of film critics award for best director and seven genie awards , notably best motion picture .

naked lunch has since become a cult film .

naked lunch ( film )

title drop : naked lunch turns out to be a novel lee is writing throughout the film .
nippon film development and finance film trustees ltd . naked lunch productions recorded picture company ( rpc ) téléfilm canada ontario film development corporation pierson , heldring & pierson n . v .
the film is a remarkable homage to pulp fiction . the set décor , consumes and especially the music are all musings of a film noir , and that era of film . the film feels a lot like “chinatown” because it’s a merging of film and neo noir . as to where many feel that “chinatown” is a perfect film , i feel that “naked lunch” is a perfect film .
how loyal has cronenberg been to the william s . burroughs book naked lunch ?
2 thoughts on “deep cuts : “naked lunch” – 1991 . dir . david cronenberg”
naked lunch , peter weller , 1991 , tm & copyright ( c ) 20th century fox film corp . all rights reserved .
naked lunch , judy davis , 1991 , tm & copyright ( c ) 20th century fox film corp . all rights reserved .
naked lunch , judy davis , peter weller , 1991 , tm & copyright ©20th century fox film corp . all rights reserved .
naked lunch , peter weller , 1991 , tm and copyright ( c ) 20th century fox film corp . all rights reserved .
her prescience has been fulfilled by the pairing of these two idiosyncratic figures under the eye of david cronenberg in his film naked lunch .
how composer howard shore brought the sounds of tangier to william s . burroughs ' ‘naked lunch’
naked lunch , ian holm , peter weller , 1991 , tm & copyright ( c ) 20th century fox film corp . all rights reserved .
naked lunch , peter weller ( center ) , 1991 , tm & copyright ( c ) 20th century fox film corp . all rights reserved .
if you wanna be cool you gotta read naked lunch . that ' s a cool book .
something old , so . . . : may 2015 - naked lunch by william s . burroughs
naked lunch @ 50 : anniversary essays , southern illinois university press , 2009 . 293 pp .
naked lunch by william s . burroughs hardcover , 320 pages grove press list price : $ 24
labels : david cronenberg , judy davis , naked lunch , peter weller , william s . burroughs
hello naked lunch sound like a original movie i want to see it cause it looks spooky .
how composer howard shore brought the sounds of tangier to william s . burroughs ' ‘naked lunch’ - noisey
an excerpt from william s . burroughs comic / noir / experimental masterpiece ' naked - lunch ' .
movies : out to lunch with the guru of gross - out : david cronenberg says the only way he could be faithful to william s . burroughs ' celebrated ' naked lunch ' on film was to betray it
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing naked lunch near you .
not the answer you ' re looking for ? browse other questions tagged book - adaptation naked - lunch .
watch : david cronenberg & william s . burroughs discuss the making of ‘naked lunch’ in 40 - minute documentary
naked lunch by william s . burroughs hardcover , 320 pages grove press list price : $ 24 . 00
comparison to “chinatown” is absolutely , absolutely spot on . where that film is suffocatingly pessimistic this film is joyously optimistic .
movies : out to lunch with the guru of gross - out : david cronenberg says the only way he could be faithful to william s . burroughs ' celebrated ' naked lunch ' on film was to betray it - latimes
naked lunch , david cronenberg , william s . burroughs , peter weller , 1991 , tm & copyright ( c ) 20th century fox film corp . all rights reserved .
how loyal has cronenberg been to the william s . burroughs book naked lunch ? - movies & tv stack exchange
henry threadgill , denardo coleman and charnett moffett rehearsing for ' naked lunch ' in ornette coleman ' s studio .
i love naked lunch the movie ( haven ' t read the book ) . great blog you have here .
* picture :
life is sweet .
runners - up :
naked lunch ,
bugsy .
“naked lunch” brought to social notice themes of drug use , homosexuality , hyperbolic violence , and anti - authoritarian paranoia .
on lincoln center ' s ornette coleman festival , and the ' naked lunch ' event that kicks off the series .
watch : david cronenberg & william s . burroughs discuss the making of ‘naked lunch’ in 40 - minute documentary | indiewire
we’d love your help . let us know what’s wrong with this preview of naked lunch by william s . burroughs .
book and film will return in january 2015 . have a suggestion for a book and film feature ? leave it in the comments !
lost & found : howard shore and ornette coleman ' s naked lunch - fact magazine : music news , new music .
one of the finest film journalist’s in the business… the acidemic film journal is a must for anyone who loves cinema . . .
the howard shore / mondo collaborative editions of naked lunch , dead , ringers , and crash will be available through mondo’s website .
even moreso than dead ringers , most of naked lunch ‘s toronto locations are long gone , save for cinespace studios , whose facilities were used to represent north african markets and a host of other weird locations . naked lunch is a film that , even for people used to cronenberg’s fondness for icky things , really ups the ante .
