Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Why is it the parodies are better than the real thing?
Normally I shy away from simply posting links, but this was simply too transcendent to ignore. It is, essentially, one of the most well-produced metal music videos I have seen. Full of sorcery, monsters, mighty armies clashing, exotic harems hareming, and absolutely brilliant animation.
It's also a Merry Melodies short.
It's like Korgoth of Barbaria and the time South Park had Cthulhu guest starring: sometimes, parodies manage to capture the soul of their lampoon target more than supposed "straight" adaptations. This short manages to encapsulate the hyperbolic majesty of high-magic settings in animation previously only achieved by Fire and Ice and Heavy Metal, just as "Coon & Friends" was a more faithful depiction of the Lovecraft Mythos than all the professionally-made Lovecraft adaptations out there, and Korgoth of Barbaria managed to be more authentically Howardian than every supposed Howard adaptation combined, squared and multiplied.
Maybe that's the way to get things done: claim something's a parody or affectionate homage.
Hey, this is an excellent opportunity to post Korgoth, isn't it?
It amazes me this show wasn't picked up.
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ReplyDeleteTex
(still banging his head)
It may be that, in a parody, the authors are not afraid to turn up the volume to ELEVEN, where as an 'imitator' may be more comfortable with his or her feet on the ground, failing to recognize that the originals were written at ELEVEN for their time.
ReplyDelete- Ark
I think the truth of it is this: to create an effective parody, you need to understand and appreciate what it is that makes the object of the parody so compelling, whereas to create an adaptation, especially in today's Hollywood climate, requires little more than a "brand name" and a couple of fleeting call-backs to the source material.
ReplyDeleteI always think on that weird issue, Al! You are soooo right...
ReplyDeleteHeh, just watched this myself. The Daffy and Bugs show, as near as I can tell, is pretty stupid - what's the deal with all the Looney Tunes characters all living together in a neighborhood? What was wrong with them changing settings and personae depending on the story like back in the old days? - but I'd probably watch a show that consistently had this kind of imagery and animation quality.
ReplyDeleteThe new Looney Tunes show is brilliant. But we are talking about fantasy stuff here.
ReplyDeleteParodies stick to the tropes. Screen versions always try to be original by messing with the tropes they paid for. I remember when they did Flash Gordon, the director boasted about doing "something different..."
ReplyDeleteSometimes theres a symbiosis of the two forms. It's like when galaxies collide. Few of the integral parts disappear. They simply realign. Example - Star Trek is primarily a straight forward sci-fi. Star Wars leans toward childlike (not childish) fantasy. There's even a lot of wiggle room in the vampire genre. Please know that I am not talking about the Abercrombie & FANG variety foisted on us today, but rather the more literate aspect going all the way back to Doctor Polidori. We try to offer that in our blog, where elves are vampires taken on the cusp of puberty (the ears grow due to the strength of temporarily surviving hormones). And Cro-Magnon vampire shaman/warlords lead huge, torch-lit mammoth hunts....By the way...a few of the marginal STARS OF THE BIBLE are currently managing a string of Pizza Huts up in Canada as we speak... Just thought maybe you'd like to know. Great site. Will certainly follow and recommend 'at home.'
ReplyDeleteUriah Heep c.1972 would've killed for the song.
ReplyDeleteI had not seen the Korgoth pilot, but yeah, by trying to go over the top they just about hit the target. Thanks for posting that, Al.
ReplyDeleteI think the truth of it is this: to create an effective parody, you need to understand and appreciate what it is that makes the object of the parody so compelling, whereas to create an adaptation, especially in today's Hollywood climate, requires little more than a "brand name" and a couple of fleeting call-backs to the source material.
ReplyDeleteBingo.
I will say though, that I really didn't like the South Park Cthulhu thing. The other examples were great though, especially Korgoth.