Author Topic: What have they done to War of the Worlds?  (Read 3607 times)

Michael Rolls

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #30 on: Dec 02, 2019, 02:47:40 PM »
Glad I didn't bother to watch it. Looking forward to a revisitation of the ten commandments with Moses as a transgender black person and Pharoah as a colonial Brit
Mike
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Cassandra

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #31 on: Dec 02, 2019, 04:08:10 PM »
Why do they bother to make such rubbish when George Pal made
War of the Worlds way back in the 1950's?   
That was a true classic and I'm sure HGW would have
enjoyed it had he been around.
"Bombs don't unscrew."

Was that the one with Anne Robinson and Gene Barry from 1953? The best in my opinion.

I only watched the BBC offering briefly at the beginning of part 1 and switched to something else. I agree with Zoony, it should not be associated with the Wells Classic, or if at all, only very loosely, say as an inspiration only. I thought the musical rendition of the late 70's, Jeff Wayne's masterpiece, so beautifully narrated by Richard Burton, was very impressive.

'The end of the cylinder was being screwed out from within.  Nearly two feet of shining screw projected, turned, when the end fell off!''A big greyish rounded bulk, the size, perhaps, of a bear, was rising slowly and painfully out of the cylinder.  As it bulged up and caught the light, it glistened like wet leather.'

Very Chilling
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zoony

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #32 on: Dec 02, 2019, 05:06:58 PM »
With such productions I try to imagine what Wells might've thought of it and, being a man of imagination, I think he'd've liked the re-imagining of it.
 On this site it often seems that old is good and new is bad.
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xetog

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #33 on: Dec 02, 2019, 05:34:52 PM »
Re-imagining zoony?  Rewriting more like.  True that's typical TV fare these days, nothing original, but a good excuse to put a PC slant on things.  The Wells story was a product of it's times and anything is I suppose a "re-imagining" but when it gets to such a desecration of the original story as this has been it really is an insult to the writer.  I would find it much more interesting performed 'straight' with modern CGI to make it more chilling perhaps so I was able to see it as a window on the times and attitudes and then perhaps compare with modern attitudes.  I regret to say I found this offensive rubbish.

It was the same with The Time Machine.  The 1960 film remained pretty true to the story but the CGI was a bit poor, thrilling nonetheless, but the 2002 version for all its impressive effects was vile.

Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

zoony

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #34 on: Dec 02, 2019, 05:52:04 PM »
Thanks Mike I'd say it's a fair bet that the majority of the viewers won't have read the book and modern producers know their audience. Their job is to make money, nothing to do with taste or truth or respect for the original. It's an entertainment.
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

"Never use money to measure wealth, son"

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xetog

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #35 on: Dec 02, 2019, 05:56:34 PM »
I note that you can already get the text as a book on Amazon credited as "By H.G.Wells and Stephen Baxter."  At the very least it should say "Reimagined by..."  It's an insult to wells to put this mans name up on the same line.

Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

zoony

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #36 on: Dec 02, 2019, 06:11:02 PM »
Can't disagree with that..
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

"Never use money to measure wealth, son"

                                           cowboy wisdom.

Johned

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #37 on: Dec 03, 2019, 08:45:51 PM »
I tried in vain to stick with the final episode, still in "darkovision" but after the tilt at the iniquities of the British Empire by the hero, I just about gave up and consoled myself by the thought I had read years ago Well's original version.  As for that silly woman mooning about; she would have been better to have stayed in Cornwall with Poldark in Winston Graham's books.

Cassandra

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #38 on: Dec 03, 2019, 09:19:34 PM »
I tried in vain to stick with the final episode, still in "darkovision" but after the tilt at the iniquities of the British Empire by the hero, I just about gave up and consoled myself by the thought I had read years ago Well's original version.  As for that silly woman mooning about; she would have been better to have stayed in Cornwall with Poldark in Winston Graham's books.

'Darkovision' how well described, I thought it was just me and the cataracts at home. I find I have at least double the brightness on a lot of stuff today shot in 'CellarScope'.
Perhaps the modern term 'woke' would also fit as 'Wokevision' for the ever increasing coverage this new culture is gaining, especially on Ch4 and BBC.

Be sure the sins of the father will 'reawoke' to besmirch you evil Pax Brittanica's!
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zoony

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #39 on: Dec 03, 2019, 10:26:00 PM »
I believe you've hit the nail on the whotsit..A dedicated WokeTV channel might let the rest of us get back our enjoyment of what WE prefer to watch..We're still the majority..I hope..
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

"Never use money to measure wealth, son"

                                           cowboy wisdom.

xetog

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #40 on: Dec 04, 2019, 08:57:41 AM »
You will find that the 'tilt against the British Empire' was actually in Wells version, but as a comment by the writer in the introduction I believe.  It shows that even then there were those who thought that military conquest was not acceptable.  And he had a point, but he ignored the fact that traders and missionaries were there long before the armies in most cases.  Whatever its other faults and undoubtedly there were many, the Empire bought law, civilisation, education and organisation to places where savagery and despotism were the rule.  Which is where many have reverted now that Empire has gone.

Mike.X
If you want to control peoples thoughts, first control their words.

Michael Rolls

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #41 on: Dec 04, 2019, 11:05:50 AM »
You will find that the 'tilt against the British Empire' was actually in Wells version, but as a comment by the writer in the introduction I believe.  It shows that even then there were those who thought that military conquest was not acceptable.  And he had a point, but he ignored the fact that traders and missionaries were there long before the armies in most cases.  Whatever its other faults and undoubtedly there were many, the Empire bought law, civilisation, education and organisation to places where savagery and despotism were the rule.  Which is where many have reverted now that Empire has gone.

Mike.X
Come on, we're not allowed to point out truths like that - it's blatant racism!
Mike  >:( >:( >:( >:(
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Cassandra

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #42 on: Dec 04, 2019, 04:32:44 PM »
You will find that the 'tilt against the British Empire' was actually in Wells version, but as a comment by the writer in the introduction I believe.  It shows that even then there were those who thought that military conquest was not acceptable.  And he had a point, but he ignored the fact that traders and missionaries were there long before the armies in most cases.  Whatever its other faults and undoubtedly there were many, the Empire bought law, civilisation, education and organisation to places where savagery and despotism were the rule.  Which is where many have reverted now that Empire has gone.

Mike.X

Had never noticed that before, thank you. I'm not surprised as Wells always seems a sort of a Victorian 'Will Self' to me. A Guardian Reader and member of The Fabian Society. Today I think he'd definitely be a Remaining Snowflake and accordingly a neo permanent Question Time panelist of course.  Sadly for me therefore, I'd never give his writings a second look.
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zoony

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Re: What have they done to War of the Worlds?
« Reply #43 on: Dec 04, 2019, 05:31:26 PM »
I read him a lot as a boy. Great adventure books for youngsters..Never read anything else into them. Happy to be politically naive.
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

"Never use money to measure wealth, son"

                                           cowboy wisdom.