A friend of mine used to have an old Irish proverb on his door: "Throw your cap over the wall." It really is kind of simple, clever. Once your cap is over you have no choice but to give climbing the wall a shot.I watched Neil Gaiman's Stardust this weekend. Claire Danes was charming, fresh as Yvaine. And Charlie Cox was notably nondescript as Tristan Thorn. The plot moved nicely; the FX was not intrusive. Goldman and Vaughn captured the whimsically titled cosmos of The Wall.
Most importantly, though, the movie reminded me gently and consistently of an old notion: all that separates us from heroism is the willingness to step across the threshold. Of course, the guardian will warn us and maybe even do a double back flip to cut us off from crossing, but he is really no match for simple determination. Campbell explains it; Malory, White, Melville, Lucas, and a host of others illustrate the truth of it.
Gaiman's works capture, remind, teach. Caps are there to be tossed; walls are there to be crossed; naivete is the source of heroism.
3 comments:
Read the book. If you can get the illustrated version, that is much preferred (The Charles Vess illustrations are gorgeous beyond belief). Other than De Niro as the captain, the book is sooo much better.
I enjoyed the novel, but have yet to orer the graphic novel.
It's not a graphic novel. It's an illustrated novel. It's the same book you have, but accompanied by gorgeous art.
Post a Comment