Over a year ago my agent got a form letter from somebody representing Jodie Foster and/or the production company making a movie called Elysium. It was a request for the use of my first novel, Child of Silence, as a prop in the movie.
I thought okay, sure, this is neat – some edition of my book will share the silver screen with Jodi Foster! I signed the forms and got a check sufficient to cover a lavish celebratory dinner party at Home Town Buffet ($12 for seniors, all you can eat and the best, possibly only, collard greens in California). Then I completely forgot about Elysium.
Until a few weeks ago when, watching previews on a hot afternoon at Loew’s Boston Common, I saw Jodie in a silver Armani suit and Matt Damon in what looked like parts of a vintage tractor. It all came back.
“Child of Silence is supposed to be a prop in that movie,” I told my son, who wisely said, “Why?”
Who knew? The movie has absolutely no connection to anything in the book, but then who looks at the titles of prop books in movies? Maybe Jodie just liked it and wanted it around. A great fan of her work, I was thrilled at the idea. But of course I would have to see Elysium if only to scan the sets for bookcases, with books in them.
Back in California, I hit the closest Cineplex on Elysium’s opening night, carefully watching both a grungy, apocalyptic ruin shot in Mexico (Earth) and the sterile, manicured and clearly shot in southern California space-station of the wealthy elite (Elysium) for the appearance of anything resembling a book. There wasn’t a single one.
The elite, despite speaking French half the time and looking like the cast from Mad Men, apparently did not read. Neither did the testosterone-maddened crew of Hell’s Angels types on a sickenly overpopulated Earth. But then you don’t expect a lot of literacy from guys with AK 47’s (literally) bolted to their skeletons.
I would have left fifteen minutes into the movie but for my book-search. As it was, I rooted for bad-guy Jodie, blowing the invading riff-raff out of the sky until, of course, semi-cyborg Matt manages to breach Elysium’s defenses in time to save the leukemia-stricken little girl.
The movie ends there. Jodie’s character is dead and in my imagined sequel Elysium is overrun by illiterate thugs who quickly turn it into another seething mess populated with weapons-grade cyborg boys, one kindly old nun and sufficient sweetly imploring young women to continue overpopulation to its inevitable ghastly conclusion.
My book cover wouldn’t have made a conceptual dent in the story, but I wish Jodie had insisted on one long, close shot of anything by Robert Malthus!
Well it certainly shows that the prop master of that movie had excellent taste in the first place since they wanted to include a copy of your book in it! Your books are fabulous!
Thanks for the kind words, Carolyn. I’ll always wonder about it, y’know? Somewhere up in L.A. is a “prop master” who did this nice, strange thing, and I’ll never know who it was, or why.
Abbie
So long as the movie producers don’t ask for the money back — well, as they say in show biz, take the money and run to Home Town Buffet.
If the prop was ever actually photographed for the movie, you can brag that you were left on the cutting room floor. (I hear Kevin Costner started out that way; his scenes were cut from “The Big Chill.”)
Hi, Linda –
That book as a prop in that movie never made any sense and almost certainly never made it to the cutting room floor. The whole thing remains a mystery, but fun to ponder!
Abbie
Hi Abby,
Maybe someone on the movie team reads your books… a really good way to get them for free, or maybe Jodi is a secret fan of yours.
So, how were the greens?
Warmest Wishes,
Fred Spector
We’ve left New Jersey, Malthus Country ,for Ferndale, Wa. Back East Malthusian Doom is breathing down our necks but out here there’s still lots of open country, just ask Big Foot.
Hi, Fred –
Home Town’s greens are reliably wonderful and there’s always crunchy cornbread. Nirvana!
I Googled Ferndale, which looks ideal from a Malthusian perspective and even has a river. Coconut Kenny’s looks promising, too. I envy you!
Abbie
This is terrific. Love it. My son Cazzie went to see the movie with his friends…He said I’d hate it, but he liked the politics. Kids think this director is cool, apparently, because he combines “liberal” politics with action-violence of the sort the guys still love. Nothing to be done I guess….You’ll have to wait for your Vampire Opus to come out for some lucrative product placement in a film. Have we even discussed a title for it? Anne Marie Welsh, Writer, Editor, Book Doctor http://www.annemariewelsh.com/ 858.456.5205
Hi Abigail,
Let me know if you would like to have some materials we discovered when we cleared out Jennifer’s office. My e-mail address is “clrktylr2@sbcglobal.net”
Marian (Jennifer’s aunt)