quote: An angry, headstrong youth, whose magical power could rival that of the greatest wizards....
A beautiful young priestess, introduced to evil....
A warrior king who wields words and weapons with equal force....
All on a world of islands and incantations, mystics and maidens, prophesies and power. All on EARTHSEA.
Adapted from Ursula K. Le Guin's award-winning Earthsea novels, this epic fantasy follows the tale of a reckless youth destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical world of Earthsea has ever known. When the difficult and rebellious Ged discovers the extent of his magical powers, he seeks to master the ancient arts — and his own impulses as well. As he journeys to manhood, he will combat dragons, fall in love, cross death's threshold and ultimately wield the power to reunite a planet.
The description... well, they have to attract people somehow, no?
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
Le Guin annoyed me as an author(ess?). Maybe her work'll have better luck as a miniseries.
Posted by Eduardo_Sauron (Member # 5827) on :
I love Earthsea. I hope the series get to Brazil.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
I LURVE Le Guin! Earthsea has a special place in my heart...
But...this new miniseries, from what I've read, is going to have serious changes and not for the better. First of all the Archipelageans are not dark skinned for the show but are pasty white. It was supposed to be the Kargs who are the white barbarians.
They are blending book one and two together but the love story between Ged and Tenar does not occur until 30 years after they meet. And of course we have the whole thing between Lebannen and Ged.
An important theme they might get down, if they do it right, is the battle of "religions"...how the Old Powers are looked upon as evil by the ruling Mages of Roke and the Archipelago, when in fact the despised Old Powers are the very forces of nature and where all magic comes from. The Old Powers are also the Sacred Feminine in a world ruled by men.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I read those books, but I am confident that I didn't "get" them.
Posted by UofUlawguy (Member # 5492) on :
I am seriously going to have to reread this series. I read it as a kid, and I don't remember being particularly impressed by it. Now, I really don't remember anything about it. The plot is just completely gone from my memory. That's too bad, because I have since come to enjoy quite a lot of LeGuin's stuff.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
I read the seris when I was younger, but I wasn't particularly impressed one way or the other, although it seems I may have missed a fair number of the underlying themes involved.
-Trevor
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
I actually read the first one in school, 9th grade 'Reading and Study Skills' class IIRC. I liked it if only for the fact they were reading my kind of book and not some boring 'classic'. This means you, Steinbeck.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
If you guys read these books when you were little, you must read them again now as adults. Earthsea, at least the first two books, are fine for kids too...but their important themes are for adults mostly. And the last three books of the Earthsea Chronicles are especially not for kids.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
The Earthsea books are the greatest EVER. My very first fantasy series. : )
Posted by Alexa (Member # 6285) on :
The language in the book is absolutely beautiful. I first read Wizard of Earthsea in middle school, and I have since re-read it at least once a year. The story, the language, and the characters get better with each passing year.
My personal opinion is it is a much better book then anything Tolkien wrote. However, I am also a huge LOTR fan. I am concerned that Ged is not black. I hope the miniseries is true enough to the books that I can enjoy it without getting upset. I have longed wished for someone to make an Earthsea Trilogy.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
It looks like the Kargad Empire will not have a Godking but they will skip past the fall of the theocracy straight to the High Kingship. Hmmmm...
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I have some of the strongest memory-images of that series than any other I read as a kid, and we are talking close to thirty years ago.
I tried reading it again, and I must say, I was a little bored, so I stopped, as I did not want to change my memory of the story.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
I read Tombs of Atuan as a kid, and then I couldn't sleep at nights.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:The Old Powers are also the Sacred Feminine in a world ruled by men.
Um. . . I just read the books this summer, and I didn't see any of this there, Telperion.
The mages didn't hate the old powers, unless you're talking about the Old Powers in the Tomb of Atuan-- and then, Le Guin makes it clear that the Old Powers there are evil.
Can you show what you're talking about?
EDIT: Wait, there are more books to the series than
Wizard of Earthsea Tombs of Atuan The Farthest Shore
?
News to me. Since a certain important character
(Spoiler!)
dies at the end of Shore, how did she continue the books?
[ September 28, 2004, 08:42 AM: Message edited by: Scott R ]
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
The fourth one. Tehanu.
Posted by margarita (Member # 6856) on :
Seeing how books are adapted to film is one of my areas of interest (whether it's accomplished well or poorly). What a time not to have TV or cable....