author avatar : william lee is the avatar of william s . burroughs . throughout the movie he ' s actually writing naked lunch .
naked lunch
: music from the original soundtrack ; by howard shore , ornette coleman and
the london philharmonic orchesta
.
take a deep dive into the creation process of the film score for david cronenberg’s groundbreaking 1991 film naked lunch . in conversation with denardo coleman , composer howard shore recalls how he incorporated ornette coleman’s unique voice into the film’s soundscape in order to create an alternate , interzone universe . lincoln center festival 2017 will include a screening of naked lunch with live accompaniment performed by ensemble signal and featuring ravi coltrane , henry threadgill , charnett moffett , and denardo coleman . for more information , visit lincolncenterfestival . org .
all month , i have been looking at the life and works of william s . burroughs . this month concludes with the regular “book and film” feature focusing on his seminal work naked lunch and its 1991 adaptation .
i want to know which parts and concepts in the movie naked lunch are based on the book and which parts are added by cronenberg .
in 1966 burroughs and gysin worked together to create the short film , the cut ups . whilst filmed before they began plotting a movie of naked lunch , the cut ups nonetheless came from their collaboration in the aftermath of the publication of naked lunch and thus may be able to tell us a little about what we could have expected from the doomed project .
david cronenberg released a 1991 film adaptation of naked lunch that used very little of the book ' s material , claiming a literal adaption would be not only impossible , but
banned in every country in the world
.
theme crafted by george e . frog . film music reporter wordpress theme by :
this summer , howard shore’s teamed up with mondo to release vinyl editions of three of his scores from cronenberg films : naked lunch , 1988’s dead ringers , and crash ( 1996 ) . we spoke with shore about his work on naked lunch , including how he used the music of morocco and the jazz of famous ornette coleman to transport the film’s audience into the “interzone . ”
i can think of at least two things wrong with that title . - - nelson after watching
naked lunch
,
bart on the road
while naked lunch wasn’t likely to redirect the course of soundtracks , it did allow coleman’s distinctive saxophone and compositional styles to be heard by yet another audience .
to date , naked lunch has sold more than 1 million copies ; a 50th anniversary edition of the novel is due out next month from grove press .
some might find cronenberg’s approach both a butchery and a concession to homophobia . in truth , his refusal to make naked lunch a “gay film” ( whatever that is ) fits well with burroughs and the beats conception of sexuality and its meaning .
i feel like this was false advertising . i was expecting naked ladies . instead it ' s all weird . love me some peter weller . i have watched some bad movies that had him . he seems enigmatic . since you can ' t really film ' naked lunch ' , this is a pretty good substitute .
peter weller , who portrays burroughs , describes cronenberg’s effort as being a film about the subtext of naked lunch rather than the novel itself . at its heart , he says , pulses the sadness that created the art . as cronenberg notes , burroughs often described his art as a way to defeat “the ugly spirit” , the shadows of a strange and violent night in 1951 that never left him . naked lunch the film probes these dark places and lets the ugly spirits come out to play .
* cinematography : roger deakins ,
barton fink .
runners - up : peter suschitzky ,
naked lunch
; allen daviau ,
bugsy .
naked lunch copyright 1959 by william s . burroughs , reprinted with the permission of the publisher , grove press , an imprint of grove / atlantic , inc .
furthermore , naked lunch isn’t comprised of a traditional narrative that would adapt well to the screen . the story jumps around wildly through time and space , with characters rarely developing , if at all . its fragmentary composition would surely baffle film - goers .
denardo was speaking in his father’s loft , in the garment district of manhattan , during a recent rehearsal for the naked lunch performance . against one wall , a large flatscreen monitor had the film playing on mute , with a time code in the corner .
with the headline : review / film ; drifting in and out of a kafkaesque reality .
naked lunch - together with the rare prospectus , william s . ( novel ) ; southern burroughs , terry ; seldon , e . s . ( essays ) - captain ahab ' s rare books - specializing in first editions of modern literature and books into film
pragmatic adaptation : cronenberg ' s adaptation of the unfilmable naked lunch took story elements from the book and melded them together with parts of william s . burroughs ' biography .
movie director david cronenberg was a gutsy guy , asking ornette coleman to play on the soundtrack for his inspired but ultimately flawed realisation of crusty old bill burroughs’ naked lunch .
homer and lisa get lunch , courtesy of one of snpp ' s vending machines .
the film of the book : naked lunch is un - adaptable , for a variety of reasons . ( chief among them ; semi - obscene , no coherent plot . ) cronenberg ' s solution when doing the film adaptation was to graft a few scenes and ideas from the novels onto a roman à clef version of author william s . burroughs ' life .
it seemed unlikely , then , that naked lunch would one day become a feature film . yet , not long after the obscenity trial that declared the book of enough social value to be unleashed upon the public , william s . burroughs was plotting its way into cinema .
