Subject: (urth) Film Version of New Sun?

From: Christopher Hettinger <telpeurion at hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 07:07:17 +0000

Hello everyone,
 
I have been reading through the Urth lists on occasion for some list for quite some time now. However, I did not notice until tonight that it was not all dead. That in mind, I decided to write posing a query for you all. 
 
With the success of The Lord of the Rings, many fantasy and science fiction literary works are seeing new life on the big screen.
Gene Wolfe, although a critically acclaimed author by all means, is completely unknown by anyone outside the box. I myself would not know GW if I had not accidently found a complete hardcover edition of the Book of the New Sun (The one with a close up on Severian in a twilight local with frizzy hair and a six-pack of abs featured on the cover) in my brother's box of old books. I have read the New Sun series three times now, and I constantly feel like it could easily, if done right, be the next big thing. There are just so many scenes beautifully articulated in the book that could be displayed with greater ease in visual format. The Duel on the Sanguinary Fields, Vodalus' feast, Severian's adventure in the House Absolute, the confrontation with the alzabo, the fight at baldander's castle, and the whole battle in the north screams the word "epic". Perhaps a movie format would not do the series justice, but I can think of a Television mini-series easily accomplishing that. In that way, you could still have all the hidden items littered throughout, maintain the first-person narrative, and because of the former, have watchable through repeated viewings.
 
Bad idea? Probably I know, but hey, it would at least Mr. Wolfe some more success that is due to him.
_________________________________________________________________
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From: Bob Miller <bob_bageera at hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:20:49 +0000

From: Christopher Hettinger <telpeurion at hotmail.com>
Reply-To: Telpeurion at Gamersadvanced.com,The Urth Mailing List 
<urth at lists.urth.net>
To: <urth at urth.net>
Subject: (urth) Film Version of New Sun?
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:07:17 -0700

Hello everyone,

I have been reading through the Urth lists on occasion for some list for 
quite some time now. However, I did not notice until tonight that it was not 
all dead. That in mind, I decided to write posing a query for you all.

With the success of The Lord of the Rings, many fantasy and science fiction 
literary works are seeing new life on the big screen.
Gene Wolfe, although a critically acclaimed author by all means, is 
completely unknown by anyone outside the box. I myself would not know GW if 
I had not accidently found a complete hardcover edition of the Book of the 
New Sun (The one with a close up on Severian in a twilight local with frizzy 
hair and a six-pack of abs featured on the cover) in my brother's box of old 
books. I have read the New Sun series three times now, and I constantly feel 
like it could easily, if done right, be the next big thing. There are just 
so many scenes beautifully articulated in the book that could be displayed 
with greater ease in visual format. The Duel on the Sanguinary Fields, 
Vodalus' feast, Severian's adventure in the House Absolute, the 
confrontation with the alzabo, the fight at baldander's castle, and the 
whole battle in the north screams the word "epic". Perhaps a movie format 
would not do the series justice, but I can think of a Television mini-series 
easily accomplishing that. In that way, you could still have all the hidden 
items littered throughout, maintain the first-person narrative, and because 
of the former, have watchable through repeated viewings.

Bad idea? Probably I know, but hey, it would at least Mr. Wolfe some more 
success that is due to him.
My wife and I have had a similar idea for twenty plus years.  The difficulty 
is in the execution.

_________________________________________________________________
Like puzzles? Play free games & earn great prizes. Play Clink now. 
http://club.live.com/clink.aspx?icid=clink_hotmailtextlink2

---

From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:34:38 +0000

I would not favor a BotNS film, for I suspect it would get all the
images right but miss the point of the book.

On 6/19/07, Christopher Hettinger <telpeurion at hotmail.com> wrote:
> ________________________________
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>

-- 
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
-----
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer
http://www.danehyoakes.com
Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations,
inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire
salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards
reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it'll be beautiful.

---

From: Patrick Pottorff <happyguy99993 at yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:54:06 +0000

From: Christopher Hettinger <telpeurion at hotmail.com>
Subject: (urth) Film Version of New Sun?
To: <urth at urth.net>
Message-ID: <BAY143-W1720A3AC66FE655F1158F1C8120 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hello everyone,
 
I have been reading through the Urth lists on occasion for some list 
for quite some time now. However, I did not notice until tonight that it 
was not all dead. That in mind, I decided to write posing a query for 
you all. 
 
