Total Recall: Our Favorite Writers on Film
The best portrayals of when cinema and literature clash.
Movies were probably at one point considered to be a major threat to literature but, looking back, the two mediums have a pretty healthy working relationship going on. Directors and actors love to portray a good author, wellsprings of emotion and passion that they are, slaving over little words that build to world-changing proportions. The latest example is Jane Campion's Bright Star, the story of 19th century poet John Keats and his fiery romance with Fanny Brawne, and now that it's out in theaters, why not join us as we thumb through history, discovering cinema's 10 most brilliant portrayals of writers on screen.
Franz Kafka in Kafka
Despite his stature as one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century, Franz Kafka's dense, ambiguous prose doesn't translate well to the big screen (though Orson Welles' moody, darkly comic take on The Trial is a rare exception). Fresh from the success of sex, lies and videotape, Steven Soderbergh tried to get around the problem posed by Kafka's works by crafting a thriller that merged the man's writings with the outlines of his life. The result, Kafka, starring Jeremy Irons in the title role, mixed elements of film noir and German Expressionist cinema with a plot that included thriller and sci-fi elements. At the time of its release, critics bristled, calling the result shapeless and pretentious. In retrospect, Kafka was a noble attempt to adapt the complexity of Kafka's work to the movies, and it hinted at Soderbergh's genre experiments to come.
J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland
Most know Scottish author J.M. Barrie best as the creator of Peter Pan, whose adventures were first chronicled in a play, then in the novel Peter and Wendy, and ultimately in the animated Disney adaptation of the novel. What many people didn't know, at least until Finding Neverland came out in 2004, was that the character was inspired by Barrie's close relationship to the five sons of Arthur and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. Barrie befriended the boys and formed an affectionate bond with their mother, even becoming one of the boys' legal guardians after both parents passed away. Finding Neverland depicts this relationship and its influence on Barrie's work, from the moment he first meets the boys in Kensington Gardens to the debut of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, providing a heartwarming depiction of the power of imagination.
Truman Capote in Capote
Years before the huge success of his "non-fiction novel" In Cold Blood, Truman Capote had already staked out a distinctive place in Hollywood. He wrote the screenplays for the cult favorites Beat the Devil and The Innocents, and the movie version of his novella Breakfast at Tiffany's was a huge hit. However, Capote's distinctive speaking voice and mannerisms were so unique that it wasn't until the mid-2000s that anyone dared to mount a full-fledged Capote biopic. Capote starred Phillip Seymour Hoffman in as the writer on his quest to create a new kind of writing with his coverage of a brutal Kansas murder, and Hoffman won praise for his camp-free, three-dimensional portrayal of a great man of letters on the verge of a masterpiece. (2006's Infamous, starring Toby Jones as Capote, explored similar territory.)
Henry Miller in Henry & June
For those who like their smut to have a literary bent, Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin should be required reading. And for those who like racy movies that don't involve pizza deliverymen and insipid dialogue, Henry & June is for you. The first film to get stamped with the notorious NC-17 rating, Henry & June chronicles the scintillating (and artistically fruitful) love triangle between Miller (Fred Ward), his wife June (Uma Thurman), and their good buddy Nin (Maria de Medeiros) in the heady days of 1930s Paris. Miller is hard at work on his legendary Tropic of Cancer, and derives inspiration (and help getting published) from Nin, who in turn is attracted to both Millers. Though it may not be as shocking now as it was upon release, Henry & June remains both an intriguing examination of the artistic process and a compelling erotic experience.
Charlie Kaufman and Susan Orlean in Adaptation
In Hollywood, it's difficult to find anyone more "meta" than Charlie Kaufman, and none of his work exemplifies this better than Adaptation, which is essentially a film about its own creation, the story of a writer attempting to write a story based on the writings of another writer. Whew! Nicolas Cage plays both Charlie Kaufman and his fictional twin brother Donald (who was nevertheless credited as co-writer of the film), and Meryl Streep offers an Oscar-nominated performance as Susan Orlean, the New Yorker staff writer whose book Kaufman was commissioned to adapt for film. As a fascinating piece of self-referential cinema, Adaptation appears to chronicle Charlie's battles with writer's block and low self esteem while simultaneously telling the story unfolding in Orlean's book, The Orchid Thief, until the two narratives collide. There are layers upon layers to peel back here, and for those willing to do so, the film is an insightful look into the creative process (specifically Kaufman's) and the relationships between writers and their subjects (specifically Orlean's).
The.Epaksa.Knight.Rises on 09-29-2009 05:47 PM
Adaptation and Capote are the best films on this list.