The Soundtrack

Daniel D Jones · 10 Apr 2007, 11:55 · from 2007-April.txt.gz

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From: ddjones at riddlemaster.org (Daniel D Jones)
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 06:55:08 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Soundtrack
In-Reply-To: <14f560d30704091614j5ae36346m1fd0bf98ce82935 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <14f560d30704091614j5ae36346m1fd0bf98ce82935 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <200704100755.08668.ddjones at riddlemaster.org>

On Monday 09 April 2007 19:14, Mark Lewin wrote:
> I doubt if if anyone on this list disagrees with me that none of GW's books
> would make a good film.
>
> What ... you do?  Which one?

That depends a great deal on precisely what you mean when you say "...a good 
film."  I think most people would agree that TBOTNS wouldn't _translate_ well 
to film.  It would be impossible to capture a great deal of what makes that 
series work in a visual medium.  However, that's not at all the same thing as 
saying that TBOTNS would not make a good film.  With the correct choice of 
screen writer and director, it could make a good film.  But the film wouldn't 
tell the same story that Wolfe told in his books.  (And, of course, with poor 
choices as writer and director, it could be made into the most God awful pap 
ever to grace the silver screen.)

That being said, I think some of his "lesser" works would translate well to 
film.  I can't think of anything vital in "Pandora" which would be lost in 
film.  Same with "Devil in a Forest."

The events of the Latro series would probably translate well but I'm not sure 
that the same sense of Latro's memory loss could be maintained throughout a 
film as are present in the prose.  Again, they could make a great film but 
I'm not sure that it would tell the same story.

"Fifth Head" is a more interesting proposition.  It would be tricky to pull 
off, particularly the third book, but I think the right writer and director 
could make an absolutely amazing trio of films from that series.

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