Into the Wild Release Date

[rafe]

Yes he does state that are are in part due to his own adventures. "Nutzoid" is your word. Krakauer does not characterize his adventures that way.

So smoking a joint and burning down your (father's) tent while camped alone on a glacier in Alaska is normal, rational behavior?

[Outlaw]

I've read the book (long ago) but haven't seen the movie. Does the movie have a scene about a crazy kayak/small boat adventure down in the ocean off Mexico? That was another of Chris' near-death adventures.

It does. Although it was a heck of an adventure, no where in the book did I read or see in the movie that this was a "near-death" adventure for Chris. Dangerous? Sure. Near-death? Nothing in either the book or movie indicates that.

[rafe]

OK, I'm going to butt out 'till I've had a chance to look at the book again. But if I recall correctly, Krakauer's attitude toward Chris wasn't one of unreserved admiration.

[gold bond]

Outlaw...Yes he was mad at his Dad and Mom, not his little sister who he did communicate with.
He was mad at his dad about the affair(s) which he was a product of and his mom for not standing up to his dads abuse.These events had alot to do with his going..."into the wild"
He seen how his parents valued money as well as possessions...nice cars, which they offered to buy him one.Money was one of his dads concerns.I assume his dad paid his way thru college...Emory at that! Dad must have not been doing to shabby!!
As far as being prepared....he was not at all!Now I did not read the book which I do intend to do, but in the movie he had nothing! The guy that dropped him off even gave him a pair of warm boots as he did not even have the proper boots!He had little or no food, gear, or anything else.
I'm really kind of curious as to what he was really looking for or what he was trying to find if it had nothing to do with his family life.After graduating college he knew he couldn't go back to the life he had left, the agruing, abuse, whatever.
He seem to just wander through cities and towns. If Alaska was the answer why didn't he just go to start with? Why didn't he stay home and work on his outdoor skills and study up on Alaska?Why did he not better prepare for the harsh extremes?
Now, quitting your job, taking six months off and hiking the AT, PCT or whatever, thats a adventure. Thats finding yourself. Burning a $ 24,000.00 check and wandering for the rest of your life, thats crazy! It is true I surely ain't no doctor and by reading all the entries here I truely missed something but one thing is for sure that young man had a problem.

[Outlaw]

OK, I'm going to butt out 'till I've had a chance to look at the book again. But if I recall correctly, Krakauer's attitude toward Chris wasn't one of unreserved admiration.

But is that just Krakauer's own spin/bias on McCandless? Did you see the movie, 'cause IMHO the movie didn't really come off that way.

I've also read Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, about his adventure/misadventure on Everest. I also read three books by others who were on Everest during the same fatal time as Krakauer and expressed a whole different turn of events than what Krakauer did in his book. In other words, take some of Krakauer's writings with a grain of salt, as no one truly knows for certain what was going through McCandless' mind.

[gold bond]

It does. Although it was a heck of an adventure, no where in the book did I read or see in the movie that this was a "near-death" adventure for Chris. Dangerous? Sure. Near-death? Nothing in either the book or movie indicates that.

As I recall in the movie when Chris went to get a permit to go down the river it was going to take a year to get it. The ranger told him that he either needed to get more experience or take a guided trip but to go it alone could be dangerous if not fatal.

[rafe]

But is that just Krakauer's own spin/bias on McCandless?

No other "spin" matters, IMO.

Did you see the movie, 'cause IMHO the movie didn't really come off that way..

I've stated on numerous occasions that I haven't seen the movie yet. I'm going solely by my memory of Krakauer's book.

I'm beginning to think there's a serious disparity between the "Chris" of Krakauer's book and the "Chris" of the movie.

[Outlaw]

As I recall in the movie when Chris went to get a permit to go down the river it was going to take a year to get it. The ranger told him that he either needed to get more experience or take a guided trip but to go it alone could be dangerous if not fatal.

Actually, it was a twelve (12) year wait for a permit. That was the irony of it all.

Yeah, so, walking across the street in Manhattan can be a dangerous, if not fatal experience.

I hate to give away the plot, but McCandless doesn't have a fatal experience kyaking the river. In fact, nothing even indicates that he even rolled the kyak, let alone sustained so much as a scratch.

[Lone Wolf]

Yeah, so, walking across the street in Manhattan can be a dangerous, if not fatal experience.

much more dangerous than fording the Kennebec in the morning

[warraghiyagey]

No other "spin" matters, IMO.



I've stated on numerous occasions that I haven't seen the movie yet. I'm going solely by my memory of Krakauer's book.

I'm beginning to think there's a serious disparity between the "Chris" of Krakauer's book and the "Chris" of the movie.

I've seen the movie and read the book twice. Pretty dead on. What baffles me is the weighing in on the death of a human and those that seem to be glad he met his demise, as if he deserved it - leaves me wondering about the make up of folks who hold this stance for a person they never met. And I wish peace for these folks.

