4 th episode: Family Series (1993-1996)
In 1993 when I left my medical practice etme am to write and translate for a living, I have lived with PJ-floor of a large house in disused part (the first étageétait unoccupied). We but a television antenna that gave toitne blurred images and content channels, frankly, not much interested nenous. We invested in a multi excellentmagnétoscope. At the time, when I went to Paris, I passaistoujours time in the radius films Fnac rue de Rennes magasinVirgin or the Champs Elysees. When we were not too broke, I bought desclassiques American film VOST and sometimes imported movies in NTSC Palou.
I have no particular taste for luxury produitsde in any form whatsoever. The cars, clothes, shoes Watches and prices mean nothing to me, I do not practice isno expensive sport and I prefer a good movie or an evening with friends at a restaurant in unrepas side - and since I live with PJ, I eat without needing trèsbien from home. My only luxuries, since bientôtvingt years, are my tools: books (many books), cassettes and DVDs and computers with which I write. Since monarrivée in Montreal, my main computer was so far the iMac in my office who setrouve at CREUM. At home I was working up these dernièressemaines on a tiny laptop, to which I added a keyboard and screen ungrand. As I recently received the second part of my on-hold for The Invisibles, I am resolved - Nonsan strong pressure from PJ - to acquire ... a IMac same THE BUREAU. (It reminds me that I must tell how I Passed PC to Mac, but that's another story.) And, of course, I ordered deslivres and DVDs. This morning at CREUM a package waiting for me. It contenaittrois pounds ( The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov, I wanted to read in English forty years after the collection Ludan Presence of the Future , Denoël; Sperm Wars deRobin Baker and The Red Queen MattRidley of two books on the evolution of sexuality) and DVD Castle, The Complete First Season -series comedy police like we did in the 40s, although Franceaussi in America.
fact remains that during the years when thebright lived at 109 Rue Ambroise Pare in Le Mans, in a house that plustard disappeared with the small park and gardens from which it étaitplantée we have not watch television. We watched movies - ethnos children into the habit of watching rather than VOST filmsdoublés (which does not prevent them from keeping a low for the VF The Princess Bride - Hey! Encoreune anecdote he will I said - or that of Back to the Future). When I started working at larédaction of Mission: Impossible, dontj'ai mentioned in the previous episode, I of course reviewed the entire series, grâceaux tapes of my co-author, Alain Carrazé, who had Inthe replay any recorded loop on the 5, the Franco-Berlusconi années80 and M6, which had resumed.
Through PJ and Helen Oswald j'aiégalement met another critical series, Christopher Petit. Rémoisd'origine, Christophe was created and animated to what remains the first (probably the best etsans) journal devoted to the fictions of TV Series Generation. He published with unerigueur an extraordinary dedication and persistence, despite lesdifficultés he met, the news, files on series ancienneset news, episode guides, interviews with actors and deproducteurs both French and British or American. Once we met, we devenusamis. I remember going home, perhaps after the presentation dulivre Reims in a bookstore, and saw on its shelves, cassettesde series Star Trek The Next Generation ( ST: TNG , 1987-94) . I was a fan beyond the original series, and I do not know this first spin-off, which began AEtre videos available in PAL, Great Britain. Very generously, Christopher offered me the loan. I had done well to buy multi unmagnétoscope!
For PJ and I, I entered the world of sériesreste intimately linked to the arrival of twins, our first child together. Qandil are born in late 1993, Mission: Impossible had just been published. Over the following months, when they seréveillaient night, while PJ was breastfeeding one, I was donnerle bottle to the other (and sleep) before an episode of ST: TNG . And a general viewpoint, writing the series by 8 livresconsacrés e Art remains bound to our children more grands.L summer when I finished writing Mission: Impossible, we had to leave spend a week in Britain, the five children, pregnant twins PJ and I, with the C25 to 9 seats which nousavions bought used in a holiday home they had promised Denous lend. At the last moment, people who we had promised (demanière somewhat unexpected and altogether unreliable) called us saying she pournous was no longer free. We could not afford to rent unemaison holiday. We were stuck at home. The blow was hard, with far asthe we managed with difficulty to negotiate with our respective ex this week for family vacations coïncideavec PJ who, working in an office communautéurbaine, do not choose their dates. To deal constructively noscinq monsters (the four oldest had at the time between 12 and 10, fifth andTHE four), I took advantage of the work I had done on Mission: Impossible writing unépisode unpublished. The children knew the series, of course: I avaisregardée enough with them that they have entered the springs, lesfigures imposed, the pivotal moments. And fortunately, they could, euxcinq reconstitute the original cast! Melanie became Cinnamon Pierredevint Jim, JB became Rollin, Thomas became Barney, Paul became Willy.J wrote it with them Mission: Impossible, Junior and, thanks to a video camera loaned by friends, celadevint a Short Film 20 minutes in which I play ... the role of villain .
