The recent release from Criterion of Alain Resnais's amazing film Last Year in Marienbad - which has a secure place in my list of top 20 films of all-time - allows me to give another pitch for the novel that inspired the film - Adolfo Bioy Casares's The Invention of Morel, translated by Ruth L. C. Simms, and easily in my list of top 20 favourite NYRB Classics. This may not be a very helpful blog entry, as it's completely impossible to truly describe either the novel or film and do either of them justice. They are both simply unique and brilliant "experiences" that explore the mysterious nature of reality, love, the sense of place and time, and the wonder, suspense and illusion that lies behind all fiction and film. Over on the Criterion website, you can watch the excellent trailer of Last Year in Marienbad here which may - or may not - give you a sense of what the film is about. But if it leaves you intrigued and the summer blockbusters are boring you to death, do pick up Casares' slim little novella and pair it up with the movie over some weekend this summer. A good bottle of wine and some friends wouldn't go amiss - you'll have lots to discuss afterwards. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy of the DVD - it's a stunningly beautiful film to watch.
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