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Re: mysterious island 1973 mini series

From: thomas mccormick <tom_amity~at~hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 18:48:27 +0000
To: jvf~at~Gilead.org.il

I accept Henrik Larsen's criticism of my remarks. The 1973 version does
indeed portray the colonists in a way that is much closer to Verne's
intention. There is nothing wrong with slightly exaggerating the characters'
foibles, indeed it is probably necessary when we transfer a novel into
dramatic form. In Verne's novel, Pencroff's sense of humor is a welcome
relief from the dead-serious attitude of Smith, Neb, Harbert, etc.--as is
Spilett's humor, being somewhat subtler than Pencroff's; to slightly
exaggerate that for dramatic effect is perfectly acceptable. And yes, the
changes in Neb's character are very welcome; the 19th-century stereotypical
servility that Verne assigns to Neb is cloying and would be totally
unbelievable in a contemporary film. Passepartout and Conseil are sometimes
hard to take nowadays for the same reason.

Where I found the series lacking was in its treatment of Nemo and the
"secret of the island". That disappointed me. Nonetheless the production was
miles ahead of the Harryhausen version.

Tom


>From: "Henrik Larsen" <info~at~cultmovies.dk>
>Reply-To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
>To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
>Subject: Re: mysterious island 1973 mini series
>Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 01:50:14 +0200
>
>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 - 21:48:44 IDT

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