Alas, Babylon

[zwick]

"Alas Babylon" was the second doomer book I read in the 70's, the first being "Level 7". AB is such a wonderful story that I've read it a dozen times at least. And some good prep tips as well. It's refreshing to read a PA book that isn't a catalog of what new and cool in weapons and such. That kind of detail is so distracting and thankfully missing in this book.

[zenobia]

I unpacked my old copy last week and immediately sat down and read it though for about the 20th time.  It's a favorite of my kids and husband too.  Great doomer info!

[permadoom]

I read Alas, Babylon a couple months ago.  A few of the essential doomer themes that I think it tackled particularly well were the lack of people's preparedness for survival without our modern infrastructure; the particular hardships faced when certain supplies are no longer abundant (i.e. salt); the necessity of working together and relying on the community for solutions to problems; and the rise of the "bad guys": highway looters, cannibals, rapists, etc. 

I have a friend who is a screenwriter/producer who was interested in making this book into a movie.  He wrote a draft a couple years and was in contact with Pat Frank's daughter about it.  In the end he decided to not to go through with it because she wanted him to add extra scenes and characters, while he wanted to stick with the original plot more or less so that it wouldn't turn into yet another book-to-movie failure.  Now I'm trying to talk him into going back and striking a compromise that will add enough elements to make her happy, without jeopardizing the key themes in the plot. 

Those of you who enjoyed this book, do you think turning it into a movie that doesn't follow the plot exactly would ruin it?  I'm usually skeptical of movie adaptations of good books (The Razor's Edge and Choke come to mind off-hand), but I'd really like to see more apocalyptic movies that are not too unrealistic and generic like the Mayan one.

[Broil]

I'd rather see a movie stick to the original book closely, and I'm amazed that one hasn't been done yet - the book seems almost made for a movie.

But I suppose that realistically, they'll have to throw in a few poignant romances for the ladies, and for the guys some exposed breasts and high speed car chases ending in massive explosions.

[luna201]

I read this book a couple of months ago and really enjoyed. The female characters and race relations were handled really well for their time.

I would also like to see it made into a movie, but some changes would have to be made because it's *not* 1959 anymore. For example, the changes that occured in race relations after The Day, like integrating the schools, would have to be changed.

[Broil]

True, luna, and the fish from the river would have been unsafe to eat for decades before the war.

[doctor zaius]

I read Alas, Babylon in the early 70's. My first doomer book. And I loved it. I recently re-read it and it still holds up well.

[SabreKai]

No, I don't want it made into a movie for the simple reason that Hollyweird would screw it up so badly. Even the changes that Luna mentions, about the segregated schools n such would end up changing the movie to such an extent that it wouldn't be Alas Babylon.

I've never met a great book that hollyweird couldn't screw up beyond all recognition. To my mind the only producer who ever did a book series properly was the New Zealander who did the Lord of the Rings.

Sabre

[Brian in Seattle]

No, I don't want it made into a movie for the simple reason that Hollyweird would screw it up so badly. Even the changes that Luna mentions, about the segregated schools n such would end up changing the movie to such an extent that it wouldn't be Alas Babylon.

I've never met a great book that hollyweird couldn't screw up beyond all recognition. To my mind the only producer who ever did a book series properly was the New Zealander who did the Lord of the Rings.

Sabre

Peter Jackson did a wonderful job with "The Lord of the Rings" except for the end. He blew that completely. "The Scouring of the Shire" is one of my favorite parts from "The Return of the King". The war always comes home.

"Alas, Babylon" is a true classic. It was the first book of the genre that mentioned what happens when you break your glasses. That alone haunted me for 35 years. Now my eyes have been lasered and I have one less major problem to worry about.

Brian

[9anda1f]

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is the only other movie I put in the same class as LOTR as far as the movie being equally as good as the book.

I'd like to keep AB as it's been in my head all these years unless someone could do as good of a job with it as LOTR and Cuckoo's Nest.  Pretty big gamble.   

[Brian in Seattle]

"Lonesome Dove" was pretty well done. No real departures from the book that I can recall.

Brian

[Broil]

Amazingly so, Brian.  One of my all time favorites for both versions.

[Taylor 2673 A.D.]

Just finished it, thought it was very good.  Fortschen's "One Second After" is pretty much entirely lifted from AB, just updated to EMP vs Hydrogen bombs.  Made me think of a fact that, for all the hysteria, the USSR had just a handful (4~20) of ICBMs at the time of the Cuban Missile Crises.  Turned out to be pretty good for the Military-Industrial Complex.

[amfortas]

Been meaning to get it, and "Ishmael" , since I got here however many years ago...
And ,yeah....Leave books alone, movie-guys, unless ya want to do it right.
LOTR, I went with extreme skepticism...almost dread....and was happily surprised!
(I used to speak Quendi... )
The omission of Bombadil was the only thing that ate at me...

I was reminded, a few posts back of two books...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnhams_Freehold

and, "Hiero's Journey", by  Sterling Lanier

[quietnite]

I just realized that when I read and reread "Alas, Babylon" I see it in my head in black and white.

Interesting.

At least to me.