Re: Drafts of letters?
PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:21 pm
I know I should have EDITed the previous post to include this, but I didn't want to make the message too long. I took your advice and erased the section about the "director's cut," focusing exclusively on the fate of the sequels. Still a bit of editing to be done -- needs a little trimming to bring it down to 1 page, and it's a tad more confrontational than the first letter, and I still don't know WHO to send it to -- but judging by your comments it's a step in the right direction.
Version 2.1 - January 13 2007
----------------------------------------
To Mr. ***** of New Line Cinema.
My name is ***** and I am co-founder of the students' film society at ***** University.
Despite impressive earnings abroad, New Line's film The Golden Compass has nevertheless under-performed domestically. Many in the fan community are troubled by the possibility that your company may choose to forgo the sequels to the His Dark Materials film series altogether. Yet the Golden Compass has, beyond a doubt, assembled the most impressive cast and crew of any major motion picture since The Return of the King. As observed in many critical circles, The Golden Compass is a "superb" fantasy epic hampered by creative limitations to its initial script and hurt by changes made to its final cut. An excellent film nonetheless, but one with gaps in its artistic freedom. Fortunately, the majority of critics have observed the potential in this series (more optimism than they've shown previously to the first Harry Potter or Narnia instalments) and they've expressed a "burning desire" to see the sequels. Far from abandoning the series, New Line has every reason to invest in The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
Each of the His Dark Materials novels has the potential to be translated into "the perfect film": at once exquisite, passionate, and widely appealing. Readers have long held the belief that a His Dark Materials movie franchise could have rivalled New Line's own remarkable The Lord of the Rings movie franchise -- if not surpass it -- simply owing to the richness of the book's universe. There is evidence to suggest that The Golden Compass could in fact have been that successful, if only its filmmaker had been given more creative autonomy over the project. Interviews with Chris Weitz have clearly demonstrated his devotion to making the best film he possibly can, and according to journalists, his original script came close. Judging by the apparently high quality of his original script, it is the belief of many in the fan community that director Chris Weitz could have made a film good enough to surpass the Narnia and Harry Potter films. The overwhelming majority of critics have attributed The Golden Compass's flaws ultimately to its extremely short running time and "the lack of an ending" (the result of many cuts in post-production), both of which diminished character development and left several plotlines unfinished. These same critics however also give praise to "individual scenes" adapted by Chris Weitz, and there is the frequent observation that a "great" motion picture is lying just beneath the surface of The Golden Compass, constantly trying rise above the "rushed" editing. In light of this, we in the fan community humbly encourage New Line Cinema to invest in The Subtle Knife and to give final cut to its filmmaker. The greatest argument I can make is that New Line Cinema has everything possible to gain from this enterprise.
The His Dark Materials novels have earned unprecedented international acclaim (considered to be "smarter" than The Lord of the Rings books and more "responsible" than Narnia), and a more earnest & faithful adaptation of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass can achieve equal success with both critics and the movie-going public. Weitz's original (i.e. more faithful) vision for the His Dark Materials film series should be nurtured, for it can still lead to a highly successful & award-winning film trilogy. Efforts to make a "children-friendly" film (e.g. the happier ending) turned out to be a mistake in the end, so another strategy must be considered. The next film should be magnificent, and The Subtle Knife needs to be taken in that direction at once: it deserves to be more mature in its presentation (for a smarter target audience); more daring in its depictions of violence and human tragedy; deeper in its intellectual intrigue; and a more generous running-time to give justice to an important & satisfying story. This franchise can easily flourish as long as New Line takes the investment seriously and focuses on His Dark Materials' unique strengths: its passionate characters, and its astonishing intelligence. These are qualities that are seriously lacking in the other fantasy franchises, and that is precisely why you must continue to capitalize on the His Dark Materials franchise -- simply put, because you can offer something valuable that Narnia and Harry Potter cannot. Your company gave Peter Jackson incredible creative independence, and his' turned out to be the greatest success story in the history of motion picture. For all these reasons, I humbly ask that New Line Cinema put more faith in The Subtle Knife by granting its director (& screenplay) greater artistic autonomy.
This decade has proven the undeniable appeal of serious fantasy filmmaking and its exciting potential for acclaim, popularity, and profitability. The honourable executives of New Line Cinema should be aware that you own the rights to -- potentially -- the most important book franchise of the modern world. The most tactful decision you can make is to finance the sequels and to do everything possible to guarantee their success as "serious" sci-fi fantasy. It is the hope of the fan community that New Line Cinema will soon own the two most successful film franchises of the century -- The Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials. That is still our hope.
