Week Eight

Research the films that have been adapted from Philip K. Dick novels or short
stories. Which have generally been acclaimed as the most successful? Why?

“When the chips are down, when the pressure is on, every creature on the face of the Earth is interested in one thing and one thing only: its own survival” So says one character in the neo-noir sci-fi, Minority Report, based on Philip K. Dick’s short story, a theme that is prominent in his novels. It is this idea that I believe draws in the reader – mankind seems to have a morbid fascination with its own dismal future existence. Minority Report is the highest grossing film adaptation (US$358, 372, 926) of a Dick story, and for a number of reasons. Sure, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise will draw in the viewers but I consider the story an important factor. While Blade Runner continues its status as cult favourite, Minority Report is set in a believable world. The cities are very similar to those now and the people live lives that we can all still relate to. Except in this world, crime is non-existent due to the power of the Pre-cogs, who lead police to future perpetrators BEFORE a crime is committed. This idea has been tossed around before and to some, sounds great! However, this embodies one of the greatest dilemma’s regarding free will. People are jailed without evidence, without a jury, without a trial, on the basis of a Majority Report. Its successful due to its accessibility – it is not a hard movie to get all philosophical about. The film also stays true to the story, however certain things have been omitted such as the inclusion of space travel and the grimy futuristic setting. This has been done for the reason mentioned above – losing the cyberpunk edge, makes the film easier to watch and understand = relatable. For a movie made on a US$102 million budget, widening the target audience was essential. Making the film a more generic science fiction (indeed, in many DVD stores it is categorised under ‘action’) has irked avid Dick readers but for me, the film was enjoyable and the big questions raised are ones we should think about.

Total Recall is by far my favourite Philip K. Dick story and movie adaptation. The movie uses characters, names and general storyline of the book but loses the double whammy of an ending. This was done for two reasons. Total Recall is a movie and moviegoers should always avoid comparisons to books. People are after different things – books are to be enjoyed, with many twists and turns along the way. A movie is restricted by time and budget, and viewers come to be entertained. Total Recall already leaves a big question – did any of it even happen? – without the final confrontation from the story. It grossed US$261, 299, 840 at the box office on a budget of $65 million to make. It stars acting heavyweight Arnold Schwarzenegger and relatively new (at the time) director Paul Verhoevan (who went on to make another sci-fi great “Starship Troopers”). It is a good adaptation and follows Dick’s cyberpunk feel. On Earth, the people are impersonal and bored, surrounded by the usual sci-fi gadgetry. However, Mars has that sleazy underworld feel to it, complete with three breasted mutants and the threat of corporate conspiracy hanging over the grimy landscape. The movie is entertaining and its ideas paved the way for films like The Matrix, proving that giant philosophical questions and a ever-turning plot can attract an audience.

Blade Runner divided the critics, mainly because of its slow-moving pace, dirty hi-tech imagery and the considerable difficulty the average viewer has in finding common ground with the characters. It brings a popular science fiction idea of robotics into play, similar to Isaac Assimov’s ‘I Robot” and has even been described as “science fiction pornography” (Pat Berman, Wikipedia). For fans of Philip K. Dick, criticism has been made due to the abundance of special effects, with some saying that the story was neglected (not like movies of today then!). However, you could argue that Blade Runner is the most successful adaptation. Whilst only taking $32,868,943 (budget $28 million), it is one of the most recognisable science fiction films and has an extraordinary cult following, with seven versions available. The American National Film Registry regards Blade Runner as being, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" (taken from Wikipedia).

The final film I shall look at is Screamers, the most poorly received Dick adaptation (worldwide $7 million). There are three reasons that I can see for this. One is that the script, based on the short story “Second Variety”, does not pose the greatest things to ponder about. It contains nobody famous playing characters that are intensely unlikeable, and was made on a relatively tiny budget of $20 million. In saying that, the fact that it is B-grade plays a little in its favour, going nicely with the wasteland feel it has to portray. As for any adaptation of a Philip K Dick story, the plot is enjoyable and manages to carry the movie along. It was received well outside the United States and sci-fi aficionado’s praise the movie highly.

