All,

I found a listing for a movie version of illustrated man. I think it was from the 60s. Has anyone seen this? Is it worth buying? Or maybe trying to just rent it?

Thanks,

Brad

Mr. Bradbury wasn't overjoyed with the finished product of The Illustrated Man. But with Rod Steiger as The Illustrated Man, rent it first. Buy it for keeps if you like it.

It's not the worst movie ever made, and there are some good bits in it. It just doesn't amount to much overall. The other day I watched the section based on "The Veldt" (a section that Mr B doesn't like very much) and thought it was quite well done in some respects, although it misses the point of the original story.

I'd say if you can get it for under $5 it's worth it.

Loved the book, hated the movie.

The film does have some merit (and nostalgia value), but it's a mystery why the three story segments are so mediocre when they had such a wealth of great material to draw from. Rod Steiger is brilliant as the I.Man, though.

I received this DVD as a gift for Father's Day, but just got around to watching it last night. While the film is mediocre at best, it does have some interesting tidbits. There is a special feature titled, "The Illustrated Steiger," that shows the painstaking process for the illustrations in which Ray does appear briefly. I found it odd that they used the same primary actors for all three stories. Also, they took liberties with the ending of THE LONG RAIN. Additionally, the music on the film's soundtrack sounds dated. You also get the original trailer. For Claire Bloom, it was a long way from Chaplin's Limelight. Steiger, as oz-crumley says above, is brilliant. He really shines when he is free of the overblown special effects. The best parts, I believe, are when Steiger, as Carl, the Illustrated Man, is sitting under the tree near the lake, and telling his story to Willie, played by the late Robert Drivas.

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
Loved the book, hated the movie.

In the opening few minutes of the movie, if you watch very carefully, you can see the shadow of the helicopter blades reflecting on the water.

Steiger gets tattooed, Bradbury tells us where he gets his ideas:

(Posted by CBC, but I think it's from the making-of feature on the DVD.)

Thanks Phil for posting the video as it was very interesting. Ray looks about what he looked like when I first met him in march of 1967.

...and his specs look like the bottom of a pair of Coke bottles! (A bit like my own!)

Another posting of the same material, but with a bit more CBC stuff surrounding it:

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
Another posting of the same material, but with a bit more CBC stuff surrounding it:

Hey - the house used to be non-yellow!

You can paint them these days, you know.

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
You can paint them these days, you know.

Well, I'll be danged! Fancy new technology!