The close relationship between our children and Montravail the series did not end there.
late 1993, just before the birth of twins, MPJet I were made to find a house big enough for accueillirune family of nine. Our seniors do not live with us always, but always spent their weekends and vacations at half nousensemble (it was they who had asked at the outset) and we knew qu'ilsfiniraient grow up. At 109 Rue Ambroise Pare, they lived together in dorm-room unegrande where Melanie had a bed and a corner She quatregarçons and bunk beds. But when they were teenagers, we savionsqu'ils would need a separate room. So we were looking unemaison large enough so that everyone has his room. After visitéun many homes that do not correspond at all to our needs (which were yet very precise, but it seems that many agentsimmobiliers do not listen to what people tell them) we finished partrouver, just by random house we needed. She had a jardinpas very big, but enough, many rooms and an attic, and, on the ground floor, a small office. After seeing, PJ and I watched noussommes saying: "That will be the lounge detélévision. Chairs (especially the one on which to watch our enfantss'entassaient The PrincessBride or The Incredible Shrinking Man) on one side, TV on the other, it'd be perfect.
We have moved into the house in June, 1994 with our twins for six months and five brothers and sisters but a seulcoup, relationships with television have changed.
Our new house was in a ruecâblée. I immediately subscribed to the local ISP, among other quidiffusait Canal Jimmy, Serie Club, Teva, three channels proposanten VOST recent series of high quality. For several years, Canal Jimmy (including Alain Carrazé was advisor for acquisitions, there is no chance) étaitdevenue chain's flagship in the series. After The Larry Sanders Show and Dreamon , two comedies produced by HBO, it began in July 1994 (ALMS our installation!) dissemination of a detective series broadcast by Ducommun off ABC since last fall: NYPD Blue (NYPD Blues ). A few years later, it would know that would Jimmyencore My So-CalledLife ( Angela, 15 years ) Profit , Six Feet Under, The Sopranos a French public still virgin but I'll talk about it later.
When we settle into the nouvellemaison, children begin to look suggest that the channels. And show mele. Every Saturday, M6, they watch a series called (inFrench) Quantum Leap, I trouveun little namby-pamby. I spoke to Christophe Petit, who tells me that I metrompe is a very good series, I must give him a chance (I must clarify the truth he had to do the same thing with ST TNG because lesdeux first episodes he had lent me convinced I had not, fortunately, he insisted, and fortunately I had relied). Christophe has sent me several tapes containing episodes I discovered that I ratéset Quantum Leap (1989-1993) is indeed an excellent series, unpeu served by the VF, but intelligent, funny, moving and engaged. Grâceau pretext of time travel, the hero, Sam Beckett (the choice of nomn'est no accident) that we explore a method combining comedy and drama, throughthe eyes of everyday characters, social history etculturelle United States during the second half of the twentieth century, anticipating what will be ten years later on a more somber excellent Cold Case (2002-2009). With mesenfants and Christophe Petit, CodeQuantum became the first contemporary series to which I devote unlong article published by GénérationSéries , and accompanied by a guide full episodes.
