I just read the book for the first time in my life, and watched about half the film before giving up (I mean, there were distracting shots of Channing Tatum in a loincloth) just about around the point where Marcus and Esca set out from Calleva. They rearranged so much of the book in ways that were unecessary even at that early point, and I found myself despairing -- why would you take a set of experiences and relationships that will translate so beautifully to screen, and then mix them up to produce some tired Hollywood idea of conflict?
I'm not entirely reconciled to Sutcliff's worldview (which seemed very pro-Roman to me, in the sense that she expected us to relate to the Roman point of view as the reasonable point of view, that our progress to modernity somehow matched with Roman ideas of progress -- which I question even though I know nothing about the "others") but her story is one about human respect and friendship overcoming tremendous odds. There's a place where she writes that civilisations may never be able to overcome their differences, but perhaps individuals can. Marcus realises this as he thinks over how much he comes to like and respect Esca, and as he does his best to earn liking and respect from him in turn. And I understand that, and think it would have been a great story to tell.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-04-21 01:19 pm (UTC)I'm not entirely reconciled to Sutcliff's worldview (which seemed very pro-Roman to me, in the sense that she expected us to relate to the Roman point of view as the reasonable point of view, that our progress to modernity somehow matched with Roman ideas of progress -- which I question even though I know nothing about the "others") but her story is one about human respect and friendship overcoming tremendous odds. There's a place where she writes that civilisations may never be able to overcome their differences, but perhaps individuals can. Marcus realises this as he thinks over how much he comes to like and respect Esca, and as he does his best to earn liking and respect from him in turn. And I understand that, and think it would have been a great story to tell.