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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

typewriters in the movies

One movie, anyway.  "Hopscotch" is one of my all-time favorite movies.  My old videotape of it deteriorated from overuse before my vcr quit working, and I haven't obtained a decent dvd player so I haven't bothered to get it on that already transient medium.  For these reasons I haven't seen it all the way through for a number of years.
Hulu to the rescue, by way of imdb.

It's a cold-war story of a CIA field agent relegated to a desk who decides instead to write his memoirs.  It's very humorous and fast-paced, as he outwits his pursuers without harming them  It's full of clever dialogue and has an enjoyable classical soundtrack. It took me a few years to find the Mozart Rondo in D featured in some of the chase scenes.
Obviously in 1980 a character writing a book meant typewriters:  He starts out on what looks like an Olivetti Studio 45 but I can't be certain.  It definitely appears to be an Olivetti product.


When he goes on the run, he switches to a Lettera 32.



5 comments:

  1. Nice to see a Studio 45 and Lettera 32 in a movie.

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  2. I would use a Lettera 32 on the lam.

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  3. The most interesting part of this post for me is that you had worn out your VCR but haven't bothered to get a DVD player, which, as you say -- is an 'already transient medium'.

    Will we be collecting DVD players in 20 years?

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  4. I feel ill-used by the consumer electronics industry. I had Beta for years, then caved in to VHS when I "had to," and I've already seen dvd turn into another pointless two-party system, the winner of which will soon be rendered obsolete by 3D or whatever kills that in two years.
    I resent the streaming from the cloud for its nickel-and-diming, plus standards come and go just as frequently online. As you can see it's a sore point all around. I don't see why it should be impossible to view my materials twenty years hence. That's what I worry about with e-readers too.

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  5. The 'computers' on the Terry Gilliam film Brazil. You'll recognise what they are based on. :)

    Otherwise, tremendous movie to see. it's a classic. Though mildly...disturbing, haha.

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