tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post3461325325084065649..comments2023-09-27T02:48:37.863-05:00Comments on <b>BookMoot</b>: Movie: The Dark is RisingCamillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-57975091226664649612007-10-22T15:35:00.000-05:002007-10-22T15:35:00.000-05:00I love your insight into the music. It would be so...I love your insight into the music. It would be so interesting to hear your composition. <BR/><BR/>My only consolation about all this has been that the movie did not do well at the box office so not many people saw it. We have all been so fearful that the movie would turn people off the books. Hopefully, this has not occured.Camillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-24726850304949033332007-10-22T11:47:00.000-05:002007-10-22T11:47:00.000-05:00I can only echo what others have said - this was f...I can only echo what others have said - this was for me a magical series that I first read when I was 11. I absolutely loved it - the sense of the magic behind everyday things, the way music was so important in all the enchantments, the poetic language, the overwhelming sense of place (an English village at Christmas, a fishing village in Cornwall, a hot summer's day in Bucks, the Welsh mountains). It was beautiful, subtle and original fantasy. When I was doing my A-level music composition, I even tried to write a piece of music for a possible film adaptation of Silver On The Tree.<BR/><BR/>A friend who I'd lent my copy of the series to told me last week that they were making it into a film. I was so excited that it made my day. Looking at the official site and reading the posts, plus the fact that Susan Cooper is not happy with the adaptation, I am dreadfully disappointed.<BR/><BR/>I can only echo another poster's hope that at some point in twenty years an independent film-maker will pick this up and make a film that captures the subtlety of Cooper's epic. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for giving me somewhere to post my thoughts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-17450080293358572922007-10-18T20:55:00.000-05:002007-10-18T20:55:00.000-05:00I recently saw the trailer for this movie and was ...I recently saw the trailer for this movie and was very excited. The Dark Is Rising book was the very 1st book I can ever remember reading as a young child and since then I have read and re-read the series lots of times. However, having researched a little more into the movie and reading all of your comments I shall most certainly NOT be going to see it! I was shocked that Will was an american when watching the trailor and to discover that they have removed the arthurian connection, Merlin and so much more is heart-breaking! I was very much hoping that by taking my nieces and nephews to see this film and then encouraging them to read the later books would entice them to read more but now I shan't bother with taking them to the cinema but shall simply stick to the books. Susan Cooper is a brilliant author (along with J. K. Rowling - with the exception of her last book!) who wrote an outstanding series and the makers of this movie should be ashamed of themselves!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-55433360835259435542007-09-07T23:51:00.000-05:002007-09-07T23:51:00.000-05:00"I hate snakes" -- Indiana Will"I hate snakes" -- Indiana WillCamillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-32378025867917430802007-09-07T22:25:00.000-05:002007-09-07T22:25:00.000-05:00How to epitomize how wrong this movie is: Will and...How to epitomize how wrong this movie is: Will and dark-Max, traveling through time, engaging in karate fights on top of market place carts full of vegetables....And most damning? A whole helluva lot of SNAKES!(??) I've read a lot of comments all over the board, and I've suddenly realized that there just hasn't been enough comment regarding the friggin' SNAKES. Holy Moses -- friggin' snakes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-82112331149795430832007-08-25T13:29:00.000-05:002007-08-25T13:29:00.000-05:00anonymouse, You have expressed the fans feelins pe...anonymouse, You have expressed the fans feelins perfectly.Camillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-40367777519859661242007-08-25T13:24:00.000-05:002007-08-25T13:24:00.000-05:00Am 62 y.o. and have read the "Dark is Rising" sequ...Am 62 y.o. and have read the "Dark is Rising" sequence about 20 times since I first discovered it many years past. As much as I love H.P. I so often commented "if only someone would make TDiR as a series of films". Well, I certainly take that back!! Having seen the trailer I am totally horrified. They have cut the heart and soul from the story and trivialized it into not much of anything. How sad....