Black Freighter, Love it or Leave it?

[SuperFerret]

I really need to go back and reread Watchmen, I skipped over the Black Freighter stuff.

 

[toddly6666]

SuperFerret, you aren't missing anything. The Black Freighter is pointless. It's just a Pirates of the Caribean-type comic. It could have been a Peanuts cartoon the boy was reading. It has no relation to the storyline.



























kidding.

 

[SuperFerret]

SuperFerret, you aren't missing anything. The Black Freighter is pointless. It's just a Pirates of the Caribean-type comic. It could have been a Peanuts cartoon the boy was reading. It has no relation to the storyline.


kidding.

That's the impression I got at first, which is why I ignored it. I was busy trying to figure out what was going on in 'real' life, nevermind some stupid comic book some kid was reading.

 

[Shifty]

Black Freighter Sets Sail
Pirate comic sub plot won’t be seen in theaters, but will make it into DVD

A source from Warner Bros. has told Moviehole.net that the Black Freighter sub plot will be included as an extra on the Watchmen DVD.

A friend at Warner today tells me that “Watchmen” fans are in for a surprise come the DVD : The studio is so pleased with what they’ve seen of the movie that they’ve coughed up some more money for the director to shoot the special ‘Tales of the Black Freighter’ for the disc. This is something fans have been hankering for for eons… and now they’ve got their wish.

For those of you who have no idea what the Black Freighter sub plot is, first, shame on you; go read the graphic novel. OK, now here’s what it's all about.

Tales of the Black Freighter is a pirate theme comic book from the Watchmen universe that is being read by one of the minor characters in the story. The storyline from this pirate comic parallels the main storyline of Watchmen, and throughout the graphic novel, select panels from Black Freighter are shown.

Unconfirmed rumors has it that Gerard Butler, who played King Leonidas in Watchmen director Zack Snyder’s 300 has been cast as the lead for the Freighter story.

10.31.2007
Source: Moviehole.net

Great news!

 

[Dirt Like Me]

While it's one of my favorite elements of the book, I don't know how well it would translate to the screen.

I would love it, though, if DC released some kind of Black Freighter special edition. Maybe they could get Gibbons to draw the panels that we don't see in Watchmen (the captions that are shown without the accompanying art) and print it old-school on non-glossy paper.

 

[The Guard]

THE BLACK FREIGHTER isn't pointless. But it's not central to the story, either. It's a cool little twist/add on Moore utlizes to show the differences between our world and theirs, and to draw parallels between what's happening in the comic and what's happening in the...comic.

 

[logansoldcigar]

aye. after all, who is gonna read comic books about superheroes in a world where the public & Police demonstrated & campaigned to get them outlawed.
whatever parralels it may have to the main story, the fact its about pirates is another way of showing the differences between them & us.

as for the black freighter itsself, itll be nice if he gets the money, and does do it as a DVD extra. but i wont lose anysleep if it isnt.

 

[sad lieutenant]

aye. after all, who is gonna read comic books about superheroes in a world where the public & Police demonstrated & campaigned to get them outlawed.
whatever parralels it may have to the main story, the fact its about pirates is another way of showing the differences between them & us.

as for the black freighter itsself, itll be nice if he gets the money, and does do it as a DVD extra. but i wont lose anysleep if it isnt.

we can be fairly certain that it won't be an "extra" -- rather, it will be included in the DVD release of the film itself.

I remember reading an interview with Snyder where he explained that he was treating the story in a way that the Black Freighter could be included or omitted from the narrative. It would include cuts just like the comic.

 

[logansoldcigar]

we can be fairly certain that it won't be an "extra" -- rather, it will be included in the DVD release of the film itself.

I remember reading an interview with Snyder where he explained that he was treating the story in a way that the Black Freighter could be included or omitted from the narrative. It would include cuts just like the comic.

I think double dipping us is more likely (theatrical release, black freighter release and then a both in the same box release, its possible (I assume you got the same one as we did in the UK), thAT THEY MAY DO AN EXTENDED BRANCHING EDITION, WHERE YOU CAN CHOOSE WHICH OPTION YOU WANT TO WATCH. UNLIKELY THOUGH, COS THEY MAKEW MORE MONEY THE OTHER WAY

balls. scuse caps.

 

[Hammerofthegods]

That's the impression I got at first, which is why I ignored it. I was busy trying to figure out what was going on in 'real' life, nevermind some stupid comic book some kid was reading.

