DVD Review: The Illustrated Man

Rod Steiger stars as the titular man with skin illustrations in this adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic novel. However, your affection for the novel will affect how you view this film. The Illustrated Man the film does not capture that “October lightning in a bottle” that is Ray Bradbury, but it is an interesting (but flawed) attempt.

The Illustrated Man the film does not capture that “October lightning in a bottle” that is Ray Bradbury, but it is an interesting (but flawed) attempt.A wandering young man name Willie (Robert Drivas) is hitchhiking to a promised job in the 1930s (or so it would appear) American heartland. He sets up camp for the night and a stranger walks up to his fire. The man seems rather hostile, but Willie soon finds out that the man is named Carl (Rod Steiger) and is covered in tattoos or “skin illustrations” as Carl insists on calling them. Carl begins to tell Willie his tale. Theyre called skin illustrations, not tattoos

They're called skin illustrations, not tattoos

He was “illustrated” by a mysterious woman (Claire Bloom) and now is hell-bent on tracking her down. It seems that the illustrations move around on Carl’s skin and have a life of their own. People see visions in the tattoos and it disturbs them and they run Carl out of town. He’s effectively a pariah. As he tells the tale of how he became what he is, Willie is treated to three tales that are burned into Carl’s flesh. The first tale (The Veldt) is of two parents in the future (Steiger and Bloom) whose children are behaving strangely after the installation of a virtual playroom. The next is the tale (The Long Rain) of the crew of a spaceship that has crash landed on a planet where it constantly rains and their attempt to find a shelter and survive the downpour. The final tale (The Last Night of the World) is that of a couple in the far future who are preparing for the last night of the world. The Illustrated Man is mostly considered a failure. I’m sure that lovers of the book will absolutely hate the movie and those who are not familiar with the novel might find something to like. Let me say up front that I’ve not read the Illustrated Man. I’ve read other Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes, Fahrenheit 451, Green Hunter, White Whale, and From the Dust Returned) but haven’t had a chance to read this book. Mea culpa. From my understanding, the book contains eighteen short stories and this film only uses three of them. The bookend device of the “illustrated man” is only a short portion of the book and not used for the larger framing device that the movie makes it out to be. Bradbury has always had trouble being put up on the screen, and he almost seems to be a theatrically cursed writer.

Claire Bloom is the mysterious woman

The books are always better and rarely capture the wonders from the October country that Bradbury seems steeped in. The film also uses the gimmick of having Drivas and Bloom and Steiger (who were married at the time) appear as characters in each of the “tattoo tales.” This is a bit off putting and might’ve been better if they were not in the segments. This might’ve confused some viewers into thinking that Steiger’s character was jumping around in time (from what I’ve read the mysterious woman is the only one actually from the future). With that being said, I think that the Illustrated Man might’ve made a more interesting miniseries (this was probably unheard of in 1969) instead of a theatrical film and some of the more interesting sounding stories (The Other Foot, The Man, and Rocket Man to name but a few) might not have been appropriate for 1969 theatrical audiences. In other words, a broader canvas than a 103 minute film would’ve suited Bradbury’s vision better. The Illustrated Man is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. This is the first time that the film has been available in the its original aspect ratio. Special features are rather slim since most of the participants (Drivas, Steiger, director Jack Smight) have died, but is it nice that something has been dug up. “Tattooed Steiger” is a 9 minute vintage (1969) featurette. It shows screenwriter/producer Howard B. Kreitsek, a table reading with Steiger, Drivas, Bloom, and director Smight, and Steiger having the “skin illustrations” applied. The Illustrated Man the film does not capture that “October lightning in a bottle” that is Ray Bradbury, but it is an interesting (but flawed) attempt. Your opinion of the film will probably coincide with your love of the original novel. I’ve seen the range of emotions (from satisfaction to utter hatred) thrown at this film. However, I find myself in the middle. I think that the best film version (or better yet miniseries) may be yet to come if some enterprising producer/director is inspired to accept the challenge.

Willie sees something in the skin illustrations that he doesn't want to see

The Illustrated Man is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.

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East of GreentownJan 6th, 2007 - 01:36:54

If you really want to know Ray Bradbury, I think that his 'Dandelion Wine' book is the clear way to go. I first read it at age 10 or 11, 40+ years ago -- and I continue to read it frequently.

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christieJan 9th, 2007 - 04:50:41

Dear Bradbury fans,
I must say how relieved I am that his works don't translate well to the screen! I always loved reading him, and still do. As a former child actress, making this was the highlight of my 'career,' which isn't saying much compared to other silly 60's shows I was in. I thought the acting was boring (including my own) but the subject matter shines compared to most Hollywood pop movies. As a current teacher of English, I say long live writers, books and readers! Great films are great, and so are the books that should be enjoyed as such.
Christie
'Anna'

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Chris CarterDec 7th, 2008 - 06:34:52

I read Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, and all the other Sci-Fi books I could get my hands on 40 years ago. I, too, loved the stories but I thought the device of Willie hearing the skin illustrations whisper and watching them move while Carl slept was a bit silly. Nevertheless I LOVED the stories and was glad to part with a few dollars to see the film. I still remember the second play ('The Long Rain') as one of the most beautiful and evocative depictions of a hopeless situation: trudging endlessly through mud and grey forest in relentless rain. Of course there was a happy ending. Sort of. And Claire Bloom was sooooo beautiful.

At the time Hollywood's previous offerings of Sci-Fi were abysmal. There was The Forbidden Planet, with Robbie the Robot making wisecracks and Monsters of the Id killing spacefarers. Then there was When Two Worlds Collide, with a painted tin rocket ship sliding up a ski jump trailing a pathetic little flame and a lot of smoke. War of the Worlds was pretty neat, but there were no human spacemen in the story. It would be years before Stanley Kubrick brought much greater realism (along with fantasy) in 2001, A Space Odessy. Then along came Star Wars, and everybody's doing it now.

Would I be disappointed if I saw The Illustrated Man today? Quite possibly. But my memory is of being lost for two hours in a future time in far distant worlds, and not being disappointed apart from wishing they had filmed more of Bradbury's stories. Maybe I should just get the book and read them all again.

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