With the success of The Lord of the Rings, many fantasy and science 
fiction literary works are seeing new life on the big screen.
Gene Wolfe, although a critically acclaimed author by all means, is 
completely unknown by anyone outside the box. I myself would not know GW 
if I had not accidently found a complete hardcover edition of the Book 
of the New Sun (The one with a close up on Severian in a twilight local 
with frizzy hair and a six-pack of abs featured on the cover) in my 
brother's box of old books. I have read the New Sun series three times 
now, and I constantly feel like it could easily, if done right, be the 
next big thing. There are just so many scenes beautifully articulated in 
the book that could be displayed with greater ease in visual format. The 
Duel on the Sanguinary Fields, Vodalus' feast, Severian's adventure in 
the House Absolute, the confrontation with the alzabo, the fight at 
baldander's castle, and the whole battle in the north screams the word 
"epic". Perhaps a movie format would not do the series justice, but I can 
think of a Television mini-series easily accomplishing that. In th
 at way, 
 you could still have all the hidden items littered throughout, 
maintain the first-person narrative, and because of the former, have watchable 
through repeated viewings.
 
Bad idea? Probably I know, but hey, it would at least Mr. Wolfe some 
more success that is due to him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, as much as I'd love to see it on the silver screen, I just don't see how 
any director could possibly show Erebus or Abaia. I still don't understand the scene
in the Claw of the Conciliator where the giant water-thing pops out of the water... 
how would the general populous feel about it? It would be sacrilege to leave 
any of it out. 
     Patrick

       
---------------------------------
Choose the right car based on your needs.  Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder tool.
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From: Michael Straight <mfstraight at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:27:47 +0000

I'll support a BotNS movie when someone can give me a list of which
scenes from the Book of the New Sun can be cut without doing grievous
harm to the plot.

Well, no.  Not even then.

Rostrum

---

From: Ranjit Bhatnagar <ranjit at moonmilk.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:38:53 +0000

> scenes from the Book of the New Sun can be cut without doing grievous

I'll support a BotNS movie when they sign Johnny Depp as Edward
Scissorhands as Severian.  And, um, Steve Buscemi as Gurloes, Albus
Dumbledore as Malrubius, and Sarah Silverman as Thecla.  And Wallace
Shawn with the late Andre the Giant as, well, you know.

OK, maybe not.

-ranjit
(Any suggestions for Agia/Agilus?  I'm sure we've done this before,
but what the heck...)

---

From: Adam Thornton <adam at io.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:43:31 +0000

> (Any suggestions for Agia/Agilus?  I'm sure we've done this before,
Joan/John Cusack.

Adam
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From: brunians at brunians.org <brunians at brunians.org>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:55:54 +0000

Extended TV miniseries.

.

---

From: Scott K <scott at skatemonk.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:11:12 +0000

I would so love to see a not-for-kids animated version, as I feel that 
animation is almost the only way to convey the feel of a story like 
this (similar to how I feel about the rumored Neil Gaiman Sandman film- 
think Miazaki!). Did anyone see the TV miniseries of Ghormenghast? That 
was a wonderful (and fairly long) telling of the first 2 books of the 
cycle. I don't think Mervyn Peake was all that great a writer, those 
books were all about conveying loads of tone and atmosphere, and I 
thought the movie did it pretty well. Maybe a TV miniseries would be 
the best way to convey Sev's story, as layered and atmospheric as it 
is. I don't think there's a big enough fan base to support a cinematic 
film, but I'd never heard of Bridge to Tarabethia before, either, so 
who knows?
-Scott K
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From: Matthew Keeley <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:32:30 +0000

In regards to an animated version of The Book of the New Sun, I'd love to
see one of the Japanese studios take it on. Satoshi Kon, from what I know of
him, might do a good job with The Book of the New Sun. I'd actually prefer a
26-episode series to a feature film, if only because that could provide more
room for detail.

I don't think Miyazaki would necessarily be my top choice for Severian's
story, but I understand that his company, Studio Ghibli, recently did a film
of LeGuin's Earthsea books, though the film can't come out in the US until
2009 (http://www.ursulakleguin.com/GedoSenkiResponse.html). Wolfe devotees
might also enjoy Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle, which is based off a book
by a Diana Wynne Jones, who Wolfe apparently really likes.

As for Bridge to Terabithia, I never read it, but it was very popular when I
was growing up. Several of my friends, when they saw a poster for the movie,
reminisced about how "It was my favorite book going up." I gather it has a
larger following than one might think.

-Matt

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