Many thanks for this episode. Carl Sagan had a big influence on my development. I read a number of his books, including the Cosmic Connection (1973), The Dragons of Eden (1977), Murmurs of Earth (1978), Broca's Brain (1979), The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1979), Cosmos (1980) , and Contact (1985). I watched Contact in the theater when it first came out. Loved both the book and the film. Amazing writing. Sagan was also great on the Johnny Carson Show (!), where I first became aware of him WAY back in the day. Regarding Contact, and I thank the presenter here for pointing out the differences between the book and the film, I will mention that there is one other format, which is the audiobook, and it's read by none other than... Jodie Foster! It is one of the most convincing voice acting portrayals of a book that I have heard.
Hmmm...the only audiobooks I'm interested in have been narrated by the author...few and far between. And a few select narrators I enjoy listening to. I'm thinking of getting the Harry Potter series narrated by Stephan Fry, for example, particularly since the Pottermore British editions seems to be unavailable in ebook, here in the states. 😡🤬😡🤬 But a Jodie Foster narrated Contact...😮😳🤔 Edit: Audible's version is narrated by someone else. 🥺
Warmest Christmas wishes. I appreciate the desire to update "Cosmos", but nothing compares to the synergy of that original series. Sagan was SO important in standing against the ever swelling tide of American anti-intellectualism. He would * HATE it* if I said HE was the true candle in the dark. Perhaps we can agree that he was Diogenes . . .
Apparently Alexander the Great traveled a long way to meet Diogenes. He encountered the famed philosopher sunbathing. Alexander asked if there was something he could do for him, hoping to learn wisdom. Diogenes replied "Don't block the sunlight." Alexander was heard to remark, "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes." 😂🤣
I read Contact many years ago; the plot differences with the movie elude me now. I remember the movie much more vividly as I watched it at least 3 times. I definitely will be re-reading it next year. Thanks for this awesome video Richard.
Watched the film back in school and read the book earlier this year. I didn't expect it to be so good since Sagan hadn't written any fiction before but I found the character work to be really solid. Great video as always and it's so cool that you got the chance to go there!
Sagan in his afterwords thanks a number of wordsmiths, including his wife. I think the ideas were mostly Sagan's but the words and perhaps some of the character development may be more of a team effort. Thanks for watching and all the best in the new year!
Well, a visit to the VLA is another one you've beaten me to. It's on my list of places to see and things to do for next year. Meanwhile, your review has made me put Contact on my TBR.
I think you will really enjoy visiting the VLA. They have a film introducing the film and the science narrated by ... Jodie Foster. Reading 'Contact' is definitely a fun SF way to enhance the enjoyment of visiting the VLA.
Merry Christmas. I am from DC originally. I live in Arizona now. It's cool to see some of the places you're visiting. I've been to the very large array recently
If you make it to New Mexico I highly recommend it. I've also gone to Carlsbad Caverns which is also highly recommended. There are a lot of other interesting places I plan to visit in the future in New Mexico; White Sands National Park, indigenous sites and scientific sites related to Los Alamos.
I read Contact in the early 90's a few years before the film version so my memory of it is a little hazy on fine details but I do remember enjoying the very deliberate pacing and extra focus on the international scientists collaborating while politicking was carrying on globally. I don't remember the novel having such an overt emphasis on the conflict between science and religion as the film did and overall while I like both versions for different reasons the book ultimately wins out for me. SF, astronomy (and sharks) were some of my very earliest passions. Growing up in England Patrick Moore was a major influence on that although I was well aware of Carl Sagan and remember his Cosmos series very fondly even though I haven't seen it since it was first broadcast. The BBC programmes of Professor Brian Cox have been in a way a spiritual successor to that series. I love how discussions of vintage SF show me things I may not have discovered before, or haven't had the time to read yet or, like Contact, to revisit old memories and to see how much has changed and yet so much remains the same.
The very first Carl Sagan book I read was "The Demon-Haunted World", which is one of my favourite non-fiction books. I keep recommending it as 'One Of Those Important Books That Everyone Needs To Read'. As a matter of fact, I re-read it earlier this year. I've read Sagan's other books, including "Contact". I saw the film first, which would have been around 1998. If I remember correctly, there is a passage in the novel of "Contact" concerning the evolution versus creationism issue. This was also discussed in "The Demon-Haunted World", and the wording is startlingly similar. 😁 There is a short story by Frederick Pohl called "Fermi and Frost". It's about a group of survivors in Iceland trying to cope with the effects of nuclear winter. I think the main character - an astronomer - might have been based on/inspired by Carl Sagan. Sagan himself was one of the scientists involved in the research concerning nuclear winter, and the controversy it caused.
