I'm reading the Bible, Numbers, Chapter 27, and I want to know if Zelophehad, the irresponsible father who orphaned his daughters, was the inspiration for Douglas Adams' character Zaphod Beeblebrox? In a way Trillian is orphaned by the destruction of her planet, and Zaphod signed the order for it's destruction without reading it, and her worries aren't taken too seriously by Zaphod either.
Also, there aren't a lot of names I'm aware of that begin Z and have "ph" in the middle.
This is such a stupid idea but I support it anyway.
Actually if Zaphod were real I'm sure he'd support your theory.
>This is such a stupid idea
but why?
>but I support it anyway.
Thank you! 🙂 but why?
Also, when I was looking for good images to use for OP I found the wiki for what appears to be some fanfiction podcast that mixes Hitchhiker's with Rick and Morty and Gravity Falls.
https://the-mystery-kids.fandom.com/wiki/Zaphod_Beeblebrox
>but why?
Because the parallels between Zaphod and Zelophehad are so faint as to be meaningless. Also, the Hitchhiker's books are full of funny-sounding but more or less nonsensical names.
>Thank you! 🙂 but why?
Because I appreciate its audacity.
That movie was such a missed opportunity all 'round.
>That movie was such a missed opportunity all 'round.
Please elaborate on that. The movie was my introduction to the franchise, and while I know the ending "The restaurant is on the OTHER end of the universe" actually contradicts established canon, I still find the movie to be my favorite piece of Hitchhiker related media.
This is after reading all 5 book multiple times and listening to the Primary and Secondary phase of the radio show, as well as the entire BBC miniseries.
By the time I would have had access to the extended Radio Scripts (they used to be impossible to pirate), my mad passion wasn't as rabid anymore, but still.
I listened to the radio series on tape (many many MANY times; I was a fiend for vintage radio as a kid), then came the books, then the BBC series, then the movie. I remember my parents banning me from listening to the radio program after a while because they thought it was making me too sarcastic and irreverent.
Here's what I dislike about the movie:
>The incessant "funny" music that insists on itself
>Zaphod Beeblebrox's second head being hidden
>Meaningless winking references to other Hitchhiker's works
>The retooled feel-good ending
The tone of the movie disagreed with me. It was too zany and desperate to amuse, whereas the book and the radio series, whatever their goofiness, also had a sense self-assurance. The earlier Hitchhiker's works had a certain literate tone. They appealed more to people interested in science, technology, and philosophy than to people who just want to see goofy hijinks. The film can't give us a low-key moment that isn't interrupted immediately by someone running into a wall or something equally buffoonish.
I will say that I liked a lot of the design. The Vogons looked great and the design of the Starship Heart of Gold was imaginative and memorable.
To be honest, I find it hard to imagine anyone reading the books and listening to the radio series and still thinking the movie is the peak, but I won't hold it against you.
>To be honest, I find it hard to imagine anyone reading the books and listening to the radio series and still thinking the movie is the peak, but I won't hold it against you.
For whatever it's worth my favorite Douglas Adams works are Salmon of Doubt, which is a literal blog compilation that can be read very lazily at one's leisure, with even less demands (not that they were ever great demands) upon my attention, and So Long and Thanks for All the Fish which takes place entirely on Earth, and is therefore the most subdued of the science-fiction series.
>>The incessant "funny" music that insists on itself
What does it really mean when people say something "insists upon itself?"
As a 12 year old, I memorized every line of "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish," which oddly in the MOVIE CAPTIONS outlines one lyric as "If we had just one wish, we would all have LEARNT to sing." but which the Sing-A-Long DVD feature outlines as "If we had just one wish, we would all have LUNGS to sing." though with the voice it's slightly hard to make out, IIRC. and I also remember humming themes like the glorious orchestral anthem that plays when they're on Planet Vogesphere, that replays in the end credits after the jazzy accapella rendition of "So Long and Thanks For All the Fish".
I remember after reading the book a few times, watching the film up to the END of the end credits, where they actually mention and demonstrate the two warlike species who were mutually provoked by a timetravelling sentence of Arthur Dent that fought over many generations only to foiled by a small puppy dog on the planet earth, and it was so cool to see extra content from a movie I thought I knew everything about already.
Beeblebrox's second head being hidden
Though it contradicts the books, I thought it was very interesting at my young age. I can't remember a single time in the franchise when him having two heads ever added to the plot/story/character. When I read the books, I usually forget that he has two heads.
