When Hollywood Becomes the Novel
April 21
As some of you may have heard, Keira Knightley has been officially cast as Kathy H. in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, which began filming in London this month. I am a huge fan of Ishiguro and Never Let Me Go comes close to being the perfect novel for me. The subtlety and slow menace of the plot – the idyllic English setting and tone contrasted with the macabre, slightly futuristic theme – and the play on structure and memory were nothing short of brilliant. I also loved the profound yet understated sense of loss between the three main characters, which was made all the more moving by the fact that Ishiguro never really lapsed into melodrama, but kept things unassuming and cunningly executed.
Now I don’t have a problem with adaptations per say – a good novel-to-film transition can be wonderful. Neither do I have any beef with Keira Knightley (I’m not a fan, but she was quite good in Joe Wright’s Atonement). My dismay on hearing the news had entirely to do with the fact that Keira is completely opposite to my idea of Kathy. Indeed, Carey Mulligan (who I think has been case as Ruth) would have been the better choice. Moreover, I’m finding it impossible to now separate my idea of Kathy from the image of Keira Knightley walking around Norfolk in 90s English twee. When I re-read the book recently, it was all doe-eyes and pouts and long, extended necks, when before I imagined Kathy as somewhat more stoic, plain and pragmatic. The same thing happened when I went to see the adaptations of Harry Potter – I can’t read Rowling without picturing Hagrid as a large, hairy giant, whereas before I had him pinned as someone tall and long-limbed (rather like Roald Dahl’s BFG). How far does Hollywood impact on our reading of character? After seeing an actor play a certain role, no matter how well or badly, does film automatically erode all the mannerisms and nuances of print, or is it possible to separate them? I’m hoping that it’s the latter, as I’ve just heard of these few novel-to-screen projects – Viggo Mortensen as The Man in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, John Malkovich as David Lurie in J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace (trailer here) and (wait for it) Russell Crowe or Colin Farrell rumoured to be linked to Phillip Noyce’s version of Tim Winton’s Dirt Music.
JA
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Comments
21 Apr 09 at 16:56
I find that the actors' faces in bad adaptations don't sink into the text as much as the good ones do. I still try to read books I like as many times as possible before seeing the film, though, just in case.
John Malkovich in 'Disgrace' is kind of disconcerting - I saw David Lurie as balding but with a bit of a beard and a paunch - but not nearly as much as Colin Farrell or Russell Crowe in 'Dirt Music' - I sincerely hope that stays a rumour!
...21 Apr 09 at 17:05
Yes I agree - I love John Malkovich but my idea of Lurie was also slightly awkward and paunchy, less calculating (although I do think they give him a little pot-belly in the movie). And no one should touch Winton unless it's going to be flawless.
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