15 adaptations of Ray Bradbury: from movie classics to arthouse and cartoons

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

For the birthday of the great science fiction writer, Lifehacker recalls the brightest and most unusual adaptations of his works.

The famous writer Ray Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920. In addition to well-known novels and stories, the author has also created many scripts for film and television. His works were also often transferred to screens. Moreover, both Western and Soviet directors, as well as animators, turned to the writer's work.

Films

1. It came from distant space

• USA, 1953.
• Science fiction, horror.
• Duration: 81 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

The astronomer, together with his girlfriend, is watching the stars through a telescope. Suddenly, he sees a luminous object that looks like an alien ship. At first, no one believes the hero, but soon strange and even dangerous things begin to happen in the neighboring city: people disappear in the desert, and then return, but with empty eyes.

This film is not based on any work by Ray Bradbury - he wrote the script for the picture. According to the author, he wanted to show the aliens from an unusual perspective: not as a threat, but as a people who understands humanity.

2.451º Fahrenheit

• France, Great Britain, 1966.
• Dystopia.
• Duration: 109 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

A classic film adaptation of the legendary novel about a world where literature is prohibited. The main character works in a team of firefighters - people who burn books. He strongly believes in his work, but meeting with a young girl Clarissa changes his life.

In 2018, a new adaptation of the same novel was released. The plot was adapted to the present day: firefighters are already destroying not only books, but also all digital media where prohibited information is stored. However, this version is much inferior to the original in terms of atmosphere.

3. The Man in Pictures

• USA, 1969.
• Science fiction, drama.
• Duration: 103 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

Willie's young man meets a strange stranger. He is covered in tattoos from head to toe and is trying to find the girl who got them. But these are not just drawings on the body. If you look closely, they add up to true stories that can tell about the future.

The authors of the film presented a collection of several stories in exactly the same way as Bradbury himself created it. The plot is framed by the story of "The Man in Pictures", all the other stories - "Veld", "Tomorrow the End of the World" and "Endless Rain" - emerge from his tattoos.

4. Something terrible is coming

• USA, 1983.
• Fantasy, thriller.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Two boys living in a small town go to an amusement park. There they meet a person who offers to fulfill any of their desires. It turns out that the children encountered the devil himself, who tempts people.

This work was originally written by Bradbury as a script based on his own story "The Ferris Wheel". But for the film they could not find funding, and the author turned it into a novel. Later, they still managed to shoot a picture, and Bradbury even had to direct some scenes.

5. Veld

• USSR, 1987.
• Science fiction, dystopia.
• Duration: 81 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

The Stone family lives in a huge mansion. Children Peter and Wendy hardly communicate with their parents and play all day in a special room that turns computer games into a semblance of reality. Meanwhile, more and more strange things are happening outside the walls of the house: a double of their deceased son comes to the fisherman and his wife, but a special quarantine team takes him away. And then the father of the Stone family becomes a victim of this team.

The film is based on the story of the same name by Bradbury. But as the plot develops in the picture, you can see interpretations of other works of the author: stories "Dragon", "Corporation" Puppets "," Pedestrian "and even one chapter from the" Martian Chronicles ".

6. Thirteenth Apostle

• USSR, 1988.
• Fantastic.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

The crew of the space expedition dies while trying to colonize a new planet. Only the captain survives. In his report, he lays out the reasons why this planet should be quarantined. However, 15 years later, the inspector is trying to find out what really happened to the colonialists.

The film is based on one of the parts of "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury. At the same time, the director Suren Babayan quite freely dispensed with the original source, creating his own, almost art-house atmosphere.

7. Dominus

• USSR, 1990.
• Fantastic.
• Duration: 70 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

The film consists of two short stories. The first tells about a man who simply mows wheat. But on his scythe is written: "My master is the master of the world." And every ear he cut off is someone's life. The second story is about two boys who suddenly notice that the owner of the Ferris Wheel ride only gets younger over time. That is why he spins the wheel in the opposite direction.

As it has already become clear, this film is based on the stories "Spit" and "Ferris wheel". And the creators of the picture very accurately conveyed the plot of both works.

