When it was initially filmed, this lecture was supposed to be a pilot for a possible series on PBS, "Artists in Residence," in January 1985. As far as I know, it was never made into a series. I was posing as a student in the lecture room. You can just see me over Plummer's right should as he enters the room and steps down the aisle, about two minutes in. I'm wearing the blue sweater, white blouse one chair in from the aisle in the back row. My first professional acting gig (and last).
I have his two books of lectures of literature (Russian and others). Since this is a film, I wonder if the lectures I have were derived from other films.
I read the real lecture some time ago. It's so good. Surprisingly, this is spot on. Pretty impressive that Plummer memorized Nabokov's actual words so exactly. Props for Plummer.
Actors like Plummer are amazing. This wasn't a major stage or film role, more like "just another day's work" for a busy actor. Yet he memorised all of that.
Actors’ performance is secondary here. Speech is very important though. The example of a boy by Nabokov defines the major characteristic and advantage of literature - imagination. Imagination is the only factor that makes us different from anything else. Living in fantasy is sometimes very detrimental, but the man unable to imagine anything is doomed for boredom and meaningless life. How can we deal with numerous horrors of life? Conflict, stress, unfulfilled dreams and daily routine inflict the damage to the human soul and there is only one cure - literature. Yes, beauty must die, we all must die, but imagination never dies. Unfathomable and unreal helps us to cope with the real and change it. And here the value of a human being lies. The problem Kafka unlashes is that majority of humans disagree with this percept. They degrade their souls by selfishness and love of pleasure. Kafka makes a person a beetle to express the fall of mankind. Anyone can become an insect due to the automaton of life. And we one-dimensional creatures never understand that. In spite of all, literature is still alive and imagination may help the one who’s fate is beetlehood.
In all fairness Nabokov’s wacky accent is REALLY hard to nail... this video is missing Vera sitting in the classroom with a gun in her purse to threaten any kid who DARED to interrupt the Genius!
I understand the "bad and ridiculous" comment that so many seem to have been outraged by, but I would suggest in response that you study the actual Nabokov in the (very few) TH-cam videos in which he appears, and give thought to how any actor could attempt to assume his manner and his speech without arriving at some level of ridiculousness. Nabokov himself, it seems to me, could just barely pull it off. I'm very sorry to bother you about it, as others have, so long after the comment was posted.
I agree. Not only is he excessive with dialogue, but some of his mannerisms -- like italicizing only one syllable of a word -- are, in the end, just mannerisms. But he is a master in using gestures to enliven the story. There are many gestures that stay with you forever after reading a Salinger story -- like some bits with an ashtray in "Franny & Zooey", or numerous things in "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" -- much as bits of dialogue can stay with you.
@adelfiano Based on the few videos I've seen of Nabokov, Plummer is spot on. He adds a booming British backbone to the accent, but otherwise, its a marvelous performance.
"""Nabokov’s father was killed right before he graduated university. V.D. Nabokov was embroiled in the oft-violent politics of the times, as a defender of Jewish rights and staunch opponent to the death penalty. In March 1922, at a conference in Berlin, two extreme rightists tried to assassinate the liberal politician and publisher Pavel Milyukov. V.D. Nabokov leapt to disarm the first gunman, Peter Shabelsky-Bork, and the second gunman, Sergey Taboritsky, shot and killed V.D. on the spot. Accidental death would be a resurfacing theme throughout much of Nabokov’s fiction, indicating the lasting impact that this trauma had on his life."""
It's only a sodden building and with 2 megs RAM. I get 17 seconds every minute Ndime Nabuko. "This is the guy who made Lolitta" comment kills me. These guys are all over TH-cam. They are vocabularly challenged. Then you get the 'lowdown on the subject' experts. These guys know everything! Yes Rog this would be an actor. I was 'looking for kafka' --wait a minute is that a novel name or what?
@adelfiano THAT'S why it begins with a credit: "Starring Christopher Plummer", eh? I get it now, thanks to your astute observation. If you hurry it may not be too late to see whether you can't rescind the "bad and ridicolous" (sic) Christopher Plummer's Tony Awards and numerous film critics' awards (if not for this particular performance) before it is too late. Hurry! The local bowling alley in (name of your town here) is almost sure to still be open by the time you return. Go! Quick!
@4fitter27 I guess you think I didn't get the jokes. I got them all, I just don't find them funny. Are you like realted to Nabokov or something, or just mad at life?
@svsugvcarter: Where did you find the Christopher Plummer plays Nabokov video? My grandmother had him as a professor at Cornell, so I was wondering if this was from a longer movie.
