Harrison
Elliott
Ian
Sebastian
Copyright 2000 JCS Imaging
The Beljars
On an ordinary winter evening, two brothers awaken next to a mysterious lake under a mysterious sky in the middle of nowhere. They are joined moments later by two of their cousins, who have arrived under just as mysterious circumstances. Where are they? And why?
They soon discover that they are close to an Inn, and that's where the fun begins.
They are told that four years ago, a prophecy was delivered by the Oracle who lives in the mountains: "Each of them shall bear the name Human. There shall be four: Thinker, Knower, Speaker, Doer. Each has a purpose, and all of them shall fulfill this prophecy." The problem is, no one will tell the fulfillers just what it is they're supposed to do.
They are faced with a set of unusual and enigmatic characters: a talkative feyologist, a gentle elf and his sarcastic brother, a beautiful Siren, a softspoken enchantress and her murderous brother. Each of them plays an integral part in the cousins' slow journey of discovery in the strange land that has no name.
The ad campaign for The Beljars was a bit unusual, as each main character got his own poster. Each was given a name for his own unique role (ie: Harrison as Knower, etc.), and the individual posters reflected these. They are smaller and simpler than the main poster, but equally important. To see them, click here.
The Novel that Started it All
Molly Glass is a young writer who has said in past interviews that she was "completely surprised" when Miramax called her and said that they thought that The Beljars (her first novel, incidentally) would make a good film. "I didn't really imagine it as a movie plot- there's so much introspection in the novel that it makes it difficult to imagine it translated to the screen. But Bloody [Springfield] assured me that it was a project he was dying to undertake, so I flew out there to help with the screenplay."
She reports that Harrison was the first Beljar to come to her, and that he developed in her head over time. He was originally kind of a sad-sack, but gradually grew into a more sensitive and less mopey character. Elliott was next - "every family has to have a dreamer" - and then Sebastian, "the token doubter." But something was missing.
"I got the idea for Ian literally the day before I started writing the novel. He's the guy that almost holds it together- he's the calm one, the older, wiser fellow who the other guys turn to. I made him Elliott's brother for contrast's sake."
Glass' next project is, according to Entertainment Weekly, an adaptation of her short story Last Name. "I always wanted to be a screenwriter. Now I can expand."
(Quotes and info taken from 7 August 1998 issue of EW)
Excerpts from the novel are coming soon, once I get permission.