THHGTTG was the first book I purchased with my own money as a young teen. While I have a much more mixed reaction than you about the movie treatments—after all, think about what a tremendous challenge it must have been to render a vision that quirky and eccentric as an accessible film—I did find them lacking in many respects. Far too much of the philosophically offbeat and outlandish dialogue was excised in the interests of getting the running time into Hollywood range (a prime example of this is the opening scene where Arthur blocks his home's demolition with his own body and the resulting dialogue with Mr. Prosser):
''But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.''
''Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anybody or anything.''
''But the plans were on display ...''
''On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.''
''That's the display department.''
''With a torch.''
''Ah, well the lights had probably gone.''
''So had the stairs.''
''But look, you found the notice didn't you?''
''Yes,'' said Arthur, ''yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'''
Thanks for the remembrance of what was a highly influential book from my youth. Now that I think of it, I should probably try to get those recordings of the BBC series for car trips, too.
I rewatched the movie recently, and it was much better than I had remembered. I’m re-reading the “trilogy in five parts” right now, and while I’m enjoying it (and loving the philosophical comedy), it is striking me hard that while some *scenes* are good, and some jokes are great, the structure of the thing isn’t very good. Adams is best at the line-and-page level. Much less so at the chapter and book levels.
Indubitably the original radio “tapes” are/is the definitive masterpiece version. Beeb’s Radiophonic Workshop was in full bloom—a gold standard for audio drama production if one may ever hear.
Mark Wing-Davey = the Zaphod.
Lintilla’s crisis inducer has aged quite well as well :)
I seem to remember reading Adams musing later in life that if you write a long series of books, don’t destroy the Earth in the first one: You might need it later.
The Dirk Gently books are worth reading for fun. I was very disappointed in the 2010 TV series, especially as it had Stephen Mangan and Darren Boyd, both of whom I really like. I’ve not seen the 2016 US version.
I was more disappointed by The Salmon of Doubt book - I know it was unfinished, but it felt like Adams was writing the first thing that came into his head, unfiltered.
I like his books/radio/TV from the nerdy/geeky side; the same way I love Pratchett, Robert Rankin, and Jasper Fforde.
I was BritBox-maxxing lately, just started throwing that series on and found it enjoyable as someone who threw away their television in the 90s with no critical reference frame of mind.
There’s that thing too when the original creator is gone and the fan (me/us) wishes for anything remotely in the spirit of. Similar deal with John Kennedy Toole (Confederacy of Dunces) imo.
Dirk Gently is well worth reading. The Netflix series is also very good, although basically unrelated.
The Dirk Gently books so show his snobbish side though. The characters are basically either Cambridge graduates or else ignorant racists.
What the tweet comparing him to the Pythons gets wrong is that the pythons are confident about their place English society and think it's beneath them while Adams was far less self assured.
It's indicative that, when they made films, the Pythons cast themselves as King Arthur and as a stand-in for Jesus Christ, while Adams' most famous character literally has his whole world destroyed and needs to constantly ingratiate himself with contemptuous, far cooler strangers.
THHGTTG was the first book I purchased with my own money as a young teen. While I have a much more mixed reaction than you about the movie treatments—after all, think about what a tremendous challenge it must have been to render a vision that quirky and eccentric as an accessible film—I did find them lacking in many respects. Far too much of the philosophically offbeat and outlandish dialogue was excised in the interests of getting the running time into Hollywood range (a prime example of this is the opening scene where Arthur blocks his home's demolition with his own body and the resulting dialogue with Mr. Prosser):
''But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.''
''Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anybody or anything.''
''But the plans were on display ...''
''On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.''
''That's the display department.''
''With a torch.''
''Ah, well the lights had probably gone.''
''So had the stairs.''
''But look, you found the notice didn't you?''
''Yes,'' said Arthur, ''yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'''
Thanks for the remembrance of what was a highly influential book from my youth. Now that I think of it, I should probably try to get those recordings of the BBC series for car trips, too.
I rewatched the movie recently, and it was much better than I had remembered. I’m re-reading the “trilogy in five parts” right now, and while I’m enjoying it (and loving the philosophical comedy), it is striking me hard that while some *scenes* are good, and some jokes are great, the structure of the thing isn’t very good. Adams is best at the line-and-page level. Much less so at the chapter and book levels.
I visited his grave in Highgate Cemetery a few years ago. It was a lovely spot. Apparently people often leave towels on and around the headstone.
Indubitably the original radio “tapes” are/is the definitive masterpiece version. Beeb’s Radiophonic Workshop was in full bloom—a gold standard for audio drama production if one may ever hear.
Mark Wing-Davey = the Zaphod.
Lintilla’s crisis inducer has aged quite well as well :)
I seem to remember reading Adams musing later in life that if you write a long series of books, don’t destroy the Earth in the first one: You might need it later.
The Dirk Gently books are worth reading for fun. I was very disappointed in the 2010 TV series, especially as it had Stephen Mangan and Darren Boyd, both of whom I really like. I’ve not seen the 2016 US version.
I was more disappointed by The Salmon of Doubt book - I know it was unfinished, but it felt like Adams was writing the first thing that came into his head, unfiltered.
I like his books/radio/TV from the nerdy/geeky side; the same way I love Pratchett, Robert Rankin, and Jasper Fforde.
I was BritBox-maxxing lately, just started throwing that series on and found it enjoyable as someone who threw away their television in the 90s with no critical reference frame of mind.
There’s that thing too when the original creator is gone and the fan (me/us) wishes for anything remotely in the spirit of. Similar deal with John Kennedy Toole (Confederacy of Dunces) imo.
Perhaps I should give it another chance. I could have just been in a bad mood at the time. Thanks!
I still find bootlegs of the BBC show ‘Gangsters’ on the YouTubes more edifying :)
Dirk Gently is well worth reading. The Netflix series is also very good, although basically unrelated.
The Dirk Gently books so show his snobbish side though. The characters are basically either Cambridge graduates or else ignorant racists.
What the tweet comparing him to the Pythons gets wrong is that the pythons are confident about their place English society and think it's beneath them while Adams was far less self assured.
It's indicative that, when they made films, the Pythons cast themselves as King Arthur and as a stand-in for Jesus Christ, while Adams' most famous character literally has his whole world destroyed and needs to constantly ingratiate himself with contemptuous, far cooler strangers.
He's the reason I got my degree in Bistromathics.
My favorite book to give as a gift to young folks, and I still regret not listening to what my mom told me.