I agree. I don't wanna sound blasphemous, but I never really cared for the Black Freighter parts. It was just kinda "there" for me.

 

[Sandman138]

aye. after all, who is gonna read comic books about superheroes in a world where the public & Police demonstrated & campaigned to get them outlawed.
whatever parralels it may have to the main story, the fact its about pirates is another way of showing the differences between them & us.

I actually thought the more telling phenemonon was that EC survived because the government intervened on behalf of comics during the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency because they had a vested political interest in the costumed Minute Men, namely Blake. I think it would be so cool if the montage included a recreation of Gaines' famous testimony:

Senator Estes Kefauver: Here is your May 22 issue. [Kefauver is mistakenly referring to Crime Suspenstories #22, cover date May] This seems to be a man with a bloody axe holding a woman's head up which has been severed from her body. Do you think that is in good taste?
Gaines: Yes sir, I do, for the cover of a horror comic. A cover in bad taste, for example, might be defined as holding the head a little higher so that the neck could be seen dripping blood from it, and moving the body over a little further so that the neck of the body could be seen to be bloody.
Kefauver: You have blood coming out of her mouth.
Gaines: A little.

Maybe have Blake in attendance, and show have a young Max Shea as well.

 

[Sun_Down]

I'm shocked that people are actually complaining about this. WB's giving them this extra money to do this, it's not like they're taking from the movie's actual budget. This is a special treat just for us! Enjoy it.

 

[Shifty]

Animated “Black Freighter” story
First, Moviehole’s mysterious WB source spills the beans about film adaptation director Zack Snyder getting the dough to shoot the often discussed, seldom understood “Black Freighter” subplot to be included as a standalone extra on the movie’s DVD release.

Now, another WB “deep throat” is dishing out yet more inside information… on the “Black Freighter” subplot. This time, the mysterious source is telling CHUD that there is talk about doing the parallel pirate story as animation, and releasing it on DVD at the same time that Watchmen is in theaters. This eleventh hour switch from live action to animation may have been made to avoid the current WGA strike since animation writers belong to a different union.

Oh that must be making Moore happy. Having a Dave Gibbons/Watchmen style animated movie would be cool, I don't know how long you could drag that out, I think a 20 minute short would be enough but I guess they feel they can flesh it out for 80 minutes.

 

[JTStarkiller]

When I heard it was going to be animated, I figured animated within the film itself. That could be cool.

 

[Rac]

I'd prefer live action. The Black Freighter was so cool. I hoped that Moore would actually make those stories for real. They all sounded cool.

 

[StorminNorman]

I am not sure if I want it edited into the movie.

 

[WalterKovacs]

I am not sure if I want it edited into the movie.

Me neither. there are things they need to pay more attention to.

 

[xisaacx]

put it in

 

[Darknightnomis]

The Black Freighter comic protagonist bascially forshadows the theme to Watchmen.

I'm glad it will be in the DVD (although I'm all for seeing it in the theatrical version also).

 

[DoctorJones]

I'm not sure if it'll work in the cinema, but I'm all for a DVD Extended Edition featuring the scene.

 

[The Guard]

I'd tend to be in the "Doesn't need to be in the movie" camp. At least, the entire thing doesn't need to be in the movie.

 

[sad lieutenant]

I don't know what the "It doesn't need to be in the movie" people are basing that assertion upon. Because you tend to skip it when you read the comic? I won't rail against Snyder/WB if it's not in the theatrical release, but my thinking is this: if you're going to claim that you respect the source material, then respect the fawking source material.

 

[StorminNorman]

I don't know what the "It doesn't need to be in the movie" people are basing that assertion upon. Because you tend to skip it when you read the comic? I won't rail against Snyder/WB if it's not in the theatrical release, but my thinking is this: if you're going to claim that you respect the source material, then respect the fawking source material.

I don't think it is disrespectful to leave out an aspect of the story that has nothing to do with the telling of the main story.

I want Watchmen to be accurate - but enjoyable to the largest audience it can.

By adding this, people are going to leave saying "it was good, but what the hell was with that pirate story?".

Its great for fanboys - not for general audience.

 

[The Guard]

if you're going to claim that you respect the source material, then respect the fawking source material.

sad lieutenant, what's your favorite comic book movie to date?

 

[Katsuro]

I am not sure if I want it edited into the movie.

I don't think it should be in the theatrical release, but on the DVD it should actually be edited into the film, not just a special feature you watch by yourself.