ancientgrotesquities

[ancientgrotesquities]

Spider Baby (1967)

Chauffeur Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.) looks after three strange siblings at their family estate. Ralph (Sid Haig), Virginia (Jill Banner) and Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) all suffer from an inherited condition: a genetic disorder that causes a reversal in mental age and results in a crazed, childlike disposition. Because of his affection for the family, Bruno covers up the siblings' bizarre behavior and crimes. But, when relatives arrive at the family estate, the truth is bound to come out.

[ancientgrotesquities]

The Butcher Boy (1997)

Francie (Eamonn Owens) has a disastrous childhood and retreats into television and movies to escape the pain. His mother (Aisling O'Sullivan) is suicidal, and his alcoholic father (Stephen Rea) has little to do with him. Francie's tendency to project violent fantasies onto reality lands him in reform school, where he is sexually abused. Wildly looking to hold someone responsible for all the trauma visited on him, Francie targets his neighbor, Mrs. Nugent (Fiona Shaw).

[ancientgrotesquities]

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972)

After being used and betrayed by the detective she had fallen in love with, young Matsu is sent to a female prison full of sadistic guards and disobedient prisoners.

[ancientgrotesquities]

The Rapture (1991)

Sharon (Mimi Rogers) is a telephone operator who escapes the drudgery of her everyday life by trolling bars with her lover, Vic (Patrick Bauchau), and looking for couples to swing with. However, after having an epiphany while in bed with a stranger, she becomes a born-again Christian and soon joins a sect that believes Judgment Day is near. Sharon settles down, becoming a dedicated wife and mother, but her unflinching faith eventually leads to shocking behavior.

[ancientgrotesquities]

The Reflecting Skin (1990)

In the 1950's, a young boy living with his troublesome family in rural USA fantasizes that a neighboring widow is actually a vampire, responsible for a number of disappearances in the area.

[ancientgrotesquities]

Twelfth Night (1996)

A shipwreck separates Viola (Imogen Stubbs) from her twin brother, Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh). Believing him to be dead, Viola disguises herself as a boy and goes to work for Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens), whom she loves. The object of the duke's heart, Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter), does not reciprocate his feelings -- however, she falls madly for Viola, whose true gender she doesn't know. Meanwhile, Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby (Mel Smith), manipulates all of their entangled relationships.

[ancientgrotesquities]

The Comfort of Strangers (1990)

A couple retreat to Venice to work on their relationship, but an encounter with a stranger leads them into a world of intrigue - where their darkest desires are in reach.

[ancientgrotesquities]

Das Boot (1981)

A German submarine patrols the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, manned by a crew that must contend with tense conflicts and long stretches of confined boredom. While war correspondent Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer) observes day-to-day life aboard the U-boat, the grizzled captain (Jürgen Prochnow) struggles to maintain his own motivation as he attempts to keep the ship's morale up in the face of fierce battles, intense storms and dwindling supplies.

[ancientgrotesquities]

MS .45 (1981)

A timid and mute seamstress goes insane after being attacked and raped twice in one day, in which she takes to the streets of New York City after dark and randomly shoots men with a .45 caliber pistol.

[ancientgrotesquities]

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Acclaimed adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel, in which a likeable young Irishman changes into a conniving, manipulative rogue. The protagonist finds himself homeless after taking part in a fake duel and is then captured by a Prussian highwayman, and meets up with a spy, but his fortunes change when he marries a wealthy titled woman in order to secure his future.

[ancientgrotesquities]

In a Glass Cage (1986)

Years after committing atrocities as a torturer of interned children during the Holocaust, Nazi doctor and certified pedophile Klaus (Günter Meisner) continues to murder little boys. After a gruesomely botched suicide attempt leaves Klaus imprisoned in an iron lung, he gives up his sickening pastime. But when a mysterious teenager named Angelo (David Sust) arrives at his home claiming to be a nurse, Klaus happily hires the boy as his new attendant -- a decision he soon regrets.

