Elisberg Industries
Decent Quality Since 1847
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like

Midnight's Children

4/19/2013

0 Comments

 
I just heard today that in a few weeks a new movie will open based on Salman Rushdie's novel, Midnight's Children. 

Midnight's Children is an absolutely amazing book, one of my two favorite novels of the 20th century (the other being The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth).  It not only won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in England, but when they later awarded the 25-year "Booker of Bookers," for the best Booker Prize-winner of the previous 25 years, it won that, as well.  And then, when a few years ago they gave the 40-year "Booker of Bookers," it won that, too! 

It's a really good book.  (You might have figured that out...)

I love Midnight's Children.  It's mystical, hilarious, sad, exciting, intelligent, moving and virtuosic writing, weaving a rich sense of fantasy into a very realistic tale.  And I don't have a clue how they can do the book justice in a movie. 

Mind you, I'm not saying it won't be a good movie.  It's a very interesting story, at times tense and involving, so there's perhaps enough to carry a film.  But what's so amazing about the novel is the use of literature.  Rushdie's phrasing, his whimsical interludes, the occasional page-and-a-half long paragraphs, the thoughtfulness and the vibrancy of language.  It would seem like most of that would have to be lost in a film.  What's left is still a great story, but the plot itself isn't why I love it and why it keeps winning honors, it's the writing.  I did hear that Salman Rushdie himself provides the narration in the film, which at least means that a sense of the literature will remain in the film.  (He also wrote the screenplay.)

I won't give away the plot, but just explain the premise.  The story tells about the various children who were born at the stroke of midnight when India became an independent nation in 1947.  Because of the magical moment it was, all of these children are born with special abilities, each different.  Many of them are unaware, most are benign, but one has bad designs.  Overall, the story is a parable about the growing pains of India trying to come to maturity.

If you do happen to pick up the book, know that the first section is a prologue, and a bit different from the rest of the novel.  It's tougher-going and extended.  But once you're past that, and the story proper starts, it becomes a roller-coaster joy ride, and it was surprising to me how fun and often hilarious it was to read, while being deeply thoughtful at the same time.

As far as I can tell, the film is an Indian production, with an all-Indian cast, understandably.  Again, as I said, my hesitancies about the movie have nothing to do with whether it will be good or not, just whether they're able to bring out what's so special and remarkable about the book to the screen.  If they can't, and the movie is still a pleasure on its own merits, fine.  But this is one of the few movies I may wait to read the reviews first, to see what those critics who know the novel have to say.

Or not.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
    Picture
    Follow @relisberg

    Author

    Robert J. Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.



    Picture
           Feedspot Badge of Honor

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Audio
    Audio Land
    Books
    Business
    Chicago
    Consumer Product
    Education
    Email Interview
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Fine Art
    Food
    From The Management
    Health
    History
    Huffery
    Humor
    Internet
    Journalism
    Law
    Los Angeles
    Media
    Mo
    Morning News Round Up
    Movies
    Music
    Musical
    Personal
    Photograph
    Piano Puzzler
    Politics
    Popular Culture
    Profiles
    Quote Of The Day
    Radio
    Religion
    Restaurants
    Science
    Sports
    Technology
    Tech Tip
    Theater
    The Writers Workbench
    Tidbits
    Travel
    Tv
    Twitter
    Video
    Videology
    Well Worth Reading
    Words-o-wisdom
    Writing

    RSS Feed

© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2013
Contact Us    About EI    Chicago Cubs