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Re: mysterious island 1973 mini series

From: Henrik Larsen <info~at~cultmovies.dk>
Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 01:50:14 +0200
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

I've been following this discussion and although I'm probably not the most objective of persons, being a lifelong fan and all, I think you're slightly unfair to the 1973 TV adaption. So maybe the producers didn't get the novel 100%, but at least they made a decent stab at it, unlike, say, the Harryhausen version (a fun move in it's own right, though). Also I think the characters are played very well. Yes, this version of Pencroff is even more of a comic relief character than in the novel, but then the version of Nab is actually considerably more intelligent written (with all due respect!) than the original.
  As to the different versions of the TV-series, well, the addition/subtraction of footage doesn't really change that much, plotwise. The story is pretty much the same. True, the French TV repeat run/secam video release version tighten things up a bit (not necessarily a bad thing), trimming episodes 1 to 4 by a good five minutes each, but all you got of extra in the German/Spanish version is a bit more of dialogue, people running around and different cliffhangers.
  The theatrical versions is another matter. Some of them not merely condense, but completely distorts the storyline of the TV-series.
  I have never encountered or even heard of an English language TV-series, only the theatrical version.

Henrik

----- Original Message -----
From: "thomas mccormick" <tom_amity~at~hotmail.com>
To: <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 11:20 PM
Subject: Re: mysterious island 1973 mini series


> I'm not sure the conclusion of my previous email (below) was clear, since I
> was in a rush when I wrote it. My point was: the 1973 TV adaptation of
> Mysterious Island is a hodgepodge, in my opinion. So to the question, "Why
> do the different (English, French, Spanish, German) versions of this
> adaptation tend to add and subtract different scenes?", the answer seems to
> be "because the producers of it were not clear about what they were trying
> to do." Their treatment of the "robinson" theme (desert island theme) is not
> bad, but they have very little idea what to do with Nemo or what his
> function in the story is.
>
> I have a question for Brian Taves: Does L. of C. have a film library where
> one may actually view some of the more obscure films of Verne novels, such
> as the 1941 Russian version of Mysterious Island?
>
> Tom
>
> >From: "thomas mccormick" <tom_amity~at~hotmail.com>
> >Reply-To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
> >To: jvf~at~Gilead.org.il
> >Subject: Re: mysterious island 1973 mini series
> >Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 18:14:46 +0000
> >
> >Brian and other friends of Verne,
> >
> >In my view, film adaptations of Mysterious Island tend to resemble the man
> >in the Freshman English essay who "mounted his hourse and rode off in all
> >directions". Often, producers who want a "thriller" pick on poor Verne and
> >use one of his voyages extraordinaires as its slim basis. And Mysterious
> >Island is a frequent victim because Captain Nemo is a convenient character
> >to hang fantastic and futuristic elements onto, so that the producer is
> >content with just about any result as long as it IS fantastic and
> >futuristic. As I said before, this 1973 version doesn't veer quite as
> >careeningly from Verne as some of the other adaptations do, since it doesn
> >explore the "desert island" theme more or less the way Verne's novel does,
> >though it also takes a few weird liberties. But its producers have no idea
> >what to do with Nemo or with some of the other themes. Which explains why
> >the different versioins keep adding and subtracting elements. This version,
> >I jfear, is a hodgepodge.
> >
> >Tom
> >
> >>From: Rfbagby~at~aol.com
> >>Reply-To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
> >>To: jvf~at~Gilead.org.il (Jules Verne Forum)
> >>Subject: Re: mysterious island 1973 mini series
> >>Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 08:09:59 -0400
> >>
> >>In a message dated 7/21/2005 8:59:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Brian Taves
> >><btav~at~loc.gov> writes:
> >> >Has anyone discovered the reasons for the wide discrepancies in versions
> >> >of the 1973 miniseries and feature? It seems to go well beyond the
> >>scope
> >> >of what might happen with a coproduction.
> >>REPLY: While I don't know the Why of this, Brian, I know that one fan's
> >>website on this title began with the assumption all versions were national
> >>editions of a Master Copy, but on beginning to total up those "wide
> >>discrepencies" ultimately concluded there is no more a "true" 1973
> >>MYSTERIOUS ISLAND than, say, an authoritative SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON text.
> >>
> >>This adaption (in at least the copy I've got) has some interesting
> >>parallelisms to the 1951 serial (coincedental, surely!), notably Nemo
> >>explaining his presence as due once more to Radioactive Minerals in the
> >>island used as fuel for the NAUTILUS. It is also among the few adaptions
> >>to have Nemo wear a turban (as will the coming Patrick Stewart take). Even
> >>more curiously, it has some elements of CARPATHIAN CHATEAU, a borrowing
> >>acknowledged when the castaways finally meet Nemo and find him watching
> >>"home movies" -- he explains he bought this technology from an "inventor
> >>named Orfanik"!
> >>While I concur this is not one of the great adaptions, I think one of the
> >>reasons MYSTERIOUS is one of Verne's most filmed titles (if, ahem, not
> >>necessarily plots) is precisely its ability to absorb contemporary
> >>concerns and iconography -- from the 1929's mulling over the Russian
> >>Revolution (and the introduction of sound!) to the 1951 serial which is
> >>when Nemo went nuclear (and yes, fights space aliens!) to the
> >>"Harryhausen" version (which fits into the 60's Giant Monster cycle as
> >>much as its Verne boom). In short, each version is to studied as much as a
> >>mirror of its era as an adaption of Verne.
> >>Ross
> >
> >
>
>
>
Received on Sat 23 Jul 2005 - 02:46:30 IDT

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