Ah, Jules Verne, his books are equally adventures which is a factor. Gulliver's Travels is a dodgy example as only one part is made into movies usually. HG Wells movies are an interesting set to consider.

What is SF without adventure?


Another SF classic that made good movies: The Lost World by Conan Doyle.

>
> Another SF classic that made good movies: The Lost
> World by Conan Doyle.

Again, only by keeping the title and ignoring most of what followed, surely?

I'd have to say that although there's some interesting attempts out there, nothing acceptable has ever been done with a Douglas adams book - the BBC TV series probably got the closest. The movie, although entertaining, wasn't really deserving of the name.

The problem for me is that I think that, if you had the right cast, unlimited money and a willing audience, there's probably very little that you couldn't make - but to do any halfway book justice, you're looking at a very long movie.

It's not just movies - TV seems to be taking over a lot of these things - True Blood is a good example. I'm still trying to work out what the heck they're doing with it.

SkidMarks Wrote:
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> >
> > Another SF classic that made good movies: The
> Lost
> > World by Conan Doyle.
>
> Again, only by keeping the title and ignoring most
> of what followed, surely?

On the contrary; in one case they changed the name.

(which of the many versions is the one you find so bad?)

delacuesta Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SkidMarks Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > >
> > > Another SF classic that made good movies: The
> > Lost
> > > World by Conan Doyle.
> >
> > Again, only by keeping the title and ignoring
> most
> > of what followed, surely?
>
> On the contrary; in one case they changed the
> name.
>
> (which of the many versions is the one you find so
> bad?)

If you check I didn't say you could not make a good film called "The Lost World" only that if you did it would not be like the book!

For the record (and purely personal opinion) here are the versions that spring to mind.
I have listed the the actor playing Prof Challenger as I may have got the dates wrong.

1925 - Wallace beery -quite good.
1960 - Claude Rains - o.k ish but hardly faithful to the book
1992 - John Rhys-Davies - not at all like the book, not too bad a film
1999-2002 (TV) - ?Peter McCauley - no connection with the book beyond the title
2001(TV) - Bob Hoskins - appalling

Of similar films There are various Doug McClure Land/Creatures/Script that Time Forgot movies which make up an entire sub-genre, usually very bad, but not claiming to be based on Arthur Conan Doyle. I am afraid that I don't know the version that you are mean.

I was joking about Jurassic Parc. I admit that this is in no way a film after The Lost World; however it is indebted to Conan Doyle.

Television is a far better medium for adaptation of novels, it's true. You can make a series instead of a single movie. Movies have the scope to accurately adapt a short story in one film, especially with respect to the presumed to be 'dumbed down' audiences of today.

Still haven't seen a filmed version of 'From the Earth to the Moon'. That would be awesome.

EgonSpengler Wrote:
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>
> Still haven't seen a filmed version of 'From the
> Earth to the Moon'. That would be awesome.

Didn't NASA have a go at that one? :-)

It's not actually SF but at one point, they were supposed to make a movie out of ZAMM-
I dug the book but really don't see how that's possible...

**************************************
Signature or shameless self-promotion?
You decide:

[www.myspace.com]

**************************************

NASA had a go? Was it good?

ZAMM, what's ZAMM?

NASA seemed to have had run out of money at the time. The quality of their cameras and sound equipment was just awfull.

i agree with PH - and why did they use so much black and white film stock for the action scenes?

<This thread's been going for a page and a half and it's still on topic. I'd better do something about that.>

Here's a sub-1000 word SF story I enjoyed.

[dailysciencefiction.com]

Question: What makes it SF? I instinctively gave it a date of about 2050, but it could have been present day.

The answer to your question, MC, is that the granddaughter was said to have lived in the house for 60 years, which puts the date at least 60 years after 1989, when the letter was sent. Otherwise, nothing makes it SF. As you said, it could have been present day. Actually, I doubt that the normal form of correspondence in 2050 will be e-mail.

By the way, this story would make a very short film.

EgonSpengler Wrote:
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> NASA had a go? Was it good?
>
> ZAMM, what's ZAMM?
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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
[robertpirsig.org]

Sorry, didn't know about all the other places the acronym could take you-
it's not actually a novel or even fiction but I didn't see how they'd manage to film the philosophical bits-
anyway, it appears they made a go of it, we'll see...

A good sf story would be the filming of some of the threads.

Who should play BK?

Who should play anyone else?

All responses on the backs of $50 notes please.

Sorry, I should have sent this link earlier.

EgonSpengler Wrote:
>
> Still haven't seen a filmed version of 'From the
> Earth to the Moon'. That would be awesome.

You could try [www.imdb.com]


What about Chuck Dickens ghost stories and/or M.R. James?

I think it would have to be a cartoon. So then the question would be who would do the voices... I'm no good with names anyway, so I can't suggest anyone famous, but I know what all of you sound like in my head. Wonder if we could ever reach consensus? (ha! not likely)

But BK is easy. Her voice should be shy and quiet and a little sultry, but with enough determination to cover over that icy steel of her claws. <grin>

This makes me think of when they make movies of books I've loved, and the actor picked for a particular character is just *wrong*. Or when you hear that a script was written for a particular person, but they couldn't or wouldn't play the part, so someone else took it. Imagining that other person in the part is just wrong, too.

Oh, and sorry, I don't have any $50 backs, just fronts. Will this one do?

bunyip Wrote:
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> A good sf story would be the filming of some of
> the threads.
>
> Who should play BK?
>
> Who should play anyone else?
>
> All responses on the backs of $50 notes please.

I hate to admit it, but my accent is from that bit of Lancashire that sounds like South Yorkshire. However 20+ years in Surrey meant that while down ther I sounded Northern up here (moved back!) I sound Southern.

Throw in a globe-trotting career and the need to be understood, I have unfortunately ended up with a modded cleaned up Lancashire/Yorkshire/Standard English low tenor.

I am available to voice me if a film needs overdubs.