Phil, your answer:

Most of us would write something about the train’s whistle sounding ghostly, but this is what Bradbury writes:

“Yet this train's whistle! The wails of a lifetime were gathered in it from other nights in other slumbering years; the howl of moon dreamed dogs, the seep of river-cold winds through January porch screens which stopped the blood, a thousand fire sirens weeping, or worse! the outgone shreds of breath, the protest of a billion people dead or dying, not wanting to be dead, their groans, their sighs, burst over the earth!”

All that, in the whistle of a train.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Correct! It is the train in SWTWC.

People often wonder why Bradbury stories don't work as well on film as they do in print. Well, here's the answer! How is any movie possibly going to create an authentic train whistle which also sounds like:

(a) the wails of a lifetime
(b) the howl of dogs (moon dreamed to be precise)
(c) the seep of cold winds (as heard through January porch screens)
(d) a thousand fire sirens (weeping, that is)
(e) the protesting sighs of a billion people

Any one of those would be a challenge, but all five!?!

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
Correct!

An insect stopped buzzing.

"Something Wicked This Way Comes".

There you go.

Doug Spaulding:

Since you were there Sat.night at 'Dandelion Wine', you'll likely understand what I mean when I write that I fully disagree with Bradbury's observation of the famous comic character attested to. Knowing for years the artist and inventor of said comic character and his described ability, I recon those two guys (author and artist) should surely meet before the eons completely pass by...

Are we talking Spider-Man?

Well, I don't know what the last two posts are about, but, since I correctly identified the source of the last quote, it's my turn! I offer the following:

"Poor mama, papa! They meant only the best for me. They kept me, like a porcelain vase, small and treasured, to themselves, in our ant world, our beehive rooms, our microscopic library, our land of beetle-sized doors and moth windows."

(Probably will be recognized instantly, but I just love the writing here!)

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
Are we talking Spider-Man?

Yes. RB takes issue with the fact that in this film (and comic), a male spider can spin a web, and that he does so from his wrists!

I enjoyed the films myself.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Doug Spaulding,

Can't quite place it, Mr Braling, but lovely work, indeed.

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
Correct! It is the train in SWTWC.

People often wonder why Bradbury stories don't work as well on film as they do in print. Well, here's the answer! How is any movie possibly going to create an authentic train whistle which also sounds like:

(a) the wails of a lifetime
(b) the howl of dogs (moon dreamed to be precise)
(c) the seep of cold winds (as heard through January porch screens)
(d) a thousand fire sirens (weeping, that is)
(e) the protesting sighs of a billion people

Any one of those would be a challenge, but all five!?!

I disagree. The best scene in the movie SWTWC is the opening credits with the train slowly coming into view and just leaves me trembling each time I watch it. Ray truly did "just stuff the pages into the camera" on that one!

I agree it's a great opening to the movie, but it doesn't summon up quite as many images as the novel text does.

(Actually, I think the library confrontation between Halloway and Mr Dark is the BEST scene in the film.)

The film just suffers (whether unfairly or not) after one has read the novel. In the novel, the imagery is incredible.

I still think this is one of the better adaptations, as does Ray, but to truly adapt it you would need about four and a half hours with which to work - perhaps a three-part mini-series on HBO or PBS. It's clean enough to fit on PBS.

Ray recommended Jack Clayton for the director - they both worked on the movie Moby Dick in 1953, and again on an unproduced adaptation of Something Wicked This Way Comes at Paramount in 1977. But Ray took umbrage when Clayton had writer John Mortimer (of Rumpole fame) do an uncredited revision of Ray's screenplay. Incidentally, we watched a great Clayton film last night on telly - The Innocents (1961). Spooky.

After a bad preview showing of the film, Ray wrote narration and a new ending, and Disney spent an additional $5 million on refilming, re-editing, and rescoring the picture. Ray later called it "not a great film, no, but a decently nice one."

I would be very interested in seeing what Ray's 1977 screenplay looked like, and even more so his late fifties/early sixties version he gave to Gene Kelly to shop around.

I like that the British say telly.

PHIL:
Correct!

Phil... I'll email you the narrative this weekend pertaining to this. I 'think' you'll find humor in it.