I read the book "Into The Wild" not long after it came out, and just saw the film the other day. No matter what you think of Chris McCandless and what happened to him, most observers would probably admit the story is fascinating. Both the book and film are artfully done, and the film in particular was especially beautiful to behold. It's a wonder McCandless didn't die sooner than he did with the risks he took, but nonetheless I admire his total commitment to adventure, and to freedom from material possessions. His story and the choices he made are a poignant starting point for debate on so many issues of our time...
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5 comments:
I've been delaying watching and reading this for a long time, maybe because its something many of us would like to do and he shattered that dream in several ways...
I hear you. I think those who are interested can take away the best aspects of what he did and leave most of the danger and suffering behind (and still have similar adventures and explorations). Unfortunately for him, there was an undercurrent to his thinking which had to do with running away from emotional problems. That holds no appeal for me...
Not going to express my opinion of Chris, but it's definitely not one of admiration. I stay true to the motto I was taught many years ago as a Boy Scout, "be prepared". That said it is an intriguing story and an excellent film. I think Sean Penn did a wonderful job. Rumor had it they filmed a part of it in Astoria. But I did not see any parts of the movie I thought were from there.
I didn't have any love for Chris at the end of the story. He was selfish and disrespectful. I haven’t seen the movie because I don't want to see his story romanticized further. This may be a tangent but it's sort of how I feel about the popularization of Che Guevara. Sure he was smart and a great writer, but he also ruthlessly killed anyone, regardless of gender or age, who stood in the way of the “revolution.” Self serving men don't impress me although they due tend to get their names in the history books.
I hear ya, dub - I was a boy scout, too. I would never have gotten into his predicament, even when I was younger and dumber.
Ras - that's popular culture for you. Everything gets over-romanticized. I still enjoy the best of pop culture, though - but always remain wary of the b.s. and propaganda...
You should see the film, though - I agree he was selfish and disrespectful but Penn's script puts a large part of the blame for that behavior on his parents, who were pretty selfish and disrespectful themselves (amazingly they supported and contributed to the film - maybe they saw the error of their ways?).
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