* supporting actress : jane horrocks ,
life is sweet .
runners - up : juliette lewis ,
cape fear
; judy davis ,
naked lunch .
* director : david cronenberg ,
naked lunch .
runners - up : mike leigh ,
life is sweet
; jonathan demme ,
silence of the lambs .
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
it would appear that the film that resulted from this too - perfect match of sensibilities has fulfilled even its grander expectations .
naked lunch ,
which opened last month in manhattan and los angeles , the film that even burroughs believed could never be made , is about to appear in the nation ' s multiplexes on friday - - whether the nation is ready for it or not .
the movie naked lunch is not only an adaption of the book ( which is already considered highly autobiographical ) , but also about what drove burroughs to write it in the first place .
in 1963 burroughs , gysin and balch collaborated on the short film towers open fire . directed by balch , the film featured moroccan music performed by gysin , and voice - overs by the unmistakable sardonic burroughs .
naked lunch’s music takes the viewer into a jazzy - beat - poet - headspace . what was your approach for this film ? naked lunch is set in a world called “interzone , ” and from william s . burroughs novel , i knew it was somewhere in north africa . the score’s a combination of north african music by the master musicians of jajouka , and ornette coleman—who was a contemporary of burroughs . i tried to put the idea of new york bebop and moroccan music together .
of the published primary sources , naked lunch will , of course , be the central text used in this thesis . naked lunch originated as a series of “routines” , the seeds and early versions of which can often be found in burroughs’ letters in the 1940s and 50s , written mainly to allen ginsberg from tangier , and now published in viking penguin . this is an invaluable source in clarifying and contextualising many of the ideas put forward in naked lunch . some of burroughs’ previously unpublished “routines” from the naked lunch period can be found in the interzone collection , which is also of use . excerpts from burroughs’ body of work , some previously unpublished , are collected in word virus : the william burroughs reader , which contains perceptive essays by ann douglas and james grauerholz .
1991 saw the release of naked lunch , cronenberg’s long - gestating adaptation of william s . burroughs’ supposedly unfilmable novel ( an irritating epithet : nothing is unfilmable ) . the film , though far from perfect , succeeds as a love - letter to burroughs – cronenberg interprets his textual source material as loosely as wild bill interpreted life , and seeks to further blur the distinction between the author and his protagonist , william lee ( played by peter weller ) . the resulting film is , of course , crazy – no adaptation of naked lunch could fail to be , even if richard curtis were in the director’s chair – but this craziness is tempered by cronenberg’s gift for suspense and storytelling . though it has numerous experimental flourishes , naked lunch is not an experimental film . like all cronenberg’s mature work , it’s bound by hollywood conventions , which only serves to make its underlying subversiveness more potent .
the three men formed a production company in 1970 , called friendly films limited . they reviewed screenplays , treatments and ran through ideas together on how to make naked lunch work as a movie .
naked lunch was not a box office success — despite wide theatrical release , it only grossed about $ 2 . 6 million , a fraction of its roughly $ 17 million budget — but it has acquired the aura of a cult classic . still , even by the standards of cronenberg , the unrivaled auteur of body horror , the film retains its potential to shock . ( try an image search for “mugwump , ” or “ naked lunch typewriter , ” and you’ll get the idea . )
i am a big fan of david cronenberg , and due to the fact that barnes and noble was doing their 50 % off criterion collection sale , i picked up “naked lunch” and watched last night . as a body of work , i think that cronenberg has made very good films , and i think he’s a very good auteur – but as for “naked lunch” , it’s cronenberg’s masterpiece .
last edited : 19 may 2006 13 : 11 : 20 © new line cinema / cannes film festival .
. . one of the most talented and creative writers on film working in the world today .
william s . burroughs’ naked lunch is his most well - known work and a key work in the counter - culture moment . its then controversial elements make for great satire , holding up a mirror to 1950’s american society . the novel’s graphic sexuality , explicit violence , and the non - linear , cut - up method used makes it difficult for a film adaptation . but david croneberg smartly opted not to aim for a straight - forward adaptation of naked lunch for his 1991 film . rather , he took key themes from burroughs’ novel and incorporates them with important aspects of burroughs’ life , namely the development of naked lunch and his motivations for becoming a writer . in this regard , naked lunch is an excellent take on this hard to film novel . the cast is game for the weirdness cronenberg is aiming for , and his experience on his previous films ( especially scanners , videodrome , and the fly ) helps in developing the surrealistic atmosphere burroughs achieved in the novel . fans of burroughs’ work will appreciate the elements from burroughs’ life and will surely appreciate cronenberg’s audacity and enthusiasm in taking on this great novel .
