#Day of the Locust

[inthedarktrees]

Karen Black in The Day of the Locust, 1975

[annacase]

Day of the Locust (John Schlesinger, 1975)

[bitter69uk]

Farewell to the great Donald Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024), one of the preeminent actors of “New Hollywood” cinema in the 1970s, starring in the likes of M*A*S*H* (1970), Klute (1971), Don’t Look Now (1973) and Fellini’s Casanova (1976). Funnily enough, just last month at the Lobotomy Room cinema club we screened one of Sutherland’s earliest film roles – as Tallulah Bankhead’s childlike albino handyman in 1965 hagsploitation movie Die! Die! My Darling! My favourite Sutherland movie, though, would have to be Day of the Locust (1975) (pictured) directed by John Schlesinger. I vividly recall seeing this disturbing movie on Canadian TV as a kid and it made a haunting (traumatic?)  impression. The characters are frankly unsympathetic. The tone is cynically downbeat. The ending is absolutely harrowing. Critics judged the film harshly in comparison to the 1939 source novel by Nathanael West. And - clocking in at about 140-minutes - Schlesinger could be accused of self-indulgence. In other words – my idea of bliss! Day of the Locust is widely available to stream now (on platforms like YouTube and Prime Video) and is ripe for reappraisal.

[oldshowbiz]

Day of the Locust was shut down after Donald Sutherland walked into a glass door and sliced himself open.

[loureedpiss]

@sibylvanereimagined tagged me (THANK YOU)

tagging @charlottenewtons @weimarblues @halloweeninabottle @stylecouncil @dumpsterfireofsubtext

rules: list your five all time favorite films and have people vote on which one matches your vibe.

[cinenthusiast]

Day of the Locust (1975, Schlesinger)

[abuddyforeveryseason]

This is the Buddy for December 29th. I've got a feeling he's going to wake up from this dream soon, to take a leak. I've had a lot of dreams like this myself.

Of course, smart tumblr users might recognize this as a trace from a certain Simpsons episode:

It's from Season 9, Miracle on Evergreen Terrace. It's a good one. And, it's a Christmas episode, so it fits with the December theme.

I like The Simpsons. There's a novel from the 1930ies called Day of the Locust, and one of the characters is called Homer Simpson. It feels weird that this character from an old book has the same name as our pop culture phenomenon, especially since they have pretty much opposite personalities. But, once you read the book, you'll realize, yeah, Homer Simpson is the perfect name for that character - a repressed, dorky accountant.

[transpondster]

[opisthotonos]

"Day of the Locust" is a novel written by Nathanael West that explores the dark underbelly of Hollywood and the disillusionment of the American Dream. A broken snow globe, on the other hand, is a physical object typically associated with winter and holiday imagery, often containing a miniature scene within it that is disrupted when the snow globe breaks.

While "Day of the Locust" and a broken snow globe may seem quite different at first glance, you can draw some metaphorical and thematic parallels between them:

Shattered Illusions: In both the novel and the broken snow globe, there is a sense of shattered illusions. In "Day of the Locust," the characters in Hollywood chase after their dreams but are ultimately confronted with the harsh reality of their situations. Similarly, a broken snow globe reveals the fragility of the idealized scene it contains, reflecting how our idealized notions can be shattered when confronted with the real world.

Disillusionment: Both the novel and the broken snow globe symbolize disillusionment. In "Day of the Locust," the characters' dreams and expectations of Hollywood are dashed as they experience the harsh and often grotesque reality of the industry. The broken snow globe could represent a loss of the magical, perfect world it once contained, mirroring how our own hopes and fantasies can be shattered.

Contrasting Realities: The contrast between the intended beauty or perfection and the reality is present in both cases. The glamorous facade of Hollywood in the novel hides a much darker and sadder reality, while the broken snow globe reveals the disarray and chaos within the miniature scene, contrasting with its intended picturesque appearance.

Metaphorical Significance: Both the novel and the broken snow globe can serve as metaphors for the fragility of human dreams and aspirations. They highlight the disconnect between our fantasies and the often harsh realities of life, reminding us that things are not always as idyllic as they seem.

Symbolism of Artifice: The broken snow globe and the artificial world of Hollywood in "Day of the Locust" can be seen as symbols of artifice and superficiality. In the novel, Hollywood's glitzy exterior masks the emptiness and desperation within, while the broken snow globe exposes the artificial nature of the scene it contained.

Crumbling Idealism: Both the novel and the broken snow globe reflect a theme of crumbling idealism. The characters in "Day of the Locust" confront the hollowness of their dreams, and the broken snow globe represents a loss of the idealized vision it once held.

It's important to note that these similarities are metaphorical and thematic in nature, rather than literal. The broken snow globe can serve as a visual representation to help understand and discuss some of the themes present in "Day of the Locust," but they are distinct in their medium and narrative context.

[moths-daily]

Moth Of The Day #294

Honey Locust Moth

Syssphinx bicolor

From the saturniidae family. They have a wingspan of 47-67 mm. They inhabit woodlands. They can be found in North America.

[Images source]

[nemfrog]

"Plague of locust scorpions, October 24, 1897, to March 20, 1898." 15 predicted events from 1892 until the end of this age on April 11, 1901. 1887.

Internet Archive

[red-room-studi0]

Locust

[sofubis]

Ikimono Encyclopedia Advanced Migratory Locust (bandai)

[oldshowbiz]

The apartment where Nathanael West wrote Day of the Locust (as seen on April 11, 2023).

[plipple]

i wantrd to do something more for today but couldnt think of anything. oh well

anyways happy 1 year to tha tv show

[mudwerks]

(via Film Noir Photos: Hangin' out in the lobby: Karen Black)

with William Atherton in The Day of the Locust (1975)