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Philip K. Dick's "Flow My Tears" To Be Filmed

Posted by kdawson on from the needs-a-catchier-title dept.

bowman9991 writes "Philip K. Dick's 1974 novel Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said is being adapted for the big screen. A tale of altered reality, drug use, and the meaning of identity, the novel tells the story of TV celebrity Jason Taverner, who wakes up one morning to find that his very existence has been wiped from everyone's memories. Halcyon, the company behind the upcoming Terminator Salvation movie, decided the novel would be the first adaptation under a rights agreement with Philip K. Dick's estate. Hollywood has certainly taken a shine to Dick's work: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, Impostor, Screamers and Next have all been based on his short stories or novels. Ubik is in development too. In some cases, as with Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic Blade Runner, the adaptations are loose to say the least."

5 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. It's probably for the best. by gnarlyhotep · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In some cases, as with Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic Blade Runner, the adaptations are loose to say the least.

    Given the nature of most of Dick's work, a direct 1:1 film adaptation of his writing would be at best nonsensical. Adapting the theme of the work, and leaving leeway with the details is generally the best approach.

    Hell, even with other author's works it's the best approach. They are completely different media after all, and require completely different approaches to storytelling.

    1. Re:It's probably for the best. by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Blade runner I suspect was really a merger of the plot line of "do androids dream of electic sheep" with the thematic asian dominated backdrop of the man in the high castle.

      I regard blade runner as one of the few movies that is substantially better than the book ("androids dream" ) it is based on.

      Most of Philip Dicks' work seems to me to be wonderfully inspired plots and concepts that get at the nature of perception but executed with cardboard characters and loads of quirky descriptive artifacts. I note that for it's period, sci-fi in general tended to lack real characterization and larded in lots of gee-whiz artifcats. PKD endures because of those timeless themes and questions. Hence they make great sources for movies cause after you distill all the dated parts of his work, the stories really are pretty short and snappy.

      Also one other comment: could there be a better production company name than Halcyon given that the drug names that promotes the dream state.

      --
      Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    2. Re:It's probably for the best. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have the same opinion. I hate Keanu and Ryder but love Robert Downey Jr, and thought the stuff between him and Woody Harrelson was priceless. They gave a much needed comic aspect to the pretty dark material. Overall I thought the film was done well, and stayed relatively faithful to the story - especially considering some of the other "adaptations" of his work on film.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
  2. Great, call me when it's done by orkybash · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Adaptations of Philip K Dick books are notorious for being put in development hell. Scanner Darkly, IIRC, went through several attempted treatments before we got the rotoscoped version. And there's been attempts off and on to bring us Ubik on the big screen, though the last I heard of that was a few years ago and it was just being written.

    ...not to say that I'm not still cautiously excited!

  3. Re:More Information on Philip K. Dick Movies by Incredible+Elmo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Total Recall is still relatively good when watching it when you're older. Not many people I know who saw this movie recognized that at the end, you still don't know if it is the virtual vacation you are watching and if he needs to be lobotomized after this, or not; everything that happens in the story is exactly what he wanted from his vacation. With that in mind, the red pill scene is pretty interesting, where the rekall team tries to give him a way out without damaging his brain, but he chooses to remain in his dreams instead.

    The good thing of that movie is that it is filmed such that you don't have to think about it and enjoy it as an above average action film, but you _can_, and it makes it a bit more interesting.

    I think that there is a hint of PKD's depth in that film if you bother to look for it. I didn't really notice this in Paycheck, for instance.