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Travails with the Alien: The Film that was Never Made and Other Adventures with Science Fiction
Satyajit Ray was a master of science fiction writing. Through his Professor Shonku stories and other fiction and non-fiction pieces, he explored the genre from various angles. In the 1960s, Ray wrote a screenplay for what would have been the first-of-its-kind sci-fi film to be made in India. It was called The Alien and was based on his own short story Bonkubabur Bandhu. On being prompted by Arthur C. Clarke, who found the screenplay promising, Ray sent the script to Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, who agreed to back it, and Peter Sellers was approached to play a prominent role.
Then started the "Ordeals of the Alien" as Ray calls it, as even after a series of trips to the US, UK and France, the film was never made, and more shockingly, some fifteen years later, Ray watched Steven Spielberg's film 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and later 'E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial', and realized these bore uncanny resemblances to his script The Alien, including the way the ET was designed!
A slice of hitherto undocumented cinema history, Travails with the Alien includes Ray's detailed essay on the project with the full script of The Alien, as well as the original short story on which the screenplay was based. These, presented alongside correspondence between Ray and Peter Sellers, Arthur C. Clarke, Marlon Brando, Hollywood producers who showed interest, and a fascinating essay by the young student at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism who broke the Spielberg story, make this book a rare and compelling read on science fiction, cinema and the art of adaptation.
Then started the "Ordeals of the Alien" as Ray calls it, as even after a series of trips to the US, UK and France, the film was never made, and more shockingly, some fifteen years later, Ray watched Steven Spielberg's film 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and later 'E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial', and realized these bore uncanny resemblances to his script The Alien, including the way the ET was designed!
A slice of hitherto undocumented cinema history, Travails with the Alien includes Ray's detailed essay on the project with the full script of The Alien, as well as the original short story on which the screenplay was based. These, presented alongside correspondence between Ray and Peter Sellers, Arthur C. Clarke, Marlon Brando, Hollywood producers who showed interest, and a fascinating essay by the young student at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism who broke the Spielberg story, make this book a rare and compelling read on science fiction, cinema and the art of adaptation.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Satyajit Ray
656 books1,510 followersSatyajit Ray (Bengali: সত্যজিৎ রায়) was an Indian filmmaker and author of Bengali fiction and regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of world cinema. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and watching Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist 1948 film, Bicycle Thieves.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background:
Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works:
Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature—Feluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions:
Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background:
Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works:
Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature—Feluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions:
Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 22, 2018
This book contains all the details about the efforts and more done by Satyajit Ray for the making of 'The Alien' and the peculiar circumstances created which didn't allow the movie to be made.
The facts that are presented here are solid and one feels like something really valuable is being read. Satyajit Ray's love for science-fiction has been known by all, and it is disappointing that such an ambitious project by him couldn't be executed. I only imagine how great it would have been to see the movie on screen.
This book also contains the original script of The alien and the orginial story by Satyajit Ray on which the script is loosely based. The stories are interesting to read and felt very promising.
Then, there were the letters written by and received by Satyajit Ray for discussing making of the film. He also made visits to Hollywood and London for this purpose. But the response went from 100 to 0 from the production house which led to shelving of the movie. It was after a dozen years or so that the making of the movie was talked about, but eventually it wasn't made for unavoidable reasons.
There are also some other short stories translated by Satyajit Ray from Bengali to English, which felt really refreshing to read.
This book is a true gem for three kinds of people: Satyajit Ray fans, science-fiction lovers and literature lovers.
The facts that are presented here are solid and one feels like something really valuable is being read. Satyajit Ray's love for science-fiction has been known by all, and it is disappointing that such an ambitious project by him couldn't be executed. I only imagine how great it would have been to see the movie on screen.
This book also contains the original script of The alien and the orginial story by Satyajit Ray on which the script is loosely based. The stories are interesting to read and felt very promising.
