Covenant fantasy casting.

[Matthias]

wow. that was very nicely done.

There are some things, though, that can't be acted out on the big screen. Any actor can hate everyone around him, but can he portray the TRUE emotion TC has while he's making the deal with the Ranyhyn? Or the complex feelings he has for Elena, his daughter? Or even one of the many bargains he makes in his mind? For me, it's the little things that matter, and it's the little things that make a big difference whether or not the movie works out the way we want it to or not.

[Leeroy]

I think thats going to be the biggest issue that the director/script writers will be facing...they're going to have to change some of what he says in order to , well not show off, but put more on display his leprosy and self loathing...either that or they are going to have to figure out some way of dictating his internal dialogue to the audience, maybe 'Scrubs' style...just minus the humour. And I agree that its all in the details...its going to be damn hard to write this script and make it work! That said if they do it right...wow!

As for the Haruchai...I think that they would be caucasian, maybe well tanned ones, as well as this (ok making racial generalisations, don't want to piss anyone off) a) Africans are too dark for the role, b) Asians are too slight of build for the role, and I believe wouldn't suit...furthermore, I think that the consideration of American Indians is a good one, or even Eskimos...that kind of look anyway, its sort of 1/3rd caucasian, 1/3rd asian, 1/3rd American Indian...just my 2c anyhow.

The characteristics I picked up for the Haruchai were;

-Short to medium height (5' 4" - 5' 7" or thereabouts)
-Heavily built, yet not so heavy as to impede their movement, or 'cat like' balance
-Strong jaw and bone structure; Like they were built like a quality broadsword: Thick, strong and yet strangely fast

What do you all think?

Cheers!

[CovenantJr]

does anybody besides me picture Covenant as someone who has really bad arthritis?

He did seem to move in a kind of staccato, lurching fashion, but I think it was caused by his constant tension and ceaseless inner turmoil rather than arthritis.

Perhaps he should stand erect at all times to demonstrate what dignity and pride he has left instead of slouch or hunched over like a madman.

I don't know about that; I'm quite attached to his hunched, suppressing-the-urge-to-strangle posture

[whiteblackbird]

About needing to have arthritis in the halfhand:

My own stepfather is missing the first finger on his dominant hand and has so much trouble because of it. He's started using only mugs instead of glasses, and has a lot of trouble buttoning his shirts, so all he will wear now are snap-front shirts. All of that just to say that the halfhand is enough of a disability in itself to cause the awkwardness that TC has, especially since at the beginning of the series, he's new to living without those fingers.

[Matthias]

with respect to your stepfather's condition (and i understand that it is frustrating losing extremities--and i mean no offence whatsoever) but i believe, in TC's case, that the fingers he lost couldn't have totally crippled him.

All our fingers are important. The two most important fingers on your hand are your thumb and forefinger. TC lost his last two which, as i interperet, is his pinky and his ring finger. he can still write and dress himself without too much trouble. i completely know that it is very heartrending and frustrating, but i think that--with the actor only pretending to have lost two fingers, it would be a lot more believable if they could add a couple more disablities into the mix--to really show what TC is feeling.

Any movie character can say "i lost two fingers" but to actually show it, you'd have to be a little more convincing. now i think arthritis might have that effect, but i'm not sure--i don't think anyone can be sure. and no matter how much we want it to be, the movie will not be completely satisfying to everyone.

[wayfriend]

Except for a few times when SRD strategically chooses to have Covenant let something slip from his hands, the loss of the two fingers is not a physical handicap, it is a spiritual one. It's not about what he can't do, it's about how he feels about it.

The loss of his fingers is the stigmata of his leprosy: it's Covenant's scarlet letter. And the form of the stigmata is significant as well: loss. Leprosy is loss. Loss of parts of oneself, parts that can't be counted by counting fingers.

(Now think about how Covenent felt about precisely how he resembled Berek; that those two missing fingers defined him. Yeah, I'd show contempt, too.)

My opinion is that any movie that might be made would be made poorly if Covenant's aputated fingers are treated as a physical handicap. The only thing that needs to be shown is Covenant holding up his hand to demonstrate that he considers himself shaped by loss.

[Matthias]

Yes, very true. I was talking about the physical aspect of it to try and imply the spiritual aspect seeing as though TC could not explain his thoughts directly on the big screen.

to show that Covenenant is wallowing in loss the whole movie would take monolithic effort to accomplish, and i say this to agree with your opinion. though, from book to film...the chrons would be (and i know people have said this before) a very difficult feat to accomplish

The only thing that needs to be shown is Covenant holding up his hand to demonstrate that he considers himself shaped by loss.

And That, Wayfriend, is the key to the whole thing. if an actor can demonstrate that without saying anything contrary to what the book has within it, i would have seen a great movie indeed.

[Cornaquious]

Saltheart Foamfollower - Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond fame.
To me, it's a no brainer. He has the size. A deep voice, but one than can express depth, emotion, and love of the land.

[ur-monkey]

Re: the features of the Haruchai -

I'm amazed no-one yet has pointed out that SRD himself repeatedly describes them in the novels as brown-skinned and with close-cropped, curly dark hair. That has always sounded kind of afro-caribbean to me.

I like the idea of the Ramen as Native Americans though [/b]

[Loredoctor]

Re: the features of the Haruchai -

I'm amazed no-one yet has pointed out that SRD himself repeatedly describes them in the novels as brown-skinned and with close-cropped, curly dark hair. That has always sounded kind of afro-caribbean to me.

I like the idea of the Ramen as Native Americans though [/b]

Yeah, I have never imagined the Haruchai as asiatic.

[Revan]

Re: the features of the Haruchai -

I'm amazed no-one yet has pointed out that SRD himself repeatedly describes them in the novels as brown-skinned and with close-cropped, curly dark hair. That has always sounded kind of afro-caribbean to me.

I like the idea of the Ramen as Native Americans though [/b]

They're short as well... maybe they symbolize a sort of Chinese look.

[Buckarama]

Lets just call them Asian -ish

[drew]

Think of how bad that would look in a movie though...

Yeah look at those little Chinese dudes doing their King-fu.
Yeah look at the Black guys serving the White Lords; even fighting to the death to protect them!

[Nerdanel]

But Stonedownors are not all that white either. (I think the implication that blonde Stonedownors like Trell and Lena have some Woodhelvennin blood in them, which is also supported by other details.) So the Lords, coming from both Stonedownor and Woodhelvennin stock as well as (and perhaps especially) mixed marriages, would be a racially diverse group. Fantasy Bedtime Hour actually got this detail more or less correct.

[wayfriend]

I'm amazed no-one yet has pointed out that SRD himself repeatedly describes them in the novels as brown-skinned and with close-cropped, curly dark hair. That has always sounded kind of afro-caribbean to me.

Sounds Mexican, Peruvian, Aztec, or some sort of Latin/South American to me. And Peru does have a mountain or two.

[ur-monkey]

I think the implication that blonde Stonedownors like Trell and Lena have some Woodhelvennin blood in them, which is also supported by other details

Wasn't Trell supposed to be red-haired?

[Elfgirl]

Neeta, Waddley and I agree on this...

[exnihilo]

Let me add my voice to the chorus for Christian Bale as Thomas Covenant. 'Course he'd have to slim down the beefcake Batman physique first. I just think he'd be good at playing a compelling yet virtually unsympathetic character that gradually wins you over. He has an unlikeable, angry quality that he could draw on, and I think he also has the necessary severity to portray TC.

[exnihilo]

BTW Bale grows a fine scraggly beard, look at Reign of Fire for instance. He even looks a little fanatical.

[danlo]

I agree