MODESTY BLAISERESOURCES

THE CHARACTER- MODESTY BLAISE

1. Modesty Blaise’s History Youtube clip of her origins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=babgypdJguc&feature=fvwrel

2. Different Interpretations of Modesty BlaiseQuentin Tarantino’s “ My Name is Modesty Blaise- A Modesty Blaise Adventure.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX4qto_KN7UThe 1982 TV Pilot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCq0kLc8GM

Modesty has no known superhuman abilities however ...

she has extensive martial arts training, occasiona!y uses the firearm and o"en uses the ‘kongo’.

THE COMIC STRIP

1. Access to “Dossier on Pluto” on the Internet:http://www.ilovecomixarchive.com/M/Modesty-Blaise/Modesty-Blaise-45-Dossier-on/13335390_Froj6#1039851731_992JQ

2. General Information on Modesty Blaise and Peter OʼDonnell:http://www8.cs.umu.se/~kenth/modesty.htmlhttp://www.modestyblaiseltd.com/index.htmlhttp://www3.sympatico.ca/jim.pattison/modesty/mbintro.htm

SIR GERALD TARRANT

British Security Service MI5 Website. Includes history of the Secret Service:https://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/history.html

British Intelligence Service MI6 Website. https://www.sis.gov.uk/

THE WORLD OF MODESTY BLAISE

1. Presentation of Women:Advertising: Cultural Norms of the 60s:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ODl8ewGQk4&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yWTsFVkrFc&NR=1&feature=fvwp

3. Female Heroines in Comic Books. A presentation entitled “A Brief Herstory of Gum Shoe Gals, Spy-Fi Sheroes, and Private Dick Chicks” Explores the female heroin in comic strips. http://blog.ink-stainedamazon.com/?tag=modesty-blaise

THE DOT POINTS

1. Dramatic images which show how the dolphins were saved from the clutches of the ‘barking-mad’ villains

Investigate animal poaching, in particular, dolphin hunting. http://www.dolphins-world.com/Dolphin_Research.html

2. Taking control of the criminal gang in Tangier which became known as ‘The Network’.

Parallels between Willie & Modesty and Agent Smart & Agent 99

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective:A goofy detective specializing in animals goes in search of a missing dolphin...

The Roman gods - Neptune, Apollo and Pluto

2. How espionage methods have changed from the 1960s to the 2000s.

Parallels with other female adventurer/spy, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4h5fPPbte4

The Internet is the “biggest espionage machine ever created”- Julian Assange

PERFORMANCE STYLE

1. The Comic Book:An in depth presentation on comics. Scott McCloud is author of “Understanding Comics.” The middle section of the presentation is most relevant. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html

2. Martial Arts Female Martial artist, Mistress of Combat:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPq8LsIv9zQ&feature=related

3. Female spy dialogue and sound clips:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S24TsiwsE7M

Questions to consider:How can you as the performer represent the comic book on stage?- Consider the linear manner in which we read comics.- Consider the frame of each image. - Consider the mixture of words and images. - Consider the narrator of the comic. - Consider the language used in the comic strip.

DRAMATIC POSSIBILITIES

1. Reference to Pop Culture - John Travolta reading Modesty Blaise in Pulp Fiction

2. Is Modesty Blaise a victory for women or simply a sex symbol?

"Lara Croft is a sergeant-major with balloons stuffed up his shirt...She's a distorted, sexually ambiguous, male fantasy. Whatever these characters are, they're not real women." - Germain Greer