Michael Crichton Term Papers and
Research Papers
The
selection of a career or profession is a difficult job in the life of a person
but more difficult than that is the switching of from one career or profession
to another one. Although history is replete with such examples in which men
changed their professions and achieved tremendous successes but the fear of
unknown always haunts a person and stops him from following the un-trodden path
of adventurism. Change of profession, necessarily, doesn’t always lead to
success--it can even be the other way round, however, a person who has courage
and self-confidence and a vision of the future can take the drastic decision of
career change even at the face of great odds. He may seem to be stupid to change
a career but if luck favors him, he may be adored as a god.
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Michael Crichton, like many other people, also changed his profession. By
education, he was a Physician but he decided to leave the medical profession and
adopt writing as his profession. What were the factors, which forced him to take
this decision? The answers to such questions is not difficult to find if we
cruse through his life and writings. In fact there was no single factor or
reason due to which Michael changed his profession from Medicine to Writing but
the reasons were multiple and varied.
Flare for writings
Michael Crichton had a flare for writing from his early childhood. Watching his
journalist father, who was an Editor and Executive writer at a local publishing
company, being published in the print media, Michael knew from that time what he
wanted to do and he therefore, started experimenting with words. His father,
John, also encouraged and guided him during his early childhood to improve his
writing skills. Recalling his passion for writing from his early childhood, in
an interview with William Durbin, which was published on Feb, 10, 1999, in the
Yale Daily News, Michael said “In the third grade I wrote puppet plays that went
on for pages and pages”. [Michael Crichton talk writing]
The most encouraging thing happened in 1956 when the New York Times bought and
published his first travel article titled “Where the Meteor Scarred Arizona's
Desert” when Michael was only 14 years old. The publication of his first article
in the prestigious New York Times convinced him that he could become a very
successful writer. For that reason, after his graduation from Roslyn High School
in 1960, he went to the Harvard University to become a write. However his stay
at Harvard was not smooth and rewarding as his writing style was extremely
criticized there. To determine just how exact Harvard's standards were, he
retyped an essay written by the British Writer, George Orwell (1903-1950) and
submitted it as his own. The poor English professor, did not catch Michael’s
plagiarism, and gave Orwell a B-, which convinced him that the English Harvard
Department was not the right for him and he left it.
Money Making
A solid and secure income is very necessary for an honorable and decent life.
Without economic stability one cannot succeed in life. Michael Crichton was also
aware of this hard reality of life. After leaving the Harvard English
department, being frustrated and disillusioned, Michael studied Anthropology at
Harvard and graduated in 1965. He became a visiting lecturer at Cambridge, in
England, at the age of twenty three. He won the Henry Russell Shaw Fellowship
for traveling and visited North Africa and Europe.
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Crichton was earning for livelihood from his writings but he was afraid that he
would not be able to survive in that profession. Seeing the taking of hefty
amount by the Medical professionals in the United States, Crichton decided to
make Medicine his profession and for that purpose, he went to Harvard Medical
School and graduated in1969. However, he never got a license to become a
practitioner of medicine. He was a writer by temperament but had entered the
Harvard Medical School to adopt the profitable profession of Medicine just for
the sack of money. This fact also didn’t conceal from the school administration
and they were vacillating whether to admit him or not. About the indecision of
the school administration, Crichton once said “They didn’t know what to do, so
they kept bringing me back for interviews.” [Michael Crichton talk writing].
Michel Crichton recalled being asked in one such interview what occupation he
would choose, if he could be anything. “The rapt gathering of Yalies, many
clutching freshly signed volumes of his books, burst into laughter as the
light-hearted Crichton, now a non-practicing medical doctor, remembered
cracking, “a movie director.” [Michael Crichton talk writing]
He used to work on his writings on weekends and vacations at Harvard Medical
School and paved his way through by writing thrillers under the pen name of John
Lange. Under a different nom de plume, that of Jeffery Hudson, Crichton wrote “A
Case of Need “ (1968) for which he won the Mystery Writer’s of America Edgar
Award. His first major work at the Medical School was The Andromeda Strain, the
best-seller novel , which was published in 1969. “The first mainstream book he
wrote, it was originally published under the pseudonym Jeffrey Hudson, and won
the Edgar for Best Mystery of the Year. It, like The Andromeda Strain is a
medical thriller, and follows the adventure of a pathologist trying to discover
the real reason for the death of a high-profile girl who'd recently had an
abortion.” [The Michael Crichton Page] The publication of this book made him a
campus celebrity and propelled him onto the bestseller list, a few years before
his thirtieth birthday. This was the first book that was originally published
under Crichton's actual name and earned him a lot of money. This medical
thriller is about the release of a deadly, alien virus into the population of
Arizona. “By the time the government is notified, everyone in the town, with the
exception of an old man and a newborn baby, has been wiped out by the pathogen.