@@vintagesf I actually got my copy of "The Demon-Haunted World" for free. It originally belonged to my grandfather. Other people who have endorsed "The Demon-Haunted World" are Harlan Ellison, Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins and James Randi. As a matter of fact, one of the chapters in "The Demon-Haunted World" is ABOUT James Randi. 😁
Stephen Baxter: „Last Contact" is a short story when in the near future, the acceleration of the universe's expansion increases to such a degree that even stars in our own galaxy begin to be carried away very fast. Suddenly, SETI scientists pick up many messages: civilizations need to say goodbye.
Great video Richard! I saw the movie way back when but did not read the book. I always had the feeling (based on nothing more than an impression) that the book would be a bit of snooze fest. Sounds like that might be the case?
Wouldn't call it a snooze fest but there were certainly some info dumps and conversations that could have been tighter in editing. I read a 430 page paperback which I felt could have been better at about 350 pages. That said, some readers really like the minutiae of some of these ideas and themes.
I read the book when it came out and was looking forward to the movie, but was very disappointed in the film. I felt it missed the message that Sagan intended. It made it much more mystical than he intended.
The whole grilling in front of a committee, forcing Arroway to basically say there was no empirical evidence was only in the movie script. It does represent a theme in the novel but it was heavy handed.
I always felt that producer Linda Obyst sabotaged this film after Sagan’s death by placing an undo emphasis on faith over reason at the film’s climax. Sagan’s life’s work was gently persuading the opposite. I’m frankly surprised that Druyan went along with this. Obyst wasn’t done; she later ruined ex-husband’s Kip Thorne’s story for Interstellar by making love, a mammalian emotion, the secret of the cosmos. Never bring your science fiction story to this woman!
@@vintagesf The references to Contact came entirely from my own reaction to the film as a lifelong follower of Sagan’s written and broadcast work, and my suspicions at the time. As for Interstellar, it might be inferred from Kip Thorne’s own book Th Science of Interstellar, published in 2014 by Norton. Good luck!
I love both the book and movie but the movie does pander a bit to the the faith majority in the audience. Specifically, at the end when she is portayed as admitting that her conclusions about the trip are informed by faith. I cant prove it but suspect that this was not consistent with Mr. Sagan's world view and he might have objected to that.
@@andrevanderpluym4640 Spoiler It was interesting how the government officials reveal there was 18 hours of static recorded. In the novel they state that the 5 passengers watches showed that time but they could have collaborated in changing the time on their watches. I think the point Sagan was making is that at some point empirical evidence was subject to Occam’s Razor and that sometimes, rarely, experience was more valuable than empirical evidence. Feel free to dispute.
Richard, what are you doing posting a video on Christmas Eve? Seriously...😮. Well, I'm assuming you survived the smacking around by your family...😂🤣 I love Contact, the book, despise the movie. So disappointed when I saw the movie. I nearly fell asleep, watching Jodie Foster pretending to be a Radio Astronomer. 🙄🙄🙄 The final lines in Contact, the book...I thought they were PERFECT. No way any movie could live up to that, so eh. I guess I was doomed to be disappointed. Merry Christmas, Richard, don't let me catch you posting on major holidays next year! They're for FAMILY. 😡😡 Richard, "Really big omission from the novel, into the film" could have been phrased a bit more clearly. I understood what you meant, because I've read the novel and watched the film. "A really big omission in the film, of a major core concept of the novel" would be more clear to those who have yet to watch the movie, or read the book. 😉. I too agree that that concept, is the best thing about the book. Certainly one of the most beautiful and elegant concepts ever. That if (deleted) can be proved, the proofs lie buried deeply in mathematics...🤯🤯🤯. Which is the only possible place they could be... Unfortunately, as a counter-argument I also remember the infinite monkeys 🙊🙉🙈 typing up Shakespeare. 🙄🙄🤯🤯🐶🐶
You'll be happy to know that I last worked on episodes for UA-cam on the 23rd and simply scheduled the posts for this week. Thank you for the constructive criticism on my phrasing. I do strive for clarity but often miss the mark. Part of the journey of communication. Hope you enjoyed your Christmas. All the best to you in the new year!
Many thanks for this episode. Carl Sagan had a big influence on my development. I read a number of his books, including the Cosmic Connection (1973), The Dragons of Eden (1977), Murmurs of Earth (1978), Broca's Brain (1979), The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1979), Cosmos (1980) , and Contact (1985). I watched Contact in the theater when it first came out. Loved both the book and the film. Amazing writing. Sagan was also great on the Johnny Carson Show (!), where I first became aware of him WAY back in the day. Regarding Contact, and I thank the presenter here for pointing out the differences between the book and the film, I will mention that there is one other format, which is the audiobook, and it's read by none other than... Jodie Foster! It is one of the most convincing voice acting portrayals of a book that I have heard.
Hmmm...the only audiobooks I'm interested in have been narrated by the author...few and far between. And a few select narrators I enjoy listening to. I'm thinking of getting the Harry Potter series narrated by Stephan Fry, for example, particularly since the Pottermore British editions seems to be unavailable in ebook, here in the states. 😡🤬😡🤬
But a Jodie Foster narrated Contact...😮😳🤔
Edit: Audible's version is narrated by someone else. 🥺
Sounds (pun intended) worth looking up!
Sagan was a treasure. Demon Haunted World was eerily prescient and I read Contact for the first time this year and absolutely loved it.
Just looked up 'Demon Haunted World' on Wikipedia. I may have to find a copy and review it. Sounds fascinating.
Warmest Christmas wishes.
I appreciate the desire to update "Cosmos", but nothing compares to the synergy of that original series.
Sagan was SO important in standing against the ever swelling tide of American anti-intellectualism. He would * HATE it* if I said HE was the true candle in the dark. Perhaps we can agree that he was Diogenes . . .
Apparently Alexander the Great traveled a long way to meet Diogenes. He encountered the famed philosopher sunbathing. Alexander asked if there was something he could do for him, hoping to learn wisdom. Diogenes replied "Don't block the sunlight." Alexander was heard to remark, "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes." 😂🤣
Excellent video, Richard!
Thank you! It was a lot of fun to make.
I read Contact many years ago; the plot differences with the movie elude me now. I remember the movie much more vividly as I watched it at least 3 times.
I definitely will be re-reading it next year. Thanks for this awesome video Richard.
Thanks Bart! All the best to you and yours in the new year!
Watched the film back in school and read the book earlier this year. I didn't expect it to be so good since Sagan hadn't written any fiction before but I found the character work to be really solid. Great video as always and it's so cool that you got the chance to go there!
Sagan in his afterwords thanks a number of wordsmiths, including his wife. I think the ideas were mostly Sagan's but the words and perhaps some of the character development may be more of a team effort. Thanks for watching and all the best in the new year!
Well, a visit to the VLA is another one you've beaten me to. It's on my list of places to see and things to do for next year. Meanwhile, your review has made me put Contact on my TBR.
I think you will really enjoy visiting the VLA. They have a film introducing the film and the science narrated by ... Jodie Foster. Reading 'Contact' is definitely a fun SF way to enhance the enjoyment of visiting the VLA.
Merry Christmas. I am from DC originally. I live in Arizona now. It's cool to see some of the places you're visiting. I've been to the very large array recently
I found it to be a wonderful experience. I got chills just thinking about the science being performed there. Truly a connection to the universe.
Would love to visit that place
If you make it to New Mexico I highly recommend it. I've also gone to Carlsbad Caverns which is also highly recommended. There are a lot of other interesting places I plan to visit in the future in New Mexico; White Sands National Park, indigenous sites and scientific sites related to Los Alamos.
I read Contact in the early 90's a few years before the film version so my memory of it is a little hazy on fine details but I do remember enjoying the very deliberate pacing and extra focus on the international scientists collaborating while politicking was carrying on globally. I don't remember the novel having such an overt emphasis on the conflict between science and religion as the film did and overall while I like both versions for different reasons the book ultimately wins out for me. SF, astronomy (and sharks) were some of my very earliest passions. Growing up in England Patrick Moore was a major influence on that although I was well aware of Carl Sagan and remember his Cosmos series very fondly even though I haven't seen it since it was first broadcast. The BBC programmes of Professor Brian Cox have been in a way a spiritual successor to that series. I love how discussions of vintage SF show me things I may not have discovered before, or haven't had the time to read yet or, like Contact, to revisit old memories and to see how much has changed and yet so much remains the same.
The very first Carl Sagan book I read was "The Demon-Haunted World", which is one of my favourite non-fiction books. I keep recommending it as 'One Of Those Important Books That Everyone Needs To Read'. As a matter of fact, I re-read it earlier this year. I've read Sagan's other books, including "Contact". I saw the film first, which would have been around 1998. If I remember correctly, there is a passage in the novel of "Contact" concerning the evolution versus creationism issue. This was also discussed in "The Demon-Haunted World", and the wording is startlingly similar. 😁 There is a short story by Frederick Pohl called "Fermi and Frost". It's about a group of survivors in Iceland trying to cope with the effects of nuclear winter. I think the main character - an astronomer - might have been based on/inspired by Carl Sagan. Sagan himself was one of the scientists involved in the research concerning nuclear winter, and the controversy it caused.
