Literary Cinema - Take in Mind

Dear Take in Mind Readers! Once again, we want to congratulate you on the beginning of 2021! Most of our readers will have a long Christmas and New Year holidays and naturally, everyone is resting and having fun in his own way. We, on the other hand, want to offer you an idea for an original vacation time.

Below you will find a list of the best (exclusively in our opinion!) film adaptations of science fiction and fantasy novels. The best thing about such kind of entertainment is that you can choose the order by yourself: You may first read the original novel, and then watch the movie adaptation or vice versa: first – a movie, and then – a book. Whichever order you choose, we hope that such a pastime will give you a lot of pleasure.

Let’s begin:

A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury (and a 2005 science fiction film directed by Peter Hyams)
The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg (and an adapted Bicentennial Man, a 1999 American film starring the great Robin Williams)
Solaris by Stanisław Lem (and a 1972 masterpiece film version by Andrei Tarkovsky).
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (and a 2001—2003 series of three epic films directed by Peter Jackson)
Arthur Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (An unique case: The novel was written in 1968 and based on the film’s screenplay. The screenplay itself was based on several short stories by Clarke) and 2010: Odyssey Two (and a 1984 Peter Hyams’ film, 2010: The Year We Make Contact).
Three books by Arkady N. and Boris N. Strugackij and their film adaptations:
- Inhabited Island, published in English as Prisoners of Power (and Dark Planet, a 2008 film directed by Fedor Bondarchuk)
- Roadside Picnic (and Stalker, a 1979 masterpiece film by Andrey Tarkovsky)
- Hard to Be God (and a 1989 film by German director Peter Fleischmann)
Stardust by Neil Gaiman (and a 2007 romantic film starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and others).
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (and a 1984(!) British classics written and directed by Michael Radford)
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and three film adaptations:
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, directed by Andrew Adamson)
- Prince Caspian (2008, directed by Andrew Adamson)
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010, directed by Michael Apted)
The World of Watches, six novels by Sergei Lukyanenko (and Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006) films directed by Timur Bekmambetov)
Two books by Herbert George Wells, The War of the Worlds (a 2005 film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise) and The Invisible Man (a 1984 BBC serial)
Harry Potter‘s world by J. K. Rowling (and 2001-2010 films – what can we do without Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson?)
Three books by Stephen King and the film adaptations:
- The Running Man (and a 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger)
- The Green Mile (and a 1999 film starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan)
- Misery (and a 1990 thriller film starring Katie Bates and James Caan)

Of course, we will be glad if you write your favorite films in the commentaries so completing our list! Have a nice vacation!

Happy New Year!

Screen Maestro: about the auditory Kuleshov effect

Cost of Living – Robert Sheckley

Asimov’s Game

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Scientific Humor

About man’s fidelity!

…and there is another story. Once Thomas Edison’s wife told him: “Darling, you are so tired! Go somewhere, relax, have a rest, enjoy your time…” Edison listened to his wife’s wise advice, instantly packed up, and disappeared somewhere… The next day she found the inventor… in his own laboratory, where he actually spent the previous day and night, working with enthusiasm. To her surprised question, happy Edison replied: “Oh my, I’ve rested so well!”

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was a famous American inventor and businessman

Take a look

Once upon a time, a Brahmin (sage) invented the game of chess to teach the cruel Raja (the ruler) to treat his subjects well. In that game, the “Raja” (the name of one of the chess pieces) is the head of the state. If the “Raja” is captured, then his state ceases to exist. In case of danger, the “Raja” cannot survive without his faithful defenders and assistants – other figures.

The Raja was amazed by the game, understood its meaning, and promised not to oppress his subjects in the future. He then asked the Brahmin to choose the greatest reward he may wish for. The Brahmin replied that he wants to be rewarded with… wheat, but based on the following calculation: put one grain on the first cell of the chessboard, two on the second, four on the third, eight on the fourth, etc., doubling the number of grains on each subsequent cell.

The Raja, seeing that there are only 64 cells on the board, was surprised at the insignificance of the request. He decided that it’ll take about one or two sacks of wheat to fulfill it and gave the order to issue the reward immediately. Soon, the court mathematicians reported that the Raja would have to give so many grains, for which it would be necessary to sow the entire Earth, and the grown wheat would be enough to feed the whole population of Earth for 100 years.

Of course, the Raja could not fulfill his hasty promise and received another wise lesson from the inventor of the game of chess.

— A folk tale. Retold in the book “A complete course of chess: 64 lessons for beginners and not very experienced player”s, by S.B. Gubnitsky, M.G. Khanukov, S.A. Shedey.

The photo (own work) illustrates the second part of the fable, about exponential growth. In some variations, rice is requested instead of wheat, but in the photo, Wild Rice is used. The chess pieces’ positions are not random but positioned as in one of the first known chess riddles. In fact, it’s not even a chess riddle, but a Mansuba, a Shatranj problem, composed by Abu Na’im al Khadim (9th century). Shatranj is an old form of chess, with very similar rules. The differences in the rules don’t affect the riddle. White to move, and mate in three.

An easier view of the riddle is available in the first comment. Can you solve one of the oldest chess riddles?

Image source: Own work.

Think about

A few words about imagination

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ― Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist.

The great German mathematician David Hilbert (1862–1943) noticed that one of his students had started missing his lectures. When he asked for the reason, he was told that the student had left mathematics in favor of poetry. “Ah, yes,” said Hilbert, “I always thought he didn’t have enough imagination for mathematics…”

It is strange that only extraordinary men make the discoveries, which later appear so easy and simple. Georg Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799) was a German experimental physicist.

“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself.” Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and philosopher.

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” — Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931) was an American inventor and businessman.