Feb 12 – 18
Film(s) watched:
Book(s) read:
- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller
Screenplay(s) read:
- The Damned United – 2008 draft script by Peter Morgan (from the novel by David Peace)
I took a break from car movies this week. Not that I’m bored with them. Not at all. There’re sooo many more car movies I’m looking forward to watching. But in preparation for the K-State Libraries Black History Month Film Series I’m organizing, I felt that I should try to re-watch some of these films. We are showing three films this year: 1. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 2. To Kill a Mockingbird, and 3. Akeelah and the Bee. The three movies depict prejudice in three different eras: 30′s, 60′s and today, with very different approaches.
Films:
In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night is not part of the libraries’ film series, but I thought I’d have a Sydney Poitier double bill at home with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Now that I’ve seen it (for the 1st time), I wished I’d chosen this movie as well! Though Poitier has top billing, the real protagonist is Rod Steiger’s Police Chief Bill Gillespie. It’s he that goes through the most dramatic transformation. For the sake of the plot, they have to explain the murder in the final act, but it actually gets in the way of the meaty part of the movie, as the murder mystery is not nearly as interesting as the dramatic tension between the two leads. Apart from this minor complaint, this is an engaging film which also illustrates race relations from less than half a century ago (hard to imagine!).
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner approaches race relations from an entirely different angle than In the Heat of the Night. Once again, the white man is the real protagonist. It is Spencer Tracy’s struggle to come to terms with having his daughter marry a black man that really drives the story. It is he that is the most changed man at the end of the movie. Overall, it’s a very entertaining film with several charismatic stars. Like In the Heat of the Night, it serves as reminder of how far we have come since the 60′s in terms of racial acceptance.
The Invention of Lying
After reading the screenplay, this movie is quite a disappointment. There are quite a few holes in the execution of an interesting premise – saying whatever is in your mind is not the same as telling the truth. Ricky Gervais’ character simply decides not to say what’s on his mind.
The movie begins with a voice over to explain the world of no lies, whereas in the screenplay, we have several scenes of the history of the world of no lying. The old adage of “show, don’t tell” is never more true than in here. Yes, the voice-over takes up less time but it makes absolutely no impact in convincing the viewers of this absurd world. The entire concept hinges on the viewers suspending their disbelief, and if that fails, the whole film fails, which is basically what happens here. Some of the lines are funnier on paper than on screen, and it doesn’t help that the visual is quite dull. This is surely the weakest of Ricky Gervais’ s works. I do, however, look forward to Gervais’ next project which brings back the wonderful partnership of Stephen Merchant.
Book:
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - by Rebecca Miller
I remember watching Rebecca Miller’s Personal Velocity, a film adaptation of her book of the same name. Comprised of three short films, the film has such a literary quality to it that I had a strong urge to read the source material, and I was not disappointed. Miller, daughter playwright Arthur Miller, is keenly observant of her female characters, especially about their relationships with their families. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, which has been adapted into a movie, is mostly about mothers/daughters relationships. I like the structure of the story, but I can imagine the difficulties of translating it into a film. The central character would have to be played by two different actresses, and so much would be dependent on the believability of the casting. I look forward to seeing the film version.
Screenplay:
The Damned United - screenplay by Peter Morgan
I have become quite a big fan of screenwriter Peter Morgan. The Damned United the screenplay is slightly different from the film, but I will need to re-watch the film. I’m actually very interested in the adaptation process of this film – from the novel (which I’m reading right now) to the screenplay to the film. Perhaps a paper on this topic in the future.
Pick of the Week:
In a light movie-watching week, In the Heat of the Night is the pick of the week.
2010:
Total films watched: 46
Total books read: 2
Total screenplays read: 4