@@picturepainter I believe you’re the second person to recommend ‘The Demon Haunted World’. I’ll be watching for it in used bookstores.
@@vintagesf I actually got my copy of "The Demon-Haunted World" for free. It originally belonged to my grandfather. Other people who have endorsed "The Demon-Haunted World" are Harlan Ellison, Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins and James Randi. As a matter of fact, one of the chapters in "The Demon-Haunted World" is ABOUT James Randi. 😁
Stephen Baxter: „Last Contact" is a short story when in the near future, the acceleration of the universe's expansion increases to such a degree that even stars in our own galaxy begin to be carried away very fast. Suddenly, SETI scientists pick up many messages: civilizations need to say goodbye.
Wow! Need to find this short story. The melancholic drama of that conclusion, wow! Thanks!
Great video Richard! I saw the movie way back when but did not read the book. I always had the feeling (based on nothing more than an impression) that the book would be a bit of snooze fest. Sounds like that might be the case?
Wouldn't call it a snooze fest but there were certainly some info dumps and conversations that could have been tighter in editing. I read a 430 page paperback which I felt could have been better at about 350 pages. That said, some readers really like the minutiae of some of these ideas and themes.
I read the book when it came out and was looking forward to the movie, but was very disappointed in the film. I felt it missed the message that Sagan intended. It made it much more mystical than he intended.
The whole grilling in front of a committee, forcing Arroway to basically say there was no empirical evidence was only in the movie script. It does represent a theme in the novel but it was heavy handed.
I always felt that producer Linda Obyst sabotaged this film after Sagan’s death by placing an undo emphasis on faith over reason at the film’s climax. Sagan’s life’s work was gently persuading the opposite. I’m frankly surprised that Druyan went along with this. Obyst wasn’t done; she later ruined ex-husband’s Kip Thorne’s story for Interstellar by making love, a mammalian emotion, the secret of the cosmos. Never bring your science fiction story to this woman!
Very interesting. I'd like to research this. Do you have sources that I could access?
@@vintagesf The references to Contact came entirely from my own reaction to the film as a lifelong follower of Sagan’s written and broadcast work, and my suspicions at the time. As for Interstellar, it might be inferred from Kip Thorne’s own book Th Science of Interstellar, published in 2014 by Norton. Good luck!
I love both the book and movie but the movie does pander a bit to the the faith majority in the audience. Specifically, at the end when she is portayed as admitting that her conclusions about the trip are informed by faith. I cant prove it but suspect that this was not consistent with Mr. Sagan's world view and he might have objected to that.
@@andrevanderpluym4640 Spoiler
It was interesting how the government officials reveal there was 18 hours of static recorded. In the novel they state that the 5 passengers watches showed that time but they could have collaborated in changing the time on their watches. I think the point Sagan was making is that at some point empirical evidence was subject to Occam’s Razor and that sometimes, rarely, experience was more valuable than empirical evidence. Feel free to dispute.
Richard, what are you doing posting a video on Christmas Eve? Seriously...😮. Well, I'm assuming you survived the smacking around by your family...😂🤣
I love Contact, the book, despise the movie. So disappointed when I saw the movie. I nearly fell asleep, watching Jodie Foster pretending to be a Radio Astronomer. 🙄🙄🙄
The final lines in Contact, the book...I thought they were PERFECT. No way any movie could live up to that, so eh. I guess I was doomed to be disappointed.
Merry Christmas, Richard, don't let me catch you posting on major holidays next year! They're for FAMILY. 😡😡
Richard, "Really big omission from the novel, into the film" could have been phrased a bit more clearly. I understood what you meant, because I've read the novel and watched the film. "A really big omission in the film, of a major core concept of the novel" would be more clear to those who have yet to watch the movie, or read the book. 😉. I too agree that that concept, is the best thing about the book. Certainly one of the most beautiful and elegant concepts ever. That if (deleted) can be proved, the proofs lie buried deeply in mathematics...🤯🤯🤯. Which is the only possible place they could be...
Unfortunately, as a counter-argument I also remember the infinite monkeys 🙊🙉🙈 typing up Shakespeare. 🙄🙄🤯🤯🐶🐶
You'll be happy to know that I last worked on episodes for UA-cam on the 23rd and simply scheduled the posts for this week.
Thank you for the constructive criticism on my phrasing. I do strive for clarity but often miss the mark. Part of the journey of communication.
Hope you enjoyed your Christmas. All the best to you in the new year!