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"There will be two completely separate and, I might add, mutually hostile audiences for the resulting film. One will be composed of 'Hitchhiker' fans, millions strong, who will interpret every minute discrepancy between what they are watching onscreen and what they once read on the page as a heresy punishable by law or, where possible, stoning. These people are lunatics, and I am one of them. Opposing us will be hordes of decent, ungeeky humans who will be bewildered and patchily amused by the tale of Arthur Dent and his voyage among the stars."

--Anthony Lane in the New Yorker

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Hmm. *grin*

See, that didn't merit an "uh-oh," did it?

Indeed, not. It's a good quotation. Although the writer did forget a couple of other groups. The one

vjsmom's in, and the one I'm in actually. Geeky about all the details, and yet willing to remain oblivious to the movie.

Well, he was talking about people who were going to be in the audience for the film, which won't be you, or S, at least in the theater.

Having read the books once, some time ago, I felt that I got everything, but had forgotten how the plot had gone. I actually recall the plot essentially wandering about aimlessly in the original books--essentially an amusing wandering through Oz or Wonderland, but with the earth destroyed, there was no hope of a satisfactory conclusion. But it's been many years, and mayby I missed the point.

Sure, the plot of the movie deviated from the books, because there was actually some sort of effort made to give the movie a plot.

What I recall of the book was simply an L. Frank Baum-like series of episodes in bizarre places, each propelled by whimsical, yet internally logical, idea. The movie presents a collection of those, some from the books, and some from Adams's draft screenplay, with some semblence of a plot thrown on on top of it. I enjoyed the books, and I enjoyed the movie.

But then again, I see so few moivies and watch so little TV that the novelty of watching a moving picture on a big screen may simply have washed away any critical thinking. Ir I am deluding myself into like the movie because I can't bear to think I might have pissed away $9.50 on an evening showing for a piece of crap.

Hey, I doubt very seriously that you're deluding yourself about how much you enjoyed it in order to protect yourself from chagrin at having parted with a 10-spot for it. Though that sounds a lot like some of my uncomfortable unconnected-to-feeling stuff I've been through a lot of since the H-bomb hit.

My thought here is that there is something that's a shame when people who really like a work of art in one form find it nigh on impossible to be open to enjoying it in another. The quotation would have seemed pretty harsh that way if it didn't turn out Anthony's one of those folks to. I admit, the more I like a book or prequel or original version or TV show whatever went before, the more I anticipate being disappointed by the movie at hand. But a lot of times a good story or premise or collection of characters makes the transition, or can make the transition, in good hands. That is, part of what we like about it to begin with could "work" for the movie, too.

Of course, toning down expectations can sometimes help the experience of watching a film. Mediates disappointment somewhat.

I haven't seen this one yet, and don't know whether I will see it in the theater, but I do like to see a movie on the big screen in the company of an audience.

Re: books-become-movies?

I don't think anyone wants to see paintings of my sculptures. I don't know if the analogy holds, but it's my general feeling re: screen adaptation. Nine-point-nine times out of ten, I prefer to use my imagination on words for free instead of the above-alluded nine buck charge to see someone else's imagination come to life with, I might add, more incidental and disposable and wasted money than I'll ever see in my lifetime.
(That sounds harsh. An example, though, would be ... let's see ... the reimagining of 'Planet of the Apes.' I have no ground to stand on, I'll admit, 'til I relearn to read French and dive into Pierre Boule's _book._ But the sets and the makeup and the little things about Burton's retry made my soul go *squeee!* Happy! Unfortunately, the plot was godawful.)

Well, yeah, I'd say that's a fairly facetious analogy. Books and movies are storytelling, and some of the best movies have been adapted from books, so there's a kinship that makes movies-from-books a natural idea. Not to knowck paintings of sculptures, necessarily! What the hell do I know? Maybe there could be quite an audience for that sort of thing. You know, as a subset of the audience for paintings.

My hesitations arise when there's a movie remake, too, but I've also liked some of those quite a good bit. You have me interested in seeing TB's Planet now, and I probably wouldn't have been giving that one a look, even for free, at least on my own.

i assume this is the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy ...

n .

That's the one.

Have you seen the film? I liked the book in college, but I haven't read it in so long that I doubt I'd be among the "lunatic" portion of the audience. On the other hand, I am neither "decent" nor "ungeeky," so I don't really fit into that part of the audience either. Maybe I should just stay home. (I'll probably add it to the Netflix queue after it's out on DVD.)

Haven't seen it. YOU, though, have a special reason to go see a movie in the theater: you never do! Night out and all that. You know, which people do sometimes, even when they have kids.

Of course I can't let you call yourself not "decent" without opposing the notion. What the hell you talkin' about? Decency, schmecency, anyway, at least if you mean we should all judge each other and ourselves very harshly when we're not perfect little saints. Cuz we ain't.

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Interesting concept ...

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the film in question?

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