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-3208324494867744922007-08-22T16:42:00.000-05:002007-08-22T16:42:00.000-05:00Poor Susan Cooper sold the rights to the book to t...Poor Susan Cooper sold the rights to the book to the Jim Henson folks years ago (if I am remembering correctly) and then years later, they got picked up by Walden et al. Authors must have to emotionally distance themselves from the movies since they usually have no control over what happens but it must be irksome and disappointing to see the way the book is being handled.Camillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-61452997271986593042007-08-22T15:21:00.000-05:002007-08-22T15:21:00.000-05:00What really irks me about this is that Waldem Medi...What really irks me about this is that Waldem Media markets their movies to librarians (like myself) as true to the original books. I was so excited about this movie and now I want to go picket Susan Cooper's house.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-40947020648571020772007-08-18T01:54:00.000-05:002007-08-18T01:54:00.000-05:00Well said, scott, vertisflame and cecilia. We cou...Well said, scott, vertisflame and cecilia. We could not be in more agreement about the given need for changes when a book is translated to the big screen. The Potter films have had their high and low points as did the Narnia movie, all succeeding in some ways and falling short in others.<BR/><BR/>In this case, I think the casual, disrespectful and callous handling of Cooper's book(s) is what is causing the outcry and dismay.<BR/><BR/>In the case of the Potter films, Narnia and most splendidly, the Lord of the Rings, the directors/producers all addressed the "book to film" issue with comments or at least a nod to the origins of the stories they are telling and expressed a hope that they could bring the author's, Rowling/Lewis/Tolkien, visions to life on the screen. <BR/><BR/>Rowling had terms and conditions about the movie rights to HP so none of the HP directors said, "well, Rowling's story is so...British. We have improved it and made Harry an American and he attends Hogwarts High School in Santa Barbara, California where he and his pals suffer in Chemistry class with a mean and cranky teacher, Mr. Snape. Hijinks ensue including a fruit cart scene!" <BR/><BR/>The interviews with <I>The Seeker/DiR</I> people all seem to be saying, Cooper's book was an ok springboard for their own reinvention and improvements. "We will make up our own story." There does not seem to be even an echo of interest in the elements of the story as cecilia so eloquently described them and that is what has upset the folks who love these books. <BR/><BR/>I do not think the Walden/Fox people ever understood why the books have such a following. They have stepped in it and are now stymied to find the "fans" they were counting on to support the movie in an uproar.Camillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-69985239706840917642007-08-17T21:55:00.000-05:002007-08-17T21:55:00.000-05:00Cooper's epic fantasy has traditionally been group...Cooper's epic fantasy has traditionally been grouped with The Lord of the Rings and Narnia as an examble of great British fantasy. While it never attained the popularity of these serries, its poetic prose and haunting pre-Christian imagery weave a tale of terror and beauty. Cooper also relies on lesser-known myths, like the tale of Hern the Hunter to add an exotic flair to the familiar mythology of the English countryside.<BR/>These books certainly have faults - the plots are sometimes dense and confusing, and some of Cooper's characters, especially Will and his family, are too wholesome and flat to be believable. Cooper tries to correct these mistakes in later volumes, but they are certainly present in her second book, The Dark is Rising. As for most of the characters that ally with the Dark, no effort is made at any point to flesh them out beyond a cartoonish image of a debonair villain. <BR/>However, none of these faults justify the most glaring changes that were made to the script. By making Will an American, Hodge denies the deeply English soul of the stories. In her most poetic passages, Cooper is writing a paen to English myth and magic. By relying on cliches like missing twins, Hodge denies the otherwordly quality that Cooper invokes by using lesser-known myths like the tale of Hern the Hunter. Not to mention that making Will a whinny, self-centered teenager, Hodge denies the painful loss of innocensce that makes the tale poignant despite it's somewhat flat character development.<BR/>Some of the changes were needed - its unlikely such a small studio will make sequals - where are the promised Narnia sequals? - so its acceptable to remove the some of the Arthurian plotline - the plot needed to be prunned considerably to fit into a theatre-friendly format. However the changes went too far to preserve the aspects of The Dark is Rising that made it a fantasy classic.