A highly-trained team of doctors rushes to a secret government containment
facility to determine the nature of the pathogen - and how to stop it - in time
to save the country.” [The Michael Crichton Page]
In 1970 he published his first non-fiction work, “Five Patients: The Hospital
Explained” for which he was rewarded as Medical Writer of the Year by the
Association of the American Medical Writers. “Crichton’s days as a medical
student greatly influenced his novel Five Patients. The first part of a
student’s clinical work involves interviewing patients with various diseases.
The resident on the floor says, Go see Mr. Jones in room five, he has a good
story -- meaning Mr. Jones can give a clear history for a specific disease. In
Five Patients Crichton goes behind the scenes of the medical profession to teach
us the origins of many things we take for granted today such as antibiotics and
anesthetic. It also takes a look at future of modern medicine that has yet to
come.” [Michael Crichton]
He spent one year as a post-doctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological
Sciences, La Jolla, California in 1969-1970 but he was realizing more and more
that practicing medicine was not for him. He finally decided to leave the
medical profession when he sold the rights for the movie version of his novel
“The Andromeda Strain” to Universal, in 1971.
Many people thought he was crazy when he left medicine, but he did anyway and
ultimately became very successful. He himself says about the decision “To quit
medicine to become a writer struck most people like quitting the Supreme Court
to become a bail bondsman”. [Biography]
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How much money he has earned from his writings? “In recent years he has been one
of a mere handful of authors who consistently rank in the top 25 or so on the
Forbes list of the highest-paid celebrities. (Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Stephen
King, and J. K. Rowling are the others.) Considering his track record for
writing best-selling books that eventually become blockbuster movies, it’s no
wonder that HarperCollins has agreed to pay him $40 million for his next two
books, thus ending the 30-year partnership between Crichton and Knopf.” [Meet
the Writers] The movie versions of Crichton’s books are always hits. Jurassic
Park earned him $912 million, Rising Sun $65 million, Disclosure $83 million,
Congo $80 million, and so on.
Academic background
A genius like Michael Crichton, who decided to become a writer instead of
practicing Medicine, was well aware of his strength of imagination and
creativity. These qualities made him the father of modern techno-thriller.
Through his imagination he bridged the gap between science fiction and science
eventuality. His novels are about ideas and information. However, his
imagination in not confined only to thrill but he has touched topics such as
history and human relationships. Crichton's medical background and his wonderful
imagination have inspired many of his most popular works. Michael Crichton's
mystery novels based themselves on events that could very well take place even
today. In his novel, A Case of Need, a woman’s death is believed to have been
caused by an incompetent abortion doctor, but as a doctor searches for the truth
he finds that the death looks more like murder. The use of an abortion doctor in
this work comes from Crichton’s own interest in obstetrics. The Rising Sun, is a
play on the Japanese flag as well as that country's economic advances. In the
play a beautiful young model/party girl with influential political friends is
found murdered in the boardroom of a major Japanese industrial company on the
night of its all-star opening. Since the boardroom is under the examination of
security cameras, it would seem the murder has been recorded. But first the
tapes disappear, then they reappear, and the murderer is exposed right before
the detective's eyes. The Rising Sun also begins as a mystery, but turns into a
battle with technological warfare. Though a novel, rising Sun is being treated
as virtual non-fiction. Rising Sun and A Case of need also involve pieces of
Crichton’s medical background and knowledge.
“He has also written novels about scientific topics -- DNA, primates, biology,
drugs, and other subjects one would expect a medical doctor to know something
about. And he's the author of a well received exploration and appreciation of
modern artist Jasper Johns, published by Harry N. Abrams.” [Meet the Writers]
The glimpses of his medical background and professional knowledge can also be
seen in The Terminal Man (1977) and Jurassic Park (1990). The Jurassic Park, as
a movie, was released in 1993.
Movies and Dramas
Michael Crichton is also a filmmaker and a Director. Many of Crichton’s novels
have been made into motion pictures. Crichton himself adapted screenplays from
his novels for the films Jurassic Park (1993), Rising Sun (1994), and Disclosure
(1995). He also adapted and directed film versions of his novels Westworld
(1973) and The Great Train Robbery (1979), directed Coma (1978), and wrote and
produced Twister (1996). [Encarta Encyclopedia 2002] The Great Train Robbery was
a motion picture about three men who work together to rob a moving train. This
was loosely based on an infamous train robbery in England in 1855. It was
released in 1979. In the movie, Edward Pierce (played by Sean Connery) planned
to rob a shipment of gold from a train with the help of his mistress
(Lesley-Anne Down) and an expert safe cracker.
