Cormac McCarthy's The Road (spoilers) and it's movie adaptation

[Charlie Delta]

WARNING! SPOILERS IN THIS THREAD!

Read the book late last year after having had it on my "to read" list for ages and have to say that it was one of the most impressive books I've read in a long long time.

Unnerving, bleak, grim and just plain sad but also so painfully on point and beautifully clear, I see it more as a story about love than a post apocalyptic survival tale, and in that way it is incredibly powerful, hopeful and bright imho...

Have to admit that I am excited about it having been made into a movie, and do hope and think that they will do it justice, however hard it may be.

I personally think Vigo Mortensen is a good choice for The Man and believe that the whole movie will stand or fall on The Boys performance.

The movie has been stuck in post production for quite some time, but according to CineFOOLS (<some leaked images, in case you don't want to see anything!) it's out of post production now, there is still no release date but it is believed to be towards to end of the year.

Here is the official site, where as of now, not much is happening

Site collecting all the news and rumors from across the web

IMdb page which has some interesting discussion in the forum on the bottom

The score is done by Nick Cave, a very short snippet of which can be heard at the end here

Oprah included the book in her bookclub and did an interview with McCarthy, almost all of which can been seen on youtube, starting here

(not the best interview ever, but I found it interesting if only for hearing him speak and some of his insights into and ideas behind the story).

And slightly related, quite some similarities with Micheal Haneke's Le Temps du Loup/Time of the Wolf, which I can also recommend watching if you feel like more grey, bleak hopelessness...

Let this be the thread to discuss all things The Road, both the book and the movie.

[Corbin Law]

i really wasnt that big of a fan of the book

viggo will probs be pretty good as pops. nick cave score would be nice if its on par with his score for assasination of jesse james.

[Charlie Delta]

You can't say you're not a big fan and not say why...

Oh forgot in op, starting rereading it tonight!

[Handlethevibe]

The kid who's playing the son looks like a straight up asshole.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

fucking great novel, great thread. i don't really have much to say about the book because it left me quite literally speechless. the first book to bring me to tears (well, at least a welling in the eyes) in as long as i can remember. i actually can't remember the last time a book had this effect on me.

no serious desire to see the film before i saw a still with michael williams (aka, omar little for the wire fans). now i'll see it on that alone. i think this work is inherently "unfilmable", but i'll check the movie nonetheless.

[redgrail]

Casting is quite good, but I'm still worried about this novel being fundamentally unfilmable... The pacing seems to be such that it will either drudge along, or they will miss out on critical character development. Good editing will be crucial. I think Cotton Duck is right in that it really will depend to a large extent on The Boy's performance, as well.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see... I'll certainly go see it, but it will be with a healthy dose of trepidation.

[larry3]

I have one big problem with the book, the fact that the boy lives in the end.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

^I can see where you are coming from. It is kind of "convenient" but it is alluded to earlier and for once (as opposed to most hollywood films) it doesn't feel forced or cheesy as fuck.

[RAISED BY WOLVES]

I have one big problem with the book, the fact that the boy lives in the end.

I don't mean any disrespect to you personally, but that's kind of a ridiculous thing to say. It would come off as far more contrived if everyone of importance just died, and it is a testament to McCarthy's talents as a writer that he ends it as gracefully as he does.

[Charlie Delta]

If the boy would die, the whole book, the journey, all the man's efforts would have been for nothing, aswell as what McCarthy tries to say with it.

And yes, more than likely the boy doesn't have long to live anyway, but McCarthy decided to let the story end where it does...

[Eccles]

knocked out The Road on a plane journey the other day

there were times I couldn't stop reading and others I had to because of how involved I felt

dubious about a filmed version as It is so vividly imagined in my own mind

be curious to see though

[Baeyer-Drewson]

^speaks the truth.

as hard as it may be for some, i think this is one book that needs to be read in a single (or at most, two) sitting(s). if you split it up, the two session should not be too spaced. i think this really adds to the emotional impact of the book.

i read about the first third on an excellent stormy day and then waited through a day or two of fine weather so i could read the rest through more bleak, ashen-sky rain.