[Outlaw]

No other "spin" matters, IMO.

I'm beginning to think there's a serious disparity between the "Chris" of Krakauer's book and the "Chris" of the movie.

Actually, the other spin that matters now is that of Sean Penn.

I admit that it has been a few years since I read the book. So, I may be willing to concede that you may be correct about the two different versions of Chris. I think Penn "humanized" Chris in a way that makes one look upon him in a different light.

I strongly suggest you go see the movie... if for no other reason than to be able to put a real photo of Chris in your mind. Just seeing the photo may change the way you perceive Chris.

[Appalachian Tater]

Yeah, so, walking across the street in Manhattan can be a dangerous, if not fatal experience.

There are more deaths of elderly people caused by vehicles than by murder.
http://www.cars-suck.org/news/kbarelease.html

[rafe]

I've seen the movie and read the book twice. Pretty dead on. What baffles me is the weighing in on the death of a human and those that seem to be glad he met his demise, as if he deserved it - leaves me wondering about the make up of folks who hold this stance for a person they never met. And I wish peace for these folks.

Not sure whom you're refering to, or who here has suggested that Chris "deserved" his demise. That's a bit of a stretch, Wargy. Krakauer refers to it as a tragedy.

[warraghiyagey]

Not sure whom you're refering to, or who here has suggested that Chris "deserved" his demise. That's a bit of a stretch, Wargy. Krakauer refers to it as a tragedy.

True, Krakauer does, but numerous folks here have opined otherwise.

[Outlaw]

Not sure whom you're refering to, or who here has suggested that Chris "deserved" his demise. That's a bit of a stretch, Wargy. Krakauer refers to it as a tragedy.

A number of blogs hold that Chris got what he deserved. I even read an account by a retired AK forest ranger who seemed to have this same sentiment and just how stupid and self-serving Chris was. A tragedy is the one word that truly fits this scenario.

[JoeHiker]

So smoking a joint and burning down your (father's) tent while camped alone on a glacier in Alaska is normal, rational behavior?

You mean rational people do dumb things and make mistakes? Say it aint so!

Dumb does not equal irrational. Neither does careless

[warraghiyagey]

I have seen some of the publicity on Into the Wild. I assume it will get great box office reviews, but from what I have read the hero in the story was a fool.

Colter's story would make a better movie. Colter is a member of WhiteBlaze, and he crossed Alaska alone. His is a story of the way that McCandless should have done it. He has a great photo journal that can be found at :

http://www.bucktrack.com/Alaska_Broo..._Traverse.html

This kind of thinking is dangerous and absurd... Where is BJ to comment on this one? I think that going out into a wilderness area alone without a map exhibits some kind of death wish..

Yes, I would like to see the movie too.. But you know in a lot of movies the adventure begins when one of the characters does something really stupid...

. . . To live as he did, you have to devalue your own life to some extent.

IIRC, from the book (a long while back, I admit) -- Chris had a habit of being rather reckless in his adventures. Not too much of a stretch to think the lad had a death wish. That bus he died in wasn't all that far from civilization, as I recall.

A lot of folks manage to have "extreme" adventures without dying.

A number of blogs hold that Chris got what he deserved. I even read an account by a retired AK forest ranger who seemed to have this same sentiment and just how stupid and self-serving Chris was. A tragedy is the one word that truly fits this scenario.

Not sure whom you're refering to, or who here has suggested that Chris "deserved" his demise. That's a bit of a stretch, Wargy. Krakauer refers to it as a tragedy.

Terp, that's just this thread, there is another here at WB where the 'he got what he deserved/wanted/he's stupid contingent was much louder.
Yes, I know Krakauer refers to it as a tragedy, I've been saying that all along. It's the folks that chime in, see above quotes - and as I say there is another thread here on McCandless that is even more ruthless.

[rafe]

There's a huge diff between saying it's a tragedy and saying that Chris "got what he deserved." It's quite possible my memory of the book is faded. Here's a 1996 review of the book from the Anchorage Daily News that more or less sums up my own feelings on the matter.

[warraghiyagey]

There's a huge diff between saying it's a tragedy and saying that Chris "got what he deserved." It's quite possible my memory of the book is faded. Here's a 1996 review of the book from the Anchorage Daily News that more or less sums up my own feelings on the matter.

I just pulled up the other thread so you can see what I've been saying about folks seemingly glad that he met his demise.

[warraghiyagey]

There's a huge diff between saying it's a tragedy and saying that Chris "got what he deserved." It's quite possible my memory of the book is faded. Here's a 1996 review of the book from the Anchorage Daily News that more or less sums up my own feelings on the matter.

Yeah, Outlaw's quote was used as contrast.