Cinéma/Vérité (PG-13)

[librarian_7]

Disclaimer: I do not own Josef, or Graumann’s Chinese Theatre, or anything relating to the movie Josef is viewing. The details of the date, the venue, the pre-show, and the film are as accurate as I can make them, using material researched in the Los Angeles Times.

I also wanted to mention that this was a bit of a birthday present for Jason…and he got the first copy, in the form of a booklet I gave him at Comicpalooza in Houston, March 27, 2010.

Cinéma/Vérité

Hollywood, April 2, 1932

Josef looked down from the private balcony box on the men in worn suits, the women in cloth coats and out-of-date cloche hats. He watched them trail behind the ushers, shown to the seats they’d paid fifty hard earned cents, seventy-five, or even a dollar for, hoping for the best view of the spectacle to come. The main auditorium of the cavernous theatre was filling, the murmur of the crowd muted by the red velvet of over 2000 seats and vast, ornate curtains concealing the silver screen.

For himself, he’d called in a favor from Sid Graumann, and had exclusive use of one of the owner’s boxes for the evening. As he raised his eyes to the soaring red and black lacquered ceiling and the intricate metal work of the dropped circular chandelier, gold and red glowing high above the crowd, he supposed he’d have to endure random shrieks of surprise and terror from the people below. They had little inkling of true horror, or at least not as he understood the term.

He stood at the back of the box, for now, his fedora still pulled down, hands shoved deep in the pockets of the camel coat he wore over his hand-tailored suit. No sense showing himself unnecessarily. Random crowds were…not his style.

He didn’t waste time at the movies often, preferring live theatre, although he’d enjoyed his share of movie stars. Made a few of them, too, starlets turned stars as a reward for services rendered. More than one of his freshies had ended up famous. He grimaced a little at the new term, “freshie.” It had been gaining in popularity in the vampire community, this past decade. He supposed it was the jazz age, everything changing, becoming faster, snappier. Every once in awhile, he still slipped, still thought of those willing humans as swallows, but he’d never been so careless as to say it aloud. The last thing he needed was to brand himself as old-fashioned.

The film had been playing to packed houses for several days now. And even though he was regularly invited to premieres, in fact had been invited to the one for this movie, he always declined. Getting anywhere near all those flashing cameras, the ones that wouldn’t capture a clear image of him, was not going to happen.

But he’d been convinced this movie, this one, he should make the effort to see. He was more than a little skeptical. After all, the last movie he’d taken the trouble to see had turned out to be unintentionally hilarious, as Bela Lugosi drifted around in a high collared cape, proclaiming that he never drank….wine. What nonsense. He supposed he should be grateful for the misinformation Stoker’s brainchild had spread. The less his own capabilities and proclivities were understood, the less likely he was to be exposed. And he was fine with that. He frowned and brushed a stray speck of lint from his otherwise spotless lapel. Yeah, catch him in some cobwebby crypt. Not since about 1640, thank you very much. Though he had seen his fair share of bright days through in windowless cellars. That was different.

Those new freezer units were certainly a boon, though. He was finding it difficult, some nights at the club, after relieving some upstart babyvamp of a few thousand at the billiards table, not to go off into old fogey mode and do the whole “back in my day…” schtick. Damn know-it-all fledglings these days. No one wanted to hear about torch-bearing mobs. Or pitchforks, for that matter. He’d caught one rolling his eyes, the other night. The fledgling apologized. Eventually.

And he hadn’t hauled out the white tie and tails in at least two weeks. He preferred his parties more—informal. He was getting spoiled, really. These Hollywood girls—not wanting marks on their pretty, slender necks or wrists. More than willing to spread their pale thighs, though, for the bite…among other things. As Greta had said recently, in that charming accent of hers, “Hell, darling, at least with you it’s always a pleasure.”

Ah, the lights were beginning to dim, the chinoiserie murals along the walls, depicting gentle golden ladies swaying in luxurious silk robes, among graceful pavilions and exotic Asian landscapes, fading into the falling darkness. He put aside his hat, and shrugged off his coat, laying them on an extra seat in the box. The film didn’t start at once, however. The parade of dancers, singers, and spectacles seemed dwarfed to him by the setting, and he drummed his long fingers impatiently against the arm of his seat, waiting for it to finish.

When the main event started, he sat back in his seat, ready to be amazed. Or not. The flickering images annoyed him as always. With his visual comprehension faster than human, he had a little trouble getting his eyes to relax enough to let the persistence of vision kick in and change the rapid succession of stills into anything like motion. He supposed it would get easier with practice, provided he found it worthwhile.

The movie was a bit slow at the start, he thought. The old search for the uncharted island. He did sit up a bit when Fay Wray was offered up to the monster. She was a toothsome morsel, all right. Any monster worth his salt would want her. Not that he saw himself as a monster, not that he wanted to identify with Kong in any way. He was a civilized being. His interest was…clinical. That’s all.

He wondered, amid the gasps and moans floating up from the audience below, how many of them understood what it was to live surrounded by lesser beings. To feel the isolation of being branded wrongly as monstrous. He found himself cheering silently for the big ape, shaking his head over the improbable romance between Kong and Ann Darrow. These interspecies romances never worked. He could tell that monkey a story or two.

Josef barely noticed the time passing, caught up in the titanic struggles of Kong to protect the golden woman he’d claimed—he thought—as his own. The fights with monsters as powerful as himself, pterodactyls, dinosaurs, the uncanny remnants of another age left on this mystical island. Unseen in the darkness, the vampire snarled as the ape was captured, then displayed, chained, mocked with a ludicrous, coyly tilted tin-foil crown.

