Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:46:09 -0400
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re:  The Prestige
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

> nottenst at yahoo.com 10/8/2006 5:48:25 PM >>>
>--- Michael Walsh <MJW at press.jhu.edu> wrote:
>
>> Priest read an early draft of thescript and was
>> pleased with it.   It's
>> pretty difficult to film an entire nove land have
>> the film run a
>> reasonable length.
>
>I just finished reading it this morning.  It was
>excellent.  I read it a lot faster than I expected.
>I'm not sure whether I prefer this or The Space
>Machine (which was the first of his novels that I read
>- way back when).
>
>In terms of length, I think this novel might be easier
>to turn into a film as there is a lot of introspection
>and some events are seen from more than one point of
>view.  So, that should reduce the sheer number of
>scenes.  Based on Christopher Nolan's previous work I
>can see how he could be drawn to this story.
>
>> He did wonder how the film would begin.  Turns our
>> the script opens
>> with something entirely new, not in the novel, but
>> according to Priest it works.
>
>Sounds great.  I am looking forward to see how it will
>be filmed.

>From the latest Ansible <http://news.ansible.co.uk/a231.html>:

"Chris Priest found that the studio which filmed The Prestige has
become infected by the novel's theme of obsessive, demented secrecy. His
cautious commendation of the film (which they hadn't trusted him to see
-- he might give away the plot!) appeared in Empire alongside an
interview with director Christopher Nolan, who endeared himself by
urging fans not to read the book: `It spoils everything.' Even the usual
author perk of a film tie-in edition was vetoed in the USA. Though the
movie has a different ending, the studio folk don't want anyone reading
that 1995 novel for fear of ruining `their' surprise. (Gollancz,
however, acquired film artwork for a UK tie-in by dint of savage
persistence.) Ansible dares not reveal that the character `Rosebud' is
actually ...  "