Search - Thomas Pynchon - A Journey Into the Mind of [p] on DVD

Not your typical literary profile

Volunteer of America | Austin, Texas | 12/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Given Pynchon's recurring themes of paranoia, drug use, and involved, labyrinthine plots, coupled with the almost complete lack of information about the man himself, I thought this was an interesting approach to the writer. It's a highly impressionistic pastiche of archival footage, interviews, speculation, eerie versions of sixties music ("In-a-Gadda-da-Vida", "Land of 1000 Dances", "Gloria") and surrealism; which actually doesn't do a bad job of evoking the feel of Pynchon's writings. Perhaps better than a bunch of talking heads from academia.



There's a William Burroughs, cut-and-paste feel to the filmmaker's approach, but I don't think this is a bad thing. Though it will appeal more to "sixties survivors" than to those seeking a more measured, academic discussion. However, the latter model would be hard put to find much to include in a film, given Pynchon's remoteness and secrecy.



Was amused to learn of his friendship with Richard Farina, "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me" being an old favorite of mine.

"

The Invisible Man, the Sixties, and Everything

Henry Musikar | Washington, DC USA | 11/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you've read everything that Pynchon's written, you gotta see this. If you remember the sixties, or wonder about the paranoia and the drugs, you gotta see it. From the atom bomb to LSD and an interview with one of Pynchon's old lovers, this documentary is a whole lot better than the sum of it's parts.



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FZQOPY?ie=UTF8&tag=tdcoccamsaxe-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B001FZQOPY"

Unfortunate viewpoint on Pynchon and his work

Sergey Feldman | Seattle, WA USA | 11/26/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The first reviewer of this documentary suggests that if you've read all of Thomas Pynchon's books, then you're in for a treat. Having done so, I disagree. Pynchon is by far my favorite writer, and this is one of the worst documentaries I've ever seen.



Since Pynchon left so few bread crumbs for anyone to follow, the directors are free to say anything about any and all aspects of his life and work. They interview "webmasters," "writers," and "critics," all of whom seem very slightly brain-fried, and not exactly reliable witnesses to Pynchon's life.



If the credentials and expertise of the interviewees were the only concerns, I might have given this three stars, and called it an interesting examination into the culture of a fandom left isolated and without input from its idols. But that is only the tip of this unfortunate iceberg. The documentary feels amateurish, featuring lengthy, boring swaths of poorly edited montages of unrelated black and white sequences. The music was silly. There was no central point. I don't know if I learned anything at all.



A rental at best, and only if you're a particularly committed fan."

Atmosphere over Analysis

Progressive | Colorado | 12/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I agree with Volunteer; this film is more about creating an atmosphere and a mood that evokes Pynchon's writing, rather than a literary, literal analysis. The music - which I really enjoyed - and the sinister, paranoid snips of puzzling events like the Kennedy assassination do a good job of evoking the feel of an alien, threatening power in the world. And yes, there's definitely the influence of Burroughs; the filmmakers' approach somewhat resembles David Cronenberg's film rendering of Burroughs' Naked Lunch, where he mixes the novel with biographical scenes.



I can see that this is not for all Pynchon admirers, but if you're psychedelically inclined, you'll find it quite engrossing."