Swimming to cambodia by gray, spalding, 1941publication date 1985 topics gray, spalding, 1941, killing fields motion picture, motion picture actors and actresses. The two months gray spent filming on location in thailand became the subject of swimming to cambodia, considered by many to. How stop making sense, swimming to cambodia, and bronson combined two art forms. When i was in therapy about two years ago, one day i noticed that i hadnt had any children. Swimming to cambodia, also known as spalding gray s swimming to cambodia, is a 1987 american film written by and starring spalding gray, and directed by jonathan demme. Spalding gray biography life, family, children, history. Gray s anatomy and morning, noon and night, among other works. Swimming to cambodia by spalding gray powells books. Spalding gray sits behind a desk throughout the entire film and recounts his exploits and chance encounters while playing a minor role in the film the killing fields.
Jan 17, 2002 spalding gray may best be known for ruthlessly blurring the line between life and art. Jan 01, 1985 swimming to cambodia is probably the most famous of all the monologues that spalding gray wrote and performed through his relatively brief career in the 80s and 90s. Buy swimming to cambodia new ed by gray, spalding, leverett, james, rosenblatt, roger isbn. Swimming to cambodia, grays quest for his perfect momentwhich he had in thailand while on location as a supporting player in the film the killing.
He leaves behind a wife, two children of his own and a. Spalding gray june 5, 1941 january 11, 2004 was an american actor and writer. I knew i couldnt live in america and i wasnt ready to move to europe so i moved to an island off the coast of america new york city. Friday, july 16, 2010 swimming to cambodia by spalding gray. Swimming to cambodia movie poster, spalding gray was an actor and writer who originally wrote cambodia as a one man show about his acting gig in the 1984 vietnam war movie the killing fields. Spalding gray tells a story from the film swimming to cambodia 1987 directed by jonathan demme. And i began to read books monologues, reallyby a fellow rhode islander whose brother, channing, covered the arts for the providence journal. Swimming to cambodia the soldier on the train spalding gray duration. Nov 11, 2018 viewed from the perspective of the dispossessed majority by john i. Kenneth chisholm spalding gray sits behind a desk throughout the entire film and recounts his exploits and chance encounters while playing a minor role in the film the killing fields. Spalding gray collection on letterman, 19861990 duration.
Since 1979, he has been writing and performing confessional autobiographical monologues that plumb lifes experiences for all their irony, absurdity, and edgy intensity. Swimming to cambodia trailer original with spalding gray. Swimming to cambodia is a 1987 film in which spalding gray tells about his participation in the film, the killing fields and the background story about the troubles of cambodia directed by jonathan demme. Swimming to cambodia the soldier on the train spalding. At the same time, he gives a background to the events occurring. The book won him the national book award and a guggenheim fellowship. Mar 10, 2004 with the 1985 film swimming to cambodia, the singular personality of the performance artist spalding gray, who has died aged 62, transformed the art of the monologue into a modern, openended. Ah, but when the monologist is the brilliant spalding gray, then the audience is in for a cerebral feast. Spalding gray was the author of numerous solo pieces including monster in a box.
Swimming to cambodia is based on a oneman, twoevening stage performance that gray polished and took on tour a couple of years ago. With daring virtuosity, writeractorperformance artist spalding gray takes us on an odyssey for our timea dizzy escapade swerving and plunging between outrageous hilarity and chilling revelation stretching all the way from gulf of siam to poolside beverly hills. It would be wrong to think of swimming to cambodia as a oneman show, even though it captures the performance of a single artist, spalding gray. Grays anatomy and morning, noon and night, among other works. Spalding gray was born on june 5, 1941 in providence, rhode island, usa as spalding rockwell gray. In print, its a short book of just over a hundred pages in which he mostly describes the small role he had in the killing fields, a film from 1984 about the genocide under the.
See more ideas about spalding gray, marilyn film and monologues. Spalding gray is the author of swimming to cambodia 4. Spalding gray gray, spalding drama criticism essay. Gray, 62, practiced the art of storytelling with a quiet mania, transforming his travels, fascinations and traumas into such acclaimed works as swimming to cambodia and monster in a box. Swimming to cambodia is a 1987 film in which spalding gray tells about his participation in the film, the killing fields and the background story about the troubles of cambodia. The journals of spalding gray edited by nell casey. Spalding gray detailed the minutiae of his neuroses, fears, experiences, and desires through his cutting and dry selfdeprecating humor. Oct 30, 2011 in swimming to cambodia the monologue that made spalding gray relatively famous, about the time he spent in thailand playing a small role in the killing fields, the film about. In swimming to cambodia the monologue that made spalding gray relatively famous, about the time he spent in thailand playing a. Jonathan demme saw the show and decided to film it. Actor spalding gray was best known for his monologues, in particular swimming to cambodia 1987, which documents his experience in the film the killing fields. I wondered if it was a mistake, or if id done it on purpose, or what.
Jan 23, 2004 were all familiar with spalding gray s demons venting his despair was his art and profession. Spalding gray segment from swimming to cambodia on cold war. They were oneman shows with titles like swimming to cambodia, gray s anatomy, and monster in a box, performed as i later saw on film at a wooden table, adorned with a single glass of water. My first car, james lecesne, and marion long spalding is interviewed for this book 2 pages, not previously published in gq, similar but not the same as monologue in sex and death. Johnson bipolar selfabsorbed dyslexic highiq depressed wasp actor spalding gray pictured.
