Top five meme answers #2

[altariel]

No, I haven't forgotten, just taking my time.

katlinel asked for my top 5 SF&F hats

1. The Horned One is upon us! Herne the Hunter from Robin of Sherwood.
2. Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
3. Jayne's bobble hat.
4. The art deco robot masks from the Doctor Who story 'Robots of Death'.
5. All of the hats in the Dune miniseries.


aervir asked for my top 5 reasons to love Doctor Who 2005

1. Robert Holmes was credited on the first episode, which made me sniffle.
2. The writing was effervescent, it bubbled up from a deep well of good humour, generosity, compassion.
3. Television for me is a participation sport. It felt like the whole country was watching Doctor Who with me.
4. All of that, all of that - and a bloody regeneration too!
5. Captain Jack!


sallymn asked for my top 5 Books Which Should be Made into Films

1. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer: I think this would make a fabulous romcom.
2. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold: And I welcome casting suggestions.
3. The Hobbit: I think it's time someone had a crack at it. Just so long as the colours are like Tolkien's illlustrations.
4. Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban: I'm sure it's one of those books that people would say was unfilmable, but it delivered several very strong images into my optic nerve.

I'm going to cheat with the last one, because this is something I'd like to see done on television, as one of those Sunday evening, six part family series:

5. The Islanders by John Rowe Townsend: A children's novel about a community on a very remote island (Pitcairn-like), whose stability is undermined by the arrival of a boy and a girl in a canoe. Like all really good children's novels it's a metaphor for, er, something or other. Anyway, I've wanted to try to do a script version of this for years; might even do it one day. Oh, let's throw The Guardians by John Christopher in for good measure, in the same format. (Do two telly series add up to one film? Humph, much more, in this journal.)


jhall1, I am going to have to admit defeat on your request for my top 5 books which should never have been filmed - I just can't think of any! Please feel free to ask for another top 5!

Oh, while I'm on the subject of books made into films, I thoroughly enjoyed the version of The Lives and Opinions of Tristram Shandy that's in the cinema right now, A Cock and Bull Story, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.

popehippo, mrs230, ms_manna, espresso_addict: your top fives are in progress.

Comments

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I should have thought of posting a link explaining who Bob Holmes was. In terms of Doctor Who, I think he was more than just creator of the Autons - he wrote for Who from the end of the Troughton period to the end of Colin Baker's period and was the script editor during the grand, gothic early Tom era. He invented a lot of the 'canon' - Gallifrey not least. It was just so right for him to be the one acknowledged on the new show.


And if you should ever write the script for a TV series based on The Guardians, I'd hereby solemnly swear that I would buy the DVD at once.

;-D Thanks! Do you like that book?

[aervir.livejournal.com]

He wrote for five different doctors? Now that's what I call stamina.

John Christopher was indeed one of my favourite children's book authors when I was about ten. I know that I read The Guardians at least three times back then. But strangely enough, I can only remember that it's some sort of dystopian novel and that I've always wanted to see it as a film at that age.

I think it's definitely one of those many children's books that I should reread some day.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The Guardians is the one about a society split between the Conurb (urban dystopia) and the County (rural paradise), and a teenage boy who runs away from the first to the second, to find that all is not well in paradise. It's really, really good.

One day I'll get the Tripods books again. And the Prince in Waiting books! Years since I've read those. Oh, and Empty World! Damn, I forget how much I like John Christopher.

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Now I dimly remember more about The Guardians. Wasn't there some sort of seemingly benevolent country squire among the minor characters?

And don't mention the Tripods, please. They must be among my defining childhood traumas...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

There's a quite passive country gentleman, father of a boy the lead character (Rob) is befriended by, and another more patrician character.

Oops, no more Tripods!

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Hm, I must have confused these two characters in my rather rudimentary memories then.

Damn, now I really want to reread John Christopher. Even the dreaded Tripods. Or that weird story about the planet with the Lotus Caves. Now.