Then, there were the letters written by and received by Satyajit Ray for discussing making of the film. He also made visits to Hollywood and London for this purpose. But the response went from 100 to 0 from the production house which led to shelving of the movie. It was after a dozen years or so that the making of the movie was talked about, but eventually it wasn't made for unavoidable reasons.
There are also some other short stories translated by Satyajit Ray from Bengali to English, which felt really refreshing to read.
This book is a true gem for three kinds of people: Satyajit Ray fans, science-fiction lovers and literature lovers.
May 12, 2018
Satyajit Ray’s reputation in India is based on his world-renowned films (which have sadly not been watched widely in India) and his Feluda novels (that have a decent readership via the English translations). His short stories are relatively lesser known, though a few of them had been made into a television series (directed by his son) in the mid-1980s. It is, therefore, very interesting that one of those stories – Bonkubabur Bondhu – was one of the first short stories he wrote, featured a benign alien and was the origin of what could have been his first Hollywood film.
Travails With The Alien is an amazing book, in the sense that it is probably the only full-length book on a film that was never made. It is not a short journey that started with an idea/script and ended with a major studio backing out due to a shady wheeler-dealer who had slithered into the project in a somewhat unplanned manner. I mean, that’s probably the ‘tweet summary’ but the book covers a journey that was much longer, much deeper and much more magnificent.
The book – designed like an album – starts with Ray’s earliest writings on science fiction as a genre in both literature and cinema, traces his journey as a SF ‘addict’ (and goes into his correspondence with SF legends like Clarke and Bradbury) before reaching the short story and the script for the TV show episode.
The Alien – like the hero of a blockbuster film – makes an appearance about a third into the book in the form of a fairly detailed script that was pitched to and accepted by Columbia Pictures. The piece de resistance comes after this – Ray’s account of what happened, narrated with his brand of sardonic humour and amazing detail. For fans of classic Hollywood, the narrative would be delicious because it features some of the top stars of 1960s in bit parts and Ray exhibiting an almost copybook case of the ‘impostor syndrome’. Like any middle-class Bengali, he asks about hotel room rents and is not fully placated when he is told, “Maestro… you can’t afford anything but the best, you know, you made the Apu Trilogy!”
The book ends with two more tangential inspirations – two short stories by Ray’s father and Ray himself. The former could have been the starting point of Ray’s SF hero – Professor Shonku – and the latter a child-friendly tale of a helpful alien.
In between, there is this interesting theory about The Alien script being an inspiration to later-day films like Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind – told from the perspective of noted film journalist, Aseem Chhabra, who did an investigative story on the topic as a journalism student. This segment is very intriguing and – if not anything else – should inspire readers to watch Spielberg’s films once again and check out the similarities between his aliens and Ray’s!
In short, the book is a sumptuous treat for movie fans. It is a treasure trove of previously unpublished articles, letters, photographs, news clippings to boost the main content of the script of The Alien, Ray’s reminisces and the short stories (which have appeared in print earlier). The design needs a special mention because it is very rarely that you see such a diverse set of visuals accompanying an even wider range of text, fitting in with each other so beautifully.
Travails With The Alien is an amazing book, in the sense that it is probably the only full-length book on a film that was never made. It is not a short journey that started with an idea/script and ended with a major studio backing out due to a shady wheeler-dealer who had slithered into the project in a somewhat unplanned manner. I mean, that’s probably the ‘tweet summary’ but the book covers a journey that was much longer, much deeper and much more magnificent.
The book – designed like an album – starts with Ray’s earliest writings on science fiction as a genre in both literature and cinema, traces his journey as a SF ‘addict’ (and goes into his correspondence with SF legends like Clarke and Bradbury) before reaching the short story and the script for the TV show episode.
The Alien – like the hero of a blockbuster film – makes an appearance about a third into the book in the form of a fairly detailed script that was pitched to and accepted by Columbia Pictures. The piece de resistance comes after this – Ray’s account of what happened, narrated with his brand of sardonic humour and amazing detail. For fans of classic Hollywood, the narrative would be delicious because it features some of the top stars of 1960s in bit parts and Ray exhibiting an almost copybook case of the ‘impostor syndrome’. Like any middle-class Bengali, he asks about hotel room rents and is not fully placated when he is told, “Maestro… you can’t afford anything but the best, you know, you made the Apu Trilogy!”
