From: sal@yojimbo.hack.invalid   
      
   ...and it was *barely* like the film. I could go on in parenthetical   
   detail on how bad the film is, but if you're subscribed to this   
   newsgroup you ought know that already.   
      
   Here are the main differences:   
      
   FINGAL'S NAME: In the book, Fingal's first name is never mentioned. In   
   the film, it's arbitrarily set to "Aram".   
      
   FINGAL'S JOB: In the book, Fingal's job isn't described, but he's   
   apparently wealthy enough to afford the time off for a "doppel", as well   
   as his own choice of an animal. In the film, Fingal only has 47 credits   
   (or whatever that is in dollars) to his name.   
      
   FINGAL'S DOPPEL: In the book, Fingal gets a lioness. In the film, Fingal   
   can only afford a baboon. Furthermore, Fingal doesn't abort his doppel   
   in the book.   
      
   FINGAL'S BACKSTORY: In the book, Fingal is content at his job, and has   
   no need to see a "psychist". The film fabricates a crime of "viewing   
   cinemas" and forces him to see an old lady who has a terrible time at   
   remembering his name.   
      
   SCHOOLCHILDREN: There is no "'Children Of The Damned day' at the brain   
   institute" in the book. The book actually starts at this point; the film   
   takes artistic license with the story for everything before this scene.   
      
   MOM, MY NUTS: Fingal doesn't say this in the book, but it's funny to hear   
   in the film.   
      
   LOST BODY: In the book, Fingal is notified that his body has been lost   
   by the doppeling company (also unnamed in the book), and the company   
   offers to settle any lawsuit Fingal may bring upon them with a large   
   amount of cash. In the film, Appollonia notifies Fingal, and the big,   
   bad corporation tries to keep the mistake under wraps until the Pat   
   Benetar lookalike leaks the story to the press.   
      
   THE VIRTUAL WORLD: This is where the book *far exceeds* the film. In the   
   book, Fingal is sent multiple pamphlets in his virtual world that   
   explain what happened, how the problem is being solved, and what he   
   should do in the meantime. The book leaves the audience hanging.   
      
   THE VIRTUAL "CASABLANCA": ...is only mentioned in the film. This part of   
   the plot isn't in the book at all, and I say "Thank God". It turned a good   
   cypherpunk story into a bad romance film.   
      
   CUBE TIME: The book actually explains what this is: the "identicubes"   
   used for doppeling have a limited shelf life. Luckily, cube time has   
   nothing to do with virtual time in the computer. Time in the computer   
   passes much, much slower by than in the real world. (In the book, it's   
   explained that a year of virtual time is equal to six hours in the real   
   world.) The film makes up some tragic story about the computer sucking   
   in a person's identity.   
      
   FINGAL'S VIRTUAL LIFE: The book tells a story of how Fingal uses the   
   company screw-up to his advantage. He makes up a virtual library, and   
   an entire university course on computers is fed in from the computer to   
   his virtual world. Fingal takes a course, earns a degree (essentially for   
   free, since he can fabricate his own money), and comes back to the real   
   world prepared for getting a much better job. In the film, Fingal messes   
   up the real world's weather patterns, makes a fat guy fart Monopoly   
   cards, and spends his free time pretending to be Humphrey Bogart.   
      
   "I AM INTERFACED!": This ridiculous climax only exists in the film.   
      
   Thankfully, a few people at PBS actually read the short story. Here are   
   places that they actually *used* parts of the book, and where the actors   
   did very well:   
      
   APPOLLONIA'S INTERFACE: Appollonia can enter Fingal's virtual world at   
   will, and she does so as often as she can.   
      
   SYNTHO-SLEEP AND THE TECHNO-LOVE: The entire part of the film, from   
   where Fingal virtualizes a female co-worker coming onto him to where   
   Appollonia chides him for doing so, is directly from the book, though in   
   the book Appollonia is less angry and more disgusted.   
      
   A FEW MORE COMMANDMENTS: Once again, this part of the film is taken   
   verbatim from book.   
      
   SCRUBBING BUBBLES: When Fingal enters a part of the virtual world that   
   corresponds to a place in the real world that he is unfamiliar with, the   
   computer fills in that part with garbage, which looks like an old iTunes   
   visualizer in the film. (The book explains this better than the film,   
   but it's the same in both media.)   
      
   I only wish this short story were re-done by a much better film studio   
   and director nowadays, or at least turned into a nice graphic novel. I'm   
   sure John Varley would agree with me, too. To quote him:   
      
   	"It was filmed, starring Raul Julia, and shown on PBS. I don't think it   
   	was entirely successful..." -- John Varley, being entirely too accurate   
   	about this film.   
      
   --   
   Blah blah bleh...   
   GCS/CM d(-)@>-- s+:- !a C++$ UBL++++$ L+$ W+++$ w M++ Y++ b++   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)