Hello everybody adn thank you for viewing my email. I would like to tell you in advance that there are probably going to be many spelling errors because I am in a horry. I am taking a class where we just recently read Ray Bradbury's novel, Something Wicked this Way Comes. Throughout the past week we have been debating on teh actual climax of the story. Whether it is when Mr. Dark falls to the ground, when the Dust Witch is killed or another point in the story. Please leave a notice, message, or email me wiht your thoughts and ideas. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Offhand I'd say Charles and Will Halloway's actions in saving Jim.

Here we go again!!! Sorry...

But ...I always had a problem with the father (Jason Robards) in the movie, who at the end of all the evil the circus could do....went about hooping and hollaring with laughter, and jumping with joy...as the means to cast off the darkness of the evil Mr. Dark, and banish the shadows of the circus.

The story had so much to do with evil and good, that I thought laughing it away with his optimistic outlook, wasn't just unrealistic, it was wrong.

I think the top point of the story is just before the witch is killed. The moment describing the breathe.

>> I thought laughing it away with his optimistic outlook, wasn't just unrealistic, it was wrong.

It didn't work as well in the movie as in the book--partly because the movie was flawed (as much as I love it), and partly because you just can't explore the internal in a movie like you can a book.

In the book, the father defeats Mr. Dark with a rather affectionate hug and a smile.

"Evil has only the power that we give it. I give you nothing."

And in a similar vein, he tells Will when rescuing Jim, "I'll be damned if death wears my sadness for glad rags. Don't feed them one damn thing, Willy, loosen your bones!"

I didn't see it so much as "positive thinking" or whatever that overcame evil--the father simply refuses to give in to despair. When you are surrounded by darkness and all hope is lost, isn't it nice to know that you still have a choice? You can laugh in the face of evil.

[This message has been edited by WritingReptile (edited 01-09-2003).]

I didn't have as much problem with the laughter in the movie. Writingreptile makes a good point: it's terribly hard to show the internal in a medium like movies. What better way to show not giving into evil than to laugh at it? A nice external action that shows internal feeling, I'd say.

Pete

Well, there's always a Movie Poster...

Here's one on ebay....

It's an early one, because Jack Horner replaced the Composer that is listed on this SWTWC poster.....

click on, or type into finder:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Category=2322&item=3304656320