The book ends with two more tangential inspirations – two short stories by Ray’s father and Ray himself. The former could have been the starting point of Ray’s SF hero – Professor Shonku – and the latter a child-friendly tale of a helpful alien.
In between, there is this interesting theory about The Alien script being an inspiration to later-day films like Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind – told from the perspective of noted film journalist, Aseem Chhabra, who did an investigative story on the topic as a journalism student. This segment is very intriguing and – if not anything else – should inspire readers to watch Spielberg’s films once again and check out the similarities between his aliens and Ray’s!
In short, the book is a sumptuous treat for movie fans. It is a treasure trove of previously unpublished articles, letters, photographs, news clippings to boost the main content of the script of The Alien, Ray’s reminisces and the short stories (which have appeared in print earlier). The design needs a special mention because it is very rarely that you see such a diverse set of visuals accompanying an even wider range of text, fitting in with each other so beautifully.
June 5, 2018
Full review- https://www.banajaprakashini.in/revie...
Satyajit Ray, one of the most celebrated names of the Indian cinema, who gave us movie like Pather Panchali, Charulata, The world of Apu etc, had a vision of his own. His creation, Professor Shonku, that depicted a scientist with the nerve to do the extraordinary, had stirred the and Ray did not stop with that, he wanted to give India, a sci-fi film that was an achievement in just the thought itself. He went to huge lengths, to make his dream of The Alien, a reality, but sadly, things did not go as planned. Even one of the greatest filmmakers the 20th century has ever seen, was not able to reveal his work to the world, and the film was never made.
To add to the misery, years later, Steven Spielberg's movies, had a huge resemblance to his script and indicated towards a possible plagarism.
The book Travails with The Alien The Film That Was Never Made and Other Adventures With Science Fiction, contains all that you need to know about Ray's Alien.
Satyajit Ray, one of the most celebrated names of the Indian cinema, who gave us movie like Pather Panchali, Charulata, The world of Apu etc, had a vision of his own. His creation, Professor Shonku, that depicted a scientist with the nerve to do the extraordinary, had stirred the and Ray did not stop with that, he wanted to give India, a sci-fi film that was an achievement in just the thought itself. He went to huge lengths, to make his dream of The Alien, a reality, but sadly, things did not go as planned. Even one of the greatest filmmakers the 20th century has ever seen, was not able to reveal his work to the world, and the film was never made.
To add to the misery, years later, Steven Spielberg's movies, had a huge resemblance to his script and indicated towards a possible plagarism.
The book Travails with The Alien The Film That Was Never Made and Other Adventures With Science Fiction, contains all that you need to know about Ray's Alien.
May 21, 2018
Bollywood is often accused of lifting ideas of posters, songs, scenes sometimes the whole movie from Hollywood. But the latter is also not as pure as the driven snow. I was almost crestfallen when I came to know that one of my all time favourite Hollywood movie ET The Extra Terrestrial was not only heavily inspired by The Aliens but had also lifted scenes from the script and even didn’t care to give credit to Satyajit Ray for it.
Travails with the Alien has incorporated full screenplay of The Alien and series of correspondence between Satyajit Ray and Hollywood actors and production house as evidences. It also includes some fascinating sci-fi stories written by Ray along with some rare illustration.
Travails of the Alien is a must read book for every Satyajit Ray's admirer and die hard fans of ET. Spielberg's followers should know the source of idea of ET.
Travails with the Alien has incorporated full screenplay of The Alien and series of correspondence between Satyajit Ray and Hollywood actors and production house as evidences. It also includes some fascinating sci-fi stories written by Ray along with some rare illustration.
Travails of the Alien is a must read book for every Satyajit Ray's admirer and die hard fans of ET. Spielberg's followers should know the source of idea of ET.