Of course, since I've only read the first book of the series, I'd have to do some homework before seeing the miniseries. Mmmmmm, homework. Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
And a fifth one, apparently, titled 'The Other Wind.'
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Am I correct in understanding that one of Terry Pratchett's books is partially a spoof of Tombs of Atuan? I seem to recall two priests in the depths of the temple. Why were they the high priests? Because they were the only people that had survived to the heart of the temple to worship.
Am I remembering correctly? I only have vague memories of this. Is this Terry Pratchett? If so, which book?
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
To answer you questions on the Old Powers...
...Le Guin changed how she wrote the stories of Earthsea. For the first three books she tells the story from the perseption of the ruling Archipeligans, the Mages of Roke. From the fourth book on (Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea, and The Other Wind) she tells the story from the underdog, female perspective. It's so good!
As she put it, she stopped writing like she was an honorary man, and started writing like a feminist. And the new outlook on the world and culture and magic of Earthsea is increadible!
[ September 28, 2004, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: Telperion the Silver ]
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I disagree Telp....
Those books were amazing...up to Tehanu. I foubd the story hard to follow, and while i liked how it tied a few loose threads up from the previous books, I fond the story to be dry and unintesting.
I though the 3 earlier books were much better, and much clearer.
Also, book 3, The Tombs of Atuan, was written from a female perspective, adn was a good story....far better, IMO, than the last two.
Ged rocks...and I wish there were more stories of him as a wizard, before he ....
well, you know...
Kwea
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
I apparently also need ot reread thesebooks, since I remember NONE of this.
I don't trust scifi with anything I care about, but this might be worth looking at.
Ni!
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
Lalo, I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
Really Kwea? Tehanu is my favorite of the series...or at least the most "mature", imo. Tehanu brings this already great story down from the hights to real believability...Le Guin's intense devotion to the details of daily life in a world of pre-industrial technology with magic thrown into the mix. It's so real. And also the fact that "The Farthest Shore" devestated me... and I was desperate to have more about Ged and Lebannen. It really filled in the world of Earthsea that the other books did not.
[ September 29, 2004, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: Telperion the Silver ]
Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :
I think it started tonight -- did anyone watch it?
Ursula K. LeGuin has an unhappy note about it up at her website:
"Miss Le Guin was not involved in the development of the material or the making of the film, but we've been very, very honest to the books," explains director Rob Lieberman. "We've tried to capture all the levels of spiritualism, emotional content and metaphorical messages. Throughout the whole piece, I saw it as having a great duality of spirituality versus paganism and wizardry, male and female duality. The final moments of the film culminate in the union of all that and represent two different belief systems in this world, and that's what Ursula intended to make a statement about. The only thing that saves this Earthsea universe is the union of those two beliefs." Sci Fi Magazine December 2004
I've tried very hard to keep from saying anything at all about this production, being well aware that movies must differ in many ways from the books they're based on, and feeling that I really had no business talking about it, since I was not included in planning it and was given no part in discussions or decisions.
That makes it particularly galling of the director to put words in my mouth.
Mr Lieberman has every right to say what his intentions were in making the film he directed, called "Earthsea." He has no right at all to state what I intended in writing the Earthsea books.
Had "Miss Le Guin" been honestly asked to be involved in the planning of the film, she might have discussed with the film-makers what the books are about.
When I tried to suggest the unwisdom of making radical changes to characters, events, and relationships which have been familiar to hundreds of thousands of readers all over the world for over thirty years, I was sent a copy of the script and informed that production was already under way.
So, for the record: there is no statement in the books, nor did I ever intend to make a statement, about "the union of two belief systems." There's nothing at all about the "duality of spirituality and paganism," whatever that means, either.
Earlier in the article, Robert Halmi is quoted as saying that Earthsea "has people who believe and people who do not believe." I can only admire Mr Halmi's imagination, but I wish he'd left mine alone.
In the books, the wizardry of the Archipelago and the ritualism of the Kargs are opposed and united, like the yang and yin. The rejoining of the broken arm-ring is a symbol of the restoration of an unresting, active balance, offering a risky chance of peace.
This has absolutely nothing to do with "people who believe and people who do not believe." That terrible division into Believers and Unbelievers (itself a matter not of reason but of belief) is one which bedevils Christianity and Islam and drives their wars.