the first of many startling reveals in naked lunch , the 1991 david cronenberg film , occurs five seconds into the opening title sequence . an orchestra has just struck its first chords , foreboding and tremulous , when ornette coleman’s alto saxophone goes skittering into action , like an errant flashlight beam across a velvet curtain .
shore is a highly prolific film composer : in addition to his close association with cronenberg , he is known for his work on the lord of the rings movies , and on several martin scorsese epics ( including the departed and gangs of new york ) . but naked lunch represents a special convergence for him .
i’m thinking about the book both because burroughs is a character in my novel - in - progress turing & burroughs , and because i watched david cronenberg’s naked lunch via netflix instant - watch last night .
g - rated drug : the drug - fueled , hallucination - laden madness that is naked lunch ( the film , at least ) revolves around lee ' s addiction to . . . extermination powder ? granted , it was meant as an indirect adaptation of the original novel , in which heroin was the culprit .
in 1991 naked lunch was finally committed to film by the director david cronenberg , and with burroughs’ permission . cronenberg acknowledged the book’s label of being “unfilmable” , saying that a straight forward adaptation would “cost 100 million dollars and be banned in every country in the world . ” indeed , that’s not hard to imagine .
best film editing ( awarded in memory of karen schmeer ) - daniel p . hanley and mike hill for rush
provocative , but never as clever as it thinks it is , cronenberg ' s film is ultimately a misfire .
* screenplay : david cronenberg ,
naked lunch .
runners - up : james toback ,
bugsy
; agnieszka holland ,
europa , europa
; calder willingham ,
rambling rose .
if you look carefully at these words , you ' ll realize that i ' m actually saying something else . i ' m not actually telling you about the several reasons why i enjoyed watching naked lunch - about the impeccable writing , the film ' s strange sense of humor ; about the metaphors , the social commentary .
and it ' s our ticket to the best spring break of our lives !
, bart announces . and it begins with a ticket to an r - rated movie - -
naked lunch
.
first published 50 years ago , william s . burroughs ' novel naked lunch is a dark , wild ride through the terror of heroin addiction and withdrawal , filled with paranoia , erotica and drug - fueled hallucinations .
bookstores in film : a list of movies with at least one scene set in a bookstore . books and bibliophiles .
by time burroughs was actually living in tangier , he was well past the transition , constantly writing about boys in his letters , so in that sense the film is historically inaccurate . but we’re not talking about true history in the movie naked lunch . we’re talking about attaching the images and dialog of an author’s fantastic novel to a mythologized version of the author’s life . and in some ways the transitional state is a good choice to use for the film . in any case the character is , as burroughs remarked to cronenberg re . the film , “queer enough . ”
there is something about noir that begs genre - blending , i am convinced . whether it ' s sci - fi in blade runner , comedy in who framed roger rabbit ? , or surrealism here in naked lunch , there is just something about noir and neo - noir that make it so much the chameleon of genres , working with and for so many other types of films . for me , it worked perfectly in naked lunch .
in fact , one could view the movie less as an adaptation of the book than as a biopic with elements of naked lunch thrown in to represent the perpetual junk haze in which burroughs spent most of his life .
this week lincoln center is honoring coleman , who died in 2015 , with a festival of music and film organized by his son , the drummer denardo coleman . the kickoff event , on tuesday night , is a screening of naked lunch with live orchestral accompaniment and not one but two eminent soloists , the saxophonists henry threadgill and ravi coltrane .
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as an important text in the counter - culture movement , naked lunch puts american culture under a microscope and points out flaws in a harsh , blunt way . its groundbreaking style , smart style , and infamous graphicness are part of the reasons why it became as popular as it was notorious . the draw towards adapting it for film is certainly tantalizing . burroughs himself attempted to try to adapt it into a film , but funding fell through . it would take thirty - two years after its publication before someone would have the wherewithal and vision to take on the novel and turn it into a film .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
this essay by novelist , playwright , and culture critic gary indiana originally appeared in the 1992 book everything is permitted : the making of “naked lunch . ” burroughs’s work tends to affect people like a rorschach test . it separates cultural …
othing is true ; everything is permitted . ” welcome to interzone , the hellish playground of william burroughs’ ‘naked lunch’ . along with jack kerouac and allen ginsberg , burroughs was among the central figures of the beat generation . over a frenzied decade bridging the 1950s and ’60s they were instrumental in reshaping america’s cultural landscape , tearing up their elders’ starchy doctrine and blazing the trail for the counterculture that followed . as dynamic , brilliant young things they seemingly make for ideal cinematic subjects , but only one film managed to capture something of the essence of its author and the beat generation at large : david cronenberg’s naked lunch .
