Re: Books into Movies
Josh Feldmeth (sportcarrier@earthlink.net)
Wed, 09 Jul 1997 14:07:53 -0700
Add Books into Movies: I rented (and watched) the Vonnegut adaptation
of "Mother Night" last night. Excellent work on a touchy subject (Nazi
Genocide). I presumed it would be difficult to represent both the black
and light sides of Vonneguts writings in a movie. His books are
repeate with humor, humor which I "hear" from the characters in a
certain way. Nick Nolte played the lead and he quoted many of the lines
directly from the source and they were funny. But he said it in a way
or tone different from what I had immagined. The situational stuff is
easy, (characters with funny names or hobbies). Its the more nuanced
stuff of dialog, timing and affectation that sometimes gets lost in an
adaptation.
So too with JDS. The stuff of the laughing man, the story within the
story, with its funny characters and adventures would be more accessable
to a viewer then possibly the jibes, sarcasim and Mahantanisms of Zooey
in "Zooey" (what's that line when Franny is sleeping on the couch and
and Zooey says something like Me and Brother Anselm... I don't tote my
library to work so make the loose connection for me please but I laughed
at that for days.)
If Jonathan Taylor "Lunchbox" Thomas was to play Holden, he could quote
directly from JD but for most of us, he, or any other temeritous (word?)
youngster, would probably, "say it all wrong". That's the gift of prose
and the challange of the stage.
oconnort@nyu.edu wrote:
> Oh, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I can't resist either the movie or the
> book.
Right - and how about Boo Radley's hair. Now that's cool.
Cheers, Josh