The Cult of Chris McCandless

[JaiDee]

I read "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer for the first time in the late 90's ..... since becoming a cult classic in America along the same parallels of Kerouc's "On the Road" or any of the Jack London books, it follows the adult life of a young Chris McCandless as he leaves Emory University [Phi beta kappa] and abandons all of society and begins a 2-year trek around America with nothing but a backpack and his thumb;  he even donated all his savings [he came from a wealthy background] to a charity and literally burned his pocket money and started walking, leaving the acceptance from Harvard Law school on the table.

           He was an idealist and didn't like society or its rules, didn't agree with currency or man-made laws and stocked his head with the writings of Tolstoy and Thoreau, et al..... thousands of disenfranchised youth have related to his story ever since then,  and since his demise on a remote  Alaska plain in 1992 he has reached cult status here in the states, as has Krakauer, the author who penned his story first in Outdoor magazine in 1993.



  Watched the movie last night, written and directed by Sean Penn and starring Emile Hirsch as Chris; great work and 'almost' lives up to the book, which I had re-read last week in anticipation of watching this flick.  I would highly recommend either one to anyone who reads here,  but preferably try and do the book first [it's a quick read] and then the movie; fascinating, real-life stuff.

[Guest]

sounds great....gonna try and download it now

[JaiDee]

read the book as well, it's a good one

[Guest]

just rented it from the video shop....

[JaiDee]

 

please post your review here when done ........ the little sister's haunting narrative back home in DC  while waiting it out for 2 full years with no contact from her older brother is especially good.

  well-done movie, good acting and direction

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_wild/

[sev7en]

Watched it tonite. Damn good.
What did Wayne(Vince Vaughn) get busted for? Never got that..
Highly recommended.

[PigDogg]

Haven't read Into The Wild yet.

But Krakauer's other book, Into Thin Air is a real page turner.

True story of a Everest expedition gone bad.

Pack it for your next flight.

[JaiDee]

(sev7en @ May 06 2008,12:21) What did Wayne(Vince Vaughn) get busted for? Never got that..

The book alludes [briefly] to a time when Wayne was selling descramblers for satellite dishes and for getting free HBO and shit.... the scene in the movie was a bit dramatic when he gets taken away  by 15 FBI guys but in fact it was true; he never served any real time but that was the reason Chris left South Dakota earlier than he wanted to.

The movie should've mentioned this.

   Haven't read 'Into Thin Air'  but there is one chapter in this book dedicated to Krakauer's climb of The Devils Thumb in Alaska; he was the first to try and attempt the sheer Northwest face.  He failed and to this day no one has ever made it successfully though dozens have died trying.

[JaiDee]

(PigDogg @ May 06 2008,12:52) Haven't read Into The Wild yet.

PD,  you could probably get this at Asia Books ..... highly recommended, a true page-turner.


 as I say, better than the movie and a bible for followers of this cult

[sev7en]

(JaiDee @ May 07 2008,20:16)

(PigDogg @ May 06 2008,12:52) Haven't read Into The Wild yet.

PD,  you could probably get this at Asia Books ..... highly recommended, a true page-turner.


 as I say, better than the movie and a bible for followers of this cult

Well, it´s no "On the road", but still good..

[JaiDee]

I'd agree, but I did enjoy it, twice now.


enough young people agree that the bus where he died has since become kind of a ghoulish travel spot for dozens of lost souls per year who want to see where he spent the last 113 days of his life. Not easy to get to and 20 miles from the nearest road, it's a 2-day walk and takes some determination I am sure.

[sev7en]

Yeah, figured people go up there. So the bus is still there?
Tracy, the girl singing with him at the hippie camp was so nice, i thought he would romance her.
Like he wrote "hapiness means nothing less it´s shared"

[JaiDee]

he would have if she wasn't 15!!

ummm, maybe....he seemed for the most part to be not really interested in sex and had larger, more interesting pursuits, something I can certainly relate to these days.


yes, the bus is still there and gets dozens of visitors per year, I have read that the insides are still exactly the same and even his last folded pair of jeans are still neatly placed where he last left them as are all his articles of clothing and personal items; people respect him enough to leave them alone.

* I read that Sean Penn wanted to bring this story to the silver screen as early as 1995 but did not have the parents approval; they gave it to him 10 years later and it took him 3 years to make it.