Hollywood always does Alan Moore wrong, but there's a method to their madness: They always remove his final twist. In the 2006 film adaptation of "V for Vendetta", they completely eliminate the all-knowing computer (secretly V) and "her" relationship with the Prime Minister, easily among the most compelling character relationships in the entire story.
And in keeping with the trend, it was recently revealed that upcoming film adaptation of "Watchmen" (due out in February), the monster that is teleported into Times Square in the final pages of the story will not be included. How the movie will function without this key disaster, seemingly at the heart of the story as Ozymandias' unifying event for mankind, remains to be seen.I can only assume that Hollywood will direct its attention towards one of the story's many subplots to fill the gaps.
And "Watchmen" is certainly rife with subplots. In this reading of the book, I found myself more engrossed in Moore's intricate subplots, the "Treasure Island" story for example, than the main storyline. The subtleties in this book that our paramount and they are not limited to Moore's story.
Gibbons' meticulous attention to detail - the top-knot on every punk, the ever chaning ink-blot on Rorschach's mask, the gentle glow around Doctor Manhattan - is impeccable. It can even be haunting, as in the case of the graffiti silhouette of a couple embracing in various poses that litters the street scenes in Watchmen. This image, ultimately a real occurence, is a piece of background, but its recurrence in so many outdoor scenes becomes a chilling element of Gibbons' art, a mirror placed in front of the fourth wall forcing us to question who is reading this with us?
Joe,
ReplyDeleteFrom what Dave Gibbons "implied," the ending is likely changed. However, Gibbons said the import of the ending, it not. In any event, Gibbons seemed satisfied by what Zach Snyder came up with.
You mention Moore's intricate subplots. I found out that many of them are homages to the comics of that era. For instance, the PIRATES" stories. Pirate stories were big in the 1940s 1950s and 1960s. E.C.'s 1950s line of pirate titles dominated the marketplace (see Piracy and Buccaneers). In May of 1960, National Comics (which later becomes D.C.) comes out with TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER written by Max Shea. There were parallels between Moore's pirate story and ones from the era of great pirate comics.
I am glad you appreciate Gibbon's artwork and attention to detail. When one does break-down panels, these details really come to the forefront. Love your last sentence in this BLOG post: "...a mirror placed in front of the fourth wall forcing us to question who is reading this with us?...."
Cynthia
Cynthia
Oh, I had an insight and I would like your feedback -- the cover of WATCHMEN, with the extreme close-up of the SMILEY FACE. If you are familiar with the Rorschach TEST concerning people interpreting abstract forms, I think, besides the other homages to the SMILEY FACE, this could be seen as a Rorschach test -- a visual pun.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think?
Cynthia