tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post4727353365503163409..comments2024-03-15T09:26:02.796-05:00Comments on PROJECT MAYHEM: To Whom Do We Owe the Honor Mister Dahl? by Matthew MacNishProject Mayhemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154342399869089664noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-23720074556183569442014-04-29T11:28:30.278-05:002014-04-29T11:28:30.278-05:00It's entirely possible they were just disagree...It's entirely possible they were just disagreeing with me on principle. They are known to do that, the little (big) raggamuffins.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-31315399165563437362014-04-29T11:17:41.892-05:002014-04-29T11:17:41.892-05:00100% agree with you! Shock horror! Your daughters ...100% agree with you! Shock horror! Your daughters would get a heavy piece of my mind if i were there. Lol! Politely and sweetly of course. :-)Jessica Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889900730906728317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-70979182800148372532014-04-29T05:19:21.475-05:002014-04-29T05:19:21.475-05:00I love that. Thanks, Cold.I love that. Thanks, Cold.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-15890289564116048602014-04-29T05:18:55.457-05:002014-04-29T05:18:55.457-05:00You're hired.You're hired.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-8991313872198381802014-04-28T19:14:43.123-05:002014-04-28T19:14:43.123-05:00It's Roald Dahl's work, of course. I'v...It's Roald Dahl's work, of course. I've read the book (twice), but I haven't seen the movie nor any stage performance of it. To me this is only a brilliant book >:)<br /><br /><a href="http://cold-as-heaven.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow"> Cold As Heaven </a><br /><br />CA Heavenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07558100567878233142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-62452684462598807782014-04-28T18:31:51.114-05:002014-04-28T18:31:51.114-05:00Wow, first of all, I am flabbergasted....dumbfound...Wow, first of all, I am flabbergasted....dumbfounded...possibly even appalled.Those comments are tantamount to children's literature heresy..but they are young, and we shall forgive them. Secondly, there are so many great insights and comments here that I am not quite sure what I could add. This has been such a good thread to read, with all of the comments and thoughts. Fourthly, that's right, I just skipped thirdly, because it seemed the right thing to do at the time. But I can't help but feel that we are really talking about two different entities. It's kind of like what Harrison talks about with Cap and the interpretation. There are so many instances where books and film or play are significantly different, while maintaining the core of the original creative signature. So it's not necessarily a debate based on an equally identifiable creative project. However, Matthew, considering that I wrote my critical thesis for VCFA on Roald Dahl and his use of the quirky, macabre, and grotesque, you can certainly count on me to serve the prosecution on this case in the case of Matthew MacNish vs. His Daughters. ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11515723254886059806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-20468055336600072882014-04-28T18:10:32.991-05:002014-04-28T18:10:32.991-05:00That may be the wisest comment yet. Thanks, Liza!That may be the wisest comment yet. Thanks, Liza!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-70335740817982665872014-04-28T17:09:47.432-05:002014-04-28T17:09:47.432-05:00There are a lot of good and credible comments here...There are a lot of good and credible comments here...all with valid points. So I will just add that when your kids get older, they will come to know that in this kind of discussion, nothing is absolute.Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16170701034715108039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-25999211313454225762014-04-28T13:47:15.987-05:002014-04-28T13:47:15.987-05:00You make an excellent point about more collaborati...You make an excellent point about more collaborative forms like Captain America, Harrison. I suppose it does differ quite a bit from one franchise to the next.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-85022971891132475962014-04-28T13:45:01.052-05:002014-04-28T13:45:01.052-05:00This is a seriously interesting discussion. I'...This is a seriously interesting discussion. I'm coming into it as someone who has written and worked with a number of adaptations myself. Adaptations depend upon the source material, but if the adapting screenwriter, playwright, etc. is doing their job, they're bringing something new to the material as well--something that comes from them, and something that allows the story to survive in the new medium.<br /><br />Who deserves what part of the credit and the legacy depends a lot on the particular example.<br /><br />We're a few weeks removed from the launch of the film Captain America: The Winter Solder. Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in the 1940s. But the whole bit about him being frozen in a block of ice and revived in the present day--the present day, at the time, being around 1964--comes from Stan Lee and, again, Jack Kirby. Yet the films' interpretation of the character of Bucky Barnes, and the entire concept of the Winter Soldier, come from comics written within the last ten years by Ed Brubaker.<br /><br />So who gets the legacy? Who gets the credit? Who has the right to be considered a creator?<br /><br />In the case of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I do think it has to be Roald Dahl, as the popularity of the novel is the genesis for all that follows. There is not a ton we associate with the concept that did not originate with Dahl, save, for the stage show, the songs, and for the first film the Oompa Loompa songs.<br /><br />There are plenty of films adapted from books that were not all that popular in their original form, and there are plenty of instances where the adaptation owns a significant chunk of the legacy. For example, it could easily be argued that Victor Fleming (director) and Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf (screenwriters) are more important to the legacy of The Wizard of Oz than author L. Frank Baum, as the film is significantly different from the book and by far the most widely known version.