Trying to “Get It”
Sat., September 21, 11:18 AM
Did you ever read a review of a movie that was adapted from some other medium, where the reviewer wrote, “Well, I didn’t read the book, but…” or “I never watched the series…” What they seemed to be saying is, “Everything must be presented to me on one plate, or I can’t eat it.” When I was a kid, we used to go to the library after seeing a film to find the book it was taken from. How come we kids knew that you could gain greater understanding by looking at the story from two sources, and so-called educated adults don’t know it? I don’t get it.
I’ve often been fascinated by the way a screenplay might combine two characters into one. It may evoke questions that don’t get resolved till you see the book. On the other hand, there are fewer characters for the viewer to keep straight – and just incidentally, they only have to pay one actor.
Many people who don’t watch television series (you know, “television isn’t art, it’s furniture”) don’t realize that the background evolves through time, growing a little with each episode. A film based on that series isn’t going to go back and recap the whole history. The director does, after all, have to keep the film within certain time boundaries. Those snobs don’t get it either.
One of the things I hope I’ve learned over the years is not to judge people by just one aspect of their character. Sometimes it isn’t easy, and it’s even more difficult dealing with people who still see everything in black and white, never in shades of gray. Son-in-Law can find no redeeming social value in Frank Sinatra, who may have had some character defects, but boy, could he sing! He also was known among his peers as a very generous person. U.D. cannot appreciate anything good that Procter & Gamble produces because she is still stuck on the fact that some of its products are tested on animals. Husband absolutely won’t go to a doctor who’s part of an HMO; well, maybe he’s got something there. My mother (may she rest in peace) was anti-German and anti-Arab till the day she died. Tattodnanny – we can’t go there yet, ’cause she hasn’t read the book. (No, I’m not mad at her; I’m just jerking her around a little.)
I once worked with a woman who always stood up for black people if she thought they were being victimized in some way. She often perceived social wrongs when even the victims didn’t. She was a convert to Judaism, and we used to say that she had chosen to become Jewish because she couldn’t turn black. She was completely humorless when it came to minority rights, even though she really did have a decent sense of humor. The funniest thing she ever did was sue our employer when she was fired. She managed to win enough money to go to law school. Now, that is hilarious – because there was probably plenty of cause to dismiss her if the supervisor hadn’t gotten into her own unreasonable mindset – but she probably doesn’t get it.
Meanwhile, the newspapers and television networks are still in the "tabloid" mode, which they adopted when Bill Clinton demonstrated one of his lesser sides. Surveys showed that people didn't like it, but the media don't get it either.
