The Sandmen

As mentioned in class, Hoffman's story, "The Sandman," has been adapted and used by many other writers and artists. The most well known uses are Offenbach's opera Tales of Hoffman and the ballet Coppelia. More recently, its been the inspiration for the stop-action puppetry work (The Sandman) of British animator Paul Berry (who later went on to work with Tim Burton on The Nightmare Before Christmas) and others like Split Pillow's production of Eye of the Sandman and the above video, "The Sandman," a work in progress by Rich Ragsdale (channeling both Fritz Lang and Gene Simmons, it seems). It also inspired a recent "musical play"/concept album, The Voice of Midnight, by the Residents, the San Francisco-based experimental musical group who have long performed anonymously in the guise of giant eyeballs...

Each one of these adaptations borrows different elements from the story: some focus on the Olympia part of the plot, some emphasize the eye-stealing menace of the monstrous Sandman.