Does anyone know how much of this is based on documentated facts, how much has been modified? I assume the bridge collapse really happened, and a mothman-like character was reportedly sighted - but was the Gere character based on any real person, or was he a whole cloth invention?
shareHi Steve
Much of this is based on "true events" - I would say "true reports".
If the subject/story interests you then grab the book as it's a fantastic read. It's from the perspective of John Keel - Richard Gere character who is actually a paranormal investigator.
The Silver Bridge did collapse near Christmas time during the late rush hour - some folks had the dreams of floating presents which was inferred as a premonition to the disaster as many of the victims were shoppers returning home with gifts.
The Mothman plays an important role but not the whole story. The real reports/book pay much more time to MIB encounters in the town of Point Pleasant. Strange visitors (not like Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones) who seem to arrive out of nowhere, ask strange questions, act strange, etc. then dissappear.
There are also many other weird things going on like strange phone calls, UFO sightings and more.
Much was modified but the most important plot point was the wife - not in the book at all. Also, the characther of Indrid Cold is a bit different as Mr. Woody Derenberger (spelling?), who was the witness/contact, made it clear he was from another planet - Lanulos (spelling?)
I really wish they kept the MIB stuff - I think this director could have done a great job with some of the real reports - I was unhappy when I saw that they passed on the chance to have some bizarre and creepy scenes with these not-so-human strangers in town. I actually don't know of a movie that does a real MIB encounter properly. I admit I'm biased as my house (as a child) received a standard MIB visit (BTW, I'm not being nutty as it certainly could of been cops as they said)
I hope this helped - grab this book!! Really great read!!
Don't you love when people start threads asking questions, and people take the time to answer, but then the original poster never returns again?
Anyway, I appreciated your response cubanfan1322. I was going to respond to this post but your response pretty much summed it up. Maybe it'll be useful to somebody else who reads it.
«original poster never returns again?»
The norm in most any forum in cyberdom. I don't care anymore. The reply is quite good anyway and other readers -like me- benefit from it and are thankful. I guess the OP found his answers somewere alse -or maybe had an accident, etc...?
=)
I'm happy that you and some other folks appreciated my answer and found it helpful.
I'm cool the OP didn't get back - I just recommend anybody that even sort of got interested in this movie to read the book.
This book is one of the creepiest things I've ever read - and I've read hundreds of "occult" books. Actually, I'd say this is THE creepiest book I've ever read in my life. Of course, it's based of reports, eye-witness, etc but it is a quick a freaky read.
The MIB (Men in Black)parts of the book are just really strange and stay with you after reading (at least for me) I'm still waiting for a cool movie that does a proper treatment of MIBs. The opportunities for ultra-uncomfortable scenes with a ton of tension and weirdness seems very rich. It may be too hard to shake the Will Smith & Tommy Lee Jones version of MIBs however.
Thanks to all for reading.
The MIB (Men in Black) parts of the book are just really strange and stay with you after reading (at least for me) I'm still waiting for a cool movie that does a proper treatment of MIBs. The opportunities for ultra-uncomfortable scenes with a ton of tension and weirdness seems very rich.
I just watched the film, but haven't read the book.
There was one scene where the police woman tells Gere's character about a woman with red hair (the dead wife) showing up in town and asking her questions. I am assuming this was a reference to the "MIB" encounters you describe. Also, Gere's character supposedly appearing at the house asking for help two previous nights before he actually did sounds like another instance of this type of phenomenon.
Just throwing that in for what it's worth.
OK, I've clearly missed something here...what is MIB?
***
I grieve for the strength to wake up each day with a blank canvas
and paint it to my liking.
The MIB are "Men In Black" who apparently take a much bigger role in the book. You can read a thorough description on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_in_Black.
shareYup, and those Men in Black aren't as likable & cool as the real ones.
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.
I though ghosts, not aliens. But your theory does make more sense, since some of the encounters leave marks on the victims. I don't believe ghosts do that. The premonitions seem hard to explain if they were alien encounters, since it is established that some are receptive to visions and voices. This movie seemed to straddle two plots-ghosts and aliens. Trying to make a case for aliens, in my opinion.
If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world
[deleted]
The movie is only very loosely based on what supposedly actually happened. There was a "mothman" supposedly seen by several people in the area, there was someone named Indrid Cold and there was a bridge collapse. But aside from that the movie skips over most of what makes the story so interesting in the book.
Gere's character is based on the writer of the book, John Keel. But he has a much less active role in the book. He's just a journalist following a story.
Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!
Its unknown how much of this is fact. Most of it is probably due to mass hysteria.
John Keel is not really a believer. He was more of a collector of odd stories and events. That is how he comes across in his book.
What is shown in the film were some of the stories that he heard when interviewing witnesses.
The book is just as creepy as the film.
"Based on true events"?
It's all bollox, you know that already!
Kinda liked the film though...creepy!
Of course, it was more than likely mass hysteria and people scaring themselves silly.
But read the book. It's creepier than the film. Especially the parts where Keel writes about being stalked by MIBs.
It should be noted that, contrary to what the film says at the end, that, "The ultimate cause of the collapse of the Silver Bridge was never determined," in 1971 investigators determined that the collapse was due to the failure of an eye bar suspension chain. These findings were known before the book on which the movie's based was even written.
shareThe film made a connection between the bridge collapse and the mothmen.
Keel never made that kind of connection. He was just a guy collecting stories about odd phenomena and mass spook outs. Of which Point Pleasant was one of the places he investigated. He even lambasted UFO societies for making up far fetched conspiracy theories.
As far as a grand reason for all of it, Keel never tries to explain anything. He just gives stories about what people he interviewed claim that they saw. He writes about weird stuff that he saw. Then he leaves it up to the reader to make of it what he/she wills.
The biggest difference between the movie and the book is that the movie is experienced/told through a more personal point of view, wherein Gere is in the centre of the events that affected his life and the one of his fiance.
In the book By John A Keel we're introduced to the events that took place in the 1960s mostly in the form of witness accounts and sightings of an array of spooky phenomena, documented and elaborated on by the Fortean and UFO investigator and author of the book, John A Keel.
The book also deals with some unrelated (or at least not closely) events from different eras and of different sorts.