Post by franklinmarsh on Mar 26, 2013 13:29:40 GMT
Just starting this thread as I watched Richard Linklater's 2006 film of A Scanner Darkly last night.
I'm not a great fan of SF, but then there's SF that kind of doesn't feel like SF (or as PKD said in an interview contained within one of the extras on the disc - 'Westerns in space')
My reason for looking into SF was initially because of the crossover with horror, reading Day Of The Triffids at school, Michael Moorcock appearing on Hawkwind's Warrior At The Edge Of Time album and an article in the New Musical Express on J G Ballard.
There seemed a time (post-NEL) that every book I wanted to read was published by Triad Panther/Granada/Grafton. They had great covers especially the SF ones.
While searching for Moorcock and Ballard, I inevitably saw PKD's books and eventually took the plunge with A Maze Of Death. An Agatha Christie in space? That's my vague recall. I inevitably read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep because of the Blade Runner connection - and was surprised at the gulf between page and screen. Read a few of the others but the only one that really stayed with me was A Scanner Darkly. I'm sure my copy had some futuristic vehicle or spaceship on the cover so was again surprised to find I was reading a book about a houseful of druggies. There was a very odd scene later on and a rather tragic ending. I reread it awhile later but it had nothing like the same impact so (apart from DADOES) it moved on.
I'd been surprised yet again to see a film version had been made and furthermore as some kind of animation. This seemed so daft as to make sense (I've only just found out that Linklater had already made a film in this format). The umpteenth surprise came in the form of the cast - principally Keanu Reeves, supported by Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder. It would appear that the latter three were chosen because of their problems with addictive substances.
The film is , as far as I can remember, very faithful to the book (I've ordered a copy to revisit - a film tie-in, no less). The animation process takes a bit of getting used to, but somehow suits the material. I can't claim to have had any hallucinatory drug experiences, but the film seems ever so slightly off-kilter. You recognise the actors but ....it's not them....
It's engrossing, funny and keeps the tragic ending (with a slight glimmer of hope) even down to PKD's roll call of those damaged or killed. I'll be interested to see how the book holds up.
I'm not a great fan of SF, but then there's SF that kind of doesn't feel like SF (or as PKD said in an interview contained within one of the extras on the disc - 'Westerns in space')
My reason for looking into SF was initially because of the crossover with horror, reading Day Of The Triffids at school, Michael Moorcock appearing on Hawkwind's Warrior At The Edge Of Time album and an article in the New Musical Express on J G Ballard.
There seemed a time (post-NEL) that every book I wanted to read was published by Triad Panther/Granada/Grafton. They had great covers especially the SF ones.
While searching for Moorcock and Ballard, I inevitably saw PKD's books and eventually took the plunge with A Maze Of Death. An Agatha Christie in space? That's my vague recall. I inevitably read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep because of the Blade Runner connection - and was surprised at the gulf between page and screen. Read a few of the others but the only one that really stayed with me was A Scanner Darkly. I'm sure my copy had some futuristic vehicle or spaceship on the cover so was again surprised to find I was reading a book about a houseful of druggies. There was a very odd scene later on and a rather tragic ending. I reread it awhile later but it had nothing like the same impact so (apart from DADOES) it moved on.
I'd been surprised yet again to see a film version had been made and furthermore as some kind of animation. This seemed so daft as to make sense (I've only just found out that Linklater had already made a film in this format). The umpteenth surprise came in the form of the cast - principally Keanu Reeves, supported by Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder. It would appear that the latter three were chosen because of their problems with addictive substances.
The film is , as far as I can remember, very faithful to the book (I've ordered a copy to revisit - a film tie-in, no less). The animation process takes a bit of getting used to, but somehow suits the material. I can't claim to have had any hallucinatory drug experiences, but the film seems ever so slightly off-kilter. You recognise the actors but ....it's not them....
It's engrossing, funny and keeps the tragic ending (with a slight glimmer of hope) even down to PKD's roll call of those damaged or killed. I'll be interested to see how the book holds up.