all i hear is noise
So Empire Of The Sun.
After chronicling my thoughts at various points during my reading, the ending proved to be slightly puzzling but no less fuckingawesome.
I admit part of me did read it as an exercise in comparison but then I suppose that was unavoidable seeing as how the movie is a damned significant part of my fannish experience both in terms of Balehood and a general movie lover. So I was sort of hurtling towards the same point as the movie did, yearning to see him reunited with his parents, thinking that was as in the movie one of the major themes of the novel.
It really wasn't. And that was a startling disappointment, cos it lacks all of the subtle power and relief of the same moment in the film, happens in quite insipid terms in a very different setting. But then that, I guess, is the difference between real life and drama.
No, wait, what the hell? Ballard was never separated from his parents like Jim was. But then I guess it's a very different point the book makes as opposed to the film. The war doesn't end mentally for Jim in the book but that moment in the film when he finally finally closes his eyes against his mother's shoulder is totally the end of the war for him. Ballard could have writen a far more emotional haunting reunion but chose not to. And, you know, I can't help but admire him for that. At least as a writer, if not a reader.
As it is, that last page is so fucking powerful in its own right. The moment of the Chinese people watching the row of American sailors urinating before them and Jim 'knowing' exactly what the Chinese people are thinking. Chilling as all fuck.
I would have ended at exactly the same point, of Jim leaving Shanghai. And oh christ that last paragraph of the child's coffin was so perfect, oh christ so perfect. The symbolism, the death imagery that drives the whole narrative and oh christ Jim.
I'm so tempted now to get The Kindness Of Women, to see if it satisfies and exceeds all the fanfic urges I had to explore what happened to Jim after the war, how he coped and didn't cope in England.
There are so many things I adore in the film that are reflected and amplified in the book that I don't even know if I should mention them. But god, they made for such a moving --- and yes, painful --- reading experience. The identification of Jim with the Japanese pilots is explored with almost brutal thoroughness, enough to make me want to thump Ballard a little as a reader but pretty much kiss his feet as a writer. There is so much death, so much gore and it's all so dispassionately described that really no wonder Anthony Burgess adores JG Ballard. I'm almost certain Bret Easton Ellis does too although maybe that's wishful thinking. *checks* Nah, got it from reviews rather than the horse's mouth. My bad.
Something of note from a linguistic point of view: maintaining the childlike nature of Jim at certain points by having him use a name in almost every sentence when he's addressing certain people. Like when Basie and him are talking, it's almost always "blah blah, Basie?" "blah blah, Jim." "Blah blah, Basie." "Blah, blah, Jim." Interesting technique, that. Struck me particularly because I tend to the opposite and try to exclude names in speech as much as possible because I tend not to do it in real life. Except with people whose names I love in their own right.
I either didn't know or had totally forgotten that Stoppard wrote the screenplay. Discovered that at the very end which was good because I was actually very impressed with the changes made from the book and what they chose to leave out entirely. The Hershey symbolism in the film worked so perfectly, so much so I kind of regretted its lack in the novel. So too the specific emotion of Jim's breakdown with the doctor when the planes come. It's a specific dramatic moment in the film and far more dispersed over the narrative which, yeah, total characteristic of each medium. But oh the very personal symbolism of the silver American planes for Jim's mental state was so creepy and beautiful and creepy in the novel which I don't think would have worked so well in the film.
Curious casting of Malkovich as Basie though because the description of Basie is quite different in terms of height and demeanour. But the effect is exactly the same, hoping so much that Basie will take care of Jim and not abuse him, hoping it against all evidence. And argh, he is so much crueller in the book and Jim tries so much harder, becomes almost as devious as Basie in order to secure his protection. The difference is Jim offers his services --- not like that! --- with a directness that is totally opposite to Basie's sly ways. Urgh, Basie! *shudders*
The film excision of Mr Maxted in favour of Mrs Vincent dying in the stadium is so much more powerful but for entirely different reasons. I was waiting and waiting for my favourite line from the movie so it was quite intriguing to see it appear as God, Vera agreed, was taking photographs of the wickedness of Shanghai more than twenty pages before the actual atom bomb moment. And god, I love how Ballard describes the way the light shimmers and clings to the landscape moments, maybe even hours, after the event. Gah! *shudders* And of course I always wonder if those soldiers and Jim and maybe even Ballard himself suffered any radiation poisoning from such a distance across the sea.
Excellent adaptation, Stoppard. So it's a source of enormous delight to see Ballard approved of the film in its own right, that he actually watches it every couple of years. No better validation from an author, man!
And oh, I have the most perfect cover. Seriously. Is that not perfect? I had gone into Angus & Robertson Bowral to spend my Christmas money from the Aunt, hoping so hard they had a copy and even resigned to a crappy cover just so I could finally read it. There was a guy standing in front of the bookcase in question. I rounded the corner towards it, glanced down to where the Bs were, saw the title on the spine and reached for it without a moment's thought. Prolly gave the guy a bad fright I moved so fast. Looked at the front and I swear to god my entire body actually spasmed at the sight.
Totally. Perfect. Cover. I could have ever hoped for.
I have to read The Drowned World at some point.
And nope, after totally overplaying all the Empire Of the Sun songs I have access to, I can't discern any connection between the book/film and the music. No matter. Still pleasure to be had in all three.