[redgrail]

Thirded.

Read the whole thing on a shitty Sunday.

Lots of darjeeling, some snus, The Road. Makes a bleak day an emotional rollercoaster of awesomeness.

[automaton]

Yeah, I really don't know how once started this book can't be put down. It seems like all of you read in a couple sittings and I was no different. Two nights of me reading in bed way late with my girl beside me but it felt like she could have been on another planet for all I knew.

I know that I stated earlier as to whether or not I want to see the movie, but having seen a few of the released stills it does look pretty good, so maybe I will watch. Also Michael Williams looks badass with that knife in his hand and Viggo is pretty much how I imagined the Man, don't know about the Boy yet.

[juliaN.]

re: the ending

it shows that the book's grim tone throughout reveals an undertone of optimism, of the necessity to push on despite the destination clearly being a dead end. it is one of the more life affirming works in any creative medium to come in a while, along w/ The Wrestler in an elegiac finale that shows an unwavering courage in facing the impossible and absolute.

[evisu 2000]

haven't read the book, but looking forward to it regardless. hillcoat is impressive, from what i know of the source material he seems perfect for it.

[juliaN.]

on a digressive but somewhat related tangent -

i am interested to see what Scott will do with Blood Meridian. has any casting been done for this yet, or is it purely an in-the-discussions works still? the guy's been on a pretty down streak for a while, probably since Gladiator.

[evisu 2000]

ridley scott has only made 1 good film (alien) and 1 decent film (blade runner).

[juliaN.]

Nolan would do well w/ BM given how far i've read into the book

dark knight seemed to have too much of an impact on the collective psyche, and i think BM would be a project that would do justice in terms of progressing further along with the rest of his catalogue. if he wanted to keep along the epic/batman route at least, even another batman would fall under the shadow of the previous

[evisu 2000]

i think hillcoat could do blood meridian (which i haven't read either) very well.

[juliaN.]

looked him up on imdb. i have wanted to watch proposition for a while, can't find a copy, too lazy to order online.

his resume looks pretty tight and focused.

[evisu 2000]

the proposition was probably my best film of 2005, although i also really liked the new world.

check it out, from what i've read of the road and blood meridian his style would be perfect for it.

[juliaN.]

the austere minimalism of the road is a pretty stark contrast to blood meridian, although i don't know if that's just the language usage

but yeah, i can imagine the two being translated to visuals in a pretty consistent approach

of what i've read, mccarthy is probably the best living author. proof that an artist can tackle heavy and violent subjects in their work while maintaining an enduring personal life.

i suppose burroughs fits the bill as well, although he was mostly from an era when the junk was more pure, so to speak

[femelle]

After many recommendations from many of you and many others, I've finally cracked it open, which is why I haven't read any of the above and probably won't participate in this thread until I'm finished... in fear of you former readers giving something away.

So, I'll see you in a week or so.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

^read it in a single sitting (or at most, two) femelle, infinitely better that way.

[femelle]

In that case, I'll see you tomorrow

[Orion]

Picked it up tonight as well. So far, amazing. See you in a couple days.

[Acquisition X]

I had to read this book for my AP Literature class, and I wasn't a fan of the book. To be honest, I didn't really like how the story was dragged on and on repetitively. It just really reminded me of the most recent adaption of I Am Legend with Will Smith.

The movie could change my mind about the story though.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

^Hahahaha you chump. You are entitled to dislike the book, hell, even hate on it. But comparing it to I Am Legend with Will Smith?!?! It is a post-apocalyptic tale also, that is the only connection.

I should neg you just for mentioning Will Smith in the same sentence as either McCarthy or The Road... Get the fuck out of here.

[juliaN.]

i don't want to come off like a condescending prick, but to his credit, The Road, along with many literary texts assigned in high school curricula come at a time when the reader hasn't really acquired the life experience and ups and downs to really grasp a text, the language and technical writerly brilliance notwithstanding.

Lord knows pretty much all the shit I encountered in English classes as a youth, even in college, I was not able to really appreciate until revisiting well after.