Fountain pens in duplicity.

[LogicX]

My parents went to see it the other night and they told me about a scene where some CEO manages to look at a document by his corporate rival, and sneers “who the hell writes with a fountain pen anymore? How friggin’ pretentious is that?”

 

:crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby:

 

They said they were laughing in the theater from it (although I'm the only one who uses one, havent been able to convert them yet).

[eilu]

Who the hell makes assumptions on people based to pens? How pretentious is that?

 

Edited March 23, 2009 by eilu

[RayMan]

My wife and I saw Duplicity last night with some friends. During that scene, my wife turned to me and just gave me a smile. Well, I am a little pretentious, pen or no pen.

[Iskender]

With regards to how one chooses to write, who cares what anybody else thinks!

 

And one day, who knows, maybe even the mere act of writing will be considered pretentious...

[Ondina]

Pretentious? You mean millions of penniless students in Asia, Europe, are pretentious? It just reinforces my opinion that only in some places fountain pens are considered status symbols. In others they are just writing instruments.

[stevlight]

People always put down what they don't understand. Don't let the turkeys get you down.

[scutterdav]

They also knock fountain pens in the movie Mall Cop. The guy that's a snobbish jerk who completely caves under pressure is a fountain pen salesman. They make the guy look pretty stupid. I got some looks from my family when it mentioned fountain pens.

[Ernst Bitterman]

There's also plenty of movies of an anti-intellectual persuasion, but I'm not going to lay off using my brain....

[piembi]

Pretentious? You mean millions of penniless students in Asia, Europe, are pretentious? It just reinforces my opinion that only in some places fountain pens are considered status symbols. In others they are just writing instruments.

 

Every grocery store in Germany that sells some stationery will sell a Pelikano or another student fountainpen and cartridges. They are considered a basic writing instrument.

 

[XerQ]

My parents went to see it the other night and they told me about a scene where some CEO manages to look at a document by his corporate rival, and sneers “who the hell writes with a fountain pen anymore? How friggin’ pretentious is that?”

 

 

Wait till I get my J Herbin Scented Inks!!!! (I've probably mentioned this is my past nTH posts....) ^-^"

 

I'll show them! How else can one get a different shade in a single letter, smell in the words and variance in the strokes other than using a fountain pen! So as to be not "pretentious", conform to the pilot gel ink, available in 6-8 colours?? Not to mention the HP / Canon / Epson Inks in Red Blue Yellow and Black... where black is black. Did I mention the fonts we'll limited to? I know we've got lots to choose from... but not as much as the unique handwriting most have (Whether it's legible is not a concern unless you're in an exam). =P

 

I read, somewhere from my history books, that people thought Christopher Columbus (was it?) was crazy coz he'll fall off the world and they thought they knew better... Until they KNOW what fountain pens are about.... Laugh.

 

 

:roflmho:

 

[all my hues]

"who the hell writes with a fountain pen anymore?”

 

Someone with obviously better taste than he

[LedZepGirl]

Pretentious? You mean millions of penniless students in Asia, Europe, are pretentious? It just reinforces my opinion that only in some places fountain pens are considered status symbols. In others they are just writing instruments.

 

 

In the 'States too. How can a student with no car, who lives in a dorm and writes with a FP be considered pretentious. It seems these days that people have an obsession with labeling things as pretentious. If anything they are the ones who are being pretentious because they can't discern that there is more to a person than what meets the eye. I think some of it comes from jealously of not being that person or being able to do what they can. It upsets those people so much that they have to start throwing labels around to make up for it.

[AndyH]

I, for one, find this kind of funny and shrug it off as being pretty typical of the response to the self-created imagery that "our" industry promotes.

 

When fountain pens went from being the daily writing instruments of all to being a luxury item generally available to and used by the affluent, this became the inevitable result. Hollywood writers are unlikely to understand the hobby aspects of using a fountain pen, or that it is quite possible for a poor person to enjoy and use "real" pens in this modern world.

 

Like the devotees of any number of other unusual pursuits - from chess geeks to Civil War re-enactors to Star Trek fans - our hobby pegs as as out of the ordinary, and that will provoke some jibes and humor at "our" expense. Even if the humor is based on advertising and media stereotypes, it doesn't mean that there isn't a grain of truth behind it.

 

So I just laugh when an individual or some writer makes a remark like this one. It simply means there are more fountain pens available for me.

[soapytwist]

Pretentious? Moi?!

[nkk]

but...I am pretentious. :embarrassed_smile: Just ask anyone I know

 

-Nkk

[jameswatts]

I saw the movie as well -- had to, actually, reviewing for the local paper.

 

The pretentious fountain pen in question is a Montblanc Solitaire Stainless Steel II, if my eyes didn't deceive me. You don't see it in use, but it in laying capped on one character's desk.

 

Movie's pretty good, by the way....

[sunnyone]

I saw this and I thought it was funny. When the character said that, I laughed and said "ME" to my friend who accompanied me.

 

The movie was a bit too slow for me. It had great elements but I like a faster pace. The opening scene was HI-LA-RI-OUS. I would buy it for that:)

Edited March 24, 2009 by sunnyone

[JeffTL]

In this country (the USA), people's idea of a fountain pen is usually closer to a Montblanc 149 than to a Pelikano or Safari. It's not exactly the best known fact that the world's most popular fountain pens are quite utilitarian.

[GeGeLan]

Not seen the Film....guess I'll have to.

 

Do I get labeled as "Pretentious"??....Probably.

 

Do I GAS....No.

 

One of the main objectives in life is to get your living situation to a point where "YOU" are happy and content.

 

If that means Fountain Pens, Bottles of Ink, $25 a Ream Paper, Rocker Blotters, Silver Dinnerware, Copper Pots and Pans, Mountains of Books waiting to be Read, Comfortable Clothes, Ocassional Dinners Out, The Tipple only You Like, whatever. Then "So Be It".

 

And if those things that are Aesthetically Pleasing to you, that you Love and would never part with, sometimes fall on the "High End" of the price scale or are called "Luxuries" by the rest.....well....."Too Bad!!!".

 

I worked hard and it was my money that bought them.

 

You call my Fountain Pen pretentious....well so is the BMW you just bought....but in a couple of years I bet I'll still be "Driving" my pen across the tarmac of a silky smooth sheet of paper leaving beautifully colored "Skid Marks" while you complain to the dealer that your worn out BMW just "HAS" to be worth more as a tradein than what their offering.

 

~ Roland

[Federalist Pens]

I just saw the movie as well- It was good!

 

It was Paul Giamatti's character who made the comment about fountain pen users regarding his rival (The movie is about corporate espionage between rival companies)!

 

He worked with Clive Owen before in "Shoot Em Up"!

 

That comment got a chuckle from my friends who both looked at me, and laughed-

so, I said after that loud enough for them to hear "ME!"