June 6, 2019
I have been a huge fan of Satyajit Ray since I could read on my own and has been an influence on my reading habits ever since. Mystery has been my favourite genre because I started reading with Feluda. My interest in SciFi is primarily because of Professor Shonku while my interest in supernatural is mainly thanks to Tarinikhuro. Besides being a prolific author, Satyajit Ray was a talented screen writer, lyricist, music composer, graphic artist, calligrapher and one of the best filmmakers the world has ever seen.
‘Travails with the Alien’ is his journey of trying to get his script about a friendly alien to come alive on screen. Ray wrote the script of the film based loosely on his short story ‘Bonku Babur Bondhu’ hoping to make the-first-of-its-kind movie in India. Encouraged by the famous sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, Ray pitched his screenplay to Hollywood. What followed was described ‘ordeals with the alien’ by Ray himself. Numerous visits to US, UK and France and countless meetings and correspondence resulted in nothing. What was probably Ray’s most ambitious project, never took off.
Failures and disappointments are part of an artist’s life. And Ray knew that well enough. His project never seeing the light of the day was one thing, but seeing the plot similarities in E.T. and the physical appearance of the alien in Close Encounters of the Third Kind had uncanny resemblance to his sketches for The Alien. While the world welcomed, praised and applauded these two movies by Steven Spielberg about over a decade later, Ray’s own hopes of his project ever taking off was quashed forever. The resemblances and the similarities are well known by all Satyajit Ray fans and it bothers me still that no credit was ever given to him for it. This book brings forth the original script by Ray and his correspondence over the period as kind of a proof of the claims of the Ray fans.
Aside from the original script and the collection of correspondence the book also offers the translated version of ‘Bonku Babur Bondhu’, translation of an epic interview of the author on All India Radio and also traces the Maestro’s love and affinity for science fiction.
This book should be of interest to sci-fi lovers, film enthusiasts and is a must have for Satyajit Ray fans for being the bonanza that it is.
‘Travails with the Alien’ is his journey of trying to get his script about a friendly alien to come alive on screen. Ray wrote the script of the film based loosely on his short story ‘Bonku Babur Bondhu’ hoping to make the-first-of-its-kind movie in India. Encouraged by the famous sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, Ray pitched his screenplay to Hollywood. What followed was described ‘ordeals with the alien’ by Ray himself. Numerous visits to US, UK and France and countless meetings and correspondence resulted in nothing. What was probably Ray’s most ambitious project, never took off.
Failures and disappointments are part of an artist’s life. And Ray knew that well enough. His project never seeing the light of the day was one thing, but seeing the plot similarities in E.T. and the physical appearance of the alien in Close Encounters of the Third Kind had uncanny resemblance to his sketches for The Alien. While the world welcomed, praised and applauded these two movies by Steven Spielberg about over a decade later, Ray’s own hopes of his project ever taking off was quashed forever. The resemblances and the similarities are well known by all Satyajit Ray fans and it bothers me still that no credit was ever given to him for it. This book brings forth the original script by Ray and his correspondence over the period as kind of a proof of the claims of the Ray fans.
Aside from the original script and the collection of correspondence the book also offers the translated version of ‘Bonku Babur Bondhu’, translation of an epic interview of the author on All India Radio and also traces the Maestro’s love and affinity for science fiction.
This book should be of interest to sci-fi lovers, film enthusiasts and is a must have for Satyajit Ray fans for being the bonanza that it is.
August 2, 2018
6 stars ******
I always wanted to know about the story of the Alien, and what happened to the film which was planned in the 1960s. Came across magazine stories of Ray directing an English film, rather a bilingual which would star Peter Sellers and Marlon Brando. However, apart from some basic inputs covered in multiple books, the story of the Alien as it happened, remained alien to me.
Bankubabur bondhu - the short story which was the inspiration for the film, was one of the first short stories of Ray (Feluda and Shanku were novels) I had read. In 1979. Written in an extremely crisp manner, the story echoed many more stories of small towns, of lonely people who deserved much more in their lives.
