Category: Winterbottom, Michael

Reel 89: Backstage Adaptations

Hey there! Long time no see!

That’s actually my (Claude) fault. I’d completed post-production on this episode of the show and somehow failed to post it to our host. Fortunately I corrected that a couple of nights ago, so it should already be in your podcast feed. But if you’re catching up here, you have my abject apologies. You’ll also get Episode 90 this weekend, dropping overnight Saturday/Sunday morning.

Today we’re looking at a couple of films that outline the trials and tribulations attached to creating a film based on source material that’s notoriously tough to adapt to film. As a result, the film becomes a story telling us how tough it is to do the adaptation, while simultaneously (sort of) telling us the story itself.

We open with ADAPTATION (2002), directed by Spike Jonze. We have here a terrific ensemble cast, including Nicolas Cage, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep and several other familiar faces. Cage plays a screenwriter who’s struggling with writing a script based on the real-life book The Orchid Thief. His twin brother shows up and decides that scriptwriting isn’t so tough, maybe he can write one. Hijinks ensue.

ADAPTATION is about the scriptwriting process. But sometimes the script comes together but producing the actual film is…something else again. For that we have TRISTAM SHANDY: A COCK & BULL STORY, from 2005 and directed by Michael Winterbottom.

In this film, Steve Coogan plays an exaggerated version of himself in the title role of the film adaptation of The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman. He’s constantly fighting with another actor, usually about who the real star of the film is. The director doesn’t appear to have a good handle on the source material, and the two people (who coincidentally–or not–have the same first name) who do, are constantly ignored. If you’ve ever watched a film and wondered how it got made, this is the answer.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

In Episode 90 we go to the ballet, starting with the 1948 film THE RED SHOES, written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Sean and Claude both enjoyed this film despite having different opinions on certain aspects of it. From there we go to 2003’s THE COMPANY, directed by Robert Altman. It covers a season of rehearsal and performances at the Joffrey Ballet. As with any Altman film, you may have a little difficulty following the chaos at first, but once you relax and settle in, you’ll have a great time. Join us, won’t you?

 

Reel 75: The Western as Allegory

Webster’s (online) Dictionary defines allegory as “the expression by means of fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence.” How’s THAT for an eye-opener?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “Wait, isn’t that a metaphor?” No. A metaphor, in its broadest sense, is a symbolic representation of a concept. So while something like “The ship plows through the ocean” is a metaphor, Aesop’s Fables would be an allegory.

Get it? Or have you dozed off already? Well, wake up, because we’ve got a couple of allegorical films for you, and we promise they’ll entertain you. But you knew that already because you’ve seen them and are fully prepared for the spoilers we discuss.

We’ll start with McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), directed by Robert Altman and starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, along with several other actors that will have you saying “Yup, Altman film.” As usual, there’s often many, many things going on in the frame, but you never lose sight of the main action.

In Part 2, we jump to the year 2000 for The Claim, directed by Michael Winterbottom. On the surface, these films couldn’t be more different, and yet they hit many, many of the same notes. And there are specific plot points that are quite similar. Coincidence? Homage? Something else? We’ll leave that for you to decide.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

Next time around we’ll be looking at another pair of films that have the same allegory going on, but using the Gangster genre instead. We begin with Thief (1981), directed by Michael Mann. From there we move forward only one year to 1982, and John Mackenzie’s The Long Good Friday. Join us, won’t you?

 

Reel 48: A Fan’s Eye View

Strap in, kids, this is going to be a long one.

It took forever for Sean and I to get to this particular episode, and both of us have been dying—DYING, I tells ya—to talk about Almost Famous. It may be Sean’s favorite film that doesn’t involve music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It’s certainly one of the eleven films in my Top Ten. (See, that’s two pokes I took at him, there. I’ll be paying dearly for this soon, I’m sure.)

At any rate, this time around we’re looking at a couple of films where it’s a fan of the music who gets the insider’s view. And that fan is the audience surrogate for much of the action that takes place.

First up is 2000’s Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical love letter to 1970s-era Rock and Roll. It’s got everything you want in a movie: some laughs, some drama, some tension, a little sex (mostly implied), an amazing soundtrack and a genuine feel for the era in which it takes place. We were so anxious to talk about this film that it’s probably the longest segment we’ve ever recorded for one movie.

Likewise, in Part 2 we have 24 Hour Party People, a 2002 film by Michael Winterbottom. In this film we get a peek into a specific slice of the early days of the 1980s New Wave era. Likewise, Winterbottom puts us in the middle of the action and while we’re told outright that some of the events in the film didn’t actually happen the way they’re presented, this has a documentary feel that has you buying every last bit of it. And you already know it wasn’t like that!

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 
Next time around we’re looking at some butt-kicking female thieves. First up is Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon from 2000. Less well-known but still really good is Widows, a Steve McQueen film from 2008 that will grab you quickly and suddenly turn on a dime into a much different story.

Reel 24: Foreign Correspondents

It’s a fact. With some films, all you need to do to enjoy it is shut up and eat your popcorn. With other films you need to be able to buy into the story. And when you’re dealing with films that take place during real events, verisimilitude is where it’s at. If the viewer doesn’t buy some element of the film, then the suspension of disbelief will break down. And that’s bad because they stop engaging.

So with that, we bring you Under Fire, from 1983 and directed by Roger Spottiswoode. This film takes place during the Nicaraguan civil war of the 1970s. From there we jump a few years to 1997’s Welcome to Sarajevo, which was shot on location and feels realistic partly because the rubble and ruined buildings were still there from the war just a few years earlier. In fact, in my usual fusing two different images from the films for the cover picture, this time I used a real photo of Sarajevo from the war. That guy on the right isn’t an actor; he’s just some guy in the street. (A very similar shot appears in the film, so I’m sleeping well tonight.)

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Reel 25 takes a look at two conspiracy thrillers from the 1970s: First is The Parallax View, from 1974, followed by Winter Kills, from 1979 (and again a few years later). Be warned: if you like to watch the films before listening to the show, Winter Kills will be tough to find. 

As promised, here’s a supercut of Wilhelm Screams from a bunch of movies and TV shows: