Friday, January 15, 2010

Classics remade

Ah, there's nothing sweeter than a well told story. I recently finished Fifth Business, a book that's been on my "to read" list for quite some time. It's a bit of a departure from my normal reading fare but it wasn't disappointing. I usually cringe when a person shares their thoughtful advice to "just watch the movie and save time".

I shiver at the thought of students relying on cinema rather than great writing, but the trend is only gaining speed. With Twitter, texting and email, the English language has been relegated to kung-pow chicken. There aren't many films out there that have adapted great modern classics well, maybe only a handful in the century of cinema (Sense and Sensibility, High Fidelity...). Now the public must endure the horrific spew of video game concepts churned into action-porn puff pieces aimed at the twelve year old mind set (Prince of Persia???!).

Thankfully, one particular book slated on director Ridley Scott's "films to make list" is Aldous Huxley's powerful classic A BRAVE NEW WORLD, one of my all time favourites. I'm crossing my fingers that everything comes together for this film and that he truly does the writing justice, because his long overdue golden Oscar would be a nice paper weight for his office decor.

Who will be John Cooper? It better not be Russell Crowe or Leonardo Dicaprio... hopefully a lesser known actor.

Upcoming classics to hit the big screen

Fahrenheit 451
Another fantastic novel that is on the cooker pot set for 2012. Early rumours stated that Tom Hanks would take center stage as Guy Montag.

Don Quixote
On many reading lists this ranks number 1 as the all time book you need to read before you die. It's certainly a HEAVY one to crack down, and obviously a tale that Terry Gilliam is aching to finally finish (rumour has it he is still determined to film the novel).
Want to see some true agony, flashes of wrath from God? Try Lost in La Mancha, a documentary of Gilliam's painful trials of a dream lost.

Jane Eyre
Nothing beats a bit of Victorian sexual repression. Charlotte's Bronte's brooding Mr. Rochester manipulates the mousy heroine governess Jane.