Gahood makes Falkayn think of the Minotaur. Gahood's head is described as "...tauroid..." (XVI, p. 485) but without horns. Therefore, any fully authentic film adaptation should show the Shenna as without horns. However, it is all too probable that any film-maker, thinking "Minotaur" and "tauroid," will give them horns. We might then say either that the film is, in this detail at least, inauthentic or that here are two versions of the story: the prose narrative which describes the Shenna as bull-like although hornless and the cinematic version which visually expresses the Minotaur comparison by including horns. We are used to comparing and differentiating between alternative versions of a single story. Make of that what you will.
Later, in XX, when van Rijn more fully understands Thea Beldaniel's relationship to the Shenna, he writes a note read by Adzel which also makes the Minotaur comparison. A cinema audience would get the message at this point even if they had not shared Falkayn's impression earlier.
Van Rijn spots that Shenna decor is tasteless but Adzel notices a few lovely although ancient-looking objects. Poul Anderson again presents advance warning of the true nature of the Shenna. Finally, in XXI, the Shenn Nimran asks about Terrestrial examples of one civilization inheriting from another. The Shenna are upstart barbarians in the ruins.
2 comments:
Text fiction uses direct description. Visual media can't do that nearly as much; it has to describe -visually-.
So, how to suggest "Minotaur" without -saying- Minotaur? Matter of judgment.
In the DUNE movie, Villeneuve had to visually -suggest- the energy "shields" that keep knife-fighting a militarily important thing in the far-future Empire of his story -- which results in armies based on big knives, remotely backed up by nuclear weapons.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
And I recalled how Paul Atreides' training in fighting with knife and energy shield caused some difficulty in a duel fought with a Fremen. He was much more skillful but habits drilled into him from using energy shields made it look as tho he was toying with his opponent. Which caused a bad impression at first.
Ad astra! Sean
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