In case anyone didn't know, this movie was "suggested" by the book Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. If you liked the (scarce) points about human civilization and the imprisionment of our society in this movie, then I HIGHLY recomend the book: Ishmael, which has much much more to say than this movie.
sharethis book changed me
shareDaniel Quinn's novel "Ishmael" probably the most thought-provoking book I've ever read. Absolutely brilliant. The film, however... Well, let's put it this way: these are the kind of novel adaptations that make you despise Hollywood. I mean, what happened?! Some producer read a synopsis of "Ishmael" and decided it had some suitable "deep stuff" for a script. Of course, "deep" isn't enough so he told the screenwriter to throw in some violence and the Oscar-making mental institution milieu. Quinn would turn in his grave if he were dead; violence is the exact opposite of what Quinn's story is trying to teach us. I realise the novel is un-adaptable as it is - containing little more than conversations between Ishmael the gorilla and his human pupil - but still, I think it's better to not do a film adaptation at all than to just scratch the surface of a great idea and eventually undermine it by an awful mixture of genres and "fashionable" allusions to box office hits, namely "Silence of the Lambs", "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" and (though perhaps not a hit exactly) "Gorillas in the Mist". I wish that the people who liked the movie would take the time to read "Ishmael". It would blow your mind away like you wouldn't believe.
sharefirst of all, violence is not at all the exact opposite of what ishmael was trying to say. remember the solution he gives for too many people coming into your territory: fight them off or kill them.
i haven't seen this movie, so i can't comment on that. but if 'deep stuff' wasn't enough for the book, why shoudl it be for the movie? ishmael is fascinating philosophy, but a total failure as a novel. quinn took the already annoying setup of all the platonic dialogues and added on ishmael's ridiculous life story. i wish quinn would just take the ideas from ishmael and write them up in a lil pamphlet or something
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i SAID good day, sir!
I have not seen the movie, and from what I hear from it, it is not "good". However, I read Ishmael and am curently reading The Story of B. I was just wondering how exactly is this movie "adapted" from Ishmael. Like others, Ishmael changed me such that I cannot eat a meal or drive down the road without thinking about it differently from before I read it. Besides gorillas being in the movie, what are the similarities?
shareAnthony Hopkins character takes the place of Ishmeal and teaches a lot of what he said...well, not a lot...but some. Cuba Gooding Jr. takes the place of the student.
I read the book long before the movie even came out and though I would have liked to see a bit more of the book in the movie the main point of makeing the film was of course money...thats the movie makers job and they wanna get paid for it. They had to keep people interested and make them willing to pay to see it. Even the way it was the movie did not do well...people hate to think.
Anyone read My Ishmeal...the prequel to Ishmeal?
It's not really a prequel, it's more of a companion novel. It takes place during the same time period. It raised some great points, but I found I connected with Ishmael more than My Ishmael. Still worth the read, though.
shareI've read Ishmael and most of My Ishmael. I have Story of B but I haven't read it yet. Both of the Ishmael books are absolutely great though. They both make points so strong that it's nearly impossible to think that he could be wrong. I really believe that these books should be required for students to read instead of books like "Rebecca" or "Death of a Salesmen". I'd even go to say that they should be taught over "Of Mice and Men", "The Great Gatsby", AND "Catcher in the Rye", which were also really good books.
shareI mostly recommend "Morel" by Adolfo Bioy Casares.
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Unfortunatley the movie wasn't Impactful enough to get people to read the book. It didn't raise points enough to provoke the thoughts that DQ hoped for when he "lent his story" to it.
But either way "Ishamel" and all the other books in the series are wonderful. That book changed me. I do not mean in the same way as was mentioned above. The book did not change me temporarily, it changed me forever. It caused me to look at myself and within myself and to change things that otherwise my life would have been sorely lacking. It also cause me to get almost ever person I know to read it, which is a large point of the novel..."to change minds". To this day I refer to this novel to great lengths in many aspects of my life, and I just thank DQ for his insight and hope he continues to spread that insight to many more minds.
*MO*
Sometimes in order to find the truth, one must move mountains...
To make a movie with the same impact as the book would be NEARLY impossible. This is simply because it would have to be a movie that changes your life completely. When I recomend the book to other, they always ask me what it's about, and in the beginning I tried "everything", "the world history" etc..
Since I was unable to explain exact what the book is about, they wouldn't read it.But then it hit me, as Quinn also says, you don't have to tell people what it's about..All you have to do is explain what it DID to you.
To make a movie that really DOES something to you, I can only emagine, would be nearly impossible in these Hollywood days. I think the book "After dachau" by Quinn, would appeal to a greater audience in theathers..
I recomend "The Corporation," where Ray Anderson is interviewed. Ray Anderson changed a whole industry after reading "Ecology of Commerce" and "Ishmael."
"someone sent me a copy of Daniel Quinn's book, Ishmael. I've now read it six times and I'm here to tell you that Hawken and Quinn together, will not only change your life, but make you understand why it should change. They did both for me." - Ray Anderson, on his company's website "http://www.interfaceinc.com/getting_there/Ray.html";
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Is the story of B a good book?
shareI am currently reading it...its hard to get into. It is a lot deeper in the religion sense than Ishmael was. I have heard it is good, but it just a lot more complex and not as much to do with society. But again, I am very early in the book.
shareI enjoyed The Story of B and gained a lot from the story. It is written very diffrently. It concerns a traveling speaker who was a former pupil of Ishmael and his idealogy based on the knowledge he gained from Ish. The book contains both the stories and the speeches he gives but it is not all in one flow. YOu can choose to read the story and the speeches afterwards or you can read the speeches as they appear in the story. I have read it both ways and neither seems more beneficial. I do highly recommend the story to anyone who enjoyed Ishmael or My Ishmael. I also recommend Beyond Civilization which is the last of Quinns books in the "series" if thats what you want to call it.
And...those were my TWO CENTS proudly presented...
Sigh. Freyo you just proved that you dont understand psychology at all. From dictionary.com
1 The science that deals with mental processes and behavior.
2 The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, group, or activity: the psychology of war.
3 Subtle tactical action or argument used to manipulate or influence another: He used poor psychology on his employer when trying to make the point.
A book that discusses subjects that shape individuals and our society would clearly be on the topic of psychology.
hey since you were the first person to mention the link betwen the two I have to ask, I've read Ishmael and throughly enjoyed and understood it but I haven't seen the movie yet so ...is it worth renting?
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