Mountain of Adventure

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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Stephen wrote:
Katharine wrote:Exactly. I know there are a few gaps in her writing, not much for horse lovers, no dancing stories or science fiction, but still plenty of variety.
It's funny you should mention science fiction on this thread because I've just re-read Mountain, and that's exactly the genre I picked up here! I saw very strong parallels with Flash Gordon. Not only are there winged flying men, but the mysterious King of the Mountain who turned out to be a genius forced to work for the baddies immediately reminded me of a cross between Emperor Ming and Dr Hans Zarkov. Bill was very Flash Gordon himself of course with his fighting skills and ability to pilot flying machines.

As Flash Gordon was going since the 1930s, is it known whether Enid was ever aware of it or cited it as an influence of this book?
I posted similar thoughts about The Mountain of Adventure and Flash Gordon in this thread a few days ago, Stephen. Must be a case of great minds think alike!: :wink:
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Courtenay wrote:...What I did find a bit hard to take in (I alluded to this in a post on the other thread) was the overdone "mad scientist" stereotype of Monally and the way he was dressed up and paraded as a king, with all the trimmings of a throne, sumptuous hangings, luxurious living quarters and huge feasts, which all seemed a bit exaggerated and unnecessary. On top of that, the underground laboratory with its wires, glass jars, crystal boxes, spinning wheels, "curious lamp" and crimson smoke - and then the mysterious element that forms a "brilliant mass of unknown colour" - was also all laid on a bit thick for me. These are all quite striking and exciting ideas, but I think Enid would have done better to tone them down a bit, instead of playing them up to the point where they almost sound like something out of a 1940s/'50s B-grade movie or comic strip. But then, she probably did get some of her ideas - consciously or unconsciously - from such sources! :lol:
It's interesting you should say that, because when I read the book as a child (and still now, to a certain extent), I visualised those scenes in my head as a sort of cross between Rupert Bear and Flash Gordon. Scientific laboratories, mysterious pools and caverns, crazy scientists, mad kings and Oriental characters featured regularly in either Rupert Bear or Flash Gordon, or both. It felt a little strange, although exciting, to enter that world in the company of Enid Blyton's Adventure characters!
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Katharine »

Stephen wrote:
Katharine wrote:Exactly. I know there are a few gaps in her writing, not much for horse lovers, no dancing stories or science fiction, but still plenty of variety.
It's funny you should mention science fiction on this thread because I've just re-read Mountain, and that's exactly the genre I picked up here! I saw very strong parallels with Flash Gordon. Not only are there winged flying men, but the mysterious King of the Mountain who turned out to be a genius forced to work for the baddies immediately reminded me of a cross between Emperor Ming and Dr Hans Zarkov. Bill was very Flash Gordon himself of course with his fighting skills and ability to pilot flying machines.

As Flash Gordon was going since the 1930s, is it known whether Enid was ever aware of it or cited it as an influence of this book?
I'd forgotten that book, yes I would say it has a sci-fi feeling about it. I suppose it also depends on what is classed as sci-fi, as some of her stories feature mysterious lands etc, and Uncle Quentin's inventions are a bit futuristic too.
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Moonraker »

Well, he is a scientist.....and it is fiction.....
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Katharine »

True. I suppose I always think of science fiction along the lines of Dr. Who, Flash Gordon and Star Trek. So full of aliens and space ships.
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Moonraker »

Yeah, of course. I was just sticking my tongue in my cheek again! :D
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Katharine »

That's ok, I think it was a valid point really. After all, books like Mountain of Adventure and Five on Kirrin Island Again are works of fiction, and a bit far fetched in places. All those wires sticking out of the top of the tower etc.. It's hard for me to appreciate how the stories might have been read when first published. I was only 2 when the first man landed on the moon, and spent my teenage years with the threat of an atom bomb going off at any moment, so took such inventions for granted.