Meanwhile, in 8eArt, fight continuait.Avant publishing Mission: Impossible, PJ Oswald and Helen invited me to contribute to nouveauxouvrages they prepared with authors and accomplices usual Lamaison: Carrazé Alain and Christophe Petit, but also Jacques-Jacques Baudou etJean Schleret. Colleagues and friends for a long time, critics etgrands connoisseurs of SF and crime fiction, and Baudou Schleret déjàpublié had two books in 8eArt remarkable, and today the French publishing inégalésdans: Murder playoff (1990), devoted the detective series and soap operas historical télévisionfrançaise (1992). Baudou had also signed with Philip Ferrari unouvrage reference on the British series Destination: Danger (1991). In 1995, the magnificent publieraientégalement Wonderful, fantastic and science-fiction on French television. Meanwhile avecAlain and Christopher, they would prepare four new volumes pourl'éditeur: The Great Sériesaméricaines (two volumes) , British and French. The last volume, unfortunately, parutjamais due to the disappearance of the publisher 8eArt in 1996, but Jesus enlisted to participate in three others.
During the years 1993-1997, the critical sériesne was not really a lucrative business. The Eighth Art vivaientmal editions, and when the authors were paid for their texts, ilsétaient modest. We knew it and accept it because there was then no other place to write something intelligent about a kind presqueunanimement despised by critics and the French press.
I earned my living primarily by translating (jel'ai narrated above) but spend his life translating books intérêtinégal nothing exciting. Watch series (sometimes with mesenfants, sometimes with MPJ, sometimes alone) to derive the original texts, was both a trigger and a stimulus important. I remember m'êtreun day sitting in front of an episode of ST: TNG and myself felt guilty deregarder series when PJ had started to back behind me. When I lifted mesuis after turning off the TV in the middle of the episode, she said "You're going to write something about the series, right?" (I had, indeed, write an article for Generation Series. ) "Uh, yes ..." Then voustravaillez. And myself during that time, I'm English. " (Lescassettes Christophe VO were not subtitled.) And she forced me àm'y recover.
During those years, for my collaborations auxtrois large volumes of series, I revisited many series anciennesque I had not seen completely or not at all ( The Twilight Zone, The Outerlimits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Wild, Wild West, The Man from UNCLE, Get Smart!, ) and sériesbeaucoup latest dating from 80 but released in France seulementdepuis the appearance of ORTF monopoly after 1986: Hill Street Blues, Wiseguy, One Dream, etbien others.
Being subscribed to Canal Jimmy and Series Clubm'a also given access, long before the media got entichent, sériesqui to remain unknown, such NYPD Blue and others which were declined nauseum, as Friends (1994-2004).
This is not an ordinary experience of having watched almost Friends live avecseulement few months gap between the release in the U.S. and in ladiffusion VOST on Jimmy.
The NBC comedy was the first to be diffuséesimultanément five French channels at least (Jimmy, Canal +, France 2, AB1 and RTL9!). She was also the first series to be uneimmense popularity among young adults, as to give rise to special dessoirées in pubs or clubs. She also had the honor of Étrelles first series whose videos have sold more qu'enVF VOST, several years before the advent of DVD and democratization.
When Friends began broadcasting on Jimmy in 1996, our seniors were between 13 and 15 they looked Ansett series assiduously during his early years, then as far up the Deloin end of its distribution, which lasted 10 years. It is by hearing my kids say, enrevoyant an early episode of Friends adulthood, I became aware of something that no one avaitjusque is noted and emphasized, at least in France (I the opportunity fairedans books later, in early 2000): sériestélévisées, whether soap operas of the day or night hebdomadairesdu series, are only fictions dontles actors and characters vieillissenten same time as their audience . The result is a conniving, and familiarity uneproximité nepeut that arise in any other form of fiction.
Another series, of course, totalementbouleversé me when I saw the pilot episode, in 1995. Alain Carrazé, quil'avait obtained from one of its correspondents in the United States, had sent me enme saying that it might be interesting and surely he wanted to know what j'enpensais.
was a TV movie of 75 minutes (90 minutes withthe pub). It began in the dark. In the foreground, an elongated type. Ausecond plan, a door opens a little and suddenly a nurse apparaît.Elle harangue the elongated type, it speaks of a patient departs. It revientquelques seconds (actually, two hours) later, saying he doitse up ...
Thus began ER (Emergency , 1994-2009). And these series would have a huge influence on the novel j'étaisen writing.
(To be continued ...)
March © tin
Bonus: You would have liked to see Mission : Impossible, Junior ? Maisil to do was ask! The video has been reassembled and remixed fifteen years later by "Rollin ', became a sound engineer and Brice, mate" Cinnamon "and editor of training. CLICK HERE.
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