booshslashhaven | (no subject)

I hope this is allowed here - it’s not fic, but sort of fic-related (since it may help me with the last couple of chapters of my Rosey/Bauer story). Basically, I was hoping for a sort of extended discussion of the Rosey/Bauer pairing and of people’s interpretations of ‘Surrealissimo’.

First off, there’s the issue (for me) of Rosey and Bauer’s personalities. Normally when I write fan fiction, I need to have a good solid handle on the personalities of every character I write, otherwise I don’t feel I can really do them or the source material justice. Rosey and Bauer were minor players in the Surrealist movement and so are minor players in the film, little more than props to support the story. In my mind, this gave the writers great scope to play around with them, hence the bizarre symbiotic relationship shown onscreen.

Now, there’s a video on youtube of all of Noel and Julian’s scenes in Surrealissimo, and their screen time amounts to maybe eight minutes out of this sixty-minute film. This means that we don’t really get to know them as people, which makes me wonder how writers interpret them. I’ve read some excellent Rosey/Bauer stories and sometimes feel that my own aren’t as character-led as I’d like them to be. Where do we get these characters from? Obviously we have to draw on something besides those eight minutes of screen time. Do we borrow from Noel and Julian’s public personas? Or is there something in the film which hints at their personalities?

The scene in the café with the Surrealists’ take on the knock-knock joke could be one - from Noel’s mannerisms and posture as he climbs on the table and points to each man in turn, one could perhaps assume that Bauer is bold, dramatic and self-assured, whereas Rosey makes his contribution seated, with his eyes closed, suggesting that he is more reserved or sedate than Bauer.

I know that the film is a very stylised one, and things happen onscreen which are obviously not meant to be interpreted as ‘real’ but more as impressions of the people and the time.

The most obvious example is that scene on the couch - Rosey and Bauer are seated side by side, holding hands, when Gala walks over, separates their hands and forces herself between them. At first they look very unhappy about it:

And there’s this telling little moment when Bauer glances across at Rosey, who has his eyes closed and his head down:

I’m sure that’s entirely down to Noel and Julian rather than a specific scripted moment, but it does open some interesting possibilities about character.

But this being Gala, the muse for so many of the surrealists, she manages to seduce them (I don’t for a second believe this actually happened during the trial - it’s simply the writers’ way of portraying Gala’s reputation as a seductress/nymphomaniac).

And they obviously enjoy it!

So how can you justify writing Rosey/Bauer while taking into account this seduction?

There’s something I’ve seen quite a lot in Starsky/Hutch slash, where the two only acknowledge their attraction for each other after a menage-a-tois with some random woman, and I could easily see this happening with Rosey and Bauer.

Then again, unless one assumes that Gala (or someone else) has shared their bed before this, Rosey and Bauer are already together, either sexually, romantically or emotionally.

I like the fact that the pairing offers so many possibilities for the ‘first time’ or the ‘getting together’ or whatever you want to call it.

The speaking-in-tandem is very interesting. It’s not just a case of them finishing each other’s sentences; they’re making sentences together, and sometimes it’s tough to tell which one of them is speaking. I’ve read fics which hint at some kind of telepathy, and I think it’s wonderful - there are times when I actually feel jealous of their relationship!

I’m also intrigued by their reaction to Dali - initially they’re impressed with his work and amused by the role he takes in Breton’s meetings/discussion (and Rosey’s little laugh when Dali says of Velasquez, “I would like his autograph” always makes me smile!):

And then there’s the ending. Dali’s shocking remarks about Hitler serve to divide the two of them, at least for a moment - not in what he actually says, but in the way that he manages to say something so wonderfully scandalous, and Rosey and Bauer cannot agree on how to best him.

What do you think happened after Bauer followed Rosey up the stairs? It’s something I should be thinking about, but keep putting off, because it rather scares me.

It’d be great to hear thoughts and ideas from anyone who’s seen the film (I know not everyone has, so I apologise if I’ve confused anyone).