Forum - View topicNEWS: Ursula K. Le Guin on Gedo Senki
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Twage
Posts: 357 Location: North Bergen, NJ |
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This is true, but Le Guin only briefly mentions that the adaptation is not faithful. Most of her comments are about the film on its own terms, and I agree with them even though I have never read a single Earthsea book. Just saying, "Adaptations are different" and dismissing Le Guin is not fair. She has made some valid criticisms of the movie as a movie. |
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Gauss
 Posts: 519 Location: Finland |
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We-ell, Hayao Miyazaki keeps saying he'll retire after the next movie he makes since, what, the 90's? It's become something of a joke but it does imply that when Ghibli told her he is retiring the studio didn't necessarily lie. He just changed his mind... again. |
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Twage
Posts: 357 Location: North Bergen, NJ |
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Of course you and I realize that. But not everyone should be expected to. Le Guin had no reason not to take Ghibli at their word, the vagaries of the Japanese print media aside. |
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wao
Posts: 224 |
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I can't believe they had the audacity to put "based on the concept of "Shuna no Tabi" by Hayao Miyazaki" in the credits. O dunno - most people seem to think it's nothing much, but I find it was a rather telling thing to do. And they shouldn't have done it, but then again, I have a weird POV since I'm disillusioned with Toshio Suzuki's handling of the studio anyway. Whatever.
I totally understand her sentiments of getting a certain impression and expecting a certain level, only to see Ghibli not produces it. From what stereotypes and impressions I have about teh Japanese (especially companies like Ghibli that try to please), they'd probably be very affected by a comment on them not meeting up to expectations. I hope they'll take it as an indication on what *not* to do the next time. Pity they'll be missing Mamoru Hosoda for a logn time.. |
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mufurc
 Posts: 612 |
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I haven't seen the film, but I think her comments are fair, much more fair and diplomatic than most other authors would've been in her place. She doesn't say the movie is bad, she's perfectly aware that as the author of the novels she's in a special position from which she can't judge the movie on its own, and she acknowledges that the movie had its good points, though she didn't feel they made up for the bad parts.
I can understand her disappointment with both the movie and the way Ghibli treated it. She hoped it would be Miyazaki sr. directing it, yet it turned out that it was his son who had no directing experience. Then the movie was very hastily made and didn't meet her expectations which were by that time apparently considerably lower than they had used to be. And to add insult to injury, a private comment that she meant as a polite evasion was misunderstood as an approval and posted on the internet. It still has me wondering what Ghibli thought when they gave this movie to Goro. Miyazaki or not, someone with no experience in animation, let alone directing, is not qualified to direct a movie for such a big-name studio. I haven't read an unbiased review (that is, one that wasn't biased toward the movie or the book) that praised this movie, and regardless of popularity and the reactions of people who feel the need to defend the movie simply because it's a Ghibli anime, it seems to me that this movie cost Ghibli some of its reputation.
True, that. It's just a very popular, influential, critically acclaimed, award-winning fantasy novel series. |
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Jerseymilk
 Posts: 157 Location: Wouldn't YOU like to know. |
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Trying not to sound rude here, but where do you get off saying that? The Earthsea novels are extremely well-respected and known all over the literary world, and not just in sci-fi/fantasy. The series has won many prestigious awards and is taught in university curriculums. Harry Potter, as much as I love it, is in no way superior and what's with bringing up Star Wars? Last I checked, that wasn't original literature but a series of movies, and "campy" ones at that.(Not that I didn't love the original trilogy as a kid) From the ignorant comments you've made I can gather that you don't know much about this genre of literature, so perhaps you shouldn't make such pronounced statements. |
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DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
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Bulls**t. I never heard of them before the movie on sci fi.
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Jerseymilk
Posts: 157 Location: Wouldn't YOU like to know. |
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Then you should have researched the sci-fi/fantasy literature genre a little better hadn't you? |
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MorwenLaicoriel
 Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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Hey, when I read the Hobbit and the first book of Lord of the Rings I thought I was the only fan of Tolkien out there. It's quite easy to have not heard of even EXTREMELY famous books, really. That being said, it didn't mean Tolkien wasn't popular, it just meant that I somehow had missed it along the way. I'd say these books are definately up there with LOTR in terms of popularity. |
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DragonsRevenge
Posts: 1150 |
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Not if I could care less about the sci-fi fantasy literature genre. |
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Jerseymilk
Posts: 157 Location: Wouldn't YOU like to know. |
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Then you have no business making such a statement as you did as if you're an authority on it. |
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DragonsRevenge
Posts: 1150 |
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I still fail to see how it had the impact of Star Wars, Star Trek, LOTR, Dragonlance, Gunslinger, Harry Potter, and so on. Even though I'm not the authority, I'm still pretty sure it's not as widely famous as you make it out to be.
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MorwenLaicoriel
Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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I've never even heard of Dragonlance or Gunslinger, but I've heard of the Earthsea books. So Earthsea has had more of an "impact" in my relm. But I suppose it only matters if you heard of it? I guess the fact that "Le Guin received the Library of Congress Living Legends award in the "Writers and Artists" category in April 2000 for her significant contributions to America's cultural heritage" (according to Wiki) wouldn't matter either, then. |
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mufurc
Posts: 612 |
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No-one said Earthsea was as big as Star Wars, LotR or Harry Potter. Few things are. But that doesn't mean it's not famous or critically acclaimed (which is not true for all the "big names" people mentioned here). It doesn't mean that Le Guin's complaints are not to be taken seriously, or that she should just shut up and be glad that ZOMG Ghibli made a movie from her book. (By the same token, just because a movie was done by Ghibli it doesn't mean it's above criticism, or that it's even good, for that matter. I don't know why people feel such an overwhelming need to defend it at all cost.)
And while we're on the "what the heck is that" game: what's Gunslinger? Granted, I'm not a big fantasy fan (and not even American or English), but I've read the Earthsea books. I've never heard of Gunslinger. |
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uberfrosch
Posts: 48 |
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I'm guessing they mean The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, the first volume of which is The Gunslinger. |
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