However, I was not sure how Bonkubarur Bondhu would be as a film. The story was too short for a full fledged film. A serial? Perhaps.
Sandip Ray's serial on DD was good. But not what I had in mind. There were limitations. Studio set up? Maybe. Absence of establishing shots. Could be. Saw it in 1985/6, and it is difficult to go back 30 something years in time and specifically put my finger on what I had missed.
Well, this book is a revelation. It has the full story of how the film was conceived, what happened in the process, whether Ray was actually interested in Brando or not (as I found out, he was not), why Peter Sellers was chosen to play a Marwari Businessman, and lastly, how the film was ultimately canned.
The book also has multiple articles by Ray, radio interviews translated in English, the full script of The Alien, and also an English translation of Bonkubaur Bondu including the script used for the TV serial.
All the letters, including Ray's observations, and consequent replies by Spielberg are also there as part of the book.
I was fortunate to meet Suresh Jindal during a lit meet organised by Harper Collins, and he narrated Ray's reaction to films like ET & Close encounters of the third kind.
The discussion, aided by the comprehensive nature of the book, bridges all gaps.
This is not just a book. It is an artifact which should make it to the library of every film lover. He need not be a Ray fan (sorry for him though). Or a sci fi buff
The only grouse I have is the structuring, which I feel could have been improved.
I always wanted to know about the story of the Alien, and what happened to the film which was planned in the 1960s. Came across magazine stories of Ray directing an English film, rather a bilingual which would star Peter Sellers and Marlon Brando. However, apart from some basic inputs covered in multiple books, the story of the Alien as it happened, remained alien to me.
Bankubabur bondhu - the short story which was the inspiration for the film, was one of the first short stories of Ray (Feluda and Shanku were novels) I had read. In 1979. Written in an extremely crisp manner, the story echoed many more stories of small towns, of lonely people who deserved much more in their lives.
However, I was not sure how Bonkubarur Bondhu would be as a film. The story was too short for a full fledged film. A serial? Perhaps.
Sandip Ray's serial on DD was good. But not what I had in mind. There were limitations. Studio set up? Maybe. Absence of establishing shots. Could be. Saw it in 1985/6, and it is difficult to go back 30 something years in time and specifically put my finger on what I had missed.
Well, this book is a revelation. It has the full story of how the film was conceived, what happened in the process, whether Ray was actually interested in Brando or not (as I found out, he was not), why Peter Sellers was chosen to play a Marwari Businessman, and lastly, how the film was ultimately canned.
The book also has multiple articles by Ray, radio interviews translated in English, the full script of The Alien, and also an English translation of Bonkubaur Bondu including the script used for the TV serial.
All the letters, including Ray's observations, and consequent replies by Spielberg are also there as part of the book.
I was fortunate to meet Suresh Jindal during a lit meet organised by Harper Collins, and he narrated Ray's reaction to films like ET & Close encounters of the third kind.
The discussion, aided by the comprehensive nature of the book, bridges all gaps.
This is not just a book. It is an artifact which should make it to the library of every film lover. He need not be a Ray fan (sorry for him though). Or a sci fi buff
The only grouse I have is the structuring, which I feel could have been improved.
May 30, 2018
Review: 4.5/5
The Alien was a unique screenplay & had the potential to be a blockbuster but unfortunately never got to be made into a movie, some years later Ray noticed some interesting similarity of some sci-fi movies with his screenplay especially E.T. : The Extra Terrestrial & Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The book is basically divided into four segments & covers not just the screenplay mentioned above but also other essays & letters. This book has been written in a unique way which will surely not allow you to keep it down.
Read the full review on Just Another Bookaholic
The Alien was a unique screenplay & had the potential to be a blockbuster but unfortunately never got to be made into a movie, some years later Ray noticed some interesting similarity of some sci-fi movies with his screenplay especially E.T. : The Extra Terrestrial & Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The book is basically divided into four segments & covers not just the screenplay mentioned above but also other essays & letters. This book has been written in a unique way which will surely not allow you to keep it down.
