The Battle room - Enders Game (NYTimes)
With the recent release on Foundation on Apple has reminded me of my routine diappointent at seeing great books I have read, being turning into the mega dollar productions that are best seen in the dark with someone who undertands your personal disappointment at the images on the screen.
The "Enders Game" novel (Orsen Scott Card), a book I have read and reread many times was a huge movie miss in my mind.
The production team had the money to end world hunger, finally had the tech to produce the battleroom scenes, and the end product was disappointing to the reader.
And maybe that was the problem - I was a reader. I had constructed every scene in my head, changing and nuancing it as my view of the book changed as I re-read it. There were elements in my head I was really looking forward to (like Bean and his piece of string) that didn't bring the emotional power that I expected.
And as a reader, the version of the book that is in my head is unique - the author has left that space for us to fill in. Obviously the image in my head was vastly different to that in the head of the storyboarders, or the Art designer, and that is fine - only if I don't have to see this other view which clashes so much with mine.
I don't care the the doors in Star Trek" were moved by hand (and the noises added in). I didn't mind seeing the villians in "Dr Who" move their evil swivel chairs with their feet - I liked the stories about the characters and events - not the plush sets!
So when someone invents a machine to turn the unique book experience in my head to the movie on the big screen - I will be there (probably alone - nobody wants to see my version when they can see their own).
Until then - I can wait for a free streaming service to watch it.
(and here comes Dune!!)