Daniel Keyes' life experience allowed him to write "Flowers for Algernon", first as a novella focused on what happens when a highly motivated but retarded grown man is given the ability to understand the world and himself, then later as a full-length novel incorporating the complexities of natural adolescent feelings and beyond (see Algernon, Charlie and I: A Writer's Journey). Both versions are highly intelligent, American classics.
Alas, as the title suggests, "Charly" is a dumbed-down, made-for-a-wider-audience collage burdened with popular '60s causes and ambiguities that only dilute the story.
We can wish for a more faithful rendition (perhaps by the great people who made A Beautiful Mind). Let's imagine it. The journal format so effective in the original story _can_ work on the screen: Choose one paragraph entry for each chapter of the script. Show us Charlie's most poignant inner thoughts in his handwriting, please!
The story deserves it.
Alas, as the title suggests, "Charly" is a dumbed-down, made-for-a-wider-audience collage burdened with popular '60s causes and ambiguities that only dilute the story.
We can wish for a more faithful rendition (perhaps by the great people who made A Beautiful Mind). Let's imagine it. The journal format so effective in the original story _can_ work on the screen: Choose one paragraph entry for each chapter of the script. Show us Charlie's most poignant inner thoughts in his handwriting, please!
The story deserves it.