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So many months ago I picked up a screenplay that Harlan Ellison had written for "I robot". However it wasn't until prompted by huge levels of disgust at seeing the Will Smith travesty trailers that I decided that it was time to pick it up and read it.
Ellison worked closely with Asimov and produced a screenplay that they both loved but due to the complexity, (read assholes) of the hollywood movie business the movie never got made. It did however get published in Asimov's magazine, and later in book form. It was a really good adaptation, all the robots were there, Robbie, Speedy, Herbie and of course Lenny. It was kind of a mystery told in little flashbacks, (several of the stories from I robot) centering around the history of robots and of course the life of Dr. Calvin. There were a few flaws in it, (a lot of gratuitous nudity, but hey it was written in the late 70's) but for the most part it was a wonderful and touching story. All about the hope of humanity. Asking the question, "are people basically good?". A robot thought that we were and tried to save us, and then gave us back our freedom was the final lesson of the movie. It was a little cheesy but also thoughtful and inspiring and good. Everything I think Asimov wanted from his robots. To teach us more about ourselves.
Early in the book, there are anti-robot riots on earth, where people torture and kill the robots. Led by a religious frenzy that they are an affront to God, and abomination that must be destroyed before it destroys us. People who cannot understand the three laws, and succeed in banning robots from earth, and are shown to be backwards and wrong. Now from what I've seen of the trailers of the Will Smith movie that bears the same name. They've simply gone with the idea that these people were right, and the robots are bad, and their is a big conspiracy and we are right to live in hate and fear of that which is different. Having seen Michael Moore's movie, and living in this country for the past few years, somehow this doesn't surprise me. That they took the fear and made the opposite movie to what it was supposed to have been. Instead of hope and further understanding of our humanity by looking at the alien and different, we are given more hatred and fear. It pisses me off, and makes me glad Issac Asimov is not around to see it. And makes me really wonder what Harlan Ellison has to say about it all.
So I guess the answer to Susan Calvin's question is, "not if they work for hollywood".
Ellison worked closely with Asimov and produced a screenplay that they both loved but due to the complexity, (read assholes) of the hollywood movie business the movie never got made. It did however get published in Asimov's magazine, and later in book form. It was a really good adaptation, all the robots were there, Robbie, Speedy, Herbie and of course Lenny. It was kind of a mystery told in little flashbacks, (several of the stories from I robot) centering around the history of robots and of course the life of Dr. Calvin. There were a few flaws in it, (a lot of gratuitous nudity, but hey it was written in the late 70's) but for the most part it was a wonderful and touching story. All about the hope of humanity. Asking the question, "are people basically good?". A robot thought that we were and tried to save us, and then gave us back our freedom was the final lesson of the movie. It was a little cheesy but also thoughtful and inspiring and good. Everything I think Asimov wanted from his robots. To teach us more about ourselves.
Early in the book, there are anti-robot riots on earth, where people torture and kill the robots. Led by a religious frenzy that they are an affront to God, and abomination that must be destroyed before it destroys us. People who cannot understand the three laws, and succeed in banning robots from earth, and are shown to be backwards and wrong. Now from what I've seen of the trailers of the Will Smith movie that bears the same name. They've simply gone with the idea that these people were right, and the robots are bad, and their is a big conspiracy and we are right to live in hate and fear of that which is different. Having seen Michael Moore's movie, and living in this country for the past few years, somehow this doesn't surprise me. That they took the fear and made the opposite movie to what it was supposed to have been. Instead of hope and further understanding of our humanity by looking at the alien and different, we are given more hatred and fear. It pisses me off, and makes me glad Issac Asimov is not around to see it. And makes me really wonder what Harlan Ellison has to say about it all.
So I guess the answer to Susan Calvin's question is, "not if they work for hollywood".