with the release of cronenberg’s naked lunch , burroughs distanced himself somewhat from previous attempts to film the “unfilmable . ” he said that “the late brion gysin and antony balch , set out to adapt it for film , ” failing to mention his own input . also , gysin’s screenplay had been “long on burlesque . . . a series of music - hall comedy songs that he composed . ” he appeared content with the result of a twenty year pursuit for a silver - screen version of his literary classic .
story : with little in the way of coherent narrative , naked lunch takes the form of disconnected episodes describing the activities of bizarrely imagined figures - junkies , agents ,
faggots
- who inhabit interzone , a fantastical urban melting pot . certain characters recur - bill lee , dr benway , the mugwumps - in convoluted , often gruesomely obscene scenarios . the author described naked lunch as
a matter of catharsis , where i say the most horrible things i can think of
.
by 1991 , burroughs had been involved in a few films , mainly as cameos . his most significant role prior to his involvement in naked lunch was a role as tom the junkie priest in gus van sant’s drugstore cowboy . as well , none of his works had really been adapted for the screen , mainly because they were thought to be unfilmable . but david cronenberg , an admirer of burroughs’ , decided to take on the herculean task of adapting his most famous work naked lunch . having already directed films such as scanners , videodrome , the fly , and dead ringers , cronenberg had made a name for himself as a director with an eye for the strange and surreal , and a master of “venereal horror . ” with burroughs’ blessing , cronenberg set out to film what is more an adaptation of burroughs’ life and novels than it is an adaptation of naked lunch .
how book and film compare : burroughs ' s book is merely the starting point for cronenberg ' s film , which operates more as a profile of burroughs ' s perverse imagination . the real life shooting of joan is the film ' s opening scene ( though cronenberg shifts its location to new york ) and merges burroughs ' s character with interzone agent bill lee and another briefly glimpsed figure , the exterminator .
* foreign film :
double life of veronique .
runners - up :
the vanishing
;
europa , europa .
for the purposes of the film , cronenberg created what wikipedia terms a “ metatexual adaptation . ” that is , he blended elements of the novel with the by - now - legendary story of burroughs’s life—the shooting of his wife , the expatriate years in tangier , typing the pages of naked lunch high in his tangier room , jack kerouac and allen ginsberg helping him assemble the manuscript . all of this material is outlined in burroughs’s letters , and in the reminiscences of his beat friends—the transreal oeuvre is blended together to produce the transreal film .
film - makers : david cronenberg ( b1943 ) emerged in the mid - 1970s with a string of perverse low - budget horror films , in which disease and mutation figured strongly . he made the switch to the mainstream with the stephen king adaptation the dead zone ( 1983 ) . his subsequent hit , the fly ( 1986 ) , gave him the clout to make the supposedly unfilmable naked lunch .
so bill and joan perform their
william tell act ,
just as mr . burroughs and his wife , joan vollmer burroughs , did on one drunken evening in mexico city in 1951 . as bill shoots and kills joan , the film makes one of its many allusions to the real events of mr . burroughs ' s life . soon afterward , he either physically or psychically flees new york for interzone , a tangier - like exotic setting in which the film ' s nightmarishness escalates to new levels ( although
naked lunch
is so thoroughly hallucinatory that it ' s difficult to know exactly where its characters are , literally or figuratively ) . in interzone , the suffering gets worse and the bugs get bigger as bill attempts to write what will be
naked lunch ,
the novel .
”the title means exactly what the words say : naked lunch - - a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of the fork . ” the book title was suggested by jack kerouac . if not for the intervention of william s . burroughs friends , naked lunch would have never seen the light of day . peter orlovsky , allen ginsberg , and jack kerouac decided to visit burroughs in tangiers and see if they could salvage any of the fragmented writing that had been dripping from the mind of burroughs while he was nurs
i sort of resisted the idea of being a writer . . . . but jack [ kerouac ] definitely did encourage me . and he said that i would write a novel called . . . ' naked lunch . ' that ' s his title , kerouac .
favourite because it staunches the guff about the tortured imagination that fills the rest of the movie . for cronenberg ' s naked lunch , it soon transpires , is yet another film about the interior life of the writer to join steven soderbergh ' s forthcoming kafka and the coen brothers ' s barton fink . in placing him in a dilapidated hotel it links arms with both the latter and kubrick ' s the shining .
coleman is more than a featured soloist in howard shore’s original score for naked lunch : his quizzical , bracing cry also provides something like a point of view in the film , which was adapted from the landmark novel by william s . burroughs . the chiming polytonality of the music shows an affinity with coleman’s language , and he takes to the orchestrations as naturally as he does to the odd interlude with his trio .
