# Common Held Beliefs or Ignorance about a Film That Drives You Crazy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 13, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524 "2023-08-13T19:45:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/281 "2023-08-21T12:46:04Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I love Yak Canutt’s advice to Heston, who did a lot of his own chariot-driving and was worried about it: “Chuck, just stay in the chariot. I **guarantee** you’ll win the damn race!” Reminds me of Sir Laurence Olivier’s advice to Dustin Hoffman during Marathon Man, when Hoffman told him that he had stayed awake for 3 days to achieve the same ‘emotional verisimilitude’ as his character in the coming scene, who had also stayed awake for 3 days in the script. “My dear boy, why don’t you just try acting?” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/282 "2023-08-21T17:41:28Z")
> [@solost](#): > > “My dear boy, why don’t you just try acting?” And then Hoffman grabbed his crotch and said “Act on THIS!” ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/283 "2023-08-21T18:27:48Z")
(Princess Bride) … Didn’t Wesley just pretend to drink it? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/284 "2023-08-21T18:42:32Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Visually, it would be a good movie, if they spent enough on the effects, but story-wise, it would be pretty bland. Niven uses a curious ‘mystery’ device in this novel, where Louis Wu is given plenty of clues to the extent of the Machiavellian schemes of the Puppeteers, but fails to recognise them until near the end of the story. He uses the same ‘mystery’ plot device in _The Mote in God’s Eye_ to much better effect. Perhaps a really competent filmmaker could play up the ‘mystery + clues’ aspect and make an entertaining film from _Ringworld_, and from TMIGE as well. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/285 "2023-08-21T19:05:19Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Perhaps a really competent filmmaker could play up the ‘mystery + clues’ aspect and make an entertaining film from _Ringworld_, and from TMIGE as well. _The Mote in God’s Eye_, while still having some of the “Travelogue” aspects as Ringworld, at least still has some good battle sequences that would translate well to the screen without a lot of exposition. There’s also a big part of the away team on the planet, and their struggles to get back to their ship. Plus a good hit of Alien Horror as they discover their ship is infected, and the beasties are trying to spread. And almost all of that is in service to the overall plot of discovering and dealing with the Moties’ Problem. That makes for a much better narrative structure. While Ringworld has some conflicts, they’re all “Monster of the Week” kind of things. The solution is ultimately, “Get to the hover bikes and get out of here”, because no one on the Ringworld has the technology to catch them once they’ve fled, or to tell anyone else that they’re coming, and to get ready for them. So there’s no overarching structure. You could add, delete or change any of these conflicts, and it would make little difference to the course of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/286 "2023-08-21T19:09:01Z")
Combine Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers into one movie - Ringworld Engineers has an antagonist and a ticking clock, so there’s your plot. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/287 "2023-08-21T19:14:00Z")
That would have to be one long-assed movie, though. Might be better as a TV show, where the “Monster of the week” format would be better, and Season 2 could build on Season 1. S1 would be the original Ringworld, with S2 being Ringworld Engineers. Just make them flow together better. Maybe they don’t actually decide to escape the Ringworld at the end of S1. Have them recognize the instability, and decide they must Do Something about it. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/288 "2023-08-21T19:15:42Z")
Wrong quote. By wrong quote, I mean I replied to the wrong person and I don’t know how to delete a post. Your post was fine, MortSahlfan. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/289 "2023-08-21T19:16:36Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And then Hoffman grabbed his crotch and said “Act on THIS!” And Olivier smartly retored, “I want a meal not a snack!” ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/290 "2023-08-21T22:49:15Z")
Yeah, you’d have to make some modifications. First act: Recruitment for the trip, through crash on Ringworld. Second act: Exploration of the Ring (and realization of impending doom), ending with character X being converted to villain. Act 3: Battle to save the Ring and defeat villain. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/291 "2023-08-22T07:30:47Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > (Princess Bride) … Didn’t Wesley just pretend to drink it? Nope. They were both poisoned. Wesley had spent the last five years building up an immunity to iocaine powder. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/292 "2023-08-22T07:44:33Z")
