The Machine Stops: Coming Soon!
If I were to turn any story from our class so far into a movie, I would have to pick The Machine Stops, by E. M. Forster. There have been a few short film or skit adaptations of this movie, and even a play, but I would love to reimagine it as a feature-length film. The reason I think that this story would make such a compelling movie is because of its distinct and unusual setting, and also because I love post-apocalyptic, science-fiction-ish parables such as this one. Science fiction narratives allow for a wider sort of world-building than those that are set in the present day or with our present technological restraints, and it would be fun to explore all of the proprietary technology and environments in The Machine Stops.
One of the greatest considerations that would have to be made in this movie is how to translate the idea of the podlike rooms that Vashti and the rest of the human race occupy to a concrete form. The rooms are said to be "hexagonal in shape, like the cell of a bee [...] lighted neither by window nor by lamp, yet [...] filled with a soft radiance." Mechanically, it would be difficult to fully light the room without any visual light fixtures, but I think this could be solved by constructing the pods out of screens which can emanate warm light throughout. To allow for the Machine bringing podiums or objects (like Vashti's bed or bathtub) into the room through the floors or walls, the screens would have some removable sections, which can be made seamless through CGI technologies. I would also use CGI to create the plates of blue light, because I want them to be more transparent and ethereal than practical effects could manage.
There are only two named characters in the story, so fortunately casting my movie wouldn't be too difficult. I think that Vashti should be played by Tilda Swinton. While reading the story, I originally pictured Vashti with the appearance of The Ancient One from Marvel's Doctor Strange. For some reason, it's a trope of science fiction movies that all the humans be bald, so that's what I envisioned in my reading, and I figured I would follow that stylistic choice in my movie. Swinton has a convincing empty stare that I think would exemplify the subconscious struggles of Vashti's rote existence inside her pod. I would like Kuno to be played by Oscar Isaac. In keeping with the trope, he would also have to be bald, but he has a much more rugged face that would play to his fascination with the "old" human world — in a new age of mechanization and everything being smoothed over, he still looks very human in contrast with both his mother and his environment.
Music is another complicated feature of designing this movie. Vashti's specialty, the thing she lectures on and is knowledgable about, is music from the "Australian Period," and I am unclear on whether or not we've experienced an epoch of music that could be construed as distinctly Australian. Because I don't know what that would sound like if we did, I would want to collaborate with Indigenous Australian artists to imagine a futuristic version of their work, to create something new that adds to the unconventional nature of the setting and narrative. Even when Vashti is not listening to or talking about this music, I think it should be a theme that carries throughout the soundtrack, to act as an omnipresent "hum" like that of the Machine, to sort of decorate it so that the audience would not have to listen to two straight hours of Machine noises.
I would have to do a lot of work to expand a 25-page story into a feature-length film, but this would definitely be a fun project to undertake — although not until after the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved!
Great blog post Anna! I agree with you that The Machine Stops would make for a terrific sci-fi movie and it's definitely one of the most compelling stories that we've read so far in this class. I love how much consideration you took behind each point, from whether to use CGI or real effects, how you visualize the characters and taking inspiration from past sci-fi movies, and to the score and music! Definitely lots to account for that I would've overlooked. I feel I pictured Vashti as having more ethnic features, as her name (I think) are more ethnic and have those origins, but honestly I never really have a clear image in my mind when picturing characters. Also, I do wonder how they get named in the story with the lack of parenting and everywhere in the world now being the same (lots to think about). I do love your reasoning behind choosing the actors and I never noticed that they do tend to make humans bald in these movies. Hopefully someday you're able to complete this project and fulfill your vision!
ReplyDeleteThis was such a fun post to read and I really enjoyed your interpretation of “The Machine Stops” as a film. I agree that this story in particular would be great interpreted into a movie as it had such vivid imagery. Your idea for using light emitting screens to construct the pods is so perfect and exactly what I pictured when reading the story. I do wonder what you had in mind in terms of the directorial vision for the film. Would you follow the short story exactly and include only the scenes Forster describes? I think it could be interesting to showcase all of the individual hexagonal rooms form a bird’s eye view to coney Vashti’s isolation and the eerily identical rooms everyone lives in. I liked the casting for Vashti and Kuno (bald!) and I think the contrast of Kuno’s ruggedness is a great choice. I originally imagined both characters as quite human and ordinary because I think it is scarier in a way if these characters that seem so detached from our reality and human emotions still looked like us. But, I can see how a more unconventional look fits the tone of the story. Definitely looking forward to “The Machine Stops” in theaters!
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