so cronenberg , with burroughs ' blessing , avoided literal adaptation , fashioning , instead , a story about a heroin - addicted writer named william lee ( a name burroughs frequently uses for a fictitious alter ego ) who accidentally shoots his wife to death and expatriates himself to tangier , where he fights through his many demons to write a book called
naked lunch .
aspects of burroughs ' own life , including the accidental murder of his wife joan , are mixed together with pieces from
naked lunch
and burroughs ' other novels .
burroughs ' ' naked lunch , ' still fresh at 50 once the center of an obscenity trial , william s . burroughs ' novel is a dark , wild ride through the terror of heroin addiction and withdrawal , filled with paranoia , erotica and drug - fueled hallucinations .
burroughs described the novel as
a frozen moment when everyone sees what is at the end of every fork .
poet anne waldman says that at the time it was published , naked lunch offered a stark contrast to the prevailing vision of reality during the eisenhower years :
the single disc included in this set contains the same special features as criterion’s previous dvd release . but these are an outstanding set of features , a treat for burroughs and beats fans as well as cronenberg aficionados . the “making of” feature includes interviews and readings by burroughs . the disc also includes burroughs reading selected passages from naked lunch ( especially the segments dealing with the film’s philosophical themes of social discipline and punishment ) .
note : this year ' s awards are dedicated to the memory of robin dougherty , a former boston phoenix film critic who passed away this summer .
anyway , they seems to be good releases , and an oportunity for all film score fans discover the music that howard shore has composed for cronenberg .
more than a film about hallucinations , is a film that hallucinates , incorporating in its filmic matter the forms of unreality , that , by a magic trick - in a film that uses the studio like the two versions of
the thief of bagdad
- is transmuted into a hyperrealism of the senses . writing is an act that follows the sacrifice and mingles with the loss , while shooting is the figurative fulfillment of this
petite morte
.
naked lunch represents that most unfilmable of all unfilmable projects . salinger may have been right that the catcher in the rye could not be captured on celluloid . he probably meant by this that the book conveys a level of angst and yearning that likely couldn’t be matched on screen .
i sort of resisted the idea of being a writer ,
he said .
but jack [ kerouac ] definitely did encourage me . and he said that i would write a novel called . . . naked lunch . that ' s his title , kerouac .
it ' s not the woman with her kelvinator refrigerator , opening the door to show you how crisp the lettuce stays ,
says waldman .
it ' s the ' naked lunch ' . . . where you see reality clearly , you see the lettuce decomposing .
william burroughs’s novel naked lunch has been rattling literary cages since it was published at the end of the repressive fifties . though nothing in david cronenberg’s free - form , $ 15 million film is as jolting as the poetically eroticized violence of the book , there’s plenty to scare off the uninitiated , including a giant centipede that rapes and devours a gay boy in a bird cage . a crash course in the pertinent works of burroughs ( exterminator ! , junky , queer ) and cronenberg ( the brood , scanners , the fly ) couldn’t hurt , but the film stands on its own metaphors .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
this film is built around paranoia and mystery , it’s very incoherent with its flow and intention and the film is the perfect metaphor about the writing process . as lee dives further into the underground world of drugs and being a secret agent cronenberg builds the paranoia which at times feel sort of polanski - esq .
the group ' s best screenplay award went to
naked lunch ,
david cronenberg ' s freewheeling adaptation of william s . burroughs ' s novel , a film that will not open until next week . the cinematography prize went to roger deakins for his work on
barton fink ,
joel and ethan coen ' s droll , nightmarish look at hollywood in the 1940 ' s . judy davis was named best supporting actress for a total of three performances in these two films . she plays two different women in the hallucinatory
naked lunch .
samuel l . jackson was voted best supporting actor for his performance as a drug addict in spike lee ' s
jungle fever .
' europa , europa ' a winner
naked lunch is a symphony of smut ; a fever - dream of filth ; a hallucination ; a work of art . this is not a novel that charts an easy course . it is wild , erratic , crude to the extreme , and largely incomprehensible but for occasional moments of clarity . there is genius in these naked pages , a raw and fractured genius , the voice of the depraved and drug - addled , mainlined , unfiltered , directly into the vein . this lunch is opulent , sumptuous , but excessive , tainted , vomit - inducing . burroughs ' s masterpi
that aspect of burroughs is celebrated at feature length in “naked lunch , ” the new david cronenberg film in which peter weller gives a performance as evocative as it is depressing , as a fictional character obviously meant to be taken as the author . the film opens with “ william lee ” making one of his periodic attempts to go straight . he has kicked drugs , he claims , and is gainfully employed as an insect exterminator . but his wife ( judy davis ) is addicted to the bug powder , and so is bill , to such an extent that millions of cockroaches owe him their lives .