But the wizards of Earthsea would look on such wars as madness, and the dragons of Earthsea would laugh at them and fly away...
Toto, something tells me Earthsea isn't Iraq.
I wonder if the people who made the film of The Lord of the Rings had ended it with Frodo putting on the Ring and ruling happily ever after, and then claimed that that was what Tolkien "intended..." would people think they'd been "very, very honest to the books"?
Ursula K. Le Guin 13 November 2004
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Wow. Remind me to never cross her.
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
I read the books years ago, so I don't really remember specifics of the story. But so far I am enjoying the miniseries. Some of the special effects could have been better, and it does stray from some of the bits of the story that I remember, but I'm not really going to complain. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy it for what it is, and not get riled up about what it isn't.
Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
Just finished watching the first part. I'm not at all impressed. In fact I'm really depressed about it. It's been awhile since I've read the books but the movie is definately in a whole other realm. I really want to go back and read the books because this thing just plain old sucked. The bad part is I know I'll probably watch the rest of it becasue I'm interested in knowing what else they do to suck things up. I think the thing that bothers me the most is the horrible acting. Danny Glover is Ogion!!! Come on!! It actually hurts to hear him speak his lines and the guy playing Ged isn't much better.
I know that doesn't give much detail but I'm tired and it's too new in my head to say much more than "SUCK!" I'm re-reading book one tomorrow before I watch part two and we'll see how much more I have to complain about.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
quote:Remind me to never cross her.
Dude, don't cross Ursula K. LeGuin. Just a little reminder.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
I am a fan of the whole Earthsea series. Unfortunately, I can't watch the miniseries - no cable.
*wishes for someone to tape it* Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Thanks for the reminder.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
You're welcome.
-------------------
I am now 6 minutes into the miniseries and I am already irritated. This sucks.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Sometimes it's a blessing to not have the Sci Fi channel.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
They're playing 3 runs of Ep 1 in a row tonight, the last of which starts at 1 am EST. Then tomorrow they're doing Ep 12 at 7 pm EST and Ep 2 at 9 pm EST. My VCR is already set.
Ela, let me see how good of a copy I get (I don't think I've ever used this machine to record before) and then we can talk, okay? =)
Posted by Intelligence3 (Member # 6944) on :
So how did they mess it up?
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Why in Bob's name did they make "Ged" his outward name and "Sparrowhawk" his true name? What possible purpose could that have? Making him a teenager when the movie starts I could see. Making the Gontish out to be a bunch of hayseeds I can almost see. I can even almost see making Ogion unknown to the other Gontmen, but what is the point of reversing his names? That's just DUMB.
Posted by the_Somalian (Member # 6688) on :
It was really, really bad. So atrocious that I changed the channel after ten minutes. It blew hard.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
And what's the point of changing the word from Kargad to Kargide? Seriously, what's up with that?
Posted by the_Somalian (Member # 6688) on :
And you know what the sad fact is? This adaptation could have been wonderful. Seriously, I adore the first three books...it's a wonderful, inspired and exceedingly original little series that had everything it needed to be good adaptation--I can be supportive of changes to an adaptation that are made so the transition is smooth...but after ten minutes of watching that program I realized the makers were totally disregarding, exploiting and spitting upon Le Guin's work.
[ December 14, 2004, 12:35 AM: Message edited by: the_Somalian ]
Posted by the_Somalian (Member # 6688) on :
"Why in Bob's name did they make "Ged" his outward name and "Sparrowhawk" his true name? What possible purpose could that have? Making him a teenager when the movie starts I could see. Making the Gontish out to be a bunch of hayseeds I can almost see. I can even almost see making Ogion unknown to the other Gontmen, but what is the point of reversing his names? That's just DUMB."
Heh. At least their first production of Dune sucked less.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I really wanted to se this...but now I am depressed about it, and I haven't even seen a single scene yet.
This sucks.
Kwea
Posted by Traveler (Member # 3615) on :
Being a fan of the books from ages ago, I so wanted to enjoy watching this show. I had it set to TIVO long ago.
So, I watched the first half hour of this and kept saying to myself, "It has to get better." It didn't.
I finally decided to turn it off and go read a book.
Very disappointing. The acting was terrible...the production was bad.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I had it on for about 10 minutes. It was so awful that it motivated me to pay bills.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I decided to avoid this one. I loved -- loved -- the first three books, to the point that I was even able to force myself to finish the two pieces of crap LeGuin tacked on later. And this miniseries had the scent of dead fish about it from the very beginning.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
I saw a preview...did they make Ged and Tenar the same age in the miniseries, or did I miss something?