Sincerely,
- *****
Version 2.1 - January 13 2007
----------------------------------------
To Mr. ***** of New Line Cinema.
My name is ***** and I am co-founder of the students' film society at ***** University.
Despite impressive earnings abroad, New Line's film The Golden Compass has nevertheless under-performed domestically. Many in the fan community are troubled by the possibility that your company may choose to forgo the sequels to the His Dark Materials film series altogether. Yet the Golden Compass has, beyond a doubt, assembled the most impressive cast and crew of any major motion picture since The Return of the King. As observed in many critical circles, The Golden Compass is a "superb" fantasy epic hampered by creative limitations to its initial script and hurt by changes made to its final cut. An excellent film nonetheless, but one with gaps in its artistic freedom. Fortunately, the majority of critics have observed the potential in this series (more optimism than they've shown previously to the first Harry Potter or Narnia instalments) and they've expressed a "burning desire" to see the sequels. Far from abandoning the series, New Line has every reason to invest in The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
Each of the His Dark Materials novels has the potential to be translated into "the perfect film": at once exquisite, passionate, and widely appealing. Readers have long held the belief that a His Dark Materials movie franchise could have rivalled New Line's own remarkable The Lord of the Rings movie franchise -- if not surpass it -- simply owing to the richness of the book's universe. There is evidence to suggest that The Golden Compass could in fact have been that successful, if only its filmmaker had been given more creative autonomy over the project. Interviews with Chris Weitz have clearly demonstrated his devotion to making the best film he possibly can, and according to journalists, his original script came close. Judging by the apparently high quality of his original script, it is the belief of many in the fan community that director Chris Weitz could have made a film good enough to surpass the Narnia and Harry Potter films. The overwhelming majority of critics have attributed The Golden Compass's flaws ultimately to its extremely short running time and "the lack of an ending" (the result of many cuts in post-production), both of which diminished character development and left several plotlines unfinished. These same critics however also give praise to "individual scenes" adapted by Chris Weitz, and there is the frequent observation that a "great" motion picture is lying just beneath the surface of The Golden Compass, constantly trying rise above the "rushed" editing. In light of this, we in the fan community humbly encourage New Line Cinema to invest in The Subtle Knife and to give final cut to its filmmaker. The greatest argument I can make is that New Line Cinema has everything possible to gain from this enterprise.
The His Dark Materials novels have earned unprecedented international acclaim (considered to be "smarter" than The Lord of the Rings books and more "responsible" than Narnia), and a more earnest & faithful adaptation of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass can achieve equal success with both critics and the movie-going public. Weitz's original (i.e. more faithful) vision for the His Dark Materials film series should be nurtured, for it can still lead to a highly successful & award-winning film trilogy. Efforts to make a "children-friendly" film (e.g. the happier ending) turned out to be a mistake in the end, so another strategy must be considered. The next film should be magnificent, and The Subtle Knife needs to be taken in that direction at once: it deserves to be more mature in its presentation (for a smarter target audience); more daring in its depictions of violence and human tragedy; deeper in its intellectual intrigue; and a more generous running-time to give justice to an important & satisfying story. This franchise can easily flourish as long as New Line takes the investment seriously and focuses on His Dark Materials' unique strengths: its passionate characters, and its astonishing intelligence. These are qualities that are seriously lacking in the other fantasy franchises, and that is precisely why you must continue to capitalize on the His Dark Materials franchise -- simply put, because you can offer something valuable that Narnia and Harry Potter cannot. Your company gave Peter Jackson incredible creative independence, and his' turned out to be the greatest success story in the history of motion picture. For all these reasons, I humbly ask that New Line Cinema put more faith in The Subtle Knife by granting its director (& screenplay) greater artistic autonomy.
This decade has proven the undeniable appeal of serious fantasy filmmaking and its exciting potential for acclaim, popularity, and profitability. The honourable executives of New Line Cinema should be aware that you own the rights to -- potentially -- the most important book franchise of the modern world. The most tactful decision you can make is to finance the sequels and to do everything possible to guarantee their success as "serious" sci-fi fantasy. It is the hope of the fan community that New Line Cinema will soon own the two most successful film franchises of the century -- The Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials. That is still our hope.
Sincerely,
- *****