Sure, that’s what Westley said, but he was about to be reunited with his true love who he hadn’t seen in years and who thought he was dead. Under the circumstances, would you say “I lied and cheated”, or “I’m such a badass I can drink poison and live”? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/293 "2023-08-22T08:04:24Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > But when it comes to Shawshank I’ve always felt it was way overrated and I don’t really know how it got that way. [Part of it was the vagaries of the business of cable TV in the 1990s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption) > [@Wikipedia](#): > > [Ted Turner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Turner)’s [Turner Broadcasting System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_Broadcasting_System) had acquired Castle Rock in 1993, which enabled his television channel, [TNT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNT_(American_TV_network)), to obtain the cable-broadcast rights to the film.[[35]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption#cite_note-Residuals-36) According to Glotzer, because of the low box-office numbers, TNT could air the film at a very low cost, but still charge premium advertising rates. The film began airing regularly on the network in June 1997.[[35]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption#cite_note-Residuals-36)[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption#cite_note-vanityfair-9) Television airings of the film accrued record-breaking numbers,[[21]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption#cite_note-Empire1-22) and its repeated broadcast was considered essential to turning the film into a cultural phenomenon after its poor box-office performance.[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption#cite_note-vanityfair-9) Darabont felt the turning point for the film’s success was the Academy Award nominations, saying “nobody had heard of the movie, and that year on the Oscar broadcast, they were mentioning this movie seven times”.[[46]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption#cite_note-LA20th-48) So it became a “forced meme” as the thirtysomethings say and a moderately good middlebrow film turned into a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/294 "2023-08-22T12:13:24Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Under the circumstances, would you say “I lied and cheated”, or “I’m such a badass I can drink poison and live”? Fair point but somewhat out of theme. Book or movie, Westley (with a T) defeats each of the three’s strength (Inigo’s swordplay, Fezzik’s strength, Vizzini’s wits) legitimately. Even with a bit of a handicap. Sleight of hand would be a gamble anyway if Vizzini had caught on. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/295 "2023-08-22T15:34:08Z")
Am I misremembering? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the film, but at the beginning, doesn’t the scout want Dottie, who doesn’t want to go, but turns down Kit, who does, so Dottie agrees to go only if Kit can go as well? The only reason Dottie is playing in the first place is so Kit can play. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/296 "2023-08-22T17:51:01Z")
Yes, that’s whay happened with the scout & recruiting them early in the movie, but it’s clear as the movie progresses that Dottie is more and more playing because she loves the game, not because that’s the only way Kit can continue to play. Kit is clearly a good player once the season gets going, so its not like they’re going to fire her if Dottie quits (and obviously they didn’t once she did quit). And she didn’t return to help Kit - it was the final game of the championship, Dottie returned so she could play in it, nothing to do with Kit. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/297 "2023-08-22T23:21:27Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Sure, that’s what Westley said, but he was about to be reunited with his true love who he hadn’t seen in years and who thought he was dead. Under the circumstances, would you say “I lied and cheated”, or “I’m such a badass I can drink poison and live”? I thought it was a clever way to handle the usual trope, but maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/298 "2023-08-22T23:25:06Z")
Eaxtement! As the French would say. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/299 "2023-08-23T00:26:01Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > I **guarantee** you’ll win the damn race! > > It’s a variation of _[Plot Armor](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotArmor)_. > > _[Best in Show](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218839/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_best%2520in%2520show)_, is a Chris Guest mockumentary following four entries before and during a thinly disguised Westminster dog show. There were a lot of extras with their dogs, along with judges and professional handlers, to go through the motions of a dog show behind the actors. Some of them were miffed when their clearly superior dogs – mostly Canadian Champions – did not win. Supposedly, the owners of the poodle withdrew their dog once they learned it wasn’t going to be a winner. The producers had to find a replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524/300 "2023-08-23T01:02:21Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Sleight of hand would be a gamble anyway if Vizzini had caught on. Vizzini was too smart to risk trying to fake drink. He defeated him by his smarts, preparing in advance and out-thinking him. The only description in the book is “They drank.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-held-beliefs-or-ignorance-about-a-film-that-drives-you-crazy/988524.md?page=16)