<BR/><BR/>Wow that was long! But these were my favorite books when I was growing up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-40045932152368304892007-08-17T09:23:00.000-05:002007-08-17T09:23:00.000-05:00Have just seen the trailer for "The Seeker"- and w...Have just seen the trailer for "The Seeker"- and was halfway through it before I realised what it was supposed to be! What a tragedy. My son was named Will after this series, but he won't be going to see this film. BBC Sunday Teatime series would have been preferable to this nonsense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-84243121948526632512007-08-13T03:17:00.000-05:002007-08-13T03:17:00.000-05:00Let's face it....This movie is NOT an attempt at a...Let's face it....This movie is NOT an attempt at a faithful adaptation of "TDIR" like "Lord Of The Rings" or "Lion, Witch, Wardrode"!!! It is one very loosely based upon that novel. So if you see it, DO NOT expect any resemblence at all. Unfortunately, this means the odds of actually ever making a movie based upon the book for real are now severely diminished. I, too, upon hearing the name "Will Stanton" in the theater before the Harry Potter movie could not believe my ears. Then, sadly, I couldn't believe my eyes, as the trailer proved to be a sham of a mockery of anything decent. Had NOONE involved read the book at all? There was a South Park episode where a commentator follows Stan around and turns his life into a stupid movie trailer. This "The Seeker" trailer was just like that episode, only pathetically it was real. "Will Stanton thought he was an ordinary boy. But he's gonnna find, being the Seeker, isn't what he thought!" DUUUUUUUUHH. But nothing will every sully my memories and love for that series, no matter what dung is flung onto the screen.scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09857466361919777177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-37810452857775957932007-08-11T18:38:00.000-05:002007-08-11T18:38:00.000-05:00Had to add my ranting. I agree with everything eve...Had to add my ranting. I agree with everything everyone else has said. The only hope I have is that this travesty will quickly fade from memory, enough that some enterprising independent film company will revisit it in 15 years or so and actually make a movie that begins to compare to the books. This reminds me horrendously of Ella Enchanted and its accompanying horrible movie. I know Ella isn't "high" fantasy in the truest sense, but the book was still ripped apart in the movie, all because the stupid writers couldn't create an original movie, and warped some poor, unsuspecting, upstanding book author's work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-28153058968729158492007-08-08T19:52:00.000-05:002007-08-08T19:52:00.000-05:00Just joining my voice to the rest of you. I've lov...Just joining my voice to the rest of you. I've loved these books for over a decade. I have a quartered circle hanging up on my wall. I chose the screenname of Pendragon because of her stories. I'm so annoyed at this sham of a movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-85800011827808618072007-08-06T17:04:00.000-05:002007-08-06T17:04:00.000-05:00Saw poster in cinema, haveing just seem Transforme...Saw poster in cinema, haveing just seem Transformers (which was cheesetastic) with son, though 'naa it can't be' horse is the wrong colour, came home, did search, found site with short trailer...I feel violated! These books are my favorate and my sons, Will NOT be going to see this travisty of cinimatogrophy, the whole cast, crew and financiers should be throughly ashamed of themselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-18484485288416976602007-08-05T20:22:00.000-05:002007-08-05T20:22:00.000-05:00Amen, brothers and sisters!Amen, brothers and sisters!Camillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-53823426021773998482007-08-05T13:22:00.000-05:002007-08-05T13:22:00.000-05:00I was so excited when I heard they were making a m...I was so excited when I heard they were making a movie - after all I had been waiting for 23 years! Better than JK better than His Dark Materials - now just ruined - it's tantamount to blasphemy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-4761479982795665182007-08-03T12:42:00.000-05:002007-08-03T12:42:00.000-05:00Honestly, the movement to present-day and the lack...Honestly, the movement to present-day and the lack of the arthurian themes is going to kill the movie. Why is Will all of a sudden a generic teenager? What is with the tacky love interest? <BR/><BR/>Worse, why is everybody suddenly American? And worse still, the best