The Elegant Variation: COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER

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December 18, 2006

COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER

We are big, big, big fans (did we mention big?) of Michael Ondaatje's early novel Coming Through Slaughter. It's a brilliant novelistic look at the life of Buddy Bolden, and the fractured style of the book suggests both jazz's improvisatory nature and Bolden's incipient madness. We have no earthly idea how someone might turn this slender marvel into a film but Paul Maslansky is going to try. His credits are not cause for optimism ...

Ben Ross and Mark Bailey have signed on to write the script about jazz legend Buddy Bolden. Set in New Orleans in the early 1900s, Ondaatje's book tells the life story of Bolden, a legendary influence on jazz who inspired such greats as Louis Armstrong.

According to a report in Variety, Maslansky chased Ondaatje for nine years before the author relented and approved Ross and Bailey.

Posted at 12:31 AM in Obsessions | Permalink

Comments

Thanks for highlighting this. Coming Through Slaughter is a fantastic novel--my favorite by Ondaatje--and, in the realm of "novels about something," probably the best novel about jazz (Geoff Dyer's But Beautiful trails behind).

Posted by: Adam Siegel | December 18, 2006 at 10:57 AM

I have the Dyer on my TBR - was recommended by a Dyer fan and have been dying to crack it open. Maybe that will be my holiday read ...

Posted by: TEV | December 18, 2006 at 11:00 AM

Oh, this is just wrong. Ondaatje and Minghella? Yes. Ondaatje and the creep who backed every Police Academy movie? No, no, a thousand times, no.

Posted by: Corey Redekop | December 18, 2006 at 11:19 AM

okay I'm laughing at police academy but two of the movies I saw on his credits damnation alley and scavenger hunt are cult classics - maybe he won't slaughter the project --

Posted by: jerry | December 18, 2006 at 01:51 PM

What, you didn't like "Ski Patrol"?

Posted by: gordon | December 20, 2006 at 09:13 AM

It always amazes me how people who have achieved little in their lives are so quick to criticize those who have achieved a great deal. Mr. Maslansky did indeed produce the very successful "Police Academy" series of films. This is something that he and his family are very proud of. What makes you proud of yourselves? He is a graduate of Washington & Lee University,and holds a Masters' degree in History. He produced many, many films and was nominated for an Emmy for the mini-series "King". Mr. Maslansky is a jazz muscian who started his career in film while working as a muscian in Paris in the '60's. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, and had the honor & pleasure of working with the likes of Tom Stoppard, David Cornwall, George Cukor, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Fellini himself. He is an amazingly accomplished, well educated, generous, non-judgemental, kind and good man. You would be lucky indeed to possess just one of his many exceptional qualities.

Posted by: Sally Maslansky | April 15, 2007 at 08:17 PM

I agree with Sally Maslansky about Paul Maslansky.
He is a very accomplished musician. His knowledge of jazz is extensive. Perhaps doing some research on this gentleman would help the nay sayors on this site broaden their knowledge.

I have enjoyed Mr. Maslansky's Police Academy films because they were entertaining to my young daughter. As I watched them I noticed how all the parents in the audience were enjoying seeing their children being entertained without violence.
The humor was enjoyed my all ages. The film showed social conscience by protraying masculinity with feminine interest and femininity with masculine interest. These films were harmless. I know some think of these films as successful because of all the money they made, but I also think they were successful because of the intelligent and kind conscience that created them.

Posted by: Bessie Sue Hill | May 21, 2007 at 09:24 AM

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The Elegant Variation is "Fowler’s (1926, 1965) term for the inept writer’s overstrained efforts at freshness or vividness of expression. Prose guilty of elegant variation calls attention to itself and doesn’t permit its ideas to seem naturally clear. It typically seeks fancy new words for familiar things, and it scrambles for synonyms in order to avoid at all costs repeating a word, even though repetition might be the natural, normal thing to do: The audience had a certain bovine placidity, instead of The audience was as placid as cows. Elegant variation is often the rock, and a stereotype, a cliché, or a tired metaphor the hard place between which inexperienced or foolish writers come to grief. The familiar middle ground in treating these homely topics is almost always the safest. In untrained or unrestrained hands, a thesaurus can be dangerous."

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The Elegant Variation

A Literary Weblog.
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December 18, 2006

COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER

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MY NOVEL

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TEV DEFINED

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THIS GUN FOR HIRE:
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The Elegant Variation

A Literary Weblog. A Guardian Top 10 Literary Blog * A Forbes "Best of the Web" Pick * A Los Angeles Magazine Top Los Angeles Blog "Really brave ... or really stupid" - NPR

December 18, 2006

COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER

Comments

MY NOVEL

WORTHY READINGS

TEV DEFINED

RECOMMENDED

THIS GUN FOR HIRE: Reviews & Criticism

SECOND LOOK

Categories

A Literary Weblog.
A Guardian Top 10 Literary Blog * A Forbes "Best of the Web" Pick * A Los Angeles Magazine Top Los Angeles Blog
"Really brave ... or really stupid" - NPR

THIS GUN FOR HIRE:
Reviews & Criticism