A film adaptation of his novel "Congo" was produced in 1995 while the year 1997
saw "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", a sequel to the 1993 blockbuster. Crichton
and his fourth wife Anne-Marie Martin collaborated on the script for "Twister"
(1996), about scientists who study tornadoes. This film went on to become a
blockbuster. Unfortunately both Crichton and his wife Martin were sued by
another screenwriter who claimed they had plagiarized his work however the jury
dismissed the other writer's claims and they were vindicated. Crichton also went
on to co-produce a film version of his novel "Eaters of the Dead" but he did not
agree with director John McTiernan's vision and as a result, the film remained
incomplete for two years. When it was finally released in 1999 as "The 13th
Warrior", it was not appreciated by the audience.
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“While he certainly knew his way around a film set, TV was largely an unexplored
medium for Crichton until the fall of 1994. He had previously made his directing
debut on "Pursuit", a 1972 made-for-TV political thriller which he adapted from
his novel "Binary" (written under the pseudonym John Lange). After conquering
the movies, Crichton returned to the small screen to create, co-write the pilot
and executive produce the acclaimed medical drama "ER" (NBC, 1994- ). One of the
five top-rated shows of its first season, "ER" racked up the kind of numbers
that no new hour-long drama had won in decades. Boasting a talented ensemble,
gritty stories and buckets of blood, this became THE hot show to watch and
another triumph for the former M.D. who dreamed it up. After busying himself
with big screen fare, Crichton entered into an agreement to create a new
hour-long TV drama for Fox to debut in early 2001.” [Michael Crichton].
Crichton’s nonfiction writing includes Jasper Johns (1977), a biography of the
American artist, and Travels (1988).
Crichton is the recipient of a lot a awards such as “Mystery Writers of
America's Edgar Allan Poe Award, 1968 ("A Case of Need", written under pseudonym
Jeffery Hudson); and 1980 ("The Great Train Robbery"). Association of American
Medical Writers Award, 1970 ("Five Patients"); Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences Technical Achievement Award, 1995 ("for pioneering computerized
motion picture budgeting and scheduling") George Foster Peabody Award, 1995 (for
"ER"), Writer's Guild of America Award, Best Long Form Television Script of 1995
(for "ER"); Emmy, Best Dramatic Series, 1996 (for "ER"). New ankylosaur named
Bienosaurus crichtoni, 2000. Recipient of Mystery Writers of America's Edgar
Allan Poe Award, 1968 ("A Case of Need", written under pseudonym Jeffery
Hudson); and 1980 ("The Great Train Robbery"). Association of American Medical
Writers Award, 1970 ("Five Patients"); Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences Technical Achievement Award, 1995 ("for pioneering computerized motion
picture budgeting and scheduling") George Foster Peabody Award, 1995 (for "ER"),
Writer's Guild of America Award, Best Long Form Television Script of 1995 (for
"ER"); Emmy, Best Dramatic Series, 1996 (for "ER"). New ankylosaur named
Bienosaurus crichtoni, 2000.” [http://www.crichton-official.com/aboutmc/aboutmc_biography.shtml]
He has recently divorced his forth wife, Anne-Marie Martin. They have daughter
named Taylor. His first wife was Joan Radam, who was his school fellow at Roslyn
High School. His association with his first wife remained intact for about five
years. His second and third wives were Kathy St. Johns and Suzanne Childs. He
has a charming personality as is considered as one the most handsome Americans.
Although, he was not much attached with his father but did mourn his death.
Works Cited
Michael Crichton talk writing, from puppets to ‘ER’. http://www.yaledailynews.com/articlefunctions/printerfriendly.asp?AID=686
The Michael Crichton Page. http://www.msu.edu/~thomp169/crichton.htm
Michael Crichton. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Crater/8196/
Biography. http://crichton.netfirms.com/biography.html
Meet the Writers. Michael Crichton. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?userid=6VQ1S1AT32&cid=883019#bio
Crichton, Michael. Encarta Encyclopedia 2002. 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation.
Michael Crichton. http://www.hollywood.com/celebs/bio/celeb/1677660
Michael Crichton. http://www.crichton-official.com/aboutmc/aboutmc_biography.shtml
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