These are just four of the film adaptations of Philip K Dick’s stories but the influence Dick has upon science fiction is enormous. Ideas have been borrowed, mutated, remade so much that his mark can be seen in many films. In my view, Minority Report is the most financially successful, Total Recall the most enjoyable but Blade Runner the most overall successful adaptation, in terms of story loyalty and fan enjoyment.

REFERENCES:

Blade Runner (2011, 14 September). Retrieved September 23, 2011 from Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner

Minority Report Film Quotes. Retrieved September 23, 2011 from Internet Movie Database website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181689/quotes

Screamers. (2011, 20 August). Retrieved September 23, 2011 from Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screamers_%281995_film%29

Total Recall (2011, September 18). Retrieved September 23, 2011 from Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Recall

Week 7

What does Dick (1995) himself theorise about the I Ching?


Dick (1995) describes I Ching as “a multiphasic physical exam”(p.179) , which means people can derive a hexagram to analyse and diagnose the current situation they are in, then they may base on those analysis to predict what may happen in the future. Therefore, I Ching is an analytical method but not predictive. And, it is a fun book to read.

On the other hand, Dick mentions that I Ching would be a helpful method for schizophrenia patients. When Schizophrenics got a favourable hexagram, they would relieve anxiety and feel relaxed; if their hexagram is misfortunate; their fears were justified, because they would avoid the specific event at particular time. Therefore, their fears about typical events were justified as a one day disaster.

Dick’s idea of using I Ching to help schizophrenics may be a good idea. I think the study of I Ching bring him some inspiration on his writing as well, especially in The Man in the High Castle,because a number of characters used I Ching to answer questions that governed the direction of the book.

However, I think Dick’s (1995) I Ching is more like a device to solve problems, or close to Taoist natural philosophy. Since ancient times, I Ching in Chinese tradition is a vital theory, which is the source of China's traditional ideology and culture in the practice of natural philosophy.

Dick, P. K. (1995). Schizophrenia and the change book.(pp.175-182). New York: Vintage

Week Seven

According to Mountfort (2006), what role does the I Ching have as an organisational device in the structure of High Castle? How does the use of this device illuminate the character of the novel’s protagonists?

The I Ching plays an integral part in organising the structure of this novel as Dick consults in the oracle to tell him which path to take and Dick encompasses this also in the novel with the protagonists themselves. Mountfort (2006) quotes Dick regarding the I Ching “I've used it to develop the direction of a novel” (p.3). It is no mystery to Dick himself that the I Ching was the deciding factor for this novel. Mountfort (2006) also refers to Aarseth (1999) idea's that the I Ching is a “part of a larger domain of so-called cybertexts which focuses on the mechanical organisation of the text, by positioning the intricacies of the medium as an integral part of the literary exchange” (p.4)

Mountfort (2006) also says that Dick used the ancient Chinese oracle-text I Ching to plot the development of his novel The Man in the High Castle and calls this a “ground-breaking narrative experiment that has distinct cybertexual, as well as oracular, resonances” (p.4). I can see it almost coming across as a religious text as the characters believe totally in this higher being. Mountfort (2006) senses that Dick believed and regarded that the I Ching itself had written The Man in the High Castle as Dick had used the oracle I Ching to advise him on which path he should construct this novel. Mountfort (2006) said that Dick posed the questions to the I Ching “regarding the situations that the characters faced and how they should interpret events, what they should do next, and what the end result will be” (p.5).

Mountfort (2006) quotes Dick “Well the I Ching gives advice beyond the particular, advice that transcends the immediate situation. The answers have a universal quality. For instance: 'The mighty are humbled and the humbled are raised'. If you use the I Ching long enough and continually enough, it will begin to change and shape you as a person” (p.4). This tells something of Dick's mental state in which the I Ching has controlled. There comes to be this sense of paranoia between the characters in the Man in the High Castle and also from Dick himself that all the advise given and taken from the I Ching is all sinister. Dick was as he said himself 'hooked' into the I Ching and so were the characters.

