Author Topic: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)  (Read 2352 times)

Offline flyright

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Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« on: 02/03/2023 06:21 am »
I haven't read Heinlein's "The Door Into Summer" since I was a teenager, but its one of those books that I still think about occasionally. The book was about a prolific inventor, double-crossed and sent to the future via cryo-sleep.
Lots of twists and turns in the plot gave me a lot to think about as a teenager. Not to mention I was fascinated with the inventions described in the book, although the book was written before integrated circuits and the Internet. The technology is hopelessly dated in the book, but the ideas behind it are not.

I just stumbled across the 2021 movie of the same name, in Japanese with subtitles on Netflix.
It is based on Heinlein's book, but updated to current times and technologies.
I was delighted to see the story is basically the same, and the movie beautifully done. Still lots of twists and turns to keep the viewer puzzling at what exactly is going on?

It is more romantic and emotional than I think many would associate with a Heinlein story, but it works in this Japanese version.

I've often wondered why more of the old Heinlein stories haven't been made into movies. Surprised and pleased to see this one come out of Japan.




Offline nicp

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Re: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« Reply #1 on: 02/03/2023 11:09 am »
I haven't read Heinlein's "The Door Into Summer" since I was a teenager, but its one of those books that I still think about occasionally. The book was about a prolific inventor, double-crossed and sent to the future via cryo-sleep.
Lots of twists and turns in the plot gave me a lot to think about as a teenager. Not to mention I was fascinated with the inventions described in the book, although the book was written before integrated circuits and the Internet. The technology is hopelessly dated in the book, but the ideas behind it are not.

I just stumbled across the 2021 movie of the same name, in Japanese with subtitles on Netflix.
It is based on Heinlein's book, but updated to current times and technologies.
I was delighted to see the story is basically the same, and the movie beautifully done. Still lots of twists and turns to keep the viewer puzzling at what exactly is going on?

It is more romantic and emotional than I think many would associate with a Heinlein story, but it works in this Japanese version.

I've often wondered why more of the old Heinlein stories haven't been made into movies. Surprised and pleased to see this one come out of Japan.




Interesting! I love the book.
For Vectron!

Offline Eer

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Re: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« Reply #2 on: 02/03/2023 12:20 pm »
I enjoyed the NetFlix movie, too, and was surprised at how closely it held to the book.
From "The Rhetoric of Interstellar Flight", by Paul Gilster, March 10, 2011: We’ll build a future in space one dogged step at a time, and when asked how long humanity will struggle before reaching the stars, we’ll respond, “As long as it takes.”

Offline Harry Cover

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Re: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« Reply #3 on: 02/03/2023 12:21 pm »
Probably because Robert Heinlein had some controversial point of views, particularly in the last two decades (nota bene: this is not intended at starting an internet flame war.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein

« Last Edit: 02/03/2023 12:21 pm by Harry Cover »

Online sanman

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Re: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« Reply #4 on: 02/03/2023 09:37 pm »
I haven't read Heinlein's "The Door Into Summer" since I was a teenager, but its one of those books that I still think about occasionally. The book was about a prolific inventor, double-crossed and sent to the future via cryo-sleep.
Lots of twists and turns in the plot gave me a lot to think about as a teenager. Not to mention I was fascinated with the inventions described in the book, although the book was written before integrated circuits and the Internet. The technology is hopelessly dated in the book, but the ideas behind it are not.

I'd read it a long time ago. I forget - is that where the main character gets tricked/duped by his girlfriend and business partner into being put in suspended animation? Then later he eventually travels back through time, exploiting the fact that time travel is a byproduct of "nul-grav" (some kind of anti-gravity technology)?

Hah, this could have just as well been a Philip K Dick story, given all the plot elements.


Quote
I just stumbled across the 2021 movie of the same name, in Japanese with subtitles on Netflix.
It is based on Heinlein's book, but updated to current times and technologies.
I was delighted to see the story is basically the same, and the movie beautifully done. Still lots of twists and turns to keep the viewer puzzling at what exactly is going on?

It is more romantic and emotional than I think many would associate with a Heinlein story, but it works in this Japanese version.

I've often wondered why more of the old Heinlein stories haven't been made into movies. Surprised and pleased to see this one come out of Japan.

Heinlein has had big following in Japan. Heinlein's novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" was made into the 1983 anime "Dallos", and his novel "Starship Troopers" was made into the 1988 anime "Uchū no Senshi".

Offline flyright

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Re: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« Reply #5 on: 02/04/2023 04:08 am »
...
I'd read it a long time ago. I forget - is that where the main character gets tricked/duped by his girlfriend and business partner into being put in suspended animation? Then later he eventually travels back through time, exploiting the fact that time travel is a byproduct of "nul-grav" (some kind of anti-gravity technology)?

Hah, this could have just as well been a Philip K Dick story, given all the plot elements.
...

The details have changed, but the plot is still pretty much as you remembered.

I've been thinking the same, this story could almost have been written by Philip K Dick!

Offline DanClemmensen

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Re: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« Reply #6 on: 02/04/2023 01:45 pm »
...
I'd read it a long time ago. I forget - is that where the main character gets tricked/duped by his girlfriend and business partner into being put in suspended animation? Then later he eventually travels back through time, exploiting the fact that time travel is a byproduct of "nul-grav" (some kind of anti-gravity technology)?

Hah, this could have just as well been a Philip K Dick story, given all the plot elements.
...

The details have changed, but the plot is still pretty much as you remembered.

I've been thinking the same, this story could almost have been written by Philip K Dick!
Heinlein was 21 years old when PKD was born. Most pf PKD's major work was written after Door Into Summer was published. So yeah, Heinlein's work is full of cliches, just like Shakespeare's.

Offline laszlo

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Re: Netflix: The Door Into Summer (R. Heinlein)
« Reply #7 on: 02/04/2023 09:53 pm »
Just watched it. It was definitely worth a watch, but didn't feel in the least Heinlein-esque. It was a pleasant movie that had some connection to a Heinlein novel, but nothing that could be mistaken for a work of his.  The biggest difference - SPOILER ALERT! - was the relationship to the love interest. Instead of quasi-pedophilia it was quasi-incestuous. Then there was the way that the hero lost everyone in the past. In the movie it was accidents and illness, in the book it was nuclear war. Lots of other little things like that which really didn't make that much of a difference to the story, but drastically changed the feel from a Heinlein novel to something completely different.

If you leave your expectations at the door and watch this movie for its own sake, you won't be disappointed, other than never being surprised.

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