Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Children of Men.
Recently Michael and I saw the movie, Children of Men. The film is based on the dystopian novel by P.D. James, who happens to be one of my favorite crime novelists. Children of Men is no murder mystery, however; the story is set just a few decades in the future, a future when all of mankind has mysteriously become infertile. Despite playing in only one theatre here in our city, the film stars major actors Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine.
We were told by friends to see the movie before we read the book--if we read the book first, we were bound to be disappointed by the movie's failure to address key philosophical and spiritual themes present in the novel. (P.D. James is an Anglican Christian.)
We loved the movie--it's truly amazing visually. The world in the movie felt believable; at times, the cinematography left me with my mouth hanging open. The story is engaging on many levels--though perhaps politically heavyhanded at times. I definitely recommend it.
So, onto the book. Can't wait to read it. Here is a well-written review of the book--comparisons/critique of the movie are included (sorry, I can't make hyperlink work for me today):
http://books.nationalreview.com/review/?q=ZmRlMmI2NDViZWI5MDdjZGFmN2MyZTliOTM1NDZjYWM=
We were told by friends to see the movie before we read the book--if we read the book first, we were bound to be disappointed by the movie's failure to address key philosophical and spiritual themes present in the novel. (P.D. James is an Anglican Christian.)
We loved the movie--it's truly amazing visually. The world in the movie felt believable; at times, the cinematography left me with my mouth hanging open. The story is engaging on many levels--though perhaps politically heavyhanded at times. I definitely recommend it.
So, onto the book. Can't wait to read it. Here is a well-written review of the book--comparisons/critique of the movie are included (sorry, I can't make hyperlink work for me today):
http://books.nationalreview.com/review/?q=ZmRlMmI2NDViZWI5MDdjZGFmN2MyZTliOTM1NDZjYWM=
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We saw this movie, too and LOVED it. It is wonderful and beautiful and super intense...
I did not know about P.D. James, but I would love to read the book!
I did not know about P.D. James, but I would love to read the book!
I agree with the critic from NR. Because much of the art and literature today are void of metaphysical concerns, they lack depth. I think Cuaron and the camera crew did a wonderful job with creating tone and mood, but I left the film thinking "What about the whole premise of the story?" Wasn't there something about women not being able to have children? Doesn't that mean something? The movie did not deal with those ultimate concerns.
Andrew saw this with my brother and he liked it, but he said he thought the storyline was too straight forward nor did they explain anything. Did you guys think that?? I'm eager to see it, but it will probably be through Netflix.
lizard--i think that's what i was trying to say--the plot is somewhat simplistic--and political, so there's some depth lacking--esp. when compared to the book, (which is what the review I linked to is about.) The strength of the movie, I thought, was how it creates an incredible visual world, a really believable one.
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