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[via Wikipedia]The Man that could work miracles was one of my all time favourite movies. It was based on a short story by H. G. Wells of the same name.
In the movie, some god-like entities – similar to the Q Continuum - transfer his almighty powers to a mortal. In the story, this chapter remains untold. We can see this Mr. Fotheringay talking to the people who wants to hear him the impossibility of performing miracles and then, voilá! a miracle. The lamp hangs outside down. The next days he spends his idle time casting miracles without any effort.
He must do something good with this power, so he goes to the local priest, looking for guidance. This preacher, Mr. Maydig develops his opinions from common scepticism to bursting out enthusiasm. Some minor miracles turn to big social experiments. From changing the maid of the house’s character to changing the government into morally examples to the community.
In the movie, some god-like entities – similar to the Q Continuum - transfer his almighty powers to a mortal. In the story, this chapter remains untold. We can see this Mr. Fotheringay talking to the people who wants to hear him the impossibility of performing miracles and then, voilá! a miracle. The lamp hangs outside down. The next days he spends his idle time casting miracles without any effort.
He must do something good with this power, so he goes to the local priest, looking for guidance. This preacher, Mr. Maydig develops his opinions from common scepticism to bursting out enthusiasm. Some minor miracles turn to big social experiments. From changing the maid of the house’s character to changing the government into morally examples to the community.
[via Wikipedia]Here H. G. Wells cuts the narration in an expertise manouver (did you know that he is considered to be the “grandfather of Strategy Miniature Games”?). The author refers directly to the reader remembering him/her his/her previous dead in November 10th, 1896. A very disturbing statement. Funny thing, this date is the same the newspaper from the future (at that time 1971), arrived by mistake to a subscriber in November 10th, 1931. I don’t know the reason this date is so important to Wells.
We resume the action with the two characters wondering what to do next. The problem comes when the vicar in a mistaken biblical notion of time, asks Mr. Fotheringay to stop the sky to gain some time. That provokes a catastrophe of really biblical proportions. Everybody (meaning all living thing on the face of the planet), except Mr. Fotheringay die at the same time. Then this miraculous devastator decides to go back to the same night he gained his powers and leave everything as it was… and without his powers.
There is no doubt that a power like that needs a mind more powerful than the human mind and his little Will. It is a genuine humoresque that H. G. Wells wrote at the brink of the century with great imagination an good literary taste.
It is not a long read so I must recommend his reading as a complete text (about 12 pages) and another version, if you want to contrast the first one.
The whole movie. Yeah, I mean it. All ninety minutes long feature length. Incredible!
[via Google Video]
We resume the action with the two characters wondering what to do next. The problem comes when the vicar in a mistaken biblical notion of time, asks Mr. Fotheringay to stop the sky to gain some time. That provokes a catastrophe of really biblical proportions. Everybody (meaning all living thing on the face of the planet), except Mr. Fotheringay die at the same time. Then this miraculous devastator decides to go back to the same night he gained his powers and leave everything as it was… and without his powers.
There is no doubt that a power like that needs a mind more powerful than the human mind and his little Will. It is a genuine humoresque that H. G. Wells wrote at the brink of the century with great imagination an good literary taste.
It is not a long read so I must recommend his reading as a complete text (about 12 pages) and another version, if you want to contrast the first one.
The whole movie. Yeah, I mean it. All ninety minutes long feature length. Incredible!
[via Google Video]
2 comments:
Lo de la similitud del Q-Continuum con Wells... ¡Lo que deben las series actuales a todos los clásicos!.
Wells forever!
Cuando veía al todopoderoso Q en STNG, me venía a la cabeza las dos deidades que empezaban y terminaban la película. No recuerdo bien, pero hay un episodio en el que hacen a Picard dueño de sus deseos, sin tripulación ni nada (y otro en el que dejan a Q sin poderes).
Comparto contigo la afición por Wells (y por Pierre Boule, que conste). Me volví a leer el relato corto para esta entrada y te puedo asegurar que gana con el tiempo.
Repitamos todos juntos: Wells forever! (jeje).
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