Book Vs. Movie Round 1: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Today, we start a new tradition here on the blog, that of pitting classic novels against their celluloid counterparts to see whether or not an adaptation holds a candle to the original work.  This first installment is the classic Ken Kesey novel and 1975 Oscar winning film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.  Although both are works are considered classics of their respected mediums, I personally feel as though the film holds a slight edge over the book due to its better narrative, character development and easier to understand themes.

The narrative of the film is perhaps the most striking difference between the novel and the film.  In the novel, the story is told through the eyes of The Chief, who tells the reader what is going on and offers his own opinions on each of the characters.  Although this makes for interesting  reading when compared to the film, I for one felt particularly bored with The Chief's narrative and lost interest whenever he went into one of his background stories.  Thankfully, the filmmakers decided to abandon the whole Chief narrative and instead make McMurphy the central character and make the story revolve around him.  Not only is Murphy a better character to build a story around, but he also comes with more surprises and moxy.  This makes him a perfect foil to evil personified, Nurse Ratched. 

In the novel, the reader doesn't get a sense a true sense of the eternal struggle between good and evil that McMurphy and Ratched represent in the film.  Ratched is a great villain in every sense of the word.  Although she is ranting and raving like most Hollywood villains, she uses other subtle forms of terror in order to keep the patients of the ward in line, such as emasculating them in front of their peers, and forcing them to obey her every whim in order to get little things like cigarettes.  This is what makes McMurphy's arrival at the ward even more compelling: he is literally a freedom fighter ready to free the patients of the ward from the tyranny of Nurse Ratched.  The film touches upon this good vs. evil mentality most accessibly, but in the novel, the message gets lost in the Chief's narrative and the confusing names that he applies to Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, which lessens the overall message and power of the book.

After looking at all the facts in this round of Book vs. Movie: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, I am going to have to go with the movie.  Personally I feel that the film speaks to me on a more personal level and is much easier to understand than the book.  If you disagree with me, feel free to check it out for yourself.

Film Review: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

Yes!  Thank God Terry Gilliam is back to making a Terry Gilliam movie!  After making the un-Gilliam like Brothers Grimm and the interesting but flawed Tideland, Gilliam has finally decided to take a page from his old hand book and make a movie that is in the same vein as Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchasen.  Although not as good as the former two, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is still an interesting film that deserves to be considered along with Gilliam's other great films.

Co-written with Charles McKewon (Gilliam's co-writer from his classic Brazil) Imaginarium tells the story of Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) who in exchange for his magical powers promised the Devil (a wonderfully over-the-top Tom Waits) his daughter at the age of 16.  Although the deadline is fast approaching, Parnassus strikes a deal with the Devil: if Parnassus is the first to get five souls, then he may keep his daugther, if not then the Devil wins her.  Enter into this set up is Tony (Heath Ledger in his final role) a mysterious stranger who decides to help Parnassus, although his motives may not be clear.

Along with breathtaking visuals which audiences have come to expect from a Terry Gilliam film, the film can also be interpreted as a metaphor of film making: Parnassus is Gilliam himself, a man in charge of creating dreams; the Devil represents Hollywood, who is trying to bring Parnassus under his control; Tony represents the critic or supporter who is trying to get Parnassus to not back down. 

Although this metaphor is just an interpretation, this interpretation is even more likely considering the obstacles Gilliam has faced time and time again in his career (such as the studio handling of Brazil and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; and the extreme box office failure of Baron Munchasen.)  Through this interpretation it could also be seen that this is Gilliam's artistic testament, one where an artist must always put his feelings and emotions into his work instead of conforming to the ways of the public.

Most of you however will probably see this movie due to the fact that it is Heath Ledger's final role, and although Ledger does a fine job in his part, I implore you as a viewer to look at the big picture of the film: what does the film say about art, creation and emotion?  In the words of Parnassus: the path is not easy, but if you persevere, you will succeed! 

Final Rating:  * * * 1/2 out of * * * *

The Proposition: An Appreciation in Bad Ass Film!



Bad Ass film, on an epic scale!

 In 2005, The Proposition an Australian film directed by John Hillcoat with a script written by Nick Cave (him of the Bad Seeds) was released into theaters.  Although the film did not become a big box office smash in the US, the film has found a steady cult following on home video and is widely considered to be one of the best neo-westerns released in the 21st century.  In my personal opinion, The Proposition is not only a great western, but also a completely bad ass film that provides some much needed bad ass filmmaking that cinema today seems vitally lacking.

First, lets look at the fact that Nick Cave of the mother fucking Bad Seeds wrote the screenplay.  That's right, the man who is responsible for writing some of the most tender songs ever written (think of The Ship Song, Into My Arms and Straight to You) while never losing touch of his complete ability to rock (think The Mercy Seat, The Carney, Red Right Hand) wrote the screenplay.   This comes as no surprise if you are familiar with Cave's music because the plot feels like a Nick Cave song.

The story goes as follows: Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) is an outlaw in the Australian Outback circa late 1800s.  After he and his younger brother Mikey are captured by the law, he is given a "Proposition" by law enforcer Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone): In order for Mikey to not be executed, Charlie has to find his psychotic older brother Arthur, (Danny Huston) who has murdered a local family, and kill him.  While Charlie goes off in search of his brother, Stanley is presented with all sorts of challenges in order to civilize the Outback, which is not only limited to rounding up murderous outlaws, but also includes aboriginal rebellions, a meddealing Governor, and a displanted wife from England (Emily Watson).

This theme of attempting to civilize a land is very prominent.  As the film goes on, Stanley begins to wonder whether or not he can keep order in a land that is rooted in chaos.  This predicament gradually takes its toll on Stanley to the point where he is constantly suffering migraines and feels completely fatigued.  Winstone displays this anguish perfectly as he alternates between acquiescing to the forces of the Outback and attempting to create a piece of civilization in an uncivilized part of the world (notice the fact that the Stanley's home looks as though they are trying to recreate an English garden.)

Another prominent theme of the film is choice.  What choice would you make if when you were in Charlie's shoes?  Would you attempt to kill your older brother to save your younger brother's life, or would you let your older brother live because you love him.  Unfortunately for Charlie, he has to make that choice, whether he wants to make it or not. 

In closing, The Proposition is a great film that exemplifies the themes of civilizing an uncivilized land, brotherly bonds, and the ties that bind.  Although the film may appear to be old fashioned, it is the old fashioned-ness that helps make The Proposition a new classic of the new millennium (plus let's just face it, any movie that Nick Cave is involved in is bound to be at least a seven on the bad ass scale.)

What the Blog is About

Hello Interweb,

In case you haven't figured it out yet, this blog is about the world of movies, music and books.  So basically I will be taking about these three things in the form reviews, essays and appreciations.  I will probably tend to focus a bit more on the movies and music side of things, but I also will talk about such things as restaurants and sports from time to time.  So in a nutshell, onto the blogging!