FUN FACT: The film makers originally wanted Jim Carrey for the role but couldn't afford him. Source: Sam Rockwell's mouth in the DVD. Honestly I think Jim Carrey would have made it a worse movie. What think you?
winking references to other Hitchhiker's works
The last time I saw the film was 3 years ago, and the second to last time I saw it was probably a decade ago. Could you please refresh my memory?
>>The retooled feel-good ending
I like feeling good. I won't apologize for that.
Also, the inane cartoon that Deep Thought is watching on the TV, can actually be seen DIRECTLY on the DVD, though there is no direct option to watch it, there is an option called "Improbability Drive" which will take you to a random scene of the film, or a random special feature. You need to hit "Improbability Drive" abunch of times and exit out of whatever random shit it throws at you, until by random chance it sends you into the inane cartoon Deep Thought is watching. I remember this taking way longer than I wanted, once I discovered it, but I'm pretty sure I discovered it by accident.
>What does it really mean when people say something "insists upon itself?"
Well, look at this scene for instance: https://youtu.be/P5MzPRa47ck?si=borg2MfAKOtsv6rO
About 15 seconds in, this music starts (and doesn't stop) that communicates "ha ha funny, it's funny, look how quirky it is, ha ha funny funny." It insists on the funniness of the scene and it seems to communicate an insecurity about how funny the scene is without the music added on to prompt the audience. (I haven't seen this movie since 2005 and, holy moly, it's nearly unbelievable how overbaked and unfunny Sam Rockwell's performance is in this scene.)
>Though it contradicts the books, I thought it was very interesting at my young age. I can't remember a single time in the franchise when him having two heads ever added to the plot/story/character. When I read the books, I usually forget that he has two heads.
I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that Zaphod's second head being hidden most of the time was an element come up with by Douglas Adams in the '80s or '90s to accommodate the limitations of the visual effects of the time. Zaphod having two heads and three arms is almost the nonnegotiable thing about the character's appearance; I don't see how it makes sense to hide the second head if you have the ability to do it convincingly with effects. All that said, of course it doesn't itself ruin the movie; it's just one questionable creative decision among many.
>Honestly I think Jim Carrey would have made it a worse movie. What think you?
I agree.
>The last time I saw the film was 3 years ago, and the second to last time I saw it was probably a decade ago. Could you please refresh my memory?
The two I remember are 1) there's some reference to Ford being named "Ix" when he first arrives on the Heart of Gold and 2) the BBC miniseries Marvin shows up during one of the Vogsphere scenes. I thought these little references distracted from the narrative and added nothing other than an opportunity for legacy fans to say, "Hey, I know what that is!"
I'm 34. I listened to a lot of tapes when I was a kid because my local library had tapes you could check out.
When I was a kid, the big two were Suspense and The Shadow. There were a few episodes of Suspense that freaked me out so badly I spent the night lying awake in a cold sweat after listening to them. I got back into classic radio a few years ago after discovering that pretty much every classic radio show imaginable is up on Spotify. Since then, I've also become a big fan of Inner Sanctum, X Minus One, and Lights Out. They're extremely comfy, especially if you don't mind the ads.
>Well, look at this scene for instance: https://youtu.be/P5MzPRa47ck?si=borg2MfAKOtsv6rO
>
>About 15 seconds in, this music starts (and doesn't stop)
unless the "?si=" was timestamp information and you meant 15 seconds after a timestamp that's not working on my machine, should I assume you meant about 24 seconds when he says "Hitchhikers? Why'd you pick up Hitchhikers?" I'm not trying to be pendantic. I'm trying not to be stupid.
> that communicates "ha ha funny, it's funny, look how quirky it is, ha ha funny funny." It insists on the funniness of the scene and it seems to communicate an insecurity about how funny the scene is without the music added on to prompt the audience.
I suppose if you think about it, the scene is mostly just exposition, that's not inherently gratuitous but necessary to advance the movie. Yes, it's probably a little worse without the music, but it's so subtle, I had to play this youtube clip twice to notice, unless you're talking about the more obvious theme that starts when Marvin goes down the elevator.
>(I haven't seen this movie since 2005 and, holy moly, it's nearly unbelievable how overbaked and unfunny Sam Rockwell's performance is in this scene.)
I quite liked his performance. I made a longwinded thread either here or IQfy a few years ago, last time I watched it, comparing Zaphod to the public portrayals of Bush or Trump (who wouldn't have been relevant quite yet, unless he had some MORE early presidential runs I don't know about, in the 1980's or whenever Douglas Adams was writing the radio scripts, but fits a lot better than Bush IMO), and I found out a few hours ago, Sam Rockwell also did a Bush impersonation, so that kind of fits.
