H. G. Wells: Six Scientific Romances Adapted for Film [Hardcover]

Thomas C. Renzi (Author), H. G. Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1992

H.G. Wells was not simply a talented writer who knew how to tell an entertaining story; he was a visionary who used mythical concepts to tap the primal core of his enthralled readers. It is not surprising, then, that his work has had such an enormous impact on filmmakers. The frequent adaptations of his timeless stories, in whole or in part, show the extent to which screenwriters, producers, and directors have turned to him to find premises for their productions.

Author Thomas Renzi examines the major films adapted from H.G. Wells's most popular science fiction novels, among them The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The War of the Worlds. Renzi considers a Wells story for its plot and themes and then compares it with the film or films adapted from it, gauging the degree to which each film has captured the author's intent.

First published in 1992, this revised edition has been updated to include discussions of recent films, either direct adaptations such as The Time Machine (2002), or those that have borrowed liberally from the great author's canon, such as The Hollow Man (2000). By comparing Wells's original stories with the films adapted from them, Renzi provides a unique approach to the already extensive studies of this extraordinary author.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When movie characters travel through time, make themselves invisible, or grow unexpectedly huge, the plot can usually be traced back to Wells, who, as Renzi says, "formulated or touched on nearly all the major themes of 20th-century science fiction." In this study, Renzi focuses on six film versions of Wells's works, ranging from the classic The Invisible Man (1933) to the schlocky Food of the Gods (1976), to see how the screenwriters and directors handled the challenge of adapting a literary work to the screen. Renzi's dry writing style and a slight tendency to overanalyze small details will deter casual readers, but serious students of Wells, the film genre, or screenwriting in general will find useful information and intelligent commentary in this work. For academic and large public library collections.
- David C. Tucker, Brookhaven Lib., Atlanta
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Thomas C. Renzi's study of six of Wells's scientific romances adapted for film has now rightfully entered a second edition. 'Rightfully' because his first edition, published in 1992, never received the attention it deserved as a splendid study of filmic versions of Wells's science fiction - hopefully this cheaper paperback will be more widely read - and because since that first publication we have seen new film-versions of The Island of Dr Moreau (1996) and The Time Machine (2002)...In this book Renzi shows both a detailed understanding of Wells's work (and the latest criticism concerning it) and is clearly a skilled film critic and analyst. It is just such a scholar who should tackle Wells and the cinema and produce a work to enthuse viewers and readers to analyse Wells's works and the filmic interpretations made of them. (The Wellsian )

Before turning to the new material, I should point out that Renzi's first edition was a very good book, though perhaps it did not get the attention it deserved in sf circles. It was not reviewed in SFS, while a more recent book on the same subject, Don G. Smith's H.G. Wells on Film: The Utopian Nightmare (2002) does not even mention Renzi in the bibliography. Yet Renzi's book is superior to Smith's in almost every way. Renzi has detailed knowledge of Wells's fiction, an excellent eye for visual detail, and an engaging style. He also has a very clear idea of what makes a successful novel-to-film adaptation...Renzi's eye for detail and mastery of appropriate analytical tools are equally impressive when dealing with text or mise-en-scène....the new edition of his book is a further improvement on what was already one of the best books on Wells's scientific romances, one that offers Wellsians a good excuse to update their DVD collection, and one that would serve as an ideal textbook in college courses on novel-to-film adaptation. (Science Fiction Studies )

H.G. Wells sensed the hopes and fears of people newly-caught in the information age, and examined what they would likely do in a culture gone to cold, hard science. Renzi compares the themes of several stories by Wells to the films they inspired. He finds that the films introduced themes, narratives, and points of view that substantially altered or even contradicted those of Wells, indicating their makers' contentions that humans are bound to become snarled in their own science. He includes commentary on films based on The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon, and The Food of the Gods, and How It Came to Earth. Appendices include examinations of treatments of The Shape of Things to Come and The Man Who Could Work Miracles. (Reference and Research Book News ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 249 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Pr (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081082549X
• ISBN-13: 978-0810825499
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,078,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Someone once said that, even while many of us may think our lives are dull, every life, reviewed from beginning to end, can serve as the basis of an interesting novel. As I look back on my own range of experiences, I can't help but agree with that observation. As a boy, I was alway good in math and thought I would pursue a career in electrical engineering. Attending the University of Buffalo, however, I learned there were more dimensions to the field than geometric formulas and algebraic equations. I almost flunked out. Luckily, I was an enthusiastic musician, a drummer, and I slid over to the music program. Music took me on the road and then to Las Vegas where I played tennis by day and drummed in the casinos by night. In the meantime, I developed an avid interest in reading and writing and decided to return to UB to get a doctorate in English. I've taught writing, reading, film, and literature courses at Buffalo State College, first in the English department and then as Coordinator of Tutorial Services in the Academic Skills Center. I am enamored with film and have written a few books on film adaptation--CORNELL WOOLRICH FROM PULP NOIR TO FILM NOIR (McFarland, 2006), H.G. WELLS: SIX SCIENTIFIC ROMANCES ADAPTED FOR FILM (Scarecrow Press, 1992), and JULES VERNE ON FILM (McFarland, 1998), the last two reprinted in paperback in 2004. I've also written a series of technical books on drumming. I live in a suburb of Buffalo, completing a book on screwball comedy films, making some ambitious attempts at fiction writing, discouraging deer and rabbits from eating my shrubbery, and spending time with my beautiful wife Deborah and my remarkable son Matt.