Literary Kicks presents ...


Notes From Underground


"How much love I experienced in these dreams of mine! It was so abundant, so overflowing, that afterwards there wasn't even any need to apply it in practice. But I was never able to dream consistently for more than three months. After this amount of time I would feel an overwhelming need to embrace all people, all mankind, immediately, at once! And that required the presence of at least one person existing in reality. So I would plunge forth into society ..."

Notes From Underground is a CD-Rom movie based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The 64-minute movie updates Dostoevsky's classic satire from 19th Century St. Petersburg, Russia to modern-day New York City, and stars Phil Zampino as the Underground Man.

Web designer Levi Asher produced, directed and edited Notes From Underground as an experiment in no-budget filmmaking, using only standard-issue household equipment (an ordinary video camcorder, a Mac 7500 and a copy of Adobe Premiere). Released in October 1998, the movie has been praised in the Village Voice, Time Digital, WIRED Magazine and Entertainment Weekly.

A few still-photo scenes from the movie can be seen here.

Notes will run on Windows, Mac or Unix and requires no disk space or installation other than Quicktime 3.0 (included on disk). The cost is $12.00. Will ship anywhere in the world at no additional charge. Here's how you can get a copy ...


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If you haven't used Paypal before, it's a simple and safe payment system that is also frequently used on EBay and many other sites. But if you don't like buying things online, the CD-Rom can be ordered via mail order or phone from Water Row Books (go to "Books In Print"). Check out all the other great beat/underground/alternative books and book-related stuff at Water Row while you're there.

It's also for sale at a few bookstores including the St. Mark's Bookshop in New York City. Finally, you can get a copy just by sending $12.00 (make out checks to Literary Kicks) to this address:

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NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND

Scenes from the Movie

Cast Of Characters

The Underground Man Phil Zampino
The Prostitute Liza Sabater
The Businessman Jeff Groth
Stephen Matt Urbania
Zorko Jon Satriale
Freddy Nathaniel Wice
Thomas Michael Coble
The Office Temp William Perez
Guy Who Likes Cigars Eduardo Samame
Curious Guy In Office Mark Napier



PROGRAM

Part One

"A Sick Man"
"The Insult"
"Sublime And Beautiful"
"The Duel"
"Memories"

Part Two

"Dreams"
"The Dinner Party"
"Waking"
"The Office Temp"
"Salvation"

Adapted, directed, edited, designed and engineered by Levi Asher. "Romanian Rhapsody No. 1" by Georges Enesco used by permission of Leningrad State Orchestra, Iakov Iurovskii, conductor.

Total running time is 64 minutes. Designed for Windows or Mac. Will also run on Linux, Unix or any operating system that supports Quicktime 3.0 or above.

More general information about Dostoevsky and his writings can be found at Christiaan Stange's excellent Dostoevsky: The Website.


Literary Kicks
by Levi Asher