Say what you will about movies like "Pulp Fiction" and "True
Romance," we
have them to thank in part for the many crime-related movies
now appearing
from Hollywood.
Hollywood is geared around visually told stories. Hardboiled
crime tales
usually offer some sort of violence which can be interpreted
for the screen
as some sort of spectacle. Cozy writers usually have the bad
stuff
happening offstage -- sorry folks, not enough fireworks and
Senssurround
thunder for the cineplex.
But the audience that pays to see these crime movies isn't
necessarily a
reading audience. And you're right, Fred, the book business
hasn't figured
out a way to bring about what I might call a renaissance of
the Gold Medal
type of men's adventure or crime novel. While the right kind
of stories are
the prime ingredient, the right kind of marketing is very
important for
that breakthrough to the audience to occur. And while
publishers seem very
good at marketing blockbusters (okay, "very good" can easily
be argued),
they aren't very good -- or just don't try -- at reaching
some audiences
outside the mainstream.
Or just in some cases. Science Fiction seems to have a large
audience now,
and is considered a somewhat mainstream genre these days. But
much of that
mainstreaming developed thanks to the popularity of Star
Wars, then Star
Trek -- Hollywood productions upon which publishers
piggybacked their
marketing and success in the genre. Nothing quite so similar
has occurred
for crime movies and books -- for 3 main reasons:
1. Crime movies have adult audiences, with no real tie-in to
young
audiences (like Star Wars).
2. Most crime movies are one-offs; that is, they have no
series or spin-off
potential (like Star Wars and Star Trek).
3. Crime movies don't offer the same sort of fantastic (as in
"can't take
place on some street at any time of the day anywhere on Earth
") elements
that SF movies can provide.
Okay, enough follow-up ranting for the moment. -- Duane
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