The Illustrated Man
Oh yeah, there’s ink down there…
Tags: misc dvd Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Feb 1st, 2007
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The Illustrated Man is one of the classic landmarks in science fiction/horror literature, and one of Ray Bradbury’s greatest works. The book, originally published in 1951 has 18 short stories that are tied together by a common theme, but no characters other than the narrator and the illustrated man, upon whose body the stories are illustrated. The film takes three of the stories, and expands the narration that ties them together, bringing the focus more upon the illustrated man rather than the stories he tells and is a part of.
Rod Steiger plays the role of Ray Bradbury’s title character. His portrayal is what makes the film work. You truly believe that he is consumed by the artwork on his body and that it greatly affects him. The other actors do a decent job, but this is clearly Steiger’s film to carry.
Plenty of changes were made, and not just in expanding the role of the narrative. Steiger’s illustrated character is made to be part of the stories. In the book, each of the stories have different characters, and perhaps this would have been a better film had it been done truer to the book, but it is a device that also works well here.
It is a shame, really, that only three of the short stories are used. The film is slow to start, with things starting at about 10 minutes in, and then they don’t really start picking up until about 15 to 20 minutes into the film. Had the pacing been picked up, at least five of the stories could have been done.
Done in 1969, film making was different, and films took longer to unfold. I’m not expecting it to go at today’s breakneck pace, but the script would have been better had it not spent nearly as much time exploring the backstory as it does. With plenty of stuff happening between the segments as well, one feels that the original stories are less the focus that an almost new plot is being created for the film.
As a film, The Illustrated Man is very much a product of the times it was made, much in the same way that the book was a product of its time. It is a decent adaptation, but not as good as it could be. Perhaps a television mini-series could rectify that.
The DVD comes with the original theatrical trailer as well as a featurette from the time that looks like it was made for television focusing on getting Rod Steiger to look the way he does in the film. It’s nice to have this included, but a contemporary look at the book’s influence or adaptation to film would have been nice.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ Ray Bradbury's shorts that make the transition + Rod Steiger |
6.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Not enough of the book's shorts make it in - The DVD seems to be lacking in features |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Science fiction fans may want to see this, but on fast forward. Worth renting at least. | |
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Tags: misc dvd
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Feb 1st, 2007 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