Read the full review on Just Another Bookaholic
May 10, 2018
The book reads like a newspaper column you look forward to every weekend, fragments from the director’s life chronicled coherently through his essays, interview pieces, newspaper cuttings from the 1960s to 1980s, and several letters exchanged with personalities from Hollywood. It was interesting to note the science fiction enthusiast’s passion for stories.
Satyajit Ray, along with a friend of his had revived the children’s magazine Sandesh, after years of it going out of print. His grandfather had started the magazine, which he published again with fresh ideas, sci-fi stories and facts suitable for teens, complete with his own illustrations. He was also actively involved with the Bengali science fiction magazine Aschorjo as its chief patron, and became the president of the Science Fiction Cine Club, which showed movies of the genre from around the world every week for members- one of the first of its kind in India and abroad.
The book is divided into four parts- thoughts on science fiction, the springboard Bonkubabur Bandhu, The Alien, and other notable essays by Satyajit Ray. The very first chapter is an essay that first appeared in Now magazine, on 21st October 1966, and is curiously titled ‘SF’. “Heaven knows the initials are not as widely familiar as one would wish.” begins Ray going on to discuss his personal inspirations, and the woks and contributions of two pioneers of science fiction writing- Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. More interesting essays follow which discuss works of Conan Doyle, films like A Trip To Moon, Fahrenheit 451, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Forbidden Planet, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde.
I have loved sci-fi movies as long as I can remember, but this book has presented an entire new world, which dates back to decades before my birth! So, I had reason to gush over the contents and search for more snippets of interviews online. My favorite among the essays was the All India Radio Interview with Satyajit Ray. The essence of the conversations has been maintained throughout the translated piece. I laughed till it hurt reading about Professor Shonku’s first invention, Nasyastra, a snuff gun, that makes one sneeze 56 times non-stop. I was awed by how science lags behind imagination- Leonardo Da Vinci had sketched the helicopter, gramophone and many more devices which were invented much later. It was one of the most enjoyable interviews I have read.
Read the complete review at : https://www.magic-moments.in/2018/05/...
Satyajit Ray, along with a friend of his had revived the children’s magazine Sandesh, after years of it going out of print. His grandfather had started the magazine, which he published again with fresh ideas, sci-fi stories and facts suitable for teens, complete with his own illustrations. He was also actively involved with the Bengali science fiction magazine Aschorjo as its chief patron, and became the president of the Science Fiction Cine Club, which showed movies of the genre from around the world every week for members- one of the first of its kind in India and abroad.
The book is divided into four parts- thoughts on science fiction, the springboard Bonkubabur Bandhu, The Alien, and other notable essays by Satyajit Ray. The very first chapter is an essay that first appeared in Now magazine, on 21st October 1966, and is curiously titled ‘SF’. “Heaven knows the initials are not as widely familiar as one would wish.” begins Ray going on to discuss his personal inspirations, and the woks and contributions of two pioneers of science fiction writing- Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. More interesting essays follow which discuss works of Conan Doyle, films like A Trip To Moon, Fahrenheit 451, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Forbidden Planet, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde.
I have loved sci-fi movies as long as I can remember, but this book has presented an entire new world, which dates back to decades before my birth! So, I had reason to gush over the contents and search for more snippets of interviews online. My favorite among the essays was the All India Radio Interview with Satyajit Ray. The essence of the conversations has been maintained throughout the translated piece. I laughed till it hurt reading about Professor Shonku’s first invention, Nasyastra, a snuff gun, that makes one sneeze 56 times non-stop. I was awed by how science lags behind imagination- Leonardo Da Vinci had sketched the helicopter, gramophone and many more devices which were invented much later. It was one of the most enjoyable interviews I have read.
Read the complete review at : https://www.magic-moments.in/2018/05/...