What I gather from Mountfort's reading is that the I Ching has given the protagonists character's an addiction, a spirituality belief, and vulnerability as they are indicisive and take the I Ching's readings as a higher prophecy. And not only is this affecting the protagonist's, it is how Dick would feel himself. But much like reading your horoscope the I Ching needs to be interpreted to the individual. Therefore Dick interpreted The Man in the High Castle himself therefore he wrote it himself and was only influenced by the I Ching's fortune telling.

References:

Mountfort, P. (2006). Oracle-text/Cybertext in Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle. Conference paper, Popular Culture Association/ American Culture Association annual joint conference, Atlanta, 2006.

Week Six

What are the underlying thematics of Princess Mononoke? How does it ‘defamiliarise’ its historical setting, according to Napier (2005)?

Napier (2005) finds one of the main drives for this film is the war of the humans or more specifically the war between humans against the gods 'Kami'. Miyazaki trys to bring across the importance of this history when Gods were of particular importance to the Japanese culture and were once the higher power of civilisation. It also breaks down into the destructions of peace and the planet that has been caused by humans. Including the destruction of forests in which some Gods are seen to live there and also the production of metals for artillery warfare. These issues which are the main concern for causing global warming in today's time is produced in this film in its historical setting which creates an alarming issue that this problem has been ongoing even from the 14th century when this movie is set.

Other themes portrayed in Princess Mononoke is mulitculturalism. This is seen by the society's between San's people, Eboshi's people, Ashitaka's people and the Shishigami. There is so much war and tension between these groups but I gather that there is some sort of acceptance or understanding to just get on with things and not fight any more towards the end.

Princess Mononoke takes a new age look into the female role. The characters would be typically male roles but having changed them to female roles it gives a different approach a different meaning. It would also have been quite boring had the protagonists all been male. I can familiarise myself with some of these characters in there roles. San's character is like a female version of Tarzan or jungle boy brought up by wolves and Eboshi depicts a sort of 'Joan of Arc' status of a women going to battle. It is told almost like a myth or legend about a particular event or place in a historical setting. It could be seen as a familiar to the types of New Zealand mythological stories and legends like those of Maui. In which Maui pulls up the island of New Zealand out of the sea or tries to catch the sun to keep daylight.

Napier (2005) discusses that Princess Mononoke de-familiarises the historical Japanese culture in two ways “the myth of the feminine as long-suffering and supportive and the myth of the Japanese as living in harmony with nature, often expressed through a union of feminine with the natural” (p.233) I would also relate this to Maori mythological gods like that of the Earth Mother Papatuanuku who is made to be shown as caring, warmth and growth.Napier (2005) quotes Miyazaki “This is a film in which the main protagonists are those who usually do not appear on the stage of history. Instead, this is the story of the marginals of history”(p.233). Miyazaki also chooses to set the scenes during a time in Japanese history of 'high culture' and peace. This is important as it is different to any of his other works which are usually set in a fantasy world or a more westernised setting. Miyazaki has affectively made this film look like scenes from history and has brought out the messages of global warming, war and destruction of the land, of history and of the people.

I now see why this anime won the awards of "Best Picture", " Best Japanese Movie" and "Best Director" and is seen as a great work of anime as it is different to traditional works and is presenting more real life which real life issues.

References:

Napier, S. (2005). Anime: from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Week 6

Week 6
What are the underlying thematics of Princess Mononoke? How does it ‘defamiliarise’ its historical setting, according to Napier (2005)?



Princess Mononoke described a story that a tribe developed their technology without protecting nature environment, then they got natural retaliation. When we observe the depth of the thematic, this narrative related to many themes which are all thought-provoking. First of all, this film reveals human’s selfishness and avarice. For example, there are leprosy patients and prostitutes who are the bottom people living in the iron town village. They believe that if they work hard and generate more iron product, they could have their own happy life. Only because of their wish of “living happily”, they kill mercilessly the lives from the forests and destroy the lands.