After chronicling my thoughts at various points during my reading, the ending proved to be slightly puzzling but no less fuckingawesome.
I admit part of me did read it as an exercise in comparison but then I suppose that was unavoidable seeing as how the movie is a damned significant part of my fannish experience both in terms of Balehood and a general movie lover. So I was sort of hurtling towards the same point as the movie did, yearning to see him reunited with his parents, thinking that was as in the movie one of the major themes of the novel.
It really wasn't. And that was a startling disappointment, cos it lacks all of the subtle power and relief of the same moment in the film, happens in quite insipid terms in a very different setting. But then that, I guess, is the difference between real life and drama.
No, wait, what the hell? Ballard was never separated from his parents like Jim was. But then I guess it's a very different point the book makes as opposed to the film. The war doesn't end mentally for Jim in the book but that moment in the film when he finally finally closes his eyes against his mother's shoulder is totally the end of the war for him. Ballard could have writen a far more emotional haunting reunion but chose not to. And, you know, I can't help but admire him for that. At least as a writer, if not a reader.
As it is, that last page is so fucking powerful in its own right. The moment of the Chinese people watching the row of American sailors urinating before them and Jim 'knowing' exactly what the Chinese people are thinking. Chilling as all fuck.
I would have ended at exactly the same point, of Jim leaving Shanghai. And oh christ that last paragraph of the child's coffin was so perfect, oh christ so perfect. The symbolism, the death imagery that drives the whole narrative and oh christ Jim.
I'm so tempted now to get The Kindness Of Women, to see if it satisfies and exceeds all the fanfic urges I had to explore what happened to Jim after the war, how he coped and didn't cope in England.
There are so many things I adore in the film that are reflected and amplified in the book that I don't even know if I should mention them. But god, they made for such a moving --- and yes, painful --- reading experience. The identification of Jim with the Japanese pilots is explored with almost brutal thoroughness, enough to make me want to thump Ballard a little as a reader but pretty much kiss his feet as a writer. There is so much death, so much gore and it's all so dispassionately described that really no wonder Anthony Burgess adores JG Ballard. I'm almost certain Bret Easton Ellis does too although maybe that's wishful thinking. *checks* Nah, got it from reviews rather than the horse's mouth. My bad.
Something of note from a linguistic point of view: maintaining the childlike nature of Jim at certain points by having him use a name in almost every sentence when he's addressing certain people. Like when Basie and him are talking, it's almost always "blah blah, Basie?" "blah blah, Jim." "Blah blah, Basie." "Blah, blah, Jim." Interesting technique, that. Struck me particularly because I tend to the opposite and try to exclude names in speech as much as possible because I tend not to do it in real life. Except with people whose names I love in their own right.
I either didn't know or had totally forgotten that Stoppard wrote the screenplay. Discovered that at the very end which was good because I was actually very impressed with the changes made from the book and what they chose to leave out entirely. The Hershey symbolism in the film worked so perfectly, so much so I kind of regretted its lack in the novel. So too the specific emotion of Jim's breakdown with the doctor when the planes come. It's a specific dramatic moment in the film and far more dispersed over the narrative which, yeah, total characteristic of each medium. But oh the very personal symbolism of the silver American planes for Jim's mental state was so creepy and beautiful and creepy in the novel which I don't think would have worked so well in the film.
Curious casting of Malkovich as Basie though because the description of Basie is quite different in terms of height and demeanour. But the effect is exactly the same, hoping so much that Basie will take care of Jim and not abuse him, hoping it against all evidence. And argh, he is so much crueller in the book and Jim tries so much harder, becomes almost as devious as Basie in order to secure his protection. The difference is Jim offers his services --- not like that! --- with a directness that is totally opposite to Basie's sly ways. Urgh, Basie! *shudders*
The film excision of Mr Maxted in favour of Mrs Vincent dying in the stadium is so much more powerful but for entirely different reasons. I was waiting and waiting for my favourite line from the movie so it was quite intriguing to see it appear as God, Vera agreed, was taking photographs of the wickedness of Shanghai more than twenty pages before the actual atom bomb moment. And god, I love how Ballard describes the way the light shimmers and clings to the landscape moments, maybe even hours, after the event. Gah! *shudders* And of course I always wonder if those soldiers and Jim and maybe even Ballard himself suffered any radiation poisoning from such a distance across the sea.
Excellent adaptation, Stoppard. So it's a source of enormous delight to see Ballard approved of the film in its own right, that he actually watches it every couple of years. No better validation from an author, man!
And oh, I have the most perfect cover. Seriously. Is that not perfect? I had gone into Angus & Robertson Bowral to spend my Christmas money from the Aunt, hoping so hard they had a copy and even resigned to a crappy cover just so I could finally read it. There was a guy standing in front of the bookcase in question. I rounded the corner towards it, glanced down to where the Bs were, saw the title on the spine and reached for it without a moment's thought. Prolly gave the guy a bad fright I moved so fast. Looked at the front and I swear to god my entire body actually spasmed at the sight.
Totally. Perfect. Cover. I could have ever hoped for.
I have to read The Drowned World at some point.
And nope, after totally overplaying all the Empire Of the Sun songs I have access to, I can't discern any connection between the book/film and the music. No matter. Still pleasure to be had in all three.