On The Road - Official Trailer 2012

[bathroommonkey76]

Last edited Sat Mar 10, 2012, 07:26 PM - Edit history (1)

This is for all of the Kerouac and Beat Generation fans.

I'm really looking forward to this movie. Walter Salles looks like he has made another masterpiece. (fingers crossed)

[fishwax]

1. it's weird how they changed the opening line of the book

I'm not one who gets terribly hung up on details being changed in adaptations--movies and books are different formats, and being strictly faithful to the source material isn't necessarily going to be the ideal choice for the new work. If details are changed to good effect, or in such a way that they bring enough advantage to account for what might be lost, that's fine.

Still, it seems odd to change the opening line as they do. I can't see the purpose of it. Maybe it will become clear in the film (or maybe that particular narration is strictly for the trailer and won't be used in the film), but I can't see it yet. The opening line is "I first met Dean not long after my wife and I split up." I'm not sure why they're changing that to "my father died."

They also hacked up one of the more famous quotes from the book, about "the mad ones."

Still, I'll give it a chance when it actually comes out ...

[bathroommonkey76]

2. A two hour movie isn't going to fit in a 1:45 trailer.

I recall watching this interview with Jose' Rivera (screenwriter for On the Road) a few months ago. He touches on the process for adapting 'On the Road' to the silver screen.

[fishwax]

3. well yeah, obviously

But it wouldn't have been a significantly longer trailer if they'd kept the opening line "after my wife and I split up" instead of "after my father died." So, as I said, I'm curious why they changed it, because it doesn't yet seem to me to serve a purpose. (And, as I said, maybe the voiceover was specific to the trailer, and they won't use the same lines in the actual film.)

[bathroommonkey76]

4. Remember that Kerouac revised the book

numerous times before he settled on the final version. Could the opening line have been one that was left out of the original?

My response wasn't directed at that quote. I was speaking of the "mad ones" line.

[fishwax]

5. you're right -- the original scroll version was different from the published book

The opening line of the scroll matches the trailer. I wonder why they went with that opening. Kerouac was right to change the line, imo--the original published version works better for the book. It may well be that the change from the published version works better for the film. I just find it curious.

"My response wasn't directed at that quote. I was speaking of the "mad ones" line. "

The original quote still could have easily fit in a 1:45 trailer. Incidentally, that quote in the trailer also is closer to the scroll than to the published original (though still not complete).

[bathroommonkey76]

6. They probably used the line b/c the movie is based in

real time/as the book is being written. Kerouac's last revision (that was published) was done years later.

People think that the book and their travels were based on the 50s; they actually made these journeys in the late 40s. If you have read Town and the City's then you know its ending is actually a nice companion with OTR's beginning--Both are part of the "Duluoz Legend".

The "mad ones" quote in the original scroll is also different. Personally, I am happy that they didn't use the entire quote it for the trailer.