Limelight: Bourne to be a classic By Lubna Abdel-Aziz If you are one of the hundreds of millions of readers of one or more of Robert Ludlum's rousing, riveting novels you will be delighted with the screen's next exploration of the second book in the highly celebrated trilogy The Bourne Supremacy, sequel to the Bourne Identity, 2002's surprise box office hit. Supremacy opened with a bigger splash crushing the competition, making it one of the better blockbusters of the summer. Oscar winner Matt Damon ( Good Will Hunting 1996 ) returns as the CIA super spy, so does writer Tony Gilroy, while director Doug Liman assumes the reins of executive producer, leaving directing chores to the able Paul Greengrass. While Matt Damon is no James Bond, no seductive glamour or irresistible charm, he is impressive as the young complex CIA assassin, a quality which may well launch another successful franchise. The winning team double their previous box office draw, as well as the spills and thrills that boil and bubble for 108 minutes, pleasantly satisfying hungry Ludlum fans. Robert Ludlum was "one of the greatest and most popular thriller writers of the 20th century". His 21 best-selling novels helped define the spy story in the popular consciousness. They have been translated into 32 languages and have sold 290 million copies throughout the world. Though similar in theory to Ian Fleming's James Bond, and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, his hero Jason Bourne is, notwithstanding the JB initials, fiercely independent, with a tender story that captivates as he struggles with his lost memory. Densely outlined, meticulously researched, with titillating details, Ludlum's plots have proved to be pleasing to generations of readers around the world. Each one of his 21 novels have been No 1 on The New York Times best seller list, have sold millions of copies and have been optioned for the big screen. Only a few have actually made it. The very elements that make them such powerful reading are the same elements that render them more challenging to adapt for motion pictures. The fast-moving international chases, the complex mind boggling plots, seem prohibitive to screen writers who shy away from the many twisted vines and tangled webs that Ludlum describes so splendidly. No play or novel can be dramatised or expanded on the screen without suffering mortal injury. Only when a film stands on its own does it achieve success, and so it is with the Bourne films. While inspired by the original novels, they are their own independent works of art, and are judged for their own merit, that is why they are such massive commercial and critical successes, capturing the scope and texture of grand scale action-thrillers. In the first novel our hero is pulled out of the Mediterranean by a fishing boat -- with no past, no future, his body riddled with bullets and a blank memory. A miniature laser frame of microfilm is found implanted in his hip, which reveals a Swiss bank account of $4 million and the name -- Jason Bourne. Jason begins his perilous journey in search of his identity. Though he does not know who he is, or why everyone is trying to kill him, his amazing instincts and skills keep him a step ahead of the bad guys. Critics have praised the crystallised style of the Bourne films, and hint that another spy with the same initials could learn a thing or two from the Bourne series. Bourne has changed the face of the spy thriller for modern audiences. In The Bourne Supremacy, JB is hiding in a sleepy seaside village in India with his lady love Marie (Franka Potente) when he discovers a ruthless Russian assassin on the island. A Chinese vice-premier is killed in a most suspicious manner and JB's fingerprints are at the crime scene. Someone has taken the Bourne identity and unless he is stopped the world will pay a devastating price. As before, he is on the run trying to hunt down the mysterious assassin and avoid detection, in the high stakes world of international espionage. The dizzying action is carried off with a magician's grace and dexterity through the narrow streets and alleys of Europe, down flights of steps and against risky, rickety, reckless traffic. The crowning flourish is a flying speed chase through the streets and tunnels of Moscow, considered one of the best three or four car chases ever filmed on the screen. For 30 years Robert Ludlum novels set the standard for the finest in international intrigue and suspense. Always at the peak of his craft, Ludlum has left us time and again with hearts beating and spirits stirring. Ludlum's death in 2001, at 73, of a cardiac arrest, came as a shock to all his readers and fellow writers. Best selling author F Scott Sinclair wrote: "I couldn't believe my eyes when I read of Robert Ludlum's death. Nobody can ever replace him... May his memory become immortal by his devoted fans." "The best memorial to Robert Ludlum would be the continuation of his legacy, his writing!" Fortunately, prior to his death, this great master of the genre, had been working on a new series of novels, which were published posthumously in collaboration with well known international suspense writers, like Gayle Lynd and Phillip Shelby -- The Cassandra Crossing, The Hades Factor, The Paris Option and The Sigma Protocol. Even in death Ludlum could not be silenced. The character of Jason Bourne however, remained sacrosanct. As sales of the trilogy continued to rise, the Ludlum Estate after long deliberations acceded to the demands of millions of readers around the world, and granted permission to revive Jason Bourne. Best-selling author Eric Van Lustlader ( Ninja, Black Heart ) undertook the monumental task of writing one more suspense thriller, starring master spy JB, appropriately titled The Bourne Legacy. The Bourne trilogy became the coveted anchor in every fan's collection, celebrating Ludlum's masterful saga, into the enviable category of 20th century classic. For 40 years of his life Ludlum never dreamed of writing anything, least of all a novel. A trained actor in his native New York, his rich deep voice and rugged looks kept him afloat with radio, TV and theatre assignments. He performed several roles on Broadway, and appeared in many television dramas in the 1950s and 1960s. He etched himself a respectable career and a lucrative income especially from commercial voice- overs. "They paid for the children's college." In 1969, at 42 he picked pen and paper and started to write. With his deep understanding of the WW II era and his extreme fascination with the Cold War, he discovered a gift for telling a highly suspenseful dramatic story. His first book The Scarlatti Inheritance was enough of a success for him to continue, and his pen kept writing, or perhaps by then, his computer kept churning novel after novel, each one a No 1 best-seller, each one opted for Hollywood. Robert Ludlum became the richest, most successful novelist of his generation. You may have seen or may have missed two Ludlum films adapted for the screen The Holcraft Covenant (1985), with Michael Caine, directed by John Frankenheimer and The Osterman Weekend (1985), the final film directed by Sam Peckinpah. Though they both misfired on the big screen, they are highly entertaining on video and TV re-runs. I discovered Robert Ludlum in the 1970s and read over a dozen of his books compared to less than a handful of that other super spy 007. Ludlum introduces his characters and situates them in their appropriate ambiance with slick rapidity and completeness beyond the power of the cleverest spy novelists. His fast whirring pace makes it a challenge to put his books down. True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. Ludlum was a supreme artist, skillfully arranging his words and action, making the ordinary seem original, keeping his readers buying the books and turning the pages. That adrenaline rush provided by the late spy master is available at your corner video store or better yet at your favourite bookstore. Pick one of Ludlum's books, any book and you will ride the wind as you go around the world, unearthing a mystery of the classic kind. People die but books never die. "No man and no force can abolish memory." In a lighter vein, the words of a French-born English poet come to mind: When I am dead, I hope it will be said "His sins were scarlet, but his books were read" Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) [email protected]