How dare the puny humans desecrate a force of nature in this way? This was wrong, wrong, and Josef almost laughed when Kong tore loose of his bonds to rampage through the city, to find and re-claim his love, exulting with the ape as he ripped through city buses and trains, and made his way, with the girl in hand, up the sheer sides of the Empire State Building. Josef could appreciate the parallels of the modernized dangers of the city with those Kong had conquered in his home environment. The gadfly stings of modern life were both different, and the same, as those of the past. Josef nodded to himself. Danger was always about, no matter what form it took. And the worst dangers were the ones that looked like refuges and respites from the struggle.

When Kong fell, a giant brought to the earth, Carl Denham proclaimed, “Twas beauty, killed the beast.” Josef, sitting back in his seat, as the closing credits rolled, thought, no, it wasn’t beauty. It was love that destroyed King Kong. And wondered where the woman was, human or vampire, that could make his heart captive, and set him free. Then he gave a cynical laugh. No beauty was going to kill this beast.

He stood and shrugged on his tan overcoat, his fingers carefully adjusting the crown of his fedora. Preparing himself to slip unnoticed through the mortal throng. He was due at the club; he had a few billiards lessons to teach. And later, a date with a very nice, very willing, donor in Redondo Beach. No sense hanging around here, wasting time.

[darkstarrising]

Interesting story....the man perceived as a monster hides among those who would do to him worse things that was done to the cinematic monster......

Yet Josef knows the truth of the matter

“Twas beauty, killed the beast.” Josef, sitting back in his seat, as the closing credits rolled, thought, no, it wasn’t beauty. It was love that destroyed King Kong. And wondered where the woman was, human or vampire, that could make his heart captive, and set him free. Then he gave a cynical laugh. No beauty was going to kill this beast.

Ah but love would find him and crush his heart....

Love the detail of your stories....I could see the interior of the theatre through your words, feel the horror of the crowds waiting to see the 'monster'

Thanks, Lucky

[tucutecats]

Good story .I'm sure that Jason liked it very much.

[allegrita]

What a fabulous gift for Jason! And happy birthday to us, too... this is a treat. Your eye for detail and description are so valuable here; I found myself sniffing for the popcorn. It made me a little wistful to see Josef feeling like an anachronism in this new era. I wish I could whisper in his ear that soon he'll have mastered these new toys, and that he'll be king of a not-inconsiderable empire. But that's to come, just as his beauty is still in his future. Tonight, Josef feels old and a little cranky, and sympathizes with the mighty ape who is brought low by lesser beings.

Never fear, honey. You're far too subtle and adroit to get chased up a building.

[RangerCM]

A special birthday gift, indead!

I love the way you have Josef struggling with maintaining the balance between mentoring the new generation of vamps, and not being disregarded as ancient and out of touch. We saw these same character traits in him in several episodes and you've captured it perfectly here.

And, as always, I love the detail you give to the setting and clothing. It gives so much "life" to the story.

[francis]

Great, great story, Lucky! I love pensive Josef. He wasn't always so easily adapting to modern times as he pretended to be in ML. Talk about computers, cell-phones and ferraris. He seemed to be in control all the time, fitting in seamlessly, but it must be an effort once in a while.
I love the details you give, from the admission prices to the new invention of freezers and freshies, and the way Josef shuns away from photographers.
His reaction to King Kong is great, he can relate to the ape more than to the humans around, and that's probably how it should be. I've never seen the original, only the Peter Jackson version, and I definitely felt sorry for Kong rather than the people who hunted him. I love that Josef needs to get used to movies because of his visual comprehension. I once read that insects couldn't watch a movie because they see it as stills.
And the end - Josef thinking love won't ever find him and make him vulnerable - well, let there be 20 more years and he will be ready to throw caution in the wind and take a chance at interspecies relationship.
"his fingers carefully adjusting the crown of his fedora" Hmmm, another tin foil crown, in a way.

[jenstc2003]

Oh this is EXCELLENT! And what a great surprise for Jason, too.

[LadyAilith]

Stellar writing as usual Lucky! I've never been to Graumann's, but your detailed descriptions made it so real...I could almost reach out and touch the walls.

Thanks so much for such an enlightening read. And I'm sure that Jason loved his gift! I know that I did!

LadyAilith

[cassysj]

This was really wonderful. I did feel like I was in the theater. I agree with Alle, you do want to let Josef know that one day he'll be playing Virtual Reality games with ease. It is sad to think in twenty or so years he will fall for his own beauty in New York of all places.

I'm sure Jason loved it.

[one.zebra]

Delicious...thank you!

[Penina Spinka]

You make it look effortless to bring us back into the past and into Josef's perspective. I've passed that theater countless times, but I never went inside. Now, I feel like I have. Very nice. Did Jason give you his opinion on what you've done with Josef? He must feel very flattered that you gave him this.

[AggieVamp]

ahhh...what a wonderful glimpse into Josef's past. And to see his view of King Kong was great. And the description of the theatre was wonderful! I could just FEEL as though I'd been there. But then again, you're the queen of description. And I think I might recognize if you use a certain chandlier description in any new Josef stories....

Karen

[librarian_7]

As always, I'm thrilled to be getting such lovely comments. (Insightful, too!)

When I gave Jason this booklet, he did mention that he'd gotten the booklet of "Dust" I sent him at Christmas, and had read part of it. While we didn't really have a chance to get into what he thought about it, I think he does appreciate the work that goes into writing...he told me he really admires the creativity I've brought to Moonlight. (Did this make my day? What do you think?)

Sooo....I'm hoping he liked the story.

Lucky

[darkstarrising]

That is quite a compliment!!!! I'm so happy for you!!

[Phoenix]

Sublime, Lucky.