[ancientgrotesquities]

laura - the arcata promise

I came to live with you because I loved you. I stayed with you because I loved you. (pause). I endured you because I couldn’t imagine life without you. (pause). I feel battered. Ignored. Belittled. (pause). I didn’t care for you because you’re a famous actor. You remember talking about that party where we met? Well when you came over and talked to me- I thought I’d never seen a man so haunted. So defensive and uptight. (Pause). I never thought you’d find me attractive. I never thought you’d see me again. (pause). When you asked me to, I said yes for you.Not because I was impressed, or flattered, or anything like that. I almost didn’t dare to think you’d have any serious interest in me. (pause) But you did. (pause) Girls at school used to laugh at me because I said I wouldn’t go to bed until it was somebody I loved. Very old-fashioned, or whatever. At my school you were considered freaky if you were still a virgin after sixteen (Pause). And because of you- I was glad. I was happy I’d never been with anyone else. (Pause), I’ve been happy with you- but to sad as well. Too sad as well. Too humiliated. (Pause). Too hurt. (Pause) I never thought it mattered at all your being so much older. Now I can see it does. Not the years. Not the difference in experience. (pause). It’s that you’ll go on being exactly the same. (her voice rising). And I’m changing…. (standing), I’ve loved you. I believe you love me. But you’ve lived and behaved exactly as you wanted- with me like some kind of appendage. (pause). Where have I been? Who did anybody ever think I was? Some of your friends still can’t even remember my surname! Others pity me. I can count on one hand the number of items I’ve ever been asked a question about myself. I image people find me dull and boring. You drink. You talk. You dominate. I’m the one who drives you home. You rant. You rave. You’re the evening’s entertainment. I’m the one you turn on when we get home. I should think I’m despised. Not because anyone’s taken the trouble to find out what I’m like. No. But because I must seem like your bloody shadows. (Pause). I’m not envious. I admire your acting and respect it as much as anybody else does. But I’m not just a servicing arrangement to your needs. I’m something else. (Pause). And I’m going to find out what that is.

[ancientgrotesquities]

The Swan - Dora

In this monologue from the play by Elizabeth Egloff, Dora tells Bill about a strange encounter with a man in the night.

You ever been married, Bill? [...] I am a great supporter of marriage. I don't think people are meant to be alone. I don't think I am. Strange things happen to me when I'm alone. Dangerous things. [...] Like once I was in bed smoking a cigarette. And I'm lying there and I look up and I see a man standing in the door. He just walked into the house. He just opened the door and walked right into my house... And he's covered with leaves and there's grass in his hair and mud on his shoes. And he looks so sad and he looks so much like Gerry only that was before I'd ever met Gerry so how could he BUT there's something about him there's something in him that's warm that's comfortable someplace I could ease my aching heart and God! Aren't human beings the saddest people you ever met? And I looked at this guy, I looked at this total stranger and I thought yes, you're right, love is the only thing that matters if only I could get me some I could laugh again I could eat again I could belong to the world again and just as I'm about to say yes, you're him, you're the one, my cigarette is burning my fingers and I turn to put it out, and by the time I look back, he's gone. Disappeared. Evanesced. [...] I never saw him again. It's always the way, isn't it? Some people say I shouldn't marry so many, but I have to. They keep disappearing on me.

[ancientgrotesquities]

The Rover - Hellena

In this monologue by Aphra Behn, Hellena talks to her older sister Florinda about love.

’Tis true, I was never a Lover yet—but I begin to have a shreud Guess, what ’tis to be so, and fancy it very pretty to sigh, and sing, and blush and wish, and dream and wish, and long and wish to see the Man; and when I do, look pale and tremble; just as you did when my Brother brought home the fine English Colonel to see you—what do you call him? Don Belvile.

FLORINDA. Fie, Hellena.

That Blush betrays you—I am sure ’tis so—or is it Don Antonio the Vice-Roy’s Son?—or perhaps the rich old Don Vincentio, whom my father designs for your Husband?—Why do you blush again?

FLORINDA. With Indignation; and how near soever my Father thinks I am to marrying that hated Object, I shall let him see I understand better what’s due to my Beauty, Birth and Fortune, and more to my Soul, than to obey those unjust Commands.

Now hang me, if I don’t love thee for that dear Disobedience. I love Mischief strangely, as most of our Sex do, who are come to love nothing else—But tell me, dear Florinda, don’t you love that fine Anglese?—for I vow next to loving him my self, ’twill please me most that you do so, for he is so gay and so handsom. And dost thou think that ever I’ll be a Nun? Or at least till I’m so old, I’m fit for nothing else. Faith no, Sister; and that which makes me long to know whether you love Belvile, is because I hope he has some mad Companion or other, that will spoil my Devotion; nay I’m resolv’d to provide my self this Carnival, if there be e’er a handsom Fellow of my Humour above Ground, tho I ask first.