1.Cubra sua boca com a mão 2. Faça um desejo 3.Feche sua mão (punho) 4.Ponha sua mão no coração durante 5 segundos 5. Envie isto para mais 3 vídeos 6. Amanhã vai ser o melhor dia da sua vida
The ah-cent is atrocious. Boris Karloff meets Derrida, or the person bringing Derrida his fried egg sandwich. Also, the camera work is shoddy and some of the students costumes absurd....But, then, so fucking what; the words, the presentation, is a howling delight and might begin to stir up, in the minds of sleeping student passengers, a new way of experiencing the novel and the world.
this is ludicrous. the ah-cent is atrrrocious and seems to vacillate between french, british, and zemblan. nabokov's lectures were prepared down to the last word, and you can see in his tv appearances that he relies of notecards even when he is supposedly speaking extemporaneously. why would anyone try to tart up a university lecture in this manner? one is better off reading the lectures or watching footage of the man himself. ugh.
Why would anyone try to 'tart up' a university lecture in this manner? I well know Nabokov composed many of his works on 3x5 index cards, in laser sharp graphite, standing at a lectern, wearring mismathced argile socks, his great, unbuttered Prussian dome a sort of floodlight, a moored spaceship waiting to take up, to his difficult heaven, the asembled 'vulgarians'
It's interesting, but why on earth is Nabokov played with a strong French accent??? Did the actor not realize he was Russian? I've heard recordings of his voice, his accent isn't obviously foreign.
When it was initially filmed, this lecture was supposed to be a pilot for a possible series on PBS, "Artists in Residence," in January 1985. As far as I know, it was never made into a series. I was posing as a student in the lecture room. You can just see me over Plummer's right should as he enters the room and steps down the aisle, about two minutes in. I'm wearing the blue sweater, white blouse one chair in from the aisle in the back row. My first professional acting gig (and last).
What college was the location of the filming? This doesn’t look like Cornell.
Oh well done for getting out of that rat race honey.
I have his two books of lectures of literature (Russian and others). Since this is a film, I wonder if the lectures I have were derived from other films.
Wow! 1 great actor playing 1 great writer discussing 1 great book. If only it was in HD.
I read the real lecture some time ago. It's so good. Surprisingly, this is spot on. Pretty impressive that Plummer memorized Nabokov's actual words so exactly. Props for Plummer.
Actors like Plummer are amazing. This wasn't a major stage or film role, more like "just another day's work" for a busy actor. Yet he memorised all of that.
I like that Nabokov's lecturing style has become oddly fused with stand-up comedy in this film...
Actors’ performance is secondary here. Speech is very important though. The example of a boy by Nabokov defines the major characteristic and advantage of literature - imagination. Imagination is the only factor that makes us different from anything else. Living in fantasy is sometimes very detrimental, but the man unable to imagine anything is doomed for boredom and meaningless life. How can we deal with numerous horrors of life? Conflict, stress, unfulfilled dreams and daily routine inflict the damage to the human soul and there is only one cure - literature.
Yes, beauty must die, we all must die, but imagination never dies. Unfathomable and unreal helps us to cope with the real and change it. And here the value of a human being lies. The problem Kafka unlashes is that majority of humans disagree with this percept. They degrade their souls by selfishness and love of pleasure. Kafka makes a person a beetle to express the fall of mankind. Anyone can become an insect due to the automaton of life. And we one-dimensional creatures never understand that. In spite of all, literature is still alive and imagination may help the one who’s fate is beetlehood.
Where there is beauty there is pity.
Such a Christian thing to say
Nabokov Hates Your Prose.
(Something to be found on a t shirt at a meeting of young writers)
hahahahah
😂😂😂😂😂😂 So very true! He detested many of writers who we devour and devote. Especially woman writers, Amen!
Plummer looks more like Borges than Nabokov here lol
Plummer, the great actor performing a great soliloquy.
It is a soliloquy, isn't it. And Plummer does it well.
In all fairness Nabokov’s wacky accent is REALLY hard to nail... this video is missing Vera sitting in the classroom with a gun in her purse to threaten any kid who DARED to interrupt the Genius!
kuhl..but where is Vera?
What a spectacular performance.
can anybody (svsugvcarter preferably) upload the rest of the video pleeez...i think itz half an hour video
I understand the "bad and ridiculous" comment that so many seem to have been outraged by, but I would suggest in response that you study the actual Nabokov in the (very few) TH-cam videos in which he appears, and give thought to how any actor could attempt to assume his manner and his speech without arriving at some level of ridiculousness. Nabokov himself, it seems to me, could just barely pull it off. I'm very sorry to bother you about it, as others have, so long after the comment was posted.
i wanted to hate the great canadian ham, christopher plummer, but he acquits himself quite handily.
I agree. Not only is he excessive with dialogue, but some of his mannerisms -- like italicizing only one syllable of a word -- are, in the end, just mannerisms. But he is a master in using gestures to enliven the story. There are many gestures that stay with you forever after reading a Salinger story -- like some bits with an ashtray in "Franny & Zooey", or numerous things in "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" -- much as bits of dialogue can stay with you.
What good is money in the hand of a fool?
He has no reason to acquire wisdom.
Is this from Lectures on Literature? Is it verbatim or edited?
it takes him the whole lecture to get to the front of the room
I'm proud of Nabokov that he is russian =)
@adelfiano Based on the few videos I've seen of Nabokov, Plummer is spot on. He adds a booming British backbone to the accent, but otherwise, its a marvelous performance.