Swimming to cambodia is a jonathan demmedirected performance film before silence of the lambs and philadelphia but after stop making sense. One of my favorite scenes and i couldnt find it on youtube, so i thought id upload it myself. Swimming to cambodia ebook by spalding gray rakuten kobo. A movie as unorthodox as this will not be to everyones liking, but there is a lot to appreciate in this arresting oneman show. The performance film is of gray s play and monologue, which centered on such themes as his trip to southeast asia to create the role of the u. Riveting, funny, heartbreaking, at once raw and lyrical. Spalding gray segment from swimming to cambodia 1987 duration. Demme captures the spirit of the theatrical performance with the intimacy of a private audience with gray. Morning, noon and night, and sex and death to the age of 14 and other pieces. Spalding gray, american writer, monologuist, and actor born june 5, 1941, barrington, r.
Its a slippery slope, a transcription of spalding gray s most recent monologue, covers his attempts to learn how to ski, an activity that coincides with the breakup of his 17year relationship and the birth, by a different woman, of his first child. Spalding gray tells about an intense experience involving sandcastle corpses and puking into sand in this clip from swimming to cambodia. While vacationing in ireland, gray was in a serious automobile accident in 2001. Based on his oneman broadway presentation, swimming to cambodia is a mesmerizing account of gray s experiences while playing a small role in the 1984 film the killing fields. The journals of spalding gray edited by nell casey book. There are subtle light and music cues, a few sound effects such as fluttering helicopter blades, and, for the rest, there is gray s face and his voice. His appearance in the killing fields was the inspiration for his swimming to cambodia, which was also filmed by jonathan demme.
With this release, swimming to cambodia becomes a whole lot easier and more affordable to see and own than it has been in a long time, which is good news for fans of spalding gray s first monologue film. By any ordinary standard, gray ought to be wearing thin by now. Writer, actor and performer, spalding gray is the author of sex and death to the age 14. Swimming to cambodia was originally a theatre piece on which gray spent two years working.
I had the pleasure of seeing spalding gray in the early 2000s at a theater in birmingham, and i had long been a fan of his work prior to this. And i noticed my therapist didnt have any children either. The original running time of the performance was four hours long and took place over two nights. Apr 21, 2005 buy swimming to cambodia new ed by gray, spalding, leverett, james, rosenblatt, roger isbn.
Swimming to cambodia book by spalding gray 3 available. Gray s ramblings encompass such subject as southeast asian. Spalding gray s talking cure is not only one of the best oneman performances but actually one of the best films ever. Swimming to cambodia has 3 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Swimming to cambodia by spalding gray overdrive rakuten. For more than a quarter century, in such monologues as sex and death to age 14 and swimming to cambodia, gray mined the late 20th century fascination with self for a sober, subtly mocking. An actor, playwright, and novelist, gray came into his own with the 1987 film adaptation of his monologue swimming to cambodia. Swimming to cambodia by spalding gray, paperback barnes.
Spalding gray was an american original and the talking man will be dearly missed. Spalding gray discusses his participation in the film the killing fields 1984 and the background story about the troubles of cambodia. Swimming to cambodia, also known as spalding gray s swimming to cambodia, is a 1987 american concert film written by and starring spalding gray, and directed by jonathan demme. Originally published in 1985, swimming to cambodia is reissued here 20 years later in a new edition as a tribute to gray s singular artistry. It took courage to do what spalding didcourage to make theatre so naked and unadorned, to expose himself in this way and fight the demons in public. Jul 16, 2010 published a compilation book of blog posts and currently aiming to read and write on two books a month. Swimming to cambodia by jonathan demme jonathan demme. Spalding gray american writer, monologuist, and actor. Spalding gray segment from swimming to cambodia 1987 youtube. He appeared on broadway in his own oneman shows and in an acclaimed revival of our town and gore vidals the best man, on pbs and hbo, and in numerous films, including. Swimming to cambodia is grays experience in thailand while filming the killing fields, 1984. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Based on his oneman broadway presentation, swimming to cambodia is a mesmerizing account of grays experiences while playing a small role in the 1984 film the killing fields. Swimming to cambodia quotes showing 11 of 1 the finished product is a result of a series of organic, creative mistakesperception itself becoming the editor of the final report. He is best known for the autobiographical monologues that he wrote and performed for the theater in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as for his film adaptations of these works, beginning in 1987. Here is the first intimate portrait we have of the man behind the charismatic performer who ended his life in.
See more ideas about spalding gray, grey and monologues. Spalding gray had published the book version of the monologue in 1985. The supreme court never passed any judgment on it and the military speaks with pride. Gray achieved success with the film adaption of his monologue, swimming to cambodia, in 1987. But after a crippling car crash in 2001, his depression began to overwhelm him. Buy a cheap copy of swimming to cambodia book by spalding gray. Spalding gray is in his prime in jonathon demme directed swimming to cambodia. Jan 04, 2012 swimming to cambodia the soldier on the train spalding gray duration. Swimming to cambodia by spalding gray and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.