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A big old rant
Well, not really a big old rant. I just wanted to have a go at explaining why the forthcoming film of The Dark is Rising makes me boil with incoherent rage. First, imagine a book you really care about. Then imagine they're talking about the movie adaptation of that book in the following quotes:
[From an interview with Ian McShane, who plays Merriman]
***
[From an article by somewanker journalist called Devin Faraci]
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I'm mainly upset about this because I would have loved a good adaptation of The Dark is Rising. I would have loved Christopher Ecclestone as the Rider in a real film of the real book. I would have loved a whole new generation of people to know why I loved these books when I was a child, kind of the way I enjoy kids today knowing why Daleks are scary and the Doctor is cool. Nostalgia, I suppose. But it hurts that after this film is released, The Dark is Rising will mean 'Indiana Jones meets Harry Potter' for most people. With snakes and a twin imprisoned by the Dark and Merriman wielding a mace, and mall police and love interests and teenage angst and blah-di-blah blah... Most of all, I'm disappointed that the (award-winning) books I loved so much were judged not to be worthy of the sort of respect due to say, Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or His Dark Materials. Instead they're getting fucked over by people who apparently don't give much of a shit.
I know, I shouldn't really be surprised. And it's pretty silly to get upset over a bloody film, what with all actual real things happening in the world. But there you go. I never said I was rational. Anyway, this travesty is set to open in October, apparently. I won't be going.
[From an interview with Ian McShane, who plays Merriman]
Ian McShane: I don't think they've been very faithful to the book. I don't know how many of you've read the book. I know they sold a few copies, but I couldn't read it very well. It's really dense. It's from the 70s, you know?"
Were you familiar with the books before signing on to this?
Ian McShane:No, I never heard of them. I did try to read the book, but they were a little...I think...I don't know how...There's four of them apparently. Or five. Oh, god. That means I might have to do a sequel.
What was it about this project that specifically interested you, though?
Ian McShane:The check. As it always is. Basically. It certainly wasn't Romania. No,it's been an interesting experience. Maybe a little too long. Twelve weeks is a little long to shoot.
***
[From an article by some
A joke among the journalists covering The Dark Is Rising set visit in Bucharest over the last couple of days was that the movie has only changed three things from the Newberry-winning novel on which it’s based: they’ve changed the lead kid’s nationality from English to American, they’ve changed the lead kid’s age from 11 to 14, and they’ve changed everything that happens in the story.
This, by the way, is not a bad thing. While flying to Romania I read The Dark Is Rising, which happens to be the second (but best known) bookThe Dark Is Rising Sequence, and found it quite a slog.
[...]
The answer seems to be to keep the concepts and ideas from Cooper’s novel and throw much else out, creating a story that feels contemporary and a lead who feels real (Cooper’s book was published in the early 70s but the lead kid comes across like he’s from a hundred years earlier). And creating more opportunities for action and thrills. Director David Cunningham showed us a quick reel of footage from the movie, and there wasn’t a moment that I could recognize from The Dark Is Rising the book… but there was a ton of moments that looked like they could sell an audience on an exciting fantasy movie.
[...]
within those broad story strokes are major changes, including much more action than Cooper ever imagined, changed relationships and motivations, including the addition of a love interest for The Walker (who is much younger in the movie) and a new reason for him to betray the Light, a very different take on Merriman (in the books he’s essentially Merlin; screenwriter John Hodge told me they dropped all the Arthurian stuff from the film), new abilities for The Rider, and plenty of adventure elements – the impression that I got from what we saw was Indiana Jones meets Harry Potter.
***
I'm mainly upset about this because I would have loved a good adaptation of The Dark is Rising. I would have loved Christopher Ecclestone as the Rider in a real film of the real book. I would have loved a whole new generation of people to know why I loved these books when I was a child, kind of the way I enjoy kids today knowing why Daleks are scary and the Doctor is cool. Nostalgia, I suppose. But it hurts that after this film is released, The Dark is Rising will mean 'Indiana Jones meets Harry Potter' for most people. With snakes and a twin imprisoned by the Dark and Merriman wielding a mace, and mall police and love interests and teenage angst and blah-di-blah blah... Most of all, I'm disappointed that the (award-winning) books I loved so much were judged not to be worthy of the sort of respect due to say, Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or His Dark Materials. Instead they're getting fucked over by people who apparently don't give much of a shit.
I know, I shouldn't really be surprised. And it's pretty silly to get upset over a bloody film, what with all actual real things happening in the world. But there you go. I never said I was rational. Anyway, this travesty is set to open in October, apparently. I won't be going.