>should I assume you meant about 24 seconds
Actually that's right, my error.
>it's so subtle, I had to play this youtube clip twice to notice, unless you're talking about
I think you and I just have a different sensitivity to obnoxious comedy music.
I agree that Sam Rockwell's Zaphod is Bush-esque, but not in a good way. His accent is over-the-top and sounds manufactured; it's not pleasant to hear. It's the sort of put-on accent you'd expect in a three-minute comedy sketch. Radio Zaphod was kind of an outer-space hepcat; I'm not really sure what this Zaphod is supposed to be, other than vaguely and meaninglessly Bush-like. The only way I can find to read it is "Zaphod = stupid president; Bush = stupid president; Zaphod = Bush." It's a waste of a good character and a good actor.
The film just tries too hard all 'round. Even the BBC series with its nonexistent budget showed more self-assurance. It owned the fact that its Zaphod's second head was obviously an inert rubber prop. It wasn't constantly reaching out to the audience for approval of its funniness.
>I think you and I just have a different sensitivity to obnoxious comedy music.
Are you british? What are other books and movies you like?
What are other examples of interesting opinions you may have on music sensitivity. (not being a smug prick. I'm genuinely interested to hear what you may notice, about any other films, that would have slipped under my radar.)
To add context to my sensitivity to noticing things. I'm currently reading Dune partly in a likely to fail rush to complete the 2nd act before the movie leaves IMAX, but also spliting time with stone age literature, like Gligamesh, The Greeks, The Old Testament (hence the OP. I finished Numbers on the toilet about an hour ago), and part of the experience of reading stoneage lit, made me feel like Dune was comparable to a Japanese light novel, and merely simple and okay at first (the transition from Act 1 to Act 2 had some pretty rapt attention for me, though), but the really real point I want to drive about how bad my attention span can be, is that back when Dune Part 1 was in theaters, and I was attempting to read Dune, I was intimidated by it, and thought it was too complicated for me, and managed to read it very VERY badly all the way to the end of Act 1 while retaining little.
I remember one of the earlier chapters with Lady Jessica and the Duke Leto, I was overwhelmed by all the unique character names and I misunderstood a scene where they were talking to eachother as being Duke Leto some honry far off cousin aristocrat who was more fond of Lady Jessica than she was of him, and she was only polite to Duke Leto because she had to be for political reasons, though found him a nuisance.
However, this year, coupled with stone age lit, my book brain felt like it was reading 95% of that first act for the very first time, though my ebook still had bookmarks here and there that I DO remember placing such as the addiction to Arrakis' spice.
Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunity to write you a proper reply right now, and I fear the thread might have slid down to page 11 by the time I get back to the computer, so I'm just going to wish you well and leave a list of some of my favorite books and movies:
Books:
>The Neverending Story, Michael Ende
>Silence, Shusaku Endo
>The Butcher Boy, Patrick McCabe
>The Piazza Tales, Herman Melville
>Nine Stories, J.D. Salinger
Movies:
>The Apartment
>Blue Velvet
>Fanny and Alexander
>Heavenly Creatures
>Phantom Thread
>Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunity to write you a proper reply right now, and I fear the thread might have slid down to page 11 by the time I get back to the computer, so I'm just going to wish you well and leave a list of some of my favorite books and movies:
Nah, unoccupied IQfy threads should last a day or so, especially since it's not Friday yet. Otherwise, I'll repost, so just look for a similar thread tomorrow, or sometime.
>I listened to the radio series on tape (many many MANY times; I was a fiend for vintage radio as a kid),
Also, I'm 30. Is it fair to guess you're 40 or 50?
>I was a fiend for vintage radio as a kid
What other vintage radio were you into?
Yeah I loved the movie as a kid. Amazing movie. At school I happened to mention it to a teacher who was filling in (well he was an administrator and filling in for a teacher) when he asked us what our favorite movies were and it turned out he had the box set collection of the 5 books. And that's how I got to read them.
I loved the main theme. Hummed it all the time for ages. And of course, So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.
Man this came out in 2005? That long ago huh. I guess I would have watched it for the first time a little while after it was out on DVD in 2006 or 7 then.
I should rewatch it and reread it. I haven't done so in about 15 years. Well probably less than that, I remember watching it when it would come on the TV at least once in the early 2010s. I still remember it quite vividly though. I even remember many parts of the books vividly to now that's im reminiscing.
>science-fiction setting
>We know the character is a space alien because he has an extra head and arm
OH MY GOD, HOW IMAGINATIVE!
You're clearly not a hoopy frood anon.