Posted by Traveler (Member # 3615) on :
I think I'm going to have to read these books again REAL soon in order to eliminate the terrible images from my head.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
quote: It was so awful that it motivated me to pay bills.
That is exactly how I felt. I went to my brothers to watch Earthsea, but after the frumpy Elizabethan looking spirit asked Ged "What are you doing?" like an annoying spoiled aunt, I could endure no more.
As I was gathering my stuff, I noted in disgust taht the archmage lived and that the shadow looked like a bat.
Oh the inhumanity. Not one character was done right. The script was so trite. What kills me is they had good lines they could of used, but instead they rewrote so much that...icky, I feel dirty. Jasper belongs in a teen spoof movie, not Earthsea. They all did so bad. So very very bad.
I went home and did dishes. I felt like they violated Le Guinnes work. I want to send her a card. Maybe I will.
If I make a condolences card, does anyone else want to sign it?
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
quote:I loved -- loved -- the first three books, to the point that I was even able to force myself to finish the two pieces of crap LeGuin tacked on later. And this miniseries had the scent of dead fish about it from the very beginning.
WHat are they TWO pieces she tacked on? I can only think of Tehanu. If there is something else, I need to read it!
I am with Traveler, I need to re-read the books to cleanse my mind.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
That was two hours of my life I won't be getting back. (What a dumb expression. I won't be getting any of the other hours of my life back either.) I didn't want to keep watching it, but I was so angry that I couldn't turn it off. Fortunately I won't have the same problem tonight, as I just won't turn it on in the first place.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
The Other Wind. It and Tehanu, I'm afraid, suffer from the same disease.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Sax: How about: "That was two hours of my life I won't get to use for something useful" ?
Neh, too redundant.
[ December 14, 2004, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by Wussy Actor (Member # 5937) on :
Was it just me, or did anyone else think that Chewbacca was not the right casting choice for Ged's father? As an actor, I am offended that that guy got paid to do that.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Were there any good casting choices?
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
I want to thank you all for making me feel better for not having the Sci-Fi channel.
Posted by Traveler (Member # 3615) on :
Oh I don't know if you should feel good about not having the SciFi channel. There ARE a number of good shows on it. You should just feel good about not having been subjected to this travishamockery of a show.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Tenar shouldn't be played by Kreuk. She's a good actress and everything, but she's just not good for the part in my opinion. Its just SOO wrong!!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Question: From my memory, the shadow was sort of a black blob, not this demon thing with a sepulchral voice. Sorry if this is a repeat question. It has been since seventh grade(many moons ago) the i read this, and I lved it so much. I agree that Ged's dad just didn't do it for me, either. Liz
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
quote:Were there any good casting choices?
The woman who played Ged's first girlfriend. She had those corn-fed good looks and an easy way about her that really made Ged look like an idiot for leaving. The fat side-kick had charming timing, he just wasn't fat enough to sell the fat sidekick part.
The sub-plot is better than the over-arching plot. Ged's growth had its interesting moments, but the grand geo-political strategy or Jasper's or the king's or the priestesses' angles were boring. That said, I'll get home late tonight and catch the part 2 encore because the story is just good enough.
I do imagine that this is a good kid's book, though.
[ December 14, 2004, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I haven't read the books - so I've just been watching it from fresh eyes.
I liked it, in that for a miniseries it didn't suck as bad as others I've seen. I've rarely been impressed with TV productions as a whole (except maybe TNT's Joseph - that was great)
It was interesting enough to make me want to watch the second part tonight. And, I imagine I'll be buying the books soon.
This is such timing, too - my daughter's English teacher is doing a unit on public speaking, and asked them to write a 3-5 minute speech and give it on any topic they wished. Her choice? "Why Books are Better than Movies" She is using examples from Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films and books to prove her point. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Tom (or others that have read the two add ons and agree with Tom about them), what do they suffer from? I haven't cared for a lot of LeGuin's more recent work, so I haven't read them.
Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
For those of you that have not read the books, You will understand our complains once you have gone to the library. Seriously I can find no redeaming quality to this series. Every aspect of it is bad. The acting, the casting, the story line, the special effects, even the cinematography, all of it was sub-par. I've been ranting with a co-worker about it all day. And we both agree that the worst part is the fact that we both know we will end up watching part two tonight. It is so bad that it's like a drug or something. I know I shouldn't do it but something is forcing me, I just need to do it. AHHHH!!!!! Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
Belle, I thought about that while watching the movie. I thought that this movie would make a great book because the characters were moved from within.
Books do a better job of portraying characters who act as a result of their understanding of the world. The action is the result of thought, not the cause of anything. In books, the act is the cherry on top of a thoughtful engagement with the world.
In movies, which I like fine, people are reactionary. People aren't acting out of a thoughtful engagement with the world, they are reacting to what someone has done to them or something in their life. It's a play of force. We have a two hour spree of dueling effects and reactions.
This is fine. Movies are great at showing forces, causes, effects and extension, books are great at showing the motivating principle as coming from within, intention, a thoughtful interaction with the world.
I didn't put it together until last night, when I watched Earthsea and thought some of the characters probably make really interesting book characters but boring movie characters.
I wonder if we can extend this to people? Are book people less likely to be motivated by outside forces? Are movie people more likely to look at external forces as opposed to considering the internal principles of the things in the world?
[ December 14, 2004, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Just in case it wasn't clear, I have read the original Earthsea trilogy, and loved it. It's only the two new installments that I've not read.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
I never read the books, but I am enjoying the miniseries.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Noemon, the last two books read like a conscious attempt to revisit Earthsea and politicize it. Not unlike Card's Shadow books.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
I'm watching Earthsea now. It's Ged Goes to Hogwarts -- a problem for those who read the books, but likely not for those who haven't.
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
It's a story of a dude who, through no fault of his own, is destined to become the most powerful wizard in the land and marry the girl from "Smallville." Man, they better not kill the fat guy.
Ged is such a non-hero, if this were the real world, he'd just be another guy on drugs. That's not true, he'd be one of those wanna-be Masters of the Universe types on Wall Street.
If the granduer of man is measured by what he seeks and the urgency by which he remains a seeker, this guy is a jerk all the way around. He sought power for the sake of power, then he is a minor hero for confronting the demon he brought to earth. The same demon who was hunting him down to kill him. In other words, so far this kid is worthless, strip away the magic powers and he is just another dude.
[ December 14, 2004, 09:27 PM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
So am I right in remembering that the shadow was a sort of black blob, not the weird deep-voiced zombie guy?
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
What am I doing? Why is this channel on my TV? Why am I watching this? AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Irami, have you read the books? The first novel is actually about how Ged, who is a completely self-interested non-hero, learns through some serious self-inflicted pain to be heroic.
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
No, I haven't. I can tell that the books are better. The characters are deep in strange ways. I'll check it out this weekend.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I am going to have to get the books, because let me tell you, part 2 of the series tonight sucked big time.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
Oh my god.
This show is the worst piece of crap I've ever seen. What a travesty (did I spell that right?).
This is NOT Earthsea. The show has nothing, besides the names, right. And even the names are messed up!
Horrible. Ugh... I'm glad LeGuin has separated herself from this horrible mutant of a show.
Well... at least Battlestar Galactica will be better. Posted by the_Somalian (Member # 6688) on :
Was the ABC adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time better, by any chance?
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Can someone answer my question?? I remembered the shadow being a black blob whom he could see way off behind him when he was sailing. Tom??
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
That is my recollection as well, Elizabeth.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Thank you. I hated that sepulchral dude. I cannot remember if the shadow ever took shape in the books.
Posted by Jacare Sorridente (Member # 1906) on :
I haven't yet watched part 2, so keep in mind that my impressions are not based on the whole story:
The first horrible thing in this movie was Ged's father. The actor delivered his lines horribly- worse than any high school play I have seen.
The girlfriend was done well- she was actually believable.
I hated the stupidity of Ged getting knocked off the cliff and dying. We don't yet care about his character at all, so why should we feel bad that he died? The only person in the village who apparently cared was his girlfriend.
I hated the idea of wizards only naming people who are going to be wizards. It kind of defeats the purpose of the whole secret name motif.
Ged with Ogion was believable for me. I could buy Glover as the patient old wizard.
The wizards school felt all wrong to me. As has been mentioned, it was Hogwarts complete with Malfoy, Ron, the castle and grounds etc.
The head mage was badly done but not horrible.
