I Robot the Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison I, Robot: the Illustrated Screenplay
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Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} I Robot The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay. Review by Paul Riddell 1st Publication: Warner, 1974 Illustrated by Mark Zug Based upon the "Robot" stories of Isaac Asimov. MAIN EVENTS HOME PAGE ELLISON NEWS LINKS OF INTEREST KICK NET PIRACY ONLINE WORKS PICTURE GALLERY BIBLIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHY RESOURCES/STORE VISITOR FORUMS RANTS SITE INFO AND MAP. Commentary. (Originally published in Tangent , Fall 1995) It sounds like a Monty Python record: this is the novelization of the screenplay of the book I, Robot . Isaac Asimov, wrote the original, Harlan Ellison wrote the screenplay for Warner Brothers nearly twenty years ago, and when one dumbass producer helped prove that Hollywood doesn't understand SF more complex than Star Wars , the screenplay came out as a book. The practice of publishing movie scripts in book form isn't new, but then, I, Robot: The Movie never saw release. More than any other example in recent memory, I,RTIS demonstrates why the fannish practice of ghost-casting unmade movies is so damn foolish. Since a fan of a particular book already has an idea of what the characters look like, it's folly: whenever I read Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero , I see the late Warren Oates as Deathwish Drang, but I also see Stephen Jay Gould as Vic Hunt in James Hogan's Inherit the Stars , and I can't expect anyone else to share those perceptions. Indeed, I was responsible for a small hoax in fandom several years ago, in which I proclaimed that a small movie company in Dallas was finishing a "Green Lantern" movie with Lyle Waggoner as Hal Jordan, Damon Wayans as John Stewart, and Vanilla Ice as Guy Gardner; the shrieks were long and loud, and would have had as much impact on a real production as the screams of the bacteria in a pimple when faced with a Stridex pad. No matter what happens, fans of a book will be disappointed by a movie adaptation. Since movies are such expensive projects (can you imagine spending $50 million on getting a book completed?), the investors and the studio feel compelled to put their two drachmas in, with horrendous results: look at Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire and Michael Keaton in Batman for a pair of sterling examples. Concepts that cost next to nothing when presented as a string of words on paper cost thousands and millions of dollars when special effects crews try to actualize them for the screen, and what if the idea itself needs a bit of "sprucing up" before it lends itself to a decent adaptation? Even when filming is completed, postproduction nightmares and the now-omnipresent preview screenings tend to mess with the mix: remember how the theatrical version of Dune became nothing more than FX shots and scenes with Sting? And let's not forget that the audience for literary SF isn't the same as the one for cinematic SF, because were Star Wars , Alien , and The Terminator (to name just three) to have appeared as novels in the first place, rather than ripoffs of novels and other screenplays, they would have been justly derided as formulaic garbage. In a way, it's much better that Harlan Ellison's screenplay never became a film: it's too good for Hollywood. While not a one-for-one adaptation of Asimov's stories, it manages to give the first-time reader an overview of Asimov's world without coming off like one of those blasted sharecropping novels based on a long-dead author's works, and it lets the imagination run free. Mark Zug's illustrations enhance the feel without getting in the way, leaving the reader with the opportunity to experience the world of Susan Calvin, Robert Bratenahl, and Lenny and Robbie the way it should: with that all-important sense of wonder. Besides, aren't you the sort who gets violent when forced to listen to a quartet of frat boys in the theatre who belch, try to feel up girls in front of them, and whine "This is so stupid" to any concept that requires more than three brain cells to comprehend? I thought you were. Go out and buy this book. ISBN 13: 9780446670623. With an Introduction by Harlan Ellison, explaining what happened to "I, Robot" and why it never reached the screen, this book features cover art and interior illustrations--both black-and-white sketches and 16 pages of full-color paintings--by fan favorite artist Mark Zug. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Harlan Ellison has written or edited 75 books, more than 1700 stories, essays, articles and newspaper columns, two dozen teleplays and a dozen movies. I Robot by Asimov, Ellison, easton. I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay (Collector's Edition) Ellison, Harlan; Asimov, Isaac. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good. Full-Leather. Condition: Very Good. Zug, Mark (illustrator). Limited Edition. limited edition, number 1,336 of 1,500 copies, flat signed by Ellison. some scuffs, scratches on gold gilt page edges. text is unmarked. binding crisp, tight. Signed by Author(s). I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay. Asimov, Isaac and Harlan Ellison. Published by The Easton Press., Norwalk., 1994. Used - Hardcover. Limited edition, #923 of 1500 copies. Signed by Ellison on the signature page. weight: 1.2 lb. Fine, blank Easton bookplate to pastedown. Illustrated by Mark Zug. 23.5x15.5 cm. [12], 271, [4] pp. Full black leather, raised bands, gilt and silver decorations, all edges gilt, silk endpapers, ribbon marker. I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay. Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Good. Leather Bound. Condition: Good. Signed. First Edition. Full leather boards. #1210 of 1500 first edition copies signed by Harlan Ellison. Light shelf wear on boards. Clean pages. A few scuffs on gilt page edges. Tulsa's largest used bookstore. Located on South Mingo Road since 1991. No- hassle return policy if not completely satisfied. I, Robot : The Illustrated Screenplay (Numbered, Signed Limited Edition) Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good. Leather. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Laidin Easton Book Plate never used. "This leather-bound Easton Press Limited Edition is personally signed by Harlan Ellison. Number 1,004 of 1,500.". Book. I, Robot - The Illustrated Screenplay. Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1994. Used - Hardcover Condition: Fine. Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Mark Zug (illustrator). This is one copy of a limited edition of 1500 Easton Press Leatherbound. Signed by Ellison on a special limitation page. The book is in Fine condition and without dust jacket as issued. Intros by both Ellison and Asimov. Many B&W and colour plates artwork by Mark Zug. Signed by Author(s). I Robot the Illustrated Screenplay (Easton Press Leatherbound) SIGNED Copy #424 of 1,500. Ellison, Harlan and Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1994. Used - Hardcover. Hardcover. Illustrated by Mark Zug (illustrator). Hardcover. 1994. Leatherbound. Easton Press publisher. 271 pages. Book is in FINE condition. Hubbed spine. All page edges in gilt. Bound in ribbon marker. Silk moire endpapers. SIGNED by Harlan Ellison. Copy #424 of 1,500. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 271 pages; Signed by Author. Easton Press, Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov I ROBOT: THE ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY Signed Limited Edition [Very Fine] Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov. Published by Easton Press, 1991. New - Hardcover Condition: New. Hardcover. Condition: New. Limited Edition. VERY FINE GUARANTEED. A wonderful bright clean copy free of any markings, writings, or stamps. Sharp corners that have not been bumped. Tight binding. Most likely an unread book. No bookplates attached or indication of any removed. The gilded page edges are free of any marks, scratches, or blemishes. Personally SIGNED by Harlan Ellison on a special limitation page. No. 293 of only 1,500 signed and numbered copies. A magnificent addition to your library, one of only 1,500 copies signed by the author. Easton Press. Norwalk, CT. 1994. SIGNED BY Harlan Ellison. "I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay". Harlan Ellison & Isaac Asimov Signed Limited Edition - Limited Collector's Edition. A great unique gift for yourself or for a loved one. A luxurious leather bound masterpiece by Easton Press. Beautifully illustrated and bound in full genuine leather. One of the most celebrated works of science fiction literature by a historical writer. A rare signed limited edition for the discerning collector. Illustrated by Mark Zug. 272 pages. #293 of only 1,500 signed and numbered copies. Contains all the classic Easton Press qualities: * Premium Leather * Silk Moire Endleaves * Distinctive Cover Design * Hubbed Spine, Accented in Real 22KT Gold * Satin Ribbon Page Marker * Gilded Page Edges * Long-lasting, High Quality Acid-neutral Paper * Smyth-sewn Pages for Strength and Durability * Beautiful Illustrations ABOUT Numerous attempts had been made to adapt Isaac Asimov's classic story-cycle, I, Robot, to the motion picture medium. All efforts failed. In 1977, producers approached multiple-award-winning author Harlan Ellison to take a crack at this impossible project. He accepted, and produced an astonishing screenplay that Asimov felt would be The first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made. That screenplay is presented here in book format. Signed by Author(s). Screenplay. ARL3: I, Robot The Illustrated Screenplay By Harlan Ellison & Mark Zug. I can’t believe it’s been two and a half years since I read Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot for the first time. After finishing that book and doing some reading, I came to understand that renowned sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison wrote a screenplay that took the pieces of Asimov’s anthology and put them together with more of a through story, but it never got made.