8. Fourth planet

• USSR, 1995.
• Science fiction, melodrama.
• Duration: 84 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

The first space expedition arrives on Mars and is surprised to find a completely terrestrial town there. The colonists realize that they have fallen into their own past, created by the thinking field. And the commander decides to take this opportunity to save his long-lost lover.

It is easy to see that the main plot of the picture is a retelling of "The Third Expedition" from the "Martian Chronicles" by Bradbury.

9. Dandelion wine

• Russia, 1997.
• Drama.
• Duration: 208 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Grandpa and Grandma make a special dandelion wine. Having drunk it, a person begins to see the world in a completely different way. The story begins with the adventures of their grandchildren Tom and Douglas and a couple of boy friends. And then the genius inventor, who created the "Machine for Happiness", and the mysterious fortune-telling machine, in which the old fortune-teller herself may be enclosed, is interwoven into the story.

The novel by Ray Bradbury, which formed the basis of the film adaptation, is not as fantastic as some of the other works of the author. It is rather just a story of the dreams of ordinary people, which they tried to convey in the motion picture. And for those who are already familiar with both him and the book, it may be interesting to watch the Soviet short film of 1972 with the same name.

TV series

10. Ray Bradbury Theater

• USA, 1985.
• Science fiction, anthology.
• Duration: 6 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

All episodes of this series are separate stories based on any of Bradbury's works. Moreover, each series begins with an introductory speech by the author himself.

Like Alfred Hitchcock, with whom Bradbury also had a chance to work, the writer brought many of his small stories to the screens in the format of an anthology series. This project is perfect for the first acquaintance with the work of the famous science fiction writer.

Cartoons

11. Icarus Mongolfier Wright

• USA, 1962.
• Science fiction, parable.
• Duration: 18 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Before the expedition to the moon, the rocket pilot in a dream recalls the first experiments of mankind in flight. It all starts with the mythical Icarus, then goes on to the creators of the balloon, the Montgolfier brothers, and then he recalls the Wright brothers - the inventors of the airplane.

The cartoon was created by Ray Bradbury's friend, illustrator Joseph Magnani. Over the course of a year, he painted dozens of paintings in watercolors, which became the basis of this work.

12. There will be gentle rain

• USSR, 1984.
• Fantastic.
• Duration: 9 minutes 50 seconds.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

In the future, the robot prepares food for the whole family, wakes up children to school, and makes beds. Only the car does not even notice that its owners have long been dead. After a global catastrophe, all people died, and the surviving house is completely empty. But one day a bird flies into the building, and the robot goes crazy.

The director added a completely psychedelic picture to a very beautiful post-apocalyptic story. But the plot of the original perfectly matches the atmosphere with what is happening on the screen.

13. Tigers can be found here

• USSR, 1989.
• Fantastic.
• Duration: 10 minutes 11 seconds.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

A space expedition arrives on a new planet in order to extract resources. Astronauts discover that in the new world they can get food, water, and fulfill all their desires at any time. However, one of the members of the expedition is determined to devastate the bowels of the new planet. And this world responds to aggression with the same aggression.

The plot of the cartoon quite accurately retells the work of the same name by Bradbury, although there are significant discrepancies in the ending. But in both cases it is the story of the search for harmony between humanity and the planet.

14. Man in the air

• Russia, 1993.
• Parable.
• Duration: 10 minutes 33 seconds.

Once a man invented wings and was able to fly like a bird. However, the Chinese emperor is too afraid that this invention will harm him, and does not see real beauty.

Behind the scenes, the cartoon literally retells Bradbury's very short, but very emotional story about the eternal conflict between the creator and the tyrant.

15. All Saints' Eve

• USA, 1993.
• Fantasy, family.
• Duration: 69 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

On the eve of All Saints' Day, children go to collect candy and cookies from neighbors. But the traditional fun holiday does not go according to plan: they end up in a house inhabited by real ghosts. And ghosts are known to dislike being disturbed. And now the young heroes have to escape from their masters.

This cartoon is not only based on a story by Ray Bradbury. The author himself reads the offscreen text here.