but the key to the film’s longevity is the union at its rotten core : cronenberg and burroughs . they share a flair for the grotesque , met with perfect nonchalance and bone - dry wit . in naked lunch , cronenberg invites the audience to dine in hell . the intense imagery of his body - horror – nightmares of flesh and metal , lust and infection – finds an equal in burroughs’ prose . but crucially cronenberg’s adaptation is a fusion of the two artists’ minds , as if they crossed in the fly’s telepods . keeping the title was key , though . as burroughs put it , “the title means exactly what the words say : naked lunch , a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork . ”
special commendation to george mansour - the
repo man award
to the film booker for the nickelodeon cinema , for repossessing repo man from consignment to television .
ruritania : in the brief bit of it we see in the film , annexia ' s border guards are wearing little fur hats and speak in russian accents .
like many of the best comedies and tragedies , this weimar - era silent film understands how each mode is often a hair ' s breadth from the other .
the criterion release of david cronenberg’s naked lunch offers the closest to this experience we are likely to ever get . burroughs’ himself says in the disc’s “making of” feature that he never expected more than a fraction of the book to make it into the film . in fact , this is something other than a filming of a book , an adaptation . in fact , it’s not really an adaptation at all . it’s a collaborative project , something entirely new .
) , ' and now they try to swallow ` naked lunch . ' this movie was , from what i heard , a highly surreal trip into the mind of a junkie - - or something like that . certainly , it ' s not as much fun as the title suggests .
but it’s a least possible to imagine holden caulfield slumming around manhattan . how do you picture the flumes of bodily excrescence that explode in naked lunch , its alien interrogators and masters of control hovering over bodies in pain and pleasure , the inward ecstasies and torment of bodies on a perpetual high ?
this book is beautiful in a sick - grotesque - wild - hilarious - creative - mind - bending - outlandish - drug - filled - dirty - brave kind of way . if i could use one word to describe it , it would be “bizarre” ; although “hilarious” and “important” could work , too . in naked lunch you are taken into the mind of william s . burroughs - - a twisted , drug addicted man , who also happens to be genius . when considering its content , it’s no wonder naked lunch was banned and railed against when it was first released ; it’s also
part of cronenberg ' s successful strategy is looking beyond the single book at the whole of burroughs ' work and also his biography . he drapes the entire film in literary fabric , with the reference to kafka in regards to the narcotic high the film ' s characters get from bug powder dust being a fairly telling allusion . the plot of the movie is kafakesque with interwoven lines of paranoia , labyrinthine bureaucracies , and the self - replicating puzzle that the film ' s hero finds himself in .
the flaw of the 5 - star rating system is in trying figure out whether you should award stars based on how much you liked a book , or based on how
good
you think a book is . these two criteria are often distinct from each other , and naked lunch , at least for me , is a perfect example of this . i think that naked lunch is a brilliant book , an that burroughs is one of our century ' s great literary geniuses . so , that makes it a five star book . but did i enjoy reading it ? sometimes very much , sometimes n
found this file i started on my computer june 9 , 2007 : hypertext reading of naked lunch reading naked lunch as it was intended : open the book at any page and just read what is there . keeping track of pages read , so that there is no duplication and each page is given its consideration . am a bit anal about these things , so i ' m not going to cut in the middle of a chapter . . . going to read nearest chapter from where i pry open the book . the book is never meant to end , because it ' s an immortal junky ' s ni
these elements , plus a lot of attention to the addictive powers of the black meat of the giant brazilian centipede , insure that mr . cronenberg ' s version of
naked lunch
is no more suitable to the fainthearted than mr . burroughs ' s was . and the film , while very different from the book , is every bit as impenetrable in its own way . by the time it reaches a repellent fever pitch , with one character literally tearing its body open to reveal someone of a different sex inside ( a simple yet extravagantly weird evocation of the author ' s thoughts on sexual identity ) ,
naked lunch
has become too stomach - turning and gone too far over the top to regain its initial aplomb . yet for the most part this is a coolly riveting film and even a darkly entertaining one , at least for audiences with steel nerves , a predisposition toward mr . burroughs and a willingness to meet mr . cronenberg halfway .