On the other hand, the forest spirit Shishigami loves every life and protects the whole forest with its love instead of any violence. Furthermore, it uses its sanctified death to provoke people to cherish all of the nature, because every one is the one part of the nature. This vital comparison evokes strong repercussions.

Therefore, “ It[this film] is a wake-up call to human being in a time of environmental and spiritual crisis that attempts to provoke its audience into realizing how much they have already lost and how much more they stand to lose.”(Napier, 2005, p.236)


Napier also points out that the film Princess Mononoke not only “defamiliarize two important icons in Japanese culture: the myth of the feminine as long suffering and supportive and the myth of the Japanese as living in harmony with nature” (2005, p. 233), but also defamiliarize its historical setting. For example, the 14th century in which the time this story has been set, it is commonly about the aristocracy life in the city or other high cultural theme such as samurai literature. However, this story takes place in mythical forest instead of city and the main characters are few samurai peasants and feudal lords who do not usually appear on the stage of history. Thus, Napier states that this film is “the story of the marginals of history.”

Napier, S. (2005). Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Week Five

What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?

Shojo is as claimed by Napier (2005) the stereo type for anime of the young girl narrative.It is said that this particular character type is used to symbolise the changing of roles for females in the world. Napier (2005) also states that with Japanese Anime that it is “often this world is more provocative, more tragic, and more highly sexualized”(p.10). This would be an example of 'shojo' the sexualized character of the young female. It shows the young image of a girl becoming aware of her sexuality and showing a shift from the stereotype of a protagonist young male who usually goes to battle and claims victory to the young female the damsel in distress or a victim of weakness but also there are examples of the female becoming stronger in her role and not letting her gender make her weak however she is still seen as a sexual object. It is also often said for the Japanese culture that they have created this 'cute' image of girls which is characterised as a stereotype in movies and anime. It is also expressed by Napier (2005) that anime is important for demonstrating the issues with gender identity and how different sexualities relate. Anime is fascinated with gender roles, gender transgression and the tensions between sexes. Therefore the 'shojo' functions as the theme / role of the female sex and how they are portrayed in todays society and world.

I myself find the portraying of the female sex in works such as anime as offensive and demeaning and show to much sexual nature for something that could be considered a form of children's entertainment. It is making it acceptable for young females to dress provocatively and lower themselves. But this is only my opinion, obviously this is a worldwide issue and it is not only caused from anime but other forms of media also.

References:

Napier, S. (2005). Anime and Local/Global identity. In Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle. Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.

Week 5

Is it a high or low cultural genre, according to Napier(2005)? What are some of its subgenres?



According to Napier (2005), since Japan “began to develop an export animated filmed and videos-anime” in 1990s (p.5), anime becomes a significant cultural economy and infiltrates into people’s life body. On the other hand, an ominous opinion points out that anima has impacted the social morals. However, Napier tends to defines Anime as a high cultural genre in several reasons.


First of all, there are many scholarship articles are related to its subjects as it is a high intelligence art form. Furthermore, this art form originates from previous high cultural traditions such as Kabuki or woodblock print. Thirdly, the issues which involved in Anime are familiar to contemporary high culture literatures which are easy to be accepted by readers. Moreover, as it not only entertains readers worldwide but also incite audiences to work through the issues and more accessible than old high cultural genre. Therefore, it is “worthy of being taken sociologically and aesthetically” (p.4)


Napier argues that Anime has some subgenres, such as Cyberpunk and Mecha. Cyberpunk generally presents the people’s struggles in the impacts of technology becoming dominant on their life. Macha “(a shorting of the English word “mechanical”)” (Napier, 2005, p.11) focuses on robot or humanoid machines. “Both these genres are particularly appropriate ones for our increasingly high-tech world (p.11).

Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-14).Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.