It's a bit like my children not understanding how I managed to exist without either a mobile phone or a computer until about the last decade or so.
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Daisy »

I read both when they were pretty new - and never thought how impossible such ideas were... after all, those concerned were inventors, so why not let the imagination run free? As far as I and my contemporaries were concerned we thoroughly enjoyed an exciting story as we passed the books around, lending to each other and commenting on them. Mostly it was a case of "This one's jolly good. Try it."
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Moonraker »

I read both when they were pretty new
I didn't realise that you read these when you were much older.... :P
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

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Oh ha ha... :wink:
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Stephen »

Anita Bensoussane wrote: It's interesting you should say that, because when I read the book as a child (and still now, to a certain extent), I visualised those scenes in my head as a sort of cross between Rupert Bear and Flash Gordon. Scientific laboratories, mysterious pools and caverns, crazy scientists, mad kings and Oriental characters featured regularly in either Rupert Bear or Flash Gordon, or both. It felt a little strange, although exciting, to enter that world in the company of Enid Blyton's Adventure characters!
Anita Bensoussane wrote: I posted similar thoughts about The Mountain of Adventure and Flash Gordon in this thread a few days ago, Stephen. Must be a case of great minds think alike!: :wink:
So you did; my fault for not reading all the thread. But it's funny you mentioning Rupert Bear because that also crossed my mind! I had a Rupert annual as a child, and there was a very memorable story in it where he meets an inventor who has created this substance called "Sky-Metal" which can defy gravity and shoot up into the sky to be lost forever if not held down by an object of sufficient weight. This was written a few years after Enid Blyton had died so she wouldn't have been influenced by this particular story - but what if IT had been influenced by The Mountain of Adventure?

The bit about the colour that had never been seen before also fascinated me. Doesn't this concept also appear in Five Get Into A Fix? It shows the power of the written word if you think about it, because you'd never be able to successfully depict it on film!
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Interesting stuff, Stephen. Yes, I think Five Get Into a Fix does also involve a colour that has never been seen before. I imagine it to be a shimmering colour that is constantly changing, so you can never quite pin it down.

I don't think I've read the "Sky-Metal" story, but I had the 1973 Rupert Annual as a child and that features a Clerk of the Weather who resembles a "mad scientist" with a laboratory in the clouds ('Rupert and the Bouncers') and an old Professor with a flying boat and a helicopter ('Rupert and the Flying Boat'). Another story contains a castle and a waterfall. All very imaginative!
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Courtenay »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I imagine it to be a shimmering colour that is constantly changing, so you can never quite pin it down.
Funny, that's precisely what I was thinking just earlier in light of Stephen's comment about the impossibility of depicting an "unknown colour" in a film, and wondering how they might do that if there really was a film of Mountain!

I know there have been a few film/TV adaptations of the Adventure series, most of which are reportedly not much like the books (I haven't seen any of them), but I've just been thinking how lovely it would be if someone would adapt the entire series - or as many books as possible - for a TV serial, and do it properly. By "properly" I mean sticking as close to the books, or certainly to the spirit of them, as possible - set it in the correct era ('40s/'50s) and follow the plots of the books as far as they can be adapted to the medium successfully, with as little "updating" as possible.

These are some of Enid's most brilliant and exciting stories, and I can just imagine them done on screen - they could be given a real "retro" feel that would appeal to older generations, while still containing more than enough excitement and mysteriousness for younger viewers! I really wish some sympathetic producer would find the inspiration and money to do that. Anyone know of one?? :D (And of course, they'd have to find an extremely cool and handsome actor to play Bill. :wink: )
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Moonraker »

Anita wrote:I imagine it to be a shimmering colour that is constantly changing, so you can never quite pin it down.
Yes, me too. All the colours can be seen in a rainbow, so there can't (can there?) be anything new.
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Rob Houghton »

I've always thought that Mountain Of Adventure shows a leaning towards being inspired by the science fiction stories and even more so, the films, of the 1930's and 40's. When I wrote my articles for The Journal about the adventure series I know I often mentioned the 'cinematic' style of these stories, and particularly 'Mountain'. Enid uses similar ideas with 'Five Get Into A Fix' as has been mentioned, and also 'The Secret of Moon Castle'.

I was never very keen on The Mountain Of Adventure' as an adventure book, because it was so strange...but as a fantasy science-fiction book it works okay...just doesnt seem to be so grounded in reality as the other books in the Adventure series.
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Re: Mountain of Adventure

Post by Courtenay »

Robert Houghton wrote: I was never very keen on The Mountain Of Adventure' as an adventure book, because it was so strange...but as a fantasy science-fiction book it works okay...just doesnt seem to be so grounded in reality as the other books in the Adventure series.
That's what I felt about it too, Robert (I'm currently reading through the entire series for the first time). It's still a good book, but it does push the boundaries of possibility - so to speak - quite a bit further than the other Adventure books do.

I'm enjoying the series so much that I'd love to read your articles on it! :D Could you please let me know which Journal numbers they were in? I'm quite new to the Society and don't have any of the older issues, just the ones since I joined at the start of this year.
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
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