•Who. This fifties Cold War novel, by Algis Budrys, concerns a US scientist working on a top secret project who’s injured behind the Iron Curtain and rebuilt as a cyborg. How can the security chief trust he’s not a ringer when he has no face, no fingerprints and his mechanical heartbeat never changes?
I liked the 1973 movie better because it has a cynicism about the Cold War that works much better for me than the original’s embracing it. In the book, the scientist gives up his research because he’s broken under the strain; in the movie, he’s just sick and tired of the deceit and suspicion and wants to live a “normal” life. There’s also a neat subplot where the Reds try to brainwash him before sending him home and like the Americans, are stymied by being unable tell whether he’s close to cracking or sitting there laughing at them.
•Portrait of Dorian Grey. In the movie, Dorian’s slide into evil begins when he seduces innocent actress Angela Lansbury, dumps her (because sleeping with him proves she’s just a cheap tart) and she kills herself. In the book he rejects her when he realizes she’s a mediocre actress, which offends his heightened aesthetic sensibilities. The characters in the book spend far too much time showing off their aesthetic sensibilities to suit my aesthetic sensibilities.
•Jaws. I’m not a huge fan of this film, but it cuts out Benchley’s dreadful attempts at writing sex scenes.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.