Comments on: Shanghai Jim: Form Dictated by Time

By: Pippa Tandy

Pippa Tandy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:24:53 +0000

Thanks! Sorry, don’t know the name of that track and it’s not credited as far as I recall.

By: sonic wolf

sonic wolf — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:33:21 +0000

an excellent essay on an excellent film. I regard Ballard as the single most important “philosopher-writer” of current times, I will accept no arguments against it!

PS: Does anyone know the title of the beautiful (and of ballardian aesthetic value if I may add) Arvo Part track that is heard in the film?

By: Rick McGrath

Rick McGrath — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:48:56 +0000

Brilliant, Pippa! I love this docu and I love your analysis. I sent copies of this show to a couple of old china hands in Shanghai last year, and they were blown away by JGB’s emotionalism, given the hard-nosed tone of Empire Of The Sun. And, of course, these are footsteps in time I hope to retrace myself in the near future…

By: Pippa Tandy

Pippa Tandy — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 23:51:00 +0000

Thanks Pedro and Simon. It might be worth getting together a little collection of such readings at some point. Maybe Ballard’s publishers could be persuaded?

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 15:42:12 +0000

He also read his own fiction in Petit’s Crash film, which I’ll try to YouTube some time soon.

By: Pedro

Pedro — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 15:31:02 +0000

Excellent essay, Pippa. Shows that there’s a whole lot going on this documentary than just watching Ballard and listen to him talk.

By the way, he has read his own fiction before… in the South Bank Show he read from “What I Believe.” I’ll try to upload that Youtube soon.