h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well put, IMHO the double whammy of the subjects of racism and a modern day (and often child-loved) classic is (are?) a volatile combination. Once we admit it wasn't his intention to create a racist work and that it still can be interpreted as such, can we move on? Not much point in continuing, is there?

<< it wasn't his intention to create a racist work and that it still can be interpreted as such, can we move on?>.

I think that's a good summary, clz. I am of the opinion that the film has *much* more to answer for, especially in terms of the influence anhaga is worried about..

Trin:

As I think you already know 'For me, it doesn't have to mean either of those things' either.

Zoomer:

glad the noxema helped. Have you tried Gold Bond?

I honestly thought you were making a joke, a parody of my writing style.

The only point I see in continuing (apart from pleasant discussion, down to which it has settled) is the nagging concern that The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien will, when viewed by the masses through Jackson's lens will become some sort of pop religion, leaving legions of True Believers ripe for the picking by smooth talking members of the American Nazi Party.

Did you see this link? http://www.americannaziparty.com/news/reports/index.shtml?December%2022,%202003

simulpost Adelaide

>>As I think you already know<< Absolutely! There was nothing in that initial posting that suggested anything other than an invitation to discussion, rather than "everyone should see it like this"

As for what you say about the film (2 posts back) I'm in complete agreement - in some ways, I think that's an unfortunate side-effect of the way big Hollywood films get marketed and promoted: where a book travels through time, getting read in lots of different ways, new ideas about it constantly emerging and developing, there's something about that kind of film which seems to 'freeze' interpretation, because it offers itself up as *the* film version. I still don't know that this is Jackson's 'fault' exactly - in an ideal world, you'd have three or four different film versions, all contending and offering up different impressions of the book. This is obviously completely impractical, given the amounts of money involved in making a film, especially one as big as that, but it's where film and the novel part company, in some ways; film adaptations of novels in particular.