In 1967, Thomas M. Disch published a short story called "The Squirrel Cage." The story concerns a man who is imprisoned in a big white cube. The man doesn't know why he's there and never finds out. He never gets out of the cube.
In 1969, Jim Henson wrote and directed a film called "The Cube." The film concerns a man who is imprisoned in a big white cube. The man doesn't know why he's there and never finds out. He never gets out of the cube.
The details, however, are entirely different. In Disch's grim tale, the Man in the Cube is deprived of all human contact. He is provided with the daily New York Times as his only link to the outside world. He writes about various peculiar characters and creatures with no certainty that anyone outside the Cube will read his words.
In Henson's version, the characters who visit the Cube are very much in the Henson mold: offbeat, wry, witty, and often just plain weird. This striking dichotomy between theme -- very dark -- and treatment -- very kooky -- makes a lot more sense if you're dealing with a Disch idea and a Henson treatment. This sort of story is Disch's bread and butter.
See the movie, read the story, and then read some more of Disch's claustrophobic, hellishly imaginative visions: "Descending" and "Casablanca."
In 1969, Jim Henson wrote and directed a film called "The Cube." The film concerns a man who is imprisoned in a big white cube. The man doesn't know why he's there and never finds out. He never gets out of the cube.
The details, however, are entirely different. In Disch's grim tale, the Man in the Cube is deprived of all human contact. He is provided with the daily New York Times as his only link to the outside world. He writes about various peculiar characters and creatures with no certainty that anyone outside the Cube will read his words.
In Henson's version, the characters who visit the Cube are very much in the Henson mold: offbeat, wry, witty, and often just plain weird. This striking dichotomy between theme -- very dark -- and treatment -- very kooky -- makes a lot more sense if you're dealing with a Disch idea and a Henson treatment. This sort of story is Disch's bread and butter.
See the movie, read the story, and then read some more of Disch's claustrophobic, hellishly imaginative visions: "Descending" and "Casablanca."