celluloid fantasies

[lotesse]

So I would pretty much sell my soul for a decent Prydain movie.

I've been under the weather for the past few days, so there's been lots of curling up with comfort movies - notably the entire original Star Wars trilogy and the Anne of Green Gables miniseries. And comfort fic. And all sorts of fanbrain-oriented stuff. But I've also been having Prydain fanbrain since summer, and I realized this afternoon that the thing I really wanted was a Prydain movie. Or a Prydain miniseries!

There was that terrible Disney abomination, but their characterization of Eilonwy is so utterly wrong that I can't even get any sideways pleasure out of it. It's borderline criminal, the way they de-fang and engirlify her. Plus they let Taran get away with far too much - there's a reason why Alexander's narrative is always kicking him down, why it takes him three, or possibly five, books to actually get to be the hero. The Disney lets him draw Dyrnwyn right off the bat, and it's like, guys, do you have any idea what makes this character tick? Clearly not. They build him up and break her down, and it adds up to something without any possible satisfaction value in any way.

But the books would be fabulous on film - they have lovely sweep, and elegance, and they even fit in pretty well to our expected hero-narratives. They're simple enough little things that they wouldn't need any sort of dumbing down. Just let them play out and be pretty, and don't screw up the mythological patterning of the characters and the plotlines, and you'd be golden.

Why has no one done this? It would give me such a total happy!

Comments

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

Someone told me once that Lloyd Alexander didn't want any more movies made of his books because what Disney did to The Black Cauldron was just so horrific. (Don't get me started on what they did to my Eilonwy!) But I sometimes fantasize too. The only person I trust with this sort of thing nowadays is Hiyao Miyazaki.

Ten, twelve years ago, I think Sarah Michelle Gellar would have made a nice, peppery Eilonwy, and Tobey Maguire a sweetly befuddled Taran. Now I don't know.

I've sometimes thought it would be nice to have Lloyd Alexander celebration here on livejournal. With fics and artwork and commentary.

Btw, hi. :) I actually found your journal while searching for Prydain-related images. I liked your politics and your taste in literature, so I friended. I meant to say hello before, but I can be a little scatterbrained.

[lotesse]

No worries - I friended you back for the same reasons!

I can see why Alexander would have been done with cinema after that. Poor book, how it was abused!

Now you've got me trying to mentally cast the thing. I'm thinking Henry V - era Christian Bale as Taran, or maybe Ben Barnes from Prince Caspian. Or that sweet leading laddie from Stardust, can't remember his name off of the top of my head. SMG will forever be Buffy in my head, but I could go for a younger Amy Adams, or go all the way back in time to Molly Ringwald.

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

Oh lordy, I would love a Prydain movie if it was done probably. Live actors, or animated? I'd be on pins and needles, waiting to hear the soundtrack.

I haven't seen the Disney version but I've heard of it. How on earth did they get away with doing that?!

[lotesse]

Seriously, I'd take anything. Just. Guh.

The Disney is execrable. They should be killed. But then again, I've been mad at them ever since they completely failed to kill the Little Mermaid at the end, and I was a tiny little kid when that came out.

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

ever since they completely failed to kill the Little Mermaid at the end

*laughs and laughs...and then laughs some more*

There's a decent anime version I first saw when I was tiny. There's English dubbing and the mermaid doesn't wear the shell bra. It's up on YouTube now: look up "the little mermaid anime" with the username "TheNewToonTracker." It opens with a segment about Denmark.

[lotesse]

I'll check it out. But seriously, the mermaid's inexplicable survival was a major frustration of my childhood. I had this tendency to get ranty at people and demand if they'd read the book, and then refuse to talk to them if they hadn't. I was a high strung kid, and I had this bizarre passion for Andersen.

[theprimrosepath.livejournal.com]

I was a high strung kid, and I had this bizarre passion for Andersen.

And this just makes me want to hug you. :) *hug*

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

I had this bizarre passion for Andersen.

Don't we all? I'm still working on a story based on one of his!

And now I'm wondering who they would cast to play Achren. I kind of think she's made of evil awesome now that I'm older, instead of almost having the crap scared out of me in fourth grade.

[fire-and-a-rose.livejournal.com]

I would adore one myself.

Also a version of Prince Caspian I can watch without pain.

[lotesse]

Yeah, that would be okay by me. I don't hate the current one, but I also really don't see why people seem to be incapable of just filming the books that Lewis wrote. The new one screws up Caspian, and the old BBC one trashed Lucy.

[saeriellyn.livejournal.com]

OMG YES.

Random stranger barging in. Don't mind me. I just love hearing when other people voice my own thoughts on this topic. I actually found this while searching for Prydain fanfic (all on ff.net I have already either read or written, and doggone it, it's not enough). I've been waiting for a decent film version forever.

Fab taste in literature overall, may I add.

...moving on now.

[lotesse]

Check out the Yuletide archives if you haven't already - there's some smashing prydain stuff over there.