On The Road, Jack Kerouac

[talisman]

55 years later, they've finally done it. I've been waiting for this movie for a long time and sincerely hope they don't fuck up one of the greatest bits of writing in American history. Preview looks okay. I also hope they are able to capture his tempestuous madness, and that of Neal Cassady(called Dean in the book), who was one of the defining figures of both the beat generation and the hippies, and actually bridged the gap between the two.

Regardless of reviews, I'll be seeing this. On The Road was to the kids of the 50s what Fight Club was to a lot of us in the late 90s, though the two bear absolutely no on the surface similarities. Anyway, I guess you guys can probably tell I'm excited about this film.. lol

[GTBrian23]

55 years later, they've finally done it. I've been waiting for this movie for a long time and sincerely hope they don't fuck up one of the greatest bits of writing in American history. Preview looks okay. I also hope they are able to capture his tempestuous madness, and that of Neal Cassady(called Dean in the book), who was one of the defining figures of both the beat generation and the hippies, and actually bridged the gap between the two.

Regardless of reviews, I'll be seeing this. On The Road was to the kids of the 50s what Fight Club was to a lot of us in the late 90s, though the two bear absolutely no on the surface similarities. Anyway, I guess you guys can probably tell I'm excited about this film.. lol

I was actually contemplating reading this, guess Ill have to go ahead and do it

[talisman]

It isn't for everyone, but I'm a big fan of it. Stylistically it is sort of a precursor to the New Journalism style of reporting that really took off in the 60s, and then ultimately turned into Gonzo Journalism with Hunter S. Thompson. As for content, the only other books that compare to it in the rejection of the consumeristic suburban flight of the 50s are Revolutionary Road and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

[CJ]

One flew over the cuckoo's nest is one great movie.

What exactly is the story about, in a general sense?

[talisman]

One flew over the cuckoo's nest is one great movie.

What exactly is the story about, in a general sense?

Even in a general sense, it is hard to describe. Pretty much 2 friends fearlessly striking out hitchhiking across 1940s/1950s America and coming of age while rejecting the traditional societal norms of the time.

Most of it is derived from 2 cross country trips Jack Kerouac(Sal Paradise) and Neal Cassady(Dean Moriarty) actually took and the experiences they encountered. The book is frenetic, yet highly introspective. It had to be a massive challenge to turn it into a movie.

[Steve]

This is one of those books that it's near impossible to get it right on film no matter how it's done. But I will see this, it doesn't look to be the typical book to movie Hollywood disaster from that preview.

[Strychnine]

Even in a general sense, it is hard to describe. Pretty much 2 friends fearlessly striking out hitchhiking across 1940s/1950s America and coming of age while rejecting the traditional societal norms of the time.

Most of it is derived from 2 cross country trips Jack Kerouac(Sal Paradise) and Neal Cassady(Dean Moriarty) actually took and the experiences they encountered. The book is frenetic, yet highly introspective. It had to be a massive challenge to turn it into a movie.

So there's the published version from the '50s and then there's the "original scroll" (slightly edited version finally published in 2007)

Have you read both?

I'm half way through the original scroll... and frenetic is a very apt description.

The first draft of what was to become the published novel was written in three weeks in April 1951 while Kerouac lived with Joan Haverty, his second wife, at 454 West 20th Street in Manhattan, New York.

The manuscript was typed on what he called "the scroll": a continuous, one hundred and twenty-foot scroll of tracing paper sheets that he cut to size and taped together. The roll was typed single-spaced, without margins or paragraph breaks.

In the following years, Kerouac continued to revise this manuscript, deleting some sections (including some sexual depictions deemed pornographic in the 1950s) and adding smaller literary passages. Kerouac authored a number of inserts intended for On the Road between 1951 and 1952, before eventually omitting them from the manuscript and using them to form the basis of another work, Visions of Cody.

On the Road was championed within Viking Press by Malcolm Cowley and was published by Viking in 1957, based on revisions of the 1951 manuscript. Besides differences in formatting, the published novel was shorter than the original scroll manuscript and used pseudonyms for all of the major characters.




The original "scroll" of "On The Road" still exists. It was bought in 2001 by Jim Irsay (Indianapolis Colts football team owner) for 2.43 million US dollars. It is available for public viewing, with the first 30 feet (9 m) unrolled. Between 2004 and 2005, the scroll was displayed in a number of museums and libraries in the US, Ireland, and the UK.

[talisman]

No, I haven't, but I plan to. The biggest thing that annoyed me about the edited version was all the changes he was forced to make to people's real names. From my understanding, the scroll has the original names, right?

[Strychnine]

the scroll has the original names, right?

Yes. Cassady, Ginsberg, etc.

[talisman]

Coming out on Friday. Looks like they've also finished making Big Sur, and it will be released next year, though unfortunately with a different cast.

[YALE]

I kind of dread watching this movie, but only because I want to bludgeon Kristen Stewart with something heavy, until she's less brain dead.

[talisman]

Not a single theater in dfw showing this. Wtf, I'm pissed.

[talisman]

You can rent it on amazon now, watched it last night. It was a decent effort, but if you haven't read the book you're probably going to be bored with it. Definitely got the feel of the road right, but as I figured a lot of the narrative doesn't translate well to the screen. Lots of incredible driving shots. Makes me want to hop in my car and start driving. Overall I give it a B-. Kristen Stewart was a dirty little slut as Mary Lou.

[Scott Mc]

Video no workie

[talisman]

Out on bluray. Here is the vid again since the first stopped working.