FLORINDA. Prithee be not so wild.

Now you have provided your self with a Man, you take no Care for poor me—Prithee tell me, what dost thou see about me that is unfit for Love—have not I a world of Youth? a Humour gay? a Beauty passable? a Vigour desirable? well shap’d? clean limb’d? sweet breath’d? and Sense enough to know how all these ought to be employ’d to the best Advantage: yes, I do and will. Therefore lay aside your Hopes of my Fortune, by my being a Devotee, and tell me how you came acquainted with this Belvile; for I perceive you knew him before he came to Naples.

[ancientgrotesquities]

Arcadia - Thomasina

In this monologue from the play by Tom Stoppard, Thomasia tells her tutor, Septimus, about a discovery she has made.

You did not like my discovery? You are churlish with me because mama is paying attention to your friend. Well, let them elope, they cannot turn back the advancement of knowledge. I think it is an excellent discovery. Each week I plot your equations dot for dot, xs against ys in all manner of algebraical relation, and every week they draw themselves as commonplace geometry, as if the world of forms were nothing but arcs and angles. God's truth, Septimus, if there is an equation for a curve like a bell, there must be an equation for one like a bluebell, and if a bluebell, why not a rose? Do we believe nature is written in numbers? Then why do your equations only describe the shapes of manufacture? Armed thus, God could only make a cabinet. We must work outward from the middle of the maze. We will start with something simple. I will plot this leaf and deduce its equation. You will be famous for being my tutor when Lord Byron is dead and forgotten.

[ancientgrotesquities]

Heartbreak House - Ellie

In this monologue from the play by George Bernard Shaw, Ellie confronts Hesione and defends her decision to marry for money.

Oh, don’t slop and gush and be sentimental. Don’t you see that unless I can be hard―hard as nails―I shall go mad? I don’t care a damn about your calling me names: do you think a woman in my situation can feel a few hard words?

HESIONE: Poor little woman! Poor little situation!

I suppose you think you’re being sympathetic. You are just foolish and stupid and selfish. You see me getting a smasher right in the face that kills a whole part of my life: the best part that can never come again; and you think you can help me over it by a little coaxing and kissing. When I want all the strength I can get to lean on: something iron, something stony, I don’t care how cruel it is, you go all mushy and want to slobber over me. I’m not angry; I’m not unfriendly; but for God’s sake do pull yourself together; and don’t think that because you’re on velvet and always have been, women who are in hell can take it as easily as you.

[ancientgrotesquities]

Fahrenheit 451 - Clarisse

In this monologue from the novel by Ray Bradbury, 17-year-old Clarisse informs Guy Montag of her views on the world.

Oh, they don't miss me. I'm anti-social, they say. I don't mix. It's so strange. I'm very social indeed. It all depends on what you mean by social, doesn't it? Social to me means talking about things like this. Or talking about how strange the world is. Being with people is nice. But I don't think it's social to get a bunch of people together and then not let them talk, do you? An hour of TV class, an hour of basketball or baseball or running, another hour of transcription history or painting pictures, and more sports, but do you know, we never ask questions, or at least most don't; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there for four more hours of film teacher. That's not social to me at all. It's a lot of funnels and a lot of water poured down the spout and out the bottom, and them telling us it's wine when it's not. They run us so ragged by the end of the day we can't do anything but go to bed or head for a Fun Park to bully people around, break window panes in the Window Smasher place or wreck cars in the Car Wrecker place with the big steel ball. Or go out in the cars and race on the streets, trying to see how close you can get to lamp-posts, playing `chicken' and 'knock hub-caps.' I guess I'm everything they say I am, all right. I haven't any friends. That's supposed to prove I'm abnormal. But everyone I know is either shouting or dancing around like wild or beating up one another. Sometimes I sneak around and listen in subways. Or I listen at soda fountains, and do you know what? People don't talk about anything. No, not anything. They name a lot of cars or clothes or swimming-pools mostly and say how swell! But they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else. And most of the time in the cafes they have the joke boxes on and the same jokes most of the time, or the musical wall lit and all the colored patterns running up and down, but it's only color and all abstract. And at the museums, have you ever been? All abstract. That's all there is now. My uncle says it was different once. A long time back sometimes pictures said things or even showed people.