Thanks for posting this!
Genial ! Sala plina, daca ținea cursurile în acest stil probabil studenții nu ratau un singur curs.
Not 1915. It was written in 1912.
What's up with this generic European accent? British, French and German simultaneously lol
keske turkce alt yazilarida olsaydi :(
That's Christopher Plummer. Is that what you call a ridicUlous actor?
Dude was genius
His dad was killed by Sergey Taboritsky
"""Nabokov’s father was killed right before he graduated university. V.D. Nabokov was embroiled in the oft-violent politics of the times, as a defender of Jewish rights and staunch opponent to the death penalty. In March 1922, at a conference in Berlin, two extreme rightists tried to assassinate the liberal politician and publisher Pavel Milyukov. V.D. Nabokov leapt to disarm the first gunman, Peter Shabelsky-Bork, and the second gunman, Sergey Taboritsky, shot and killed V.D. on the spot. Accidental death would be a resurfacing theme throughout much of Nabokov’s fiction, indicating the lasting impact that this trauma had on his life."""
Have any of you seen this book review?
That's 1:10 into this clip when you can see me. Poor quality video, though.
It's only a sodden building and with 2 megs RAM. I get 17 seconds every minute Ndime Nabuko. "This is the guy who made Lolitta" comment kills me. These guys are all over TH-cam. They are vocabularly challenged. Then you get the 'lowdown on the subject' experts. These guys know everything! Yes Rog this would be an actor. I was 'looking for kafka' --wait a minute is that a novel name or what?
@SyntheticEspionage
Dude, if had glasses I would be taking them off ALL the time for dramatic effect too!
6:20 made me laugh so hard! when he's putting his glasses on, oh man!
@adelfiano THAT'S why it begins with a credit: "Starring Christopher Plummer", eh? I get it now, thanks to your astute observation. If you hurry it may not be too late to see whether you can't rescind the "bad and ridicolous" (sic) Christopher Plummer's Tony Awards and numerous film critics' awards (if not for this particular performance) before it is too late. Hurry! The local bowling alley in (name of your town here) is almost sure to still be open by the time you return. Go! Quick!
Came here after 20th Century Boys
@4fitter27 I guess you think I didn't get the jokes. I got them all, I just don't find them funny. Are you like realted to Nabokov or something, or just mad at life?
"It was no dream."
Actually gets the voice right
can anybody (svsugvcarter preferably) upload the rest of the video....i think itz half an hour video
@johnjosmith42 not sure what i said that qualifies me as a "slavering dolt".
A strong opinion.
Ridiculously bad. Mimicking his manirisms without getting any of his content.
@svsugvcarter: Where did you find the Christopher Plummer plays Nabokov video? My grandmother had him as a professor at Cornell, so I was wondering if this was from a longer movie.
------> www.dailymotion.com/video/x20ocbq
@@svsugvcarter thanks!
OMG////
Genius
Apart from the short story that even *Nabokov* liked ("A Perfect Day for Bananafish"), I agree with you.
the original german for insect was roughly 'vermin'
Is Naturbouy reallt, THE SINGING JOURNALIST?
You have the only good reason.
he is ridiculously bad, if that's what you're asking
R.I.P.
This is the reasoned I joined you tube!
Grandezza di autore, grandezza di insegnamento.
anyone know when this was shot?
Christopher Plummer totally sucks here. And you really should say that this is Plummer and NOT Nabokov in your blurb for the video...
@lzlsanatomy Me too.
zcelente..
@prahasct apropos
brillian man
Sad. I like Peter Medak.
1.Cubra sua boca com a mão
2. Faça um desejo
3.Feche sua mão (punho)
4.Ponha sua mão no coração durante 5 segundos
5. Envie isto para mais 3 vídeos
6. Amanhã vai ser o melhor dia da sua vida
The ah-cent is atrocious. Boris Karloff meets Derrida, or the person bringing Derrida his fried egg sandwich. Also, the camera work is shoddy and some of the students costumes absurd....But, then, so fucking what; the words, the presentation, is a howling delight and might begin to stir up, in the minds of sleeping student passengers, a new way of experiencing the novel and the world.
this is ludicrous. the ah-cent is atrrrocious and seems to vacillate between french, british, and zemblan. nabokov's lectures were prepared down to the last word, and you can see in his tv appearances that he relies of notecards even when he is supposedly speaking extemporaneously. why would anyone try to tart up a university lecture in this manner? one is better off reading the lectures or watching footage of the man himself. ugh.
Why would anyone try to 'tart up' a university lecture in this manner? I well know Nabokov composed many of his works on 3x5 index cards, in laser sharp graphite, standing at a lectern, wearring mismathced argile socks, his great, unbuttered Prussian dome a sort of floodlight, a moored spaceship waiting to take up, to his difficult heaven, the asembled 'vulgarians'
It's interesting, but why on earth is Nabokov played with a strong French accent??? Did the actor not realize he was Russian? I've heard recordings of his voice, his accent isn't obviously foreign.