Best way to adapt Thomas Covenant to the screen.

Post by **TCM** » Mon Mar 03, 2003 4:02 pm

What do you think would be the best way for a screen adaptation of the chronicles? I think movies wouldn't work well, because there is just so much information in each novel. It would be very hard to put any of them into a 3 hour time frame and do them justice. I think a television series would be a better way to fit it all in, but then there is a problem of quality. Most fantasy TV shows are quite corny. A made for TV movie or mini-series might work. I don't know if it is possible. Thoughts?

Post by **Zahir** » Mon Mar 03, 2003 5:09 pm

Myself, I think a cable miniseries is the way to go.

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Mon Mar 03, 2003 6:42 pm

I would tend to agree with Zahir. A mini-series would have room for more material, and if done by cable neeedn't avoid the violence, incest issues, etc. in the books.

Post by **Lord Mhoram** » Mon Mar 03, 2003 8:48 pm

Mini-series!

Definitely a way to catch the watcher's attention, and could be well-done. BTW, I think they're making an Amber minis-series.

Post by **hamako** » Tue Mar 04, 2003 9:08 am

Mini Series would be good, as long as it was made by Channel 4 films or someone a bit arty - no offence but if it was made by a US firm for a mass market, I think some of the subtleties would be overlooked. Unless of course Peter Jackson was involved.

Post by **amanibhavam** » Tue Mar 04, 2003 12:16 pm

considering the disaster that came out of the Dune miniseries (my opinion of course), I would not like to see it as a miniseries

only a LotR-scale of a movie could do justice to the vistas and creatures the Chronicles contain

or better leave it alone, maybe...

Post by **Revan** » Tue Mar 04, 2003 1:51 pm

i don't think they would work at all, no matter what option you choose. whether it be a mini series or a big lotr's style movie. maybe you can adapt lotr's from book to text, but not tc.

there is a very large difference in the narrative and how the events of each book is perceived by both character and audience. the main difference is (in lotr) that while the events are happening, the descriptions are not being described by any of the characters. from the readers point of veiw, the descriptions are coming from someone else (other than the characters) looking in. the chronicles of thomas covenant, however, are completly different, because all the events are told from either thomas's, linden's or hile troy's point of view.

the reason this is important is because the reader is told exactly what the character is thinking, what their going through, unlike lotr, because we only know how the characters feel by how they say things, and the body language they use.

therefore you cannot make the thomas covenant books into any kind of films or tv series, and give them the justice they deserve. most of what is written in the book is the thoughts that go through the characters head, for that reason there is way too much text to get i onto film.

Post by **hamako** » Tue Mar 04, 2003 8:18 pm

don't see why or who that could stop a good dramatisation of the series. Complex multi perspective themes are nothing new in cinema. I think it would be better as a series of films.

Good example to compare to (for simultaneous perspectives of the same/linked story) is Amores Perros. Works fantastically and it's one of the best films I've seen. Another example -look at the skill of production//direction in Memento. More obvious example is Pulp Fiction. Mind you, Tarantino making the Chronicles might just be a bit too much - can't see how you could fit a Royale with cheese into it.

If you'd read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, you'd have never though that Blade Runner could have worked, but that has to be one of the greatest films ever made.

Yeah, I think they could be filmed, just in case you might think I sit on the fence on this one.

Ridley Scott rules.

Post by **amanibhavam** » Thu Mar 06, 2003 5:37 pm

oh yes, but Blade Runner is a rather loose adaptation of Do Androids... both are great, but in a different way
now I wouldn't want to see TCTC loosely adapted; I can live with Peter Jackson's alterations to LotR, but to see TCTC truncated or altered, brrrrr...

Post by **Skyweir** » Sat Mar 08, 2003 4:28 am

yeah grrrr

Post by **danlo** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 2:34 pm

who directed Excalibur? He'd have my vote!

Post by **[Syl]** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 4:40 pm

This one? us.imdb.com/Title?0082348

Post by **Skyweir** » Tue Mar 11, 2003 4:43 pm

mmm .. by the way amy .. nice av!

Post by **danlo** » Wed Mar 12, 2003 7:17 am

John Boorman, right!

Post by **the bourgeois bee** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 7:18 am

amanibhavam wrote:considering the disaster that came out of the Dune miniseries (my opinion of course), I would not like to see it as a miniseries

only a LotR-scale of a movie could do justice to the vistas and creatures the Chronicles contain

or better leave it alone, maybe...

It seems to me that we are trying to find a way to turn a beautiful thing into another beautiful thing. For mine, I don't need the whole TC story hammered out line for line with people acting out the parts when all the TC characters have faces in my head. Do we want something that accentuates the books or just runs longer than the books take to read so we never have to leave our houses again? A TV series would turn us all into trekkies and TC has more integrity than that, a mini series would/may end up like DUNE (nicely said amanibhavam) which would be a travesty. Only a big assed,multi- billion dollar film extravaganza is going to give a director the scope to do TC justice without being tacky...............in my opinion

Post by **Nerdanel** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:21 am

I also think a movie would be the right idea. I was a revisionist about the LotR movies in the great purist/revisionist wars and am a revisionist now. I don't think we need to have every little bit just like in the books. Movies are a different medium after all. <Overwhelmed by memories>

I think the Chronicles could even in a sense be easier to film than LotR since there are not quite so many important characters. The thematic elements are harder to put in a mainstream film. I think the Chronicles could after all be best done as an indie film. It just needs to be done with style, but there are other kinds of style than the flashy CGI fest so popular today. Am I the only one who likes German Impressionism?

Post by **Usivius** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 1:42 pm

Mini-series. If someone was truly wanting to keep the series true to itself ('Be true') then a mini-series would be the way to go. Heck, 'Rome' has its own 12-parter. You could have all the details necessary and teh introspection spread out over many separeate hours instead of trying to cram it in to a 3 hour movie.

The Gap seires would also be a perfect mini-series .. a late-nite mini-series rated 'R', but a mini series nonetheless...

Post by **Matthias** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 12:27 am

movie

i would not have the patience for a miniseries. I can barely watch "Lost" every wednesday at 8 without gnawing over the fact that i have to wait a whole other week to see the next frickin' episode.

Just give it to me right out on the big screen. If it's as long or longer than LOTR, i could really care less--i just want to see it in one sitting not a thousand different seasons.

Website · Post by **The Somberlain** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 12:34 am

One full length film per book, definitely. I could see Gap as a mini-series, but Covenant... nah.

Post by **matrixman** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:29 am

I vote for a movie. I agree, one full length film per book seems the most logical way.

Nerdanel wrote:I think the Chronicles could after all be best done as an indie film.

Sure, until the indie film runs out of money. Then the film becomes close-ups of people talking about doing stuff, instead of seeing them do stuff.

Or they'll save money on their tight budget by condensing whole sections of the story into brief narrative texts on screen instead of showing the actual visuals: "And so Thomas Covenant and Saltheart Foamfollower went to Revelstone (which we're too cheap to show), where The Unbeliever delivered his message and revealed his white gold ring to the Lords, after which they left the great Keep to seek out the lost Staff of Law. We rejoin their company just days after a great battle at Soaring Woodhelven (nope, also not showing the tree village or the battle) as the Quest comes upon Morinmoss Forest (or a dubious matte painting of it).

Hey, it worked for Monty Python, didn't it?

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

Best way to adapt Thomas Covenant to the screen.

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Best way to adapt Thomas Covenant to the screen.