I'm sure that everyone in our class has at least heard of the War of the Worlds movies, especially the most recent version starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning. Never having read the book, but having seen said movie as well as its predecessors numerous times, I found myself unable to avoid seeing parallels between the films and the original text.
I found it especially interesting to see similarities in the reactions of the characters, both in the original novel and the subsequent movie versions. One of myt favorite images is that which the author centers around the first martian craft and the crater that it creates. Villagers of all classes and from what was then considered considerable distances crowd around the meteor in carriages and other horse drawn vehicles, eager to catch a glimpse of the rare spectacle before them despite the apparent risk. Upon reading this particular section of the text, I was immediately reminded of scenes from the films in which the fissure is not surrounded by nervous animals and curious bystanders, but instead by a melee of crashed cars and a crushed and chatotic pile of modern technology. It's extremely bizarre to see such a striking similarity in the portrayal of curious, and often foolhardy bystanders, in an earlier drama which lacked the benefit of modern technology, much less acting techniques and extras. The confusion is portrayed in almost the same way, although through an almost completely different image.
well, I have never heard of this movie, but at least I know Tom Cruise. it sounds almost like the coming of the martians we read. or it's probably just the samething. I think I am going to see that movie, sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea of morbid curiosity playing a big part in peoples' interest in crashes. With alien life forms (whether they exist or not is another question) it does seem pretty foolhardy that anyone would want to go stare at an alien crash without knowing the risks. I guess it's the same sort of thing as in horror movies, when someone goes exploring a haunted house, or abandoned psychiatric ward. On the one hand, the viewers all agree that whoever does these things in movies is just asking for trouble. On the other hand, shows like 'Ghost Hunters' are encouraged, because we want to discover what they discover, more than we care for their safety.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Naomi. I think it's interesting that we have such a morbid curiosity about the unknown. I admit to being an avid Ghost Hunters watcher and, when their safety is in question, being more curious than concerned. It's an odd human trait.
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