Chocolate (reprise) - Roald Dahl to JG Ballard by way of George Orwell

[kneeshooter]

I've remembered the other things I thought of during Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The first was "mmm, I could really murder a Mars Bar right now" - which should have been predicted - but the fact it wasn't meant that I did not have one to hand, so got over it before breaking the massive two weeks of chocolate denial.

The second was a reminder of reading 1984. I found the most moving part of the book was Winston telling of how he'd stolen his little sister's chocolate ration. It made me feel physically ill at the time and I don't think I raided the cupboards for illicit treats for days. I don't often get reactions like that from books though - the only thing similar I can recall was reading Crash by JG Ballard. I really didn't like it - not in the sense that I didn't want to read the book because it was dull or badly written (that happens very rarely), but that I found some of the imagery quite vivd and disturbing. Anyone seen the film and care to comment on whether it's worth a look?

Enough wibblings. There's a danger I'm getting back into this LJ habit.

Comments

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

The film of Crash is basically just Odd - it's more like an arthouse porn film than anything else, which isn't surprising given the book, but the actual sex (rather than just conceptual sex) seems to be more, erm, in-your-face in the film than it does in the book. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. I found the film far less disturbing than the book, but I doubt I could explain why, and I loved both in any case. Elias Koteas is mesmerising as Vaughn.

Without knowing precisely why you found the book disturbing, hard to say what you'd think of the film, though.

E.
x

[kneeshooter]

Thanks - I think that's a good enough review to try and catch it somehow.

[wulfboy.livejournal.com]

The only book I can think of that has ever given me a physical reaction - as opposed to an emotional one - was American Psycho. I never finished it, but just became nauseated.

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

Saw Crash several years ao, don't remeber much about it except that it was odd and cold.