Adapting

I didn't really know what to post today, so I thought I'd branch out into other forms of media. Mix it up a little, you know? So I thought I'd ease into the world of cinema today by talking about book-to-movie screen adaptations. Just so I don't give myself a shock by not talking about something book-related. Today, because I'm so heavily into classics at the moment, I'll talk about the very very few classic adaptations I've seen. Watching classic movies is a really great introduction into the world of classics, particularly for those too intimidated to start out by reading the books; its also a great way to get that cultural knowledge to converse with people who have classics on the mind without spending countless hours in a day getting through the actual book, especially if it's a whopper...

So the first one was probably... the 1995 BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Actually, I think this was what got me into classics in the first place. My aunt lent me her DVD version of the miniseries and told me to watch it - it wasn't till about a month later, the week before she was due to visit again, that I had nothing to do and decided to sit down and watch it. I planned on seeing maybe a couple of episodes so I didn't bore myself silly. Yeah, no. I stayed up till 2:30am finishing it off because I just got hooked. It was absolutely brilliant, and I found myself greatly entertained by it all, which was quite shocking to me as I had always viewed classics with a sense of great trepidation. It inspired me to read the book, which brought me on to reading more classics, to becoming determined to get an all-round understanding of literary culture so that I might understand the inside jokes of the literary upper echelon. Its working so far - really fun to make jokes about literature that no one understands.

Anyway. I just really loved this series. I've heard that there was a Keira Knightley version, but I honestly don't think I can bring myself to watch it because this was just it for me. I see the 2005 leads in movie posters and I always think - they just don't measure up to Colin and Jennifer. And man! I certainly didn't view Colin Firth as attractive before I watched Pride and Prejudice, but I do now (the younger version, anyway) - the lake scene? Mm-hmm. Yes. And I loved the happy ending. Honestly, a really faithful and enjoyable adaptation of one of the world's most popular classics.

I admit with no small amount of guilt that I haven't yet seen Les Miserables as a musical - my first experience was watching the 2012 movie adaptation with a friend. Many faithfuls dislike the actors' representations in the film, but as an inexperienced fan, I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Even if some of their voices weren't technically on par, they aren't singers - they're actors, and their job is to act. It's a convenient bonus if their singing voice is passable, and I certainly found them all so - even Russell Crowe, who I actually thought was good. And never mind the fact that it would be hard for them, many not being professional Broadway singers, to sing live on camera and act it convincingly. I believed them all, and cried more than once. It's the imperfections that made it better, honestly - when you're singing a song about heartbreak and sorrow, sure, it is nice to hear the performer hit note after note with perfect technicality, but you lose the emotion. It's convincing to hear the voice break, or the tears, or screaming out the words in anger or passion. It made it real for me, and it was just beautiful. Just my opinion, anyway. And the grand scale of it all was great - the finale, with everyone singing, just made me curl up into a little ball on the floor in my room and cry for half an hour.

I've yet to see the musical live, which is really annoying because apparently they're doing shows in my town at the moment. It sucks being broke. But oh well, maybe when I'm older (and have someone interested to go with - I'm pretty much the only one out of my friends and family who would be willing to watch). But yes - a really really good movie.

 I hit a major classics phase towards the end of last year, when I was going through my Austen kick. I really loved Pride and Prejudice, and I had heard nothing but good things about Sense and Sensibility. At that point in time I don't think I had the book, so I went out and bought the film at my local electronics store - JB Hi-Fi is the best! Seriously, they have everything. Anyway, I really enjoyed it, which I was sort of expecting as it had Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet in it (who are just great all the time). Strangely, I think the relationship I loved the most was the one between Colonel Brandon and Marianne; despite the age gap I actually found it quite sweet. I kinda found Eleanor and Edward Ferrars awkward to watch - they didn't have any chemistry whatsoever to me, which is sad because I really do like Hugh Grant...

So, with that in mind, I went and bought the book. Imagine my surprise when I just couldn't get into it. I'm still really quite disappointed in my failure to get through it - perhaps it is indeed because I watched the movie before the book, so I knew what was going to happen (and wondered why the heck it was taking so long). Oh well. I'll get back into Austen someday - when I do, I'll try again. I know I'll read it eventually. But the movie was really good - I'd totally recommend it to anyone with an interest in classics who doesn't particularly want to go through the experience of reading it. But don't let my bad experiences with Sense and Sensibility ruin it for you!

The most enjoyable one for me would be the 2011 version of Jane Eyre. I first watched Mia Wasikowska in the 2010 Alice in Wonderland movie; imagine my sorta patriotic glee when I found out she was Australian! And young, because there aren't a lot of female Aussie stars closer to my age hitting it big internationally. Nothing against Naomi Watts or Nicole Kidman, both whom I love. So when I discovered she was in this movie, I knew I had to get around to watching it - when I finished the book that turned into an irrepressible urge to go out and buy the movie. I was so excited when I found out Michael Fassbender was in it! I love him.
I found the movie pretty much exactly as I pictured it in my head; the scenery was perfect, and all the characters were pretty much spot-on in my imagination. A lot of people say Mia and Michael had no chemistry, but not me. It was pretty brilliant. I will say, however, that Mia's acting was a little awkward and stilted during some of the intimate scenes - I felt like Michael sort of carried those. But other than that Mia pretty much summed up Jane Eyre. I was a little bit disappointed with the amount they omitted though - I know it wasn't a lot, but as a newfound die-hard Jane Eyre fan I felt they could've skated over some parts a little less than they did. Especially the scene with Mr. Rochester pretending to be the gypsy woman - I didn't see that in the movie or in the deleted scenes! So pissed off, because it was one of my favourites in the book... But the movie was a lot better at demonstrating Mr. Rochester's intentions towards Jane than the book was - it was quite confusing at the time to read that he wanted her to leave Thornfield, then proposes to her. I suppose it's all down to perspective though.

I sat down with my dad the other day and watched the 1980s version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Forgive me for this, but I did find the acting quite cheesy - especially Gary Oldman and his funny accent. It was painfully obvious that he was a British guy trying to imitate a foreign guy. No offense, buddy, but I've seen better work from you. He was pretty attractive in it though, much more appealing than the Harry Potter series or Batman. Obviously because he was younger, but, still an abolutely fantastic actor. In this particular movie, I really believed in Winona Ryder - I found her British accent passable, if not a little lacking, but her emotional depth was pretty brilliant for a character who doesn't get much development given the amount of screen time she had.


Keanu Reeves was... weird. He sounded like he was just saying the words, not acting. His accent was pretty poor too. Come to think of it, were any of the main actors playing characters of their own nationality? But eh. Thankfully he didn't get too much screen time. This actually sounds like a pretty negative review - not really. I actually really enjoyed it, despite all my complaints. It was entertaining. Definitely a recommendation, especially if you're into Gothic, which this movie really emphasised. I loved the Gothic elements.

So, turns out I'd actually watched more than I thought I did. All pretty good, so I'd recommend them if you wanted a little more substance than random people blowing shit up for kicks. Don't assume that the movies are the definitive versions of the classic books - there's still quite a lot to miss from the experience of holding a good classic book and just reading it.

Next time, then!