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July 30, 2007
my fangrrl glee is somewhat tarnished
As excited as I am about the The Dark is Rising movie (67 days till it's in theaters!), I am alarmed by some of what I have been reading about the adaptation, particularly this bit:
The planned film diverges from the book on several fundamental points, including the decision to rewrite Will Stanton's character to change him from an eleven-year-old English boy to a fourteen-year-old American boy, significant changes to the mythological structure of the plot, re-setting the story to occur in the present-day, and the addition of a brother of Will's as a potential "Judas" character among them.
I don't really think changing Will's age is a huge deal (although that does have some impact on the story since part of the reason it's such a big deal that Will is an Old One is because he's so young), and setting it in the present isn't too major either, but changing the setting from England to AMERICA?!? That changes the whole premise of the story! Arthurian mythology is heavily woven into the series, and America is NOT the country where Arthur lived. Arthur is not supposed to come back to AMERICA in a time of great trouble, he's supposed to come back to ENGLAND to save his people. Who are ENGLISH. This change affects not just this book, but the entire series, especially The Grey King and Silver on the Tree. In both of those stories the setting (location) is pivotal. Being in England is CRITICAL to the plot. You can't just change the setting and expect everything to be the same. America is a great country and all, but it doesn't have the same atmosphere (or culture) as England, and that's important, dammit! If the location wasn't changed in the remake of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, why was it necessary to change it for The Dark is Rising? Bah.
Posted by oracle at July 30, 2007 7:37 AM in entertainment / reading / the fourth year / watching
Comments
Dude! I know i read these when i was young...I'm tyring to place it but the memory is beign elusive! dammit, im gonna have to go threw my book boxes now.
Posted by: Elric at July 30, 2007 10:31 AM
They're not long books, but they are FANTASTIC as far as fantasy books go. Easily on par with C.S. Lewis' stuff. If you can't find them, you're welcome to borrow my copies after I'm through re-reading them.
Posted by: Kate at July 30, 2007 12:10 PM