The head mage surviving the gebbeth and no other harm than a few scratches for Ged trivialize the whole "terrible danger for our world" idea. All we get is talk about how dangerous the gebbeth is, but nothing in the film actually appears dangerous at all.
The whole nunnery thing for Tenar and her order defeats so many of the ideas present in the books. The priestesses worshipped the dark powers, for cryin' out loud, they didn't fight them.
The Kargides were ridiculous on so many levels- their leader is a charicature evil king, down to killing his minions for minor failures and sneering at everything. The soldiers are also cliche soldiers- stupid, obedient and evil.
The attack on Roke is ridiculous- all the soldiers have to contend with is a few rickety old wizards hurling harmless fireballs and a door that won't break. The head mage, impervious to harm on the bad guy's boat, apparently forgets how to use his magic and is surprised when the head evil guy throws a knife at him.
So much potential, and yet such a dismal failure...
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
Elizebeth,
quote: Can someone answer my question?? I remembered the shadow being a black blob whom he could see way off behind him when he was sailing. Tom??
*this will include spoilers* From what I understand in the books, the shadow is the shadow of Ged's arrogance. In the whole YinYang thing, it is the bad Ged. It first appeared as just a shapeless shadow when he read Ogion's book.
At Roke, it was starting to take form and was more of a shape shifting shadow. It had no definition, but had arms and legs, and shifted in size. I imagined it had arms, then no arms. It was more of a pulsating shadow becoming a monster.
As the shadow got more powerful, it took more of a human form. It possessed someone, and after that character dies, it still retained human shape.
I don't know if it makes it explicitly clear, but when Ged realizes the shadow is his own shadow and calls it by name to master it, I imagined the shadow as a true shadow of Ged. A black three dimensional shadow of Ged who spoke the name of Ged at the same time Ged did.
To some up, the shadow started as a shapeless faceless shadow---became a pulsating monster as it was taking shape, became more Ged Like in appearance (remember at one point in the book townsfolk thought Ged had been through there because they saw his shadow), possessed a person, became the complete true shadow of Ged.
quote: The head mage surviving the gebbeth and no other harm than a few scratches for Ged trivialize the whole "terrible danger for our world" idea. All we get is talk about how dangerous the gebbeth is, but nothing in the film actually appears dangerous at all.
I agree. The Archmage dieing set up the true power and evil of the shadow. It also sets up how powerful Ged really is, since the shadow is the shadow of his arrogance and power.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
It's worth noting that at the end, the shadow isn't even a black shadow; it perfectly (and for good reason) mirrors Ged.
It starts out black and formless, but very rapidly comes to resemble him.
[ December 15, 2004, 11:27 AM: Message edited by: TomDavidson ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
OK, I remember that now. I think it would be hard to do that on a tv miniseries, so they went with Sepulcral Dude. Still, I thought it was a bit much.
Posted by Tullaan (Member # 5515) on :
There was a good story in there......somwhere.
After my wife explained to me that Ged spent 10-15 years with Odion and then another ~50 years at Roke did things start to make sense to me.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Wow, that's not the time frame I remember at all. Although it's quite possible that I just wasn't paying attention well when I read the books.
Posted by Olivetta (Member # 6456) on :
I read that LeGuin saw the screenplay and was shocked that they managed to miss the point of her story entirely. She said the main thematic thrust of the Earthsea story isn't even there.
Which I thougt was amusing, if not surprising. *sigh*
Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
quote:Was the ABC adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time better, by any chance?
Ugh. No.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
"After my wife explained to me that Ged spent 10-15 years with Odion and then another ~50 years at Roke did things start to make sense to me."
*blink* I'm pretty sure that isn't the case. In fact, I'm almost certain that Ged wasn't even in his sixties yet by the end of the third novel.
Posted by raventh1 (Member # 3750) on :
Didn't read this (the books), but pretty interested. No scifi, resorting to 'alternative' methods of acquisition. I'll let you know what I think when I watch it. Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
I also don't remember that time frame at all. He was still young at the end of the first book.
Posted by Zalmoxis (Member # 2327) on :
Confirmation of what you all already knew had to be the case:
Well, I had to stop watching it. It was really moving way to slow for me. This could have something to do with being awake for 30 hours. I'll have to try watching it another time.
[ December 18, 2004, 04:29 AM: Message edited by: raventh1 ]
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*wonders why I can't have a job helping to turn books into movies and mini-series*
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