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Date: 1/17/2022
On Netflix: “Cowboy Bebop”
As many filmmakers have realized, adapting something popular from another medium is a tricky proposition. You want to capture the elements that made the original popular, but at the same time have to acknowledge that some story points or characters may not make the transition.
People also discover that something that works well in a book, for instance, simply doesn’t translate to film very well.
While I had not seen the original animated production of “Cowboy Bebop,” I was certainly aware of it and knew it was a ground-breaking production that helped make anime (Japanese animation) popular in the United States.
I thought I would give the first episode a try and was hooked, binging over several sittings the 10-episode season on Netflix.
I was quite taken by it.
The show is about three bounty hunters – called “cowboys” in this story – who live on the spaceship Bebop – yes, jazz plays a noticeable role in this show. The story is set in the future, a time when space travel is common, but people still drive gasoline-powered cars that look straight from the late 1950s and early ’60s. It’s that look of “Bladerunner,” which incorporates advanced technology with a not-so-advanced society.
Our three heroes are a motley crew. John Cho plays Spike Spiegel, a former hitman for The Syndicate, who is thought to be dead. Mustafa Shakir is Jet Black, a former cop who was wrongfully accused of being crooked and would like to clear his name. The third is Faye Valentine, played by Daniella Pineda, who is an effective bounty hunter but is also an amnesiac who is searching for clues to her past.
Spiegel would like to keep The Syndicate unaware of his existence and longs to reunited with his girlfriend, now the wife of the man who tried to kill him.
Our three heroes live a far from glamorous life. Their ship breaks down too often, they have to compete with other bounty hunters, and they are in constant need of money. To make matters worse, there are plenty of people who want to kill them.
The writing blends comedy with drama very effectively and the art direction of the show is perfect.
I enjoyed this show very much and I think if you enjoy character-driven science fiction, you will as well.
You may have read that Netflix passed on a second season, although there is now an effort by fans to have the streaming service reconsider. I won’t give you any spoilers but will tell you a story arc is completed and although the series ends on a sort-of cliffhanger, it does tell an entire story.
Farewell but not goodbye
We recently lost two people who made very significant contributions to the art of motion pictures. Luckily, their work lives on and should be rediscovered.
Sidney Poitier was a giant. Among his many accomplishments, he was the first African American to win an Academy Award. He was a film director as well and was a leader in the Civil Rights movement.
Check out “To Sir, With Love,” “The Defiant Ones,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Lilies in the Field,” among others. He was known for playing characters with complexity and dignity.
In 1967, he said, “If the fabric of the society were different, I would scream to high heaven to play villains and to deal with different images of Negro life that would be more dimensional … But I’ll be damned if I do that at this stage of the game. Not when there is only one Negro actor working in films with any degree of consistency.”
Director Peter Bogdanovich made a string of great films, starting with “Targets,” and followed by “The Last Picture Show,” What’s Up, Doc?” “Paper Moon,” “Mask,” “Saint Jack, “Cat’s Meow,” and others.
He was also a very important film historian whose interview books are essential reading. His private life frequently received more press than his films, which was unfortunate.
Turner Classic Movies has a podcast called “The Plot Thickens,” which did a remarkable series on Bogdanovich that is highly informative. Give it a listen.