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HHGTG Screenwriter Interviews Himself
Overly Critical Guy writes "The screenwriter for the upcoming Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy film has interviewed himself. A snippet: 'Who am I? "Not Douglas Adams" is the answer that concerns most people.'"
Seriously though, the attitude he has in this self interview gives me (some) hope for this movie. He seems concerned with keeping the movie parallel to Douglas Adams' intentions and style.
He also noted how his initial reaction after reading Douglas's script was "I can't write this, this guy's a genius and I'm no genius." Who knows, it may even turn out decent. Eh, who am I kidding.
I know purists might argue that "think of a number" isn't really a question. However if they think that would have stopped Adam's they are quite mistaken.
I think actually it's like the question "Why is a raven like a writting desk?". Lewis Carroll didn't intend there to be an actual answer... but he found the readers' solution "...because Poe wrote on both." to be be true and funny.
BTW has anyone else noticed the similarity between "genuine people personalities" and everyones favourite windows application clippy the paperclip?
Adam's was a genius...
My major grip with book-to-film adaptations is how much liberty the studios take with the plot. I'm no diehard. I fully understand if characters and scenes have to be deleted or altered, _as long as the basic plot is kept the same_. The problem is they rarely do have the disclipine to keep the integrity of the book, and make annoying, unnecessary changes to make the story fit boring Hollywood formulas.
Peter Jackson's LOTR was unusual in that the adaptation kept relatively (stress relatively) close to the book. And it was a massive success. I don't think this was a coincidence. If more adaptations kept true to the original vision of the writer then there would be more successes like LOTR. But this is rare.
For example, just look at how Hollywood screwed up the Illiad with Troy. It makes me sick - tacking on a happy ending to a classic story. I didn't even think Hollywood could stoop that low. It's like having Hamlet live. It's just unacceptable and it led to a boring, overemotional film.
for those saying that a brit should've been picked for the screen writer: bullshit.
genius is indiscriminate, and british cultural humour is not only "gotten" by brits, as the last 20-some years of Monty Pyton fandom in the US has demonstrated. Nor are brits the only ones that can create such humour.
Furthermore, kirkpatrick said he didn't even make all that many changes, just organized it so it would fit the film format (ie, so that the action wouldn't be crouded at one end of the film, with the other 3/4ths of it boring as fuck).
I don't know about anyone else thought about Chicken Run, but I thought it was very similar in style to Wallace and Grommit. Are not the writers/makers of W&G british? (I personally thought Chicken Run was more fun and humorous overall, but what do I know. I'm a stupid American, right? bigots.)
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
In the radio series, it is revealed that the question/answer annihilation theory may have been concucted by "a wily editor of the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy to increase the general level of nervousness in the galaxy and, thereby, sales of the book."
Sig:Why copyright isn't a fundamental human right
I think the biggest problem with american works vs. British is the lack of subtely.
In Hollywoodic movies everything needs to be explicit. We need to know who are the good guys and bad guys right ahead. If there is a moral to the story, they make an effort _nobody_ will miss it. If there is a commical situation, they make every effort to make us understand that we just experianced a funny moment - or otherwise Joe sixpacks might miss the fact that someone said something funny, which is not good for their wallet.
And this is exactle what I hope _will not_ happen to HHGTTG. If it will remain a truely British film, they will be able to present the most commical, rediculous and improbable situation with a sence of casuality, as if it were an absolutely normal situation. If it will become a typical an hollywoodic film, every scene will be accompanied with a "Look - what a cool concept this is!", and "wasn't this just hillarious?". Every element in the story will be explained to death.
I sure hope this won't happen to this movie.
Of course it'll never replace the imagery Adams planted in my head, but it might turn out to be a really decent movie. And I can really see Mos Def as Ford.
Yanks. You do realise Ford Prefect was a joke at your expense with regard to "getting" British culture don't you? Anyway, moving on...
The humour in Hitch Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy is at multiple levels. One of those levels is British vernacular so to speak. Like I say, theres lots you don't need to get the references to find funny, but for British viewers of the film if they drop this material as inconsequential (as does tend to happen) or worse still, it buzzes directly over the script writer's head, then it will be a shame.
Remember, Hitchhiker's was originally written for a radio 4 audience. This is isn't even typical of Britain, far less the English speaking world. I understand it has to be adapted and changed, but theres lots that could be missed or clumsily removed.
-Lucas
David Fincher? Michel Gondry?
Nope, I didn't assume you were American. You spoke of sales "here in North America". I was speaking to that comment.
I'll just leave it with this thought: comedy, even clever comedy, does not have a nationality.
That makes no sense whatsoever. It sounds wise, but its actually empty. SIGH. Crass yanks and their bumper sticker mentality and sound-bite capacity minds... Please support your assertion that humour is not culturally bound. It appears to be false to me.
Seinfeld. Genius. Pure genius. Uniquely American and utterly unique.
But yeah, most of the other American stuff is shit.
-Laxitive
Frasier? What about:
- Simpson
- Futurama
- Family Guy
- King of the Hill
- Everyone Loves Raymond
- Steifeld
- Married with Children
- That's 70's Show
- Cheers
- M.A.S.H.
- A.L.F.(at times)
- Golden Girls
The only thing British comedies do better tending to end at the correct times, while American comedies tend to die painful deaths of teh unfunny.
~~~
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