Re: [Epic] Re: (OT) Heinlein's Style (was Modelling an Entire Chapter)

From: A. Allen McCarley <allen_at_...>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 16:33:30 -0600

> The movie did succeed in capturing Robert Heinlein's irreverent style.
> A lot of his characters adhered to the "don't take life too seriously"
> philosophy. The book was originally a Juvenile, a book aimed at 12 to
> 16 year olds, when it was published in 1959.
>
> TANSTAAFL !!
>
> -- Elaine

Really? I thought the movie missed Heinlein altogether. The novel
read like Heinlein's personal philosophical treatise. There were
discussions of who should make political decisions, why capital
punishment should be accepted, taking responsibility for ones own
actions, and why strivng for excellence should be rewarded rather
than punished. The war, while always in the background, always
seemed a secondary concern to the author's main points.

The movie, however, went straight for the 90210 love-triangle in space
(with lots of blood and gunfire.) The politics were either
completely overlooked or made fun of (probably because Heinlein
politics and Hollywood politics don't coincide) and the classroom
scenes were made even less believable than they were in the book.

But hey, if people enjoyed the movie then the producers did their job.

-Allen McCarley
Received on Fri Mar 13 1998 - 22:33:30 UTC