Fatherland vs Man In The High Castle

[cronus]

Much better cinematography but something missing, morality?....can't help but feel the folks who gave the world Iraq and Vietnam and Camp X-Ray maybe shouldn't be doing this?

[JimC]

Somewhat cryptic, scumps...

Phillip K. Dick?

[laklak]

I assume he's talking about the movie "Fatherland", starring Rutger Hauer, about the Nazi's winning WWII. From the novel by Robert Harris. It appears they've made P.K.Dick's "Man in the High Castle" into a TV series. Fatherland was quite good, but I haven't seen High Castle.

[laklak]

Just checked, Amazon is doing Man in the High Castle. I've got Amazon streaming TV, will have to take a gander at it.

[Brian Peacock]

Both books are fabulous, but I can't imagine TMITHC being anything but a disaster as a TV series.

[cronus]

You can see how far they've come with lighting, optics, camera angles and so forth by watching the free first one of TMITHC. Almost movie quality filmed on a TV series budget....

[Brian Peacock]

I don't doubt the book is technically enactable but I can't see its overt anti war sentiments being anything but moreish parodied. Will be more than happy to be proven wrong though.

[laklak]

The best work these days is done on TV. Game of Thrones, True Detective, Fargo, The Borgias, The Tudors, all are as good if not better than most cinematic movies.

[cronus]

Nice twist at the end of episode one. Not too many subplots happening at the same time that TV dizziness sets in. Not having read the book can't contrast the two...but good enough in itself. Especially liked the Japanese guy consulting his period I Ching what-not...very authentic looking...

[rachelbean]

Both books are fabulous, but I can't imagine TMITHC being anything but a disaster as a TV series.

TMITHC is one of my favourite books. I've only seen the pilot episode of the show but I have pretty high hopes so far. Only time will tell, starting the binge watching Friday

[Pappa]

I've read Fatherland, but not seen the TV show. I've seen The Man In The High Castle but not read the book.

Fatherland was a pretty good book from what I recall. The Man In The High Castle is fucking great. One of the best things I've seen in ages.

[Svartalf]

Funny, every time I read the Man in the High Castle, I like it less.
Fatherland was okay.

[Forty Two]

Much better cinematography but something missing, morality?....can't help but feel the folks who gave the world Iraq and Vietnam and Camp X-Ray maybe shouldn't be doing this?

A detention center like Guantanamo is not a uniquely American invention. Remember things like how the British imprisoned suspected terrorists without trial in Northern Ireland. They detained hundreds of "terrorists" without public charge, trial or conviction. That wasn't unusual, either, and the US really just caught up with the "civilized nations" on that issue, rather than broke new ground.

Moreover, Vietnam was a French colonial thing. The French invaded, controlled and colonized French Indochina from the mid-to-late 1800s on, and they were fighting a near constant war there for decades before the US involvement escalated. We simply took over from the French, after they decided to bail out after the humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu. France gave the world Vietnam, not the US. Granted, the US could well have left Vietnam to the Communists in the late 1950s and washed their hands of it. But, taking over an issue is not the same as "giving the world" the issue.

And, again, Iraq -- the Brits gave the world Iraq, when they arbitrarily carved it out of the dead carcass of the Ottoman Empire, without regard for the ethnic and local political boundaries recognized by the local population. They then continued to meddle in Iraq for the entirety of the 20th century.

But, what's the point here - you think it's hypocritical for some reason? TMITHC is about an alternative history where the US loses the war, and the Krauts and the Nips divide up the US. How does US involvement in Vietnam, Iraq and with Gitmo have anything to do with that?

[Animavore]

The British also gave the world the US.

[Forty Two]

The British also gave the world the US.

Good point.