actor of the lot gets to be the villain. Bah. Cliche, uninteresting, and a waste of a great actor. <BR/><BR/>We're faced with a cinematic flop that will destroy the reputation of any of the actors/actresses, as well as screw over any hope for a sequel. <BR/><BR/>Not that anybody would hope for a sequel to this rubbish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-41276462653217144272007-07-09T01:07:00.000-05:002007-07-09T01:07:00.000-05:00Joining in the bafflement here... Sometimes, you j...Joining in the bafflement here... Sometimes, you just want to go and kick a Director in the rear for being such an utter MORON !Michelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15888298679182871669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-24793205325703065182007-07-07T11:04:00.000-05:002007-07-07T11:04:00.000-05:00Yes, removing the Arthurian connection has me deep...Yes, removing the Arthurian connection has me deeply bewildered, as well. I mean, it's one of the underpinnings of the whole series!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16813084292265103896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-84845198105025409172007-07-06T23:41:00.000-05:002007-07-06T23:41:00.000-05:00(Sigh)It's so good to be among my people, the ones...(Sigh)<BR/>It's so good to be among my people, the ones who HATE BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES BECAUSE ACTORS APPARENTLY CAN'T READ ANYTHING THAT IS BOUND INTO BOOK FORM, AND DIRECTORS CAN'T EITHER.<BR/><BR/>This completely <I>ruins</I> the series, and all the deeply spooky bits are taken out with stupidity like love interests and teen angst and the like. My biggest bewildered "Eh?" is cutting the Arthurian connection. I am ... I don't know where else they can go with this, I truly don't.<BR/><BR/>And I so love how articulate Entling No. 1 is when infuriated... all I could screech was <I>NO! <B>No, no</B> NOOOO!</I> for quite some time.tanita✿davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01671822274852087499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-77181844232314712962007-07-06T11:59:00.000-05:002007-07-06T11:59:00.000-05:00Oh yes, that makes sense - and if it had been the ...Oh yes, that makes sense - and if it had been the only change, and they'd still managed to keep the British mythology in which the books are so steeped, then a heavy sigh would have taken care of it. Quite agree about the idiocy of film companies ignoring the HP success in assuming all the kids have to be American! But then, this whole thing is so full of idiocy from start to finish that that one hardly surprises.Lady S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15082805324614635011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-8254955805560479612007-07-06T10:48:00.000-05:002007-07-06T10:48:00.000-05:00kidlitjunkie: Our family is a stay-until-the-last-...kidlitjunkie: Our family is a stay-until-the-last-credit-line rolls family too. Directors are rewarding us with little treats at the end for our trouble which is gratifying.<BR/><BR/>lady s.: I can't speak for Entling no. 1, perhaps she will weigh in here, but I interpreted her comment as: ok, whatever, Will is an American but his family has moved to England. Maybe she was thinking if that was the ONLY change they were going to make in the story (since apparently screenwriters don't think Americans will tolerate a British hero--ever hear of Harry Potter chum?) that would have been one of those moments to sigh heavily but move on. <BR/>There was a whole other spate of furious emails from her about them filming in Romania. She was bemoaning the loss of the English countryside and villages and Windsor Forest.Camillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422449200792287901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7245036.post-80804340793863078432007-07-06T10:02:00.000-05:002007-07-06T10:02:00.000-05:00I read that post you linked to, and I think I thre...I read that post you linked to, and I think I threw up a little in my mouth.<BR/><BR/>What is really the point of making a Dark Is Rising movie if it has so little resemblence to everything that make those books wonderful? If you're going to make Will 13 and American and disliking his family - and with a twin! - if you're going to take out the Arthurian bits - if you're going to twist and change it so much that it's practically a different story altogether - why not make a new story and call it something original and different?<BR/><BR/>I am a big believer in sitting out movies till the end, no matter how bad they are, but if Will really does have a secret twin, I will almost certainly walk out of the theatre right then and there.Kidlitjunkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604118327281275181noreply@blogger.com