308 replies to this topic

[sithlord]

i was wondering if anyone has seen the movie and if it was good. did it show a accurate depiction of howard's life? i really want to see this film but haven't had the $$ to buy it. any reviews would be appreciated.

[CJH]

Coincidently, the Whole Wide World is coming out on DVD on July 29 and out of 59 reviews at Amazon.com the overall rating was a perfect five stars out of five possible stars!

http://www.amazon.co...&s=dvd&n=507846

[emerald]

The film is a realistic study of REH and his world, and probably more of a (frustrated) romance than anything else, if you really had to classify it.
But don't let that throw you.
Vincent D'Onofrio deals out a stunning performance as Howard, managing to both show how odd he might have appeared to his fellow Texicans and make him sympathetic, even admirable, at the same time.
The scenes showing him writing, or even his work being read, are fabulous. At one point Renee Zellweger steals up on him when he's in the middle of composing 'Teeth of Gwahlur' (I think...) and it's just wonderful.
And then there's the scene in which she asks him to tell her about Conan. And he does.
This sequence, in which D'Onofrio stands in front of a nighted cornfield, spotlighted in the headlamps of a Model T, is probably the coolest Conan moment put on film thus far. You see the author become his character. If you've got your headphones on you can hear his imaginary sword slide from it's imaginary sheath.
If the entire DVD was blank except for this scene, I'd still buy it.

[Crom]

emerald tells it like it is. That's one DVD that will definitely be in my collection.

[Kane]

emerald,

Thanks for the reveiw of the film. I've never seen it, my local vid stores do not carry it. Knowing that it will be released on DVD and your reveiw, have determined that it must be a part of my collection.

Thanks for the info.

[Isaacson]

Hi sithlord , and all .

... sithlord Wrote :

> i was wondering if anyone has seen the movie and if it was good. did it show a accurate depiction of howard's life? i really want to see this film but haven't had the $$ to buy it. any reviews would be appreciated.


- ( Not to detract from comments already made ) Sure , IMHO it's a good movie , and from what I hear it's well regarded by many Howard scholars .
What we've got to bear in mind though is that the movie is an adaptation of Novalyne Price-Ellis's book "One Who Walked Alone" ( First published by DM Grant USA 1986 , still available in it's Third printing 1998 ) , which in turn was written from her original memoirs ( diaries written at the time from her experiences and thoughts ) . The perspective is first-hand by somebody who actually spent time with Bob , but it's from her personal take on his life , actions , personality and time they shared ect .
There are a few scenes in the movie that are different to the book , or not mentioned in the book ( they may be Hollywood glitz added for effect , or actual reminiscences of NP-E that weren't mentioned before ? ) . But on the whole the movie is pretty much the same as One Who Walked Alone . I would highly recommend that interested parties seek out and read OWWA too .

The movie itself is an exceptional piece of cinematography . It was shot on an extremely small , tight budget , but thanks to the care and attention of the director and production team , it still manages to capture an aura of a slower-paced , rawer time in history . The hazy lights , wide panning shots and soft music are very different to today's general instant action approach , and can take some getting used to . But everytime I personally watch the film I am quickly lulled into the easy-going feel of the movie and soon embroiled within the the great plot , fine acting and well written script .
It's definitely a different kind of movie , but it's well worth seeing .


- The official Sony movie site can be found here ...

http://www.sonypictu.../www/index.html .


- A link to an essay , originally seen in the pages of REHups , written by Ed. Waterman ( Aquaman ) .
"One Who Wrote Alone" ( A Comprehensive collection of notes, quotes and excerpts on and about Robert E. Howard's writing from NP-E's book "One Who Walked Alone" ) ...

http://www.rehupa.co...erman_alone.htm .

( There's also a TWWW picture and sound gallery at the REHupa site ) .


- Ed. also have a good page concerning the movie ( together with associated links ) on his website ...

http://www.geocities...570/wwwreh.html .


- The Donald M Grant Site , from where you can order copies of NP-E's book ...

http://www.grantbook...lked_alone.html .



Cheers , Danny .

[Scottish Rogue??]

Hey Guys,

I just got back from "Robert E. Howard Days" in Cross Plains, Texas. Rusty Burke, Don Herron and Glenn Lord were all there. Anyhow...Michael Scott Myers was there too. He wrote the script for "The Whole Wide World" and was a close friend and student to Novalynn Price Ellis who is the girl who dated REH.