: burroughs always said that he would never have become a writer if not for joan ' s death . this is portrayed in the film . . . sort of .
no celebrities were harmed : lee is an obvious stand - in for burroughs himself . the film also includes two characters who are pretty clearly jack kerouac and allen ginsberg .
naked lunch is a symphony of smut ; a fever - dream of filth ; a hallucination ; a work of art . this is not a novel that charts an easy course . it is wild , erratic , crude to the extreme , and largely incomprehensible but for occasional moments of clarity . there is genius in these naked pages , a raw and fractured genius , the voice of the depraved and drug - addled , mainlined , unfiltered , directly into the vein . this lunch is opulent , sumptuous , but excessive , tainted , vomit - inducing . burroughs ' s masterpiece is certainly an experience , though not a pleasant one .
stay until you finish the book , but then come back to us ,
bill ' s friends say about his sojourn in interzone . but if the terror so slyly and sickeningly rendered in
naked lunch
is representative , it ' s a miracle that artists ever survive the creative process to come home .
but then this is true to the spirit of burroughs , whose naked lunch was first published in paris in 1959 , and sparked an american obscenity trial several years later . a hallucinogenic novel steeped in drug addiction , exaggerated violence and sexual depravity , it inhabits a kind of post - beatnik paranoia , sharp and curdled .
naked lunch ,
adapted by the dauntless david cronenberg from william s . burroughs ' s 1959 landmark novel , represents a remarkable meeting of the minds . it ' s hard to imagine another film maker who could delve so deeply into the monstrousness of mr . burroughs ' s vision , in the end coming up with a bona fide monster movie of his own . yet while mr . cronenberg ' s ingenious approach to his material matches mr . burroughs ' s flair for the grotesque , it also shares the author ' s perfect nonchalance and his ice - cold wit . seldom has a film maker offered his audience a more debonair invitation to go to hell .
in 1962 , grove press issued a promotional booklet to accompany the november 20 , 1962 american publication of ' naked lunch , ' a scarce and desirable piece of ephemera . publisher barney rosset printed the prospectus with an obscenity trial in mind , with the entire document reading like a legal argument to establish ' naked lunch ' s ' literary merit before a courtroom . the pamphlet opens with a short essay by terry southern , followed by a critical piece by e . s . seldon . the remainder of the pamphlet contains an eight page selection from the novel . a terrific piece of ephemera that is rarely offered together with the novel , and one that is essential to understanding the early publication history of ' naked lunch , ' the establishment of the book ' s critical reception , and the novel ' s many court battles over the years . to the best of our knowledge , the two essays contained within have not been printed in any other format . a superior copy of this beat generation cornerstone , and basis for the bizarre 1991 david cronenberg film starring peter weller , judy davis , and ian holm . maynard & miles a2 . b .
documents still exist in the archive of terry wilson – a friend of burroughs , gysin and balch – that let us see what the three men had in mind for filming the “unfilmable” project . through letters , screenplays and storyboards it is possible to examine the vision they had in attempting to bring naked lunch to the screen .
i personally favor the interpretation that the pages that the william lee of the movie writes on his typewriter are the pages of the real - world book naked lunch . just as burroughs was lost in a state of drug - induced hallucination , paranoia and guilt when writing the book , so is the william lee of the movie .
that shocking reality caused a furor when excerpts were published in the university of chicago ' s literary magazine in 1958 . a paris pornographer took note and published naked lunch in france the following year . then in 1962 , grove press issued the first american edition . a year later , a boston bookstore owner was arrested for selling it .
critical reception to burroughs has been varied . herbert gold , in an early assessment of naked lunch , wrote “many will be disgusted , snobs will says it’s a masterpiece , but they miss the relevance to our times . ” 2 this concisely sums up many of the problems associated with the critical reception and studies of naked lunch since — and even before — its publication , and also points towards the aims of this study : to establish the relevance of naked lunch . early objections focused on the obscenities , and the graphic sexual descriptions within the book , and the publication of the book in america prompted an obscenity trial in 1965 . 3 one of the most famous hostile responses to naked lunch was the review which appeared in the times literary supplement in 1983 . entitled “ugh…” it captured the disgust with which many greeted the work , and the reluctance to look beyond this initial first impression with impeded its reception . some have attacked it because they find the character of william burroughs himself difficult to come to terms with : being addicted to heroin for most of his life , never conforming to any normal codes of sexual conduct and the fact that he shot his common law wife perhaps make it difficult for many to consider him as a social philosopher . he is seen as representative of decadence , and therefore not an appropriate character to criticise western society .
i found this post through io9–and i was thinking , it must be st . williams burroughs week . or month . i’ve found myself obsessing over naked lunch ( and other burroughs material–like ‘the job’ ) , over the past few weeks and specifically how cronenberg deftly handles burroughs material . i’ve streamed the film several times in the past fortnight and it is standout science fiction . so is the rest of burroughs life–his tussles with scientology , cut - up methodologies , obsession with reich / orgone… what other genre could this life be ?
naked lunch was due to be shot in tangiers until the gulf war made it impossible so they recreated interzone on a canadian film set . as cronenberg rationalised , ' interzone , is , of course , a state of mind ' and exteriors never made good metaphorical stand - ins for that anyway . the cool aquamarine of bill lee ' s hotel room is a typical cronenberg interior . these are invariably lit like an operating theatre or an aquarium ( crimes of the future even had a soundtrack of dolphins and water ) .