April 19, 2018
This book was a 5 star read for me and this is simply not because I am the number #1 fan of Satyajit Ray’s work but due to the fact that the book acted as an eye-opener for me. The book has some amazing revelation on why the film The Alien was not made. While reading the book I was furious at the negligence his script had to face.
…addiction to the genre occurs either at adolescence or not at all. I have a feeling he is right because I am yet to meet an adult addict who didn't say he had ‘been reading the stuff for a very long time’.
Ray for NOW Magzine, 21 October 1966
The book some articles he wrote about science fiction, postcards he wrote to various people regarding his love for science fiction and some beautiful illustrations which he did on his own for his magazine, Sandesh. The picture in this post is just a few examples of the wonderful illustrations which are present in the book.
The book also contains the script of the film The Alien, the original story - Bonkubabu's friend on which the script is loosely based and three other science fiction stories. I have no power to review his stories because they are one of a kind and everyone (no matter if he/ she likes or not likes science fiction genre).
…addiction to the genre occurs either at adolescence or not at all. I have a feeling he is right because I am yet to meet an adult addict who didn't say he had ‘been reading the stuff for a very long time’.
Ray for NOW Magzine, 21 October 1966
The book some articles he wrote about science fiction, postcards he wrote to various people regarding his love for science fiction and some beautiful illustrations which he did on his own for his magazine, Sandesh. The picture in this post is just a few examples of the wonderful illustrations which are present in the book.
The book also contains the script of the film The Alien, the original story - Bonkubabu's friend on which the script is loosely based and three other science fiction stories. I have no power to review his stories because they are one of a kind and everyone (no matter if he/ she likes or not likes science fiction genre).
October 23, 2019
Filmmakers, more often than not, are judged by the quality of their work that meets the audience, but there are instances when the films that never got made end up revealing a lot more about the artist behind. In 1960, Satyajit Ray, who by then was not just an established filmmaker but also famous for his science fiction writing, wrote a screenplay for what could have become India’s first sci-fi feature. The film was titled 'The Alien' and although it never got made, it nonetheless ended up becoming a part of filmmaking folklore. The ‘non-making’ of 'The Alien' that was described as the ‘Ordeals of the Alien’ by Ray has been chronicled in a fascinating volume aptly called Travails With the Alien and offers a hitherto undocumented cinema history including not just the original screenplay but also the correspondence between the filmmaker and the other dramatis personae.
September 7, 2019
Disappointed in myself for not reading what the book is about. I picked it up thinking it was a collection of sci-fi stories. DNFed it.
May 25, 2021
This book allows you to lay your hand on the mythical film treatment of The Alien by Satyajit Ray. And trust me, it delivered on my huge expectations and more.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
February 1, 2023
Travails With the Alien begins with Satyajit Ray’s lucid explanation of what Science Fiction is and how it has branched on to Science Fantasy too. Ray also founded the SF Cine Club in 1966, a first of its kind in the world and screened quite a few films. He received letters and tokens of appreciation from the likes of Arthur C Clarke and Ray Bradbury. Ray had planned a film based on the story Bonkubabur Bondhu. It was to be a bilingual film in English and Bangla, to be named ‘The Alien’ and ‘Avatar’ respectively. He wrote a script, showed it to Arthur C. Clarke and Columbia Pictures.
Travails With the Alien is a wonderful compilation of everything behind ‘The Alien,’ not only the screenplay and communication with Hollywood, but also the original story behind its conception and Ray’s inspiration to start writing SF in Bangla.
Read the full review here: https://writersmelon.com/book-review-...
Travails With the Alien is a wonderful compilation of everything behind ‘The Alien,’ not only the screenplay and communication with Hollywood, but also the original story behind its conception and Ray’s inspiration to start writing SF in Bangla.
Read the full review here: https://writersmelon.com/book-review-...
January 18, 2022
Such a fascinating glance into a rarely talked about, but very important aspect of the legendary Satyajit Ray's life. I also have a new-found respect for the science fiction genre now.
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