<br /><br />But in this case, it's difficult to argue that the legacy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory belongs to anyone but Dahl.<br /><br />Harrison Demchick<br /><a href="http://ambitiousenterprises.com" rel="nofollow">Ambitious Enterprises</a>Harrison Demchickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18341713037648122172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-82360086879581525472014-04-28T13:39:26.865-05:002014-04-28T13:39:26.865-05:00Thanks, Joanne!Thanks, Joanne!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-62464149668551103242014-04-28T13:36:44.507-05:002014-04-28T13:36:44.507-05:00I wholeheartedly agree! There can't be an adap...I wholeheartedly agree! There can't be an adaptation of nothing. And yes, Roald Dahl was a genius of the first order. Reading his books made me want to write for children. Great post, Matthew!Joanne R. Fritzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08076959910493197255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-48711950146765545672014-04-28T13:31:21.992-05:002014-04-28T13:31:21.992-05:00Thanks, Traci!Thanks, Traci!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-51602152624927564862014-04-28T13:31:10.784-05:002014-04-28T13:31:10.784-05:00Nothing!Nothing!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-48078463983006213392014-04-28T13:30:55.553-05:002014-04-28T13:30:55.553-05:00You actually make a really good point, Joe. Dang i...You actually make a really good point, Joe. Dang it!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-33152417568962353692014-04-28T13:17:53.247-05:002014-04-28T13:17:53.247-05:00On the other hand works of genius can sit in obscu...On the other hand works of genius can sit in obscurity forever without being found until a promoter (read: Disney; film adaptation, play) finds a broader venue that sheds light on the original and hopefully makes people search it out and read it. To me your girls are right. Their hypothesis does not mean the adaptations are better in any way (from my read) just more accessible (promoted and visible). It reminds me, unfortunately, of how important marketing is. Ugh. Writing without visibility (marketing defined as you need) sits in obscurity all the time, even with genius. Poor adaptation/promotion of a great read can kill the material just as great adaptation (an art in its own right) of mediocre source material can make it sing (sometimes). There is a symbiotic relationship at work even if it can't happen unless the source material is written. Thank god it starts from there.Joe Lunieviczhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14484546087380905437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-27085975344295832882014-04-28T11:40:45.176-05:002014-04-28T11:40:45.176-05:00I have to agree with you, if the writer hadn't...I have to agree with you, if the writer hadn't imagined it, it wouldn't be known at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-79584079113488173442014-04-28T11:09:34.483-05:002014-04-28T11:09:34.483-05:00I agree with you 100%. Maybe the movie made it pop...I agree with you 100%. Maybe the movie made it popular but what the heck would be there without the story in the first place?!?!?!SC Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10382410035007943921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-60883646671025156072014-04-28T10:48:11.041-05:002014-04-28T10:48:11.041-05:00I am so telling them that!I am so telling them that!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-19306430163041996602014-04-28T10:46:31.377-05:002014-04-28T10:46:31.377-05:00I'm on your boat here.
An argument to share wi...I'm on your boat here.<br />An argument to share with your kids. I am good friends with a plawright who adapts PBs for the stage. She would never in a million years agree with your kids' stance and she's the one they think deserved the creditSarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-4838723330257067142014-04-28T10:20:33.257-05:002014-04-28T10:20:33.257-05:00Or at least two cheers. ;POr at least two cheers. ;PMatthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-71067001991871784782014-04-28T10:12:36.602-05:002014-04-28T10:12:36.602-05:00I definitely think the author as the original crea...I definitely think the author as the original creator of a story should get the acknowledgment for that. But I do think there is a completely different art to translating a story to stage or screen, so in general I have to agree with your kids. While a well-written book has a wide reach, TV and film can make it immensely popular (or a flop if done poorly). But I suppose in this instance, it seems Mr. Dahl was responsible for both the book and the first screen adaptation, so three cheers for him. :)Marissa Burthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079821721448782710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-91896646019266548022014-04-28T10:09:31.333-05:002014-04-28T10:09:31.333-05:00LOL Nate. Fair enough.LOL Nate. Fair enough.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-77982012096510309332014-04-28T09:54:58.129-05:002014-04-28T09:54:58.129-05:00Clearly, most of the credit should go to the publi...Clearly, most of the credit should go to the publisher, since without them the book would never have seen the light of day. Followed by the movie production companies, since without them the film never would have seen the dark of theater. That's why they get a much bigger cut of the profits than either the author or screenwriter. *end sarcasm*<br /><br />I don't think it's fair to heap honor on any one person or entity. Anything put out via traditional publisher (and/or movie studio) is a group effort, starting with the original creator of course, but including many more who either influenced the final product or helped it reach the public. That being said, no matter which way you look at it, Dahl is still a genius.Nate Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09690171790664252309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-24889762456804045542014-04-28T08:53:44.898-05:002014-04-28T08:53:44.898-05:00I know, right?!?!I know, right?!?!Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.com