Now that I’ve made my way through three of the inevitable slew of books tied to the release of the much-anticipated WATCHMEN film, I’m pumped as ever to see it … and wondering how in the hell it’s not going to be six hours long.
Judging from Peter Aperlo’s WATCHMEN: THE FILM COMPANION, it looks as if no page from the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons graphic masterpiece has gone unadapted by director Zack Synder, who previously did justice to Frank Miller’s 300. And not only that, but in minute, painstaking detail, making those comic panels come to ultra-gritty life.
The horizontal COMPANION takes us through every phase of production, from pre- to post-, with behind-the-scenes photos, preliminary sketches, concept art and frames from the completed work. Each character gets his or her own chapter, and the sheer amount of attention paid to the props is beyond impressive. If this movie won’t get nominated for an art-direction Oscar one year from now, it will be a crime.
Some overlap exists between the book and Aperlo’s WATCHMEN: THE ART OF THE FILM. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because while COMPANION is a on-the-set-style look as a whole, ART narrows its focus to strictly visuals. Yet that remains quite a scope!
ART allows for more definitive, side-by-side comparison from the graphic novel to finished product. Even teaser theatrical posters were modeled after DC Comics’ original promotional material for the single-issue series, and the source material’s TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER pirate-adventure comic has been fleshed out for film as well, right down to fake ads and a letters page.
Lastly, there’s WATCHMEN PORTRAITS, which can be enjoyed by those who aren’t even into WATCHMEN. For the oversized hardback, photographer Clay Enos shot black-and-white close-ups of the film’s actors (some in character, some not), crew members and occasional prop against a stark-white backdrop. Each photo gets its own page, which highlights Enos’ ability to capture every imperfection of his subjects (except you, Carla Gugino — you are perfection).
I love that style of in-your-face photography, which is why this one holds appeal outside just film fans. It can be — and should be — appreciated as an art book. Enos’ lens snapped so many terrific shots, it’s unbelievable to learn this is his first collection of photos. The only negative thing I can say about it is that it’s so big, I’m not sure where to shelve it. —Rod Lott
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It’s a great book. Just bought it. Lots of goodies besides the art. I’ve provided a link to my review of the book as well.