Are you going to get involve with the writing of the script for the movie Warner Bros are planning to make after The Alchemist? When it is going to be released, what will the casting be?
One of my few regrets in life is that I sold the rights of one of my books. It was the beginning of my international career, and I had no experience at all. Yesterday I saw an interview with Julia Roberts about me, and she says: “I hope that Paulo Coelho never sells the rights of his books to movies. The magic of his books is in the words and sentences.” I totally agree with her.
The Heart and the ‘brain’ are connected; scientists are learning more and more about this. I watched recently on my Public TV station here, a program about just this topic. I, too, have asked the question about where the mind comes into things, and I have started to understand, for myself, the priority of things and how these are connected. I believe that, ultimately, the Heart always leads. It leads us as a child, and then later on, as an adult, we forget that it leads, because after all, now we are so smart and all; our minds are so terrific and we can do incredible things with it, etc. But at the end of the day, when something happens we can’t fix with our minds, the Heart returns to remind us it has been leading all along. We have simply forgotten. Our minds, much like an infinitely calibrated adjustment wrench, is invaluable, but it does not lead. It exists to do the bidding of the Heart. I see a corrolary between the placing of the mind in charge, to ‘prove’ our worthiness, our competitive edge, for, ultimately, survival purposes; and we do this beyond the point, even after we have long forgotten that once it knew it was serving our Heart. When mental difficulties come, what do we do? We press even harder to ‘force’ our mind to continiue to prove us worthy. We place in charge, volitionally then, the very thing which we are afraid others will discover has a problem-rather than simply stopping, stepping back and remembering that which we truly want in our Hearts, and then do a reset on the old noggin, and begin again. I am reminded of the work of Carl Rogers, who was once asked if the objective or the subjective was senior. He replied that he would do research and later on report on his opinion. For one year, he studied one of the two, and after one year, he wrote a paper expounding on the pros and cons of that approach to life. The second year, he studied/observed the other in life and at the end year two, he submitted his opinions based on those observations. Then he took year three to allow the distillation process to work, and at the end of year three, he concluded that one should always do the objective thing, as all objective action serves the subjective. I like to keep this in mind.
With much affinity,
Sandy
Dear Paulo,
Yes, the words, the story …they are one of the kind, they triger your imagination to create images…
yes…the book is always better than the movie…
but…not everybody reads books…
so they would never have a chance to know Your books,
to know ….what everybody should know..about life, love, dreams…
it would be a pity for those who only watch movies.
So maybe…with the movie they would….fall in love so much…. that they would go further and reach for… the book… and the miracle will happen for them too.
:-)
I know there are good and bad movies, but… there are also movies that we will always remember…so maybe…if it was meant to be…
love
Agnieszka
As your words are teaching me, things happen for a reason.
The movie will be what it will be.
And your book is what it is.
I do not think the movie could change the way your readers and fans see your work.
PS: Now of course, It’s good to have kept the other rights…
Well, I respect, the fact that you don’t want to be adapted on images. Even though, there are writers or directors on earth, that truly hear what you wrote. They’re probably unknown by now, but have a truly understanding of the World you draw.
Did you sell the rights of The Alchemist? Why should it be a regret? Because Hollywood will make at his own will? Maybe won’t they respect the Book?
Now it’s done, I merely think, that it’s a good thing.
Maybe you don’t like that your work get involved with some others. But as I like images script, I can tell you the adaptation of one book, never entirely moves away the Soul of the Word.
Sometimes I go and see a movie, for I read and loved a book. Others, I read the book, because the movie presented me something that touched my heart.
They’ll never replaced each other. And yet, there’s something universal in both.
Don’t you think, that your Soul will stand out anyway, during one hour and an half? The opposite, would be doubting about the Strengh of your stories.
A time, a space, a voice, always lay from the inner essence of the book, to the movie. Even if it’s a quetion of seconds. That’s above the scriptor’s consciousness.
Ok, some can go out of the cinema, mixing up a botched-up movie, with a book. But think about the fact, that people often speak about what they saw.
As now the garden is well inhabited, there will always be a Warrior round there, to guide the member of the audience to your books.
As for critics, you’re used too.
Gratefully.
Dearest Paulo
Truthfully when i heard you’d sold your rights for the alchemist i was disheartened- i don’t know how a movie can possibly encompass the the entire essenses of that particular book- but at the same time, everything happens for a reason, who know maybe you will touch many more people’s lives with it! – i just hope that the movie is good, or atleast somewhat like your book, because sometimes books and movies are at far ends of the world. I suppose the reason i specifically wanted the alchemist to remain just a book, was because Santigo’s character itself made you feel like you are him or very much a part of him because of his journey. The way that you wrote the book, calling him the boy mostly, made more approachable to identified with because he wasn’t a very physically defined character- It was like, i could be him in a way, and it felt great. Putting a definate face to him.. just worries me a bit- but alas, ‘what’s done cannot be undone,’ as shakespeare said, so lets see what happens. I recommend you do get involved with he flim production because it is after all a reflection of yourself that the world is going to see, and for new eyes, a reflection of your book.
I have a few questions- if you could kindly indulge me: you said that you regret selling the rights to one of your books. But you are chosing to make two of your books movies- the witch of portabello and veronika decides to die. Do you retain the rights of these movies? Why did you choose these books to be made into a movies? Are you going to make all your books movies?
Thank you for being
Yajna
But when a genius writer meets a genius director, then…
Are the rights to your works still protected after you die??
Not that I’m particularly miserable at the moment – though maybe I am -
I just thought that, you know Hollywood, maybe it is inevitable, and they can be seen as grave-robbers in some light….worth a thought, perhaps.
much love
I completely understand your regret…I agree with Julia that your words are priceless & precious but on a positive note your words will be introduced to people who may have never picked up one of your books. And once they see the movie they will be transfixed the way that the rest of us are. Don’t be so hard on yourself about selling it; just don’t sell any more of them!! You are great…the movie will help spread your message to teenagers & children & non readers and then the world will be Coelho-fied! Your message makes me smile & gives me hope!