Sean Penn dismayed by `Wild' discovery (Spicoli sad that somebody took dead bum’s boots)

AP ^ | Thu Sep 20, 9:01 AM ET | DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer

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TORONTO - Sean Penn made a disheartening discovery on his latest trip to Alaska this summer: Someone had walked off with a pair of boots that had sat in an old bus in the wilderness for almost 15 years.

The bus had become something of a shrine for Christopher McCandless, the subject of Penn's latest movie, "Into the Wild," a young man who died of starvation there in 1992 after four months of trying to live off the land.

McCandless had taken shelter in the bus, which still held pots, pans and other artifacts he left behind after all those years. His boots had remained on director Penn's previous trips to scout locations and film the movie, which opens Friday, starring Emile Hirsch as McCandless.

But two months ago, Penn went camping at the bus site with Jon Krakauer, whose best-seller was the basis for the film.

"Somebody took off their own boots and replaced them with Chris' boots," Penn said in an interview last week at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "Into the Wild" played. "The boots that were left behind were better than Chris," making clear to Penn that the perpetrator wasn't simply looking to upgrade his footwear.

"I can't help but think it was related to some of the imminent discussion about the movie coming, and somebody hungering to have an eBay item," Penn said.

McCandless' story made national headlines, prompting both sympathy for his experiment in self-denial and criticism that he brought his fate on himself for trekking ill-equipped and ill-prepared into a harsh land.

His death followed a two-year trek around North America in which McCandless sought to divest himself of the trappings of the material world and live life at its simplest.

[wideawake]

I want my replacement keyboard to be ergonomic, with a salad-bar-style guard over it.

[Rummyfan]

The bus had become something of a shrine for Christopher McCandless, the subject of Penn's latest movie, "Into the Wild," a young man who died of starvation there in 1992 after four months of trying to live off the land.

Next Penn can do a flick about the man who got himself eaten by bears..... (unfortunately for her, he also got his girlfriend killed).

[Millee]

Movies can’t capture the details & inner thoughts of the characters. Always better to read the books first & then see how badly Hollyweird strayed from the original story line.

[L,TOWM]

Would it be wrong to hope that Spicoli plays the lead and insists on method acting for that flick?

[wideawake]

Next Penn can do a flick about the man who got himself eaten by bears.....

Ah yes, Timothy "Grizzly Man" Treadwell - another borderline personality who believed the laws of nature didn't apply to him.

Leonardo DiCaprio bought the rights to his story, but while he was in preproduction on the adaptation the Discovery Channel released a German director's documentary about Treadwell and it won some awards.

Not only did this documentary glut the market for movies about idiots eaten by bears, it is also deromanticized Treadwell enough to make the DiCaprio project look a lot less commercial.

[a_chronic_whiner]

maybe he was foraging in the wrong place?

I consider myself a hunter-gatherer of the same sort. I gather a special type of fine leaves the natives call “money”
which I can barter for tools, food and what not.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Would it be wrong to hope that Spicoli plays the lead and insists on method acting for that flick?

LOL

[the lastbestlady]

I really enjoyed the book also. I really fear that Sean Penn is going to ruin it!

[spinestein]

[I want my replacement keyboard to be ergonomic, with a salad-bar-style guard over it.]

Get two.

Then send the other one to me.

[spinestein]

[I consider myself a hunter-gatherer of the same sort. I gather a special type of fine leaves the natives call “money”
which I can barter for tools, food and what not.]

LOL!!!

[biscuit jane]

“Next Penn can do a flick about the man who got himself eaten by bears.....
Ah yes, Timothy “Grizzly Man” Treadwell - another borderline personality who believed the laws of nature didn’t apply to him.”

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I read both books (Into the wild was an audio book). Both of these guys were mental cases not intelligent .
Both of them died in situations that any reasonable person would have would have survived, or not intentionally entered into.

Both were foolishly arrogant.

---

A great book reporting on the survival some of a crew fishermen in Alaska titled: “Last RUn” by Todd Lewan.

A page turner and true story. Originally appeared in an Alaska newspaper as a series of articles.

[biscuit jane]

Also, there was once a hilarious blog about the Bear
guy , Treadwell.

People were blurbbering on about his heroism , bravery,
brilliance etc. Still others were raining shards on him,
disgusted with his arrogant antics. Quite a little mosh pit.

[Prodigal Son]

Looking forward to seeing this movie. The book was really good. Glad somebody decided to make it.