Sam Mendes to direct new film version...
Exciting news!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6577101.stm
Gordon P. Clarkson
Hmmmmmmmm, great to see that Andrew Davies is writing the script ,but will it be a Hollywood version ?.The thought of one of my favourit novels being adapted for the big screen,but given the Hollywood treatment,American "stars",decontextualised ,and worst of all dumbed down to make it "relevant" and "accessible" chills me to the bone.
The 1994 BBC version was just perfect, it strikes me as probably better to leave it at that.
I'm pretty sure that Mendes will use a British cast for this film. His previous films like American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead and now Revolutionary Road are set in America and Mendes has recently stated that he wants to move closer to home (England) with his films.
It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself.
What worries me whenever an American studio gets hold of a British classic book or theme is they have this awful habit of casting one of a short list of about 6 "star" American actresses in the main female part. The problem is as soon as one such actress of this tiny set gets known for doing an English accent (some better than others, viz the vile pouting twitching accent of the American who ruined the Beatrix Potter movie recently), they are cast in everything that's Classic British no matter if suited to the part or not, or able to manage a convincing English accent. So far as I can make out, the Americans won't accept movies that don't star a top name and if it's a top name who's American but can fake a sort of English accent, that's fine by them. But not by me. I'm sick to death of that coterie of fake "English" American star actresses and the next time I see a movie starring any of them I shall not be going to see it. A typical example was a movie called Possession. The director blithely informed us he had decided to turn the lead male into a rather brash American to give more "tension" to the character's relationship with the female lead who was a prim character. But was the female lead played by an English actress? No. She was played by one of the cosy set of American "stars" who get all these English parts. Admittedly her English accent is quite good but I am sick of the sight of her playing English women in so many movies and unfortunately these two characters hogged most of the screen time which soon got very boring as the characters were mediocrities.
So I'm not at all sure about letting Americans get their hands on any English classics and I'm doubtful about this one. I think the Beeb and ITV and Channel 4 do our classic books far better than any American company and the actresses are British as a rule.
I don't mind if Americans take say Shakespeare and play it throughout with American accents. That's fine, because it's consistent. And I suppose it's good that American actresses do at least try to do an English accent for an English character when in the past it was American accents no matter what. But they need to extend their range of "English-speaking" actresses.
It's ages since I read Middlemarch and saw this version with Rufus Sewell and whoever and am going to watch it again tonight. At least the accents should be fine.
I totally agree with this. Usually these films cast an English man, its the Darcy/Hugh Grant factor, but always use an American actress. Its discriminatory and unfair to British actresses and women. There's only about 1 English actress allowed to work at the time in these bigger films - at the moment it seems to be Keira Knightley! Its also a defeating circle, as British actresses are less likely to get work the less work they get offered.
shareDo you apply this to Brits playing iconic American roles, such as American presidents, American gangsters in Batman films, and American heroes/anti-heroes from American classics, e.g. the works of JF Cooper and A. Miller?
shareBravo, Rosian! I've been screeching about this very problem for years. I also agree with randommovies. Let's keep Americans playing Americans and Brits playing Brits. The Brits should pass a law making it illegal to sell rights to anyone remotely affiliated with Hollywood. That bunch destroy everything they touch. When I was a kid, the only version of Last of the Mohicans was British, but it's still a version I thoroughly enjoy. Ironically, it was far more faithful to the text than was the American movie version. By and large, I prefer my films/TV productions to be cast with the proper performers.
After the horror of taking the religious and homosexual issues out of the Hollywoodized version of Brideshead, I shudder to thing what these fools will do with my beloved Middlemarch.
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