He's a real nice guy. He told me that the new DVD that is coming out in July is going to have a whole bunch of extras like interviews with Rene Zellenger and other stuff. Also it is not the same version as the VHS that is currently out. You guys are gonna love this. And for all of you who have not seen it, I believe it is the best independent film I have ever seen. And I'm not just saying that because it had to do with REH. It truly is a great movie and and for the most part, is accurate to Novalynn Price Ellis' book "The Man Who Walked Alone".

Cordially,
Scottish Rogue

[Isaacson]

Hi Scottish Rogue .

Thanks for letting us know more about the forth-comming DVD of TWWW .
I'm glad to hear that you had a great time at the recent CP REH days , and met several important faces in Howard fandom . From all accounts the celebrations this year were a great success . Hopefully Project-Pride managed to raise a fairly substantial and much needed sum of money for their worthy cause too .

Cheers , Danny .

[heartbreakkid19]

Whoa hold up there guys there is a ?Robert E. Howard Days? in cross-plains. Tell me more please where can I get info on this? Is it any good? When is it? Man I need to know these things please!!!

[Scottish Rogue??]

heartbreakkid19,

Details are in this PDF....this one was for this years past event.
http://www.geocities...rehdays2003.pdf

Also check out :
http://www.rehupa.com
http://www.crossplainslibrary.com/

These are also good sources. The people of Cross Plain are very nice and polite. Some of the fans that gather there are a little eccentric and rude...but for the most part, they are all pretty good. They had a dinner for $10 apeice with well known scholars of REH like Don Herron and Rusty Burke. Glenn Lord was also an honored guest. Some nice stuff went on auction after the dinner. Come on out an join us next year.

Cordially,
Scottish Rogue
--If it's not Scottish, It's Craapp!--

[Crom]

He's a real nice guy. He told me that the new DVD that is coming out in July is going to have a whole bunch of extras like interviews with Rene Zellenger and other stuff. Also it is not the same version as the VHS that is currently out. You guys are gonna love this. And for all of you who have not seen it, I believe it is the best independent film I have ever seen. And I'm not just saying that because it had to do with REH. It truly is a great movie and and for the most part, is accurate to Novalynn Price Ellis' book "The Man Who Walked Alone".

Cordially,
Scottish Rogue

Thanks for that info. I've only seen the regular version on The Movie Channel here in Canuckland. Based on you what you've told me I can hardly wait for this release. Do you know if it's going to be anamporphic, as opposed to widescreen, or (shudder) pan-and-scan?

[Scottish Rogue??]

Lord Durham,

I don't know...I'm not sure about that. The scriptwriter and I never spoke of what format it would be in. But since you asked me, I will ask Michael myself via e-mail and see what he says. Give me a few weeks to find out. He may not reply right away being he is busy in other projects.

Cordially,
Scottish Rogue

--If it ain't Scottish, It's Craapp!--

[Crom]

No problem. I checked my sources and found out it will be anamorphic... thank God...

[Bri]

the Whole Wide World is coming out on DVD on July 29

I'm surprised this isn't available in your area yet (USA?). I got my copy in May in Canada at a Future Shop.

Vincent D'Onofrio deals out a stunning performance as Howard

Absolutely. That scene, and the one he acts out at his typewriter, are my favourites. I agree with most of the comments here about the film. My wife really enjoyed it too, and she's no Conan or Howard fan. I'm picky about what I buy on DVD, but I'm very happy to have this in my collection.

-Bri

[aguaman]

- Ed. also have a good page concerning the movie ( together with associated links ) on his website ...

http://www.geocities...570/wwwreh.html .

The Barbarian Keep web site has moved into its own domain, so the URL address above is now incorrect. To get to the page, replace "www.geocities.com/SoHo/6570/" with "www.barbariankeep.com/".

The new URL for that page, then, is http://www.barbarian...com/wwwreh.html

Happy surfing!

Ed

[Dragon Girl]

I definitely want this movie in my collection. A good movie on a small budget--too bad Hollywood doesn't make more of those, instead of putting millions of dollars into special effects for movies that have nearly no plot.

[cimerians]

I also have the movie on VHS. I wait for the DVD version patiently.

Good film, even my wife liked it and she is not a conan\fantasy fan.

[Kane]

the new DVD was suppose to have been released on july 29th. however, after checking with several of the stores in my area nobody seems to have heared of this movie.
Has anyone out there seen it in stores?

[terryallenuk]

Someone on the Yahoo TWWW group has mentioned that they've got it .

Terry

[terryallenuk]

Just found out they pre-ordered from Amazon .

Terry