"Chronicles of Prydain" movies?

[thestonesfan]

If you don't know, "The Chronicles of Prydain" was a series of five fantasy books written by Lloyd Alexander. Although aimed at a younger audience, the story was superb and caught as much of my imagination as The Lord of the Rings did.

In my mind, they would make excellent movies, with some elements of the story surpassing even Tolkiens masterpiece. I was wondering what the thoughts would be of any of you who have read them.

Do you think it's reasonable to make a five movie series? Would it be okay to cut enough out for maybe a three movie series? Would the public be receptive to it?

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Prior to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter being made into films on a text by text basis, such an idea would be howled down by the powers that be. Now, the tables are turned.

One has always thought that they would make fine live action films; not quite on the level of Tolkien, but good in their own way and by their own merits. It's perfectly reasonably to make a multi-film epic - look at Star Wars, or the aforementioned films. It is good that the epic is making something of a comeback.

 

[thestonesfan]

I agree that a five movie series would be the best, by far.

There wouldn't be as much 'eye-candy' as LOTR, but legions of the Cauldron-Born would be an irresistable spectacle.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

It would be on a different level, with different spectacle, and there is certainly scope for a great deal of it. It would appeal in parts to both the HP and LOTR audiences, having different elements to it to cater to each.

And just as an authentic note, it should be performed entirely in Welsh, with Aramaic subtitles.

 

[thestonesfan]

My Welsh is a bit rusty, but if you say so...

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Och Llywellgoch Eckythump Eistedfodd fy Dwyvach Llan Aberfan Fflewddur Cantrev Cardiff Ei Marygoch lly Eilonwylloyd dach Gwydionrobertcroftgarethandrewscoalminingoch Dai Evan Evans. Morgannicoch Llyai Fforbes. Baaaa.

 

[thestonesfan]

Er, I'll take your word for that, Simon.

I was thinking of the parallels between the two stories. Character-wise, there are quite a few.

Protagonist - Taran/Frodo - Taran I would say is slightly more intriguing than Frodo, as Frodo is already a more or less established character when he goes on his quest. Frodo is more the underdog and has the greater burden, but Taran's path to manhood is a fascinating journey.

Hero Figure - Lord Gwydion/Aragorn - Both fill a nearly identical role in their respective books, at least for a while. I give the nod to Aragorn here, as LOTR is nearly as much about about him as it is about Frodo. Now that I think about it, it's arguable that Taran is a parallel to Aragorn, and Gwydion is to Gandalf. It certainly becomes that way as the story progresses.

Antagonist - Arawn/Sauron - Neither have especially huge parts in the story besides the behind-the-scene mastermind, although Arawn actively participates in the ending.

Point of Contention - Cauldron/Ring - The Ring clearly plays a larger role than the Cauldron does, yet the similarities between those roles must be acknowledged.

Secondary Antagonist - Achren/Saruman - The only difference here is that Saruman never redeems himself while Achren does.

Wise Mentor - Dallben/Gandalf - Unlike Gandalf, Dallben's importance is played down for the majority of the story. But the similarities are evdient.

Fallen Hero - Ellydyr(sp?)/Boromir - Both are corrupted by power but redeem themselves in the end, Ellydyr probably moreso than Bormir.

There are a good many others, probably attributable to the fact that both stories borrow heavily from Celtic/Welsh lore.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Indeed, or as the Welsh say, Hwyell goch Hyshashish. Ptaaahh.

An important difference was touched upon in the comparison of Frodo and Taran, and that is that Taran is a lad to begin with, whereas Frodo is an adult hobbit. Thus, Taran's growth gives it a dimension that will appeal to some parts of the HP market.

I would have it done simply to get the Celtic mythology into public circulation a bit more. Zum winge byllych ybong.

 

[thestonesfan]

Are we the only ones who have read these books??

I guess I better hold off on starting a thread about making movies from the "Tripod Trilogy".

 

[CivCube]

I have read The Book of Three, but I have yet to read the others. All the copies I have seen of The Black Cauldron are licensed by this :

 

[thestonesfan]

I haven't seen the Disney Black Cauldron movie, but I read that it wasn't that bad. The book is very good, that's for sure. Probably my second favorite of the series, behind the last one.

Remember, you can't judge a book by it's cover! If it bugs you, there are other editions available. There is one with a very nice painting on it. The original isn't very appealing, IMO. You should definately read the rest of the series.

 

[CivCube]

Found the first edition at my library.

As for the movie, I agree, it isn't really that bad. The problem was that Disney was trying to make it a PG-13 movie, and obviously failed. Arawn's demise is something to see, though. It's fairly annoying, however, when Taran suddenly changes voices in the middle of the movie.

And did I mention that they try to cram all five books into it?

 

[thestonesfan]

Well, if Arawn bites it in the movie, it differs from the book in a very fundamental area. So I doubt it spoiled anything for you.

Do you mean they changed the voice actor for him? That's pretty dumb. I doubt I'll be seeing it anytime soon. Just judging from the cover, I never imagined Fflewddur Fflam looking like that. He wasn't an old man! And Gurgi was as big as a person, easily.

 

[CivCube]

From what I've heard, this film was the reason Don Bluth broke off from Disney. If it is as different from the books as you say, stones, I might have to pick up from the beginning again. Not that I'm using the movie as a crutch, mind you, but such things do warp the memory.

 

[thestonesfan]

You might want to. At any rate, first three books are fairly short, so it shouldn't take you that long.