You might have seen the film the Postman but have you read the book it was based on? I read it in hardcover 30 years ago and recently dipped back into it and while there are some differences from the film the stories aren’t too far removed in spirit, the strangeness is turned down a few notches in the film for the economy of story telling that is often forced on a film based on a novel.
It’s got a lot of great post-apocalyptic undercurrents going for it. We’ve got a community controlled by a computer (not in the film), rampant pollution and mutation (not in the film), rebuilding of civilization around symbols and ideals. It’s a tale of hope.
There’s great insight into the film from the author of the novel here:
http://www.davidbrin.com/postmanmovie.html
I think the a campaign set in the world (worlds) of the postman could make for a decent post apocalyptic RPG campaign and such a setting with a hint of hope can be rewarding. Ragtag survivors and communities struggling to get by in a world gone mad coming together in the name of hope despite the brutal needs of survival and the ambitions of the ruthless .Give it a good read.
I read the book independently from the movie - The reluctant hero element is good, but i remember there being some rough writing/storytelling. I would have liked the 'hidden supermen' element to have shown up in the movie, but that would de-emphasize the Postman as 'hero' -
ReplyDeleteFunny related story. I was doing field work in Metaline Falls, WA, at the time they were filming the movie there (It was the stand-in for Pineview) and had to call the production staff to schedule my work around filming. But driving through the made-up town and watching locals dressed as extras was amusing.
Neato on the post apocalyptic drive-bys
DeleteI love that book.
ReplyDeleteMiddle-aged me liked it just as much as teen-aged me.
DeleteLoved it.
ReplyDeleteReading Brin's response to the movie...I don't think Costner nailed it, obviously. He missed the critical part where the reluctant hero becomes the active hero and becomes a willing agent of change. The movie was about a guy being dragged along the whole d*mned way.
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