I'm a big fan of the Coen brothers, and with the exception of The Ladykillers remake, they can do no wrong in my book.
But what about someone else’s book? This weekend sees the UK release of No Country for Old Men, their first stab at a literary adaptation (from the novel by Cormac McCarthy).
I'm not so familiar with McCarthy's work, having tried and failed to get on with All the Pretty Horses, which I found rather overblown in style. I've heard that even fans of his writing don't rate No Country very highly, which may add credence to the view that it is often lesser books rather than literary masterpieces that make the best movies. Anyway, I'm looking forward to making my own mind up about the film, and may even give another one of McCarthy's novels a try (I've heard very good things about his latest, The Road).
In the meantime, here is a link to an entertaining article in Time Magazine, describing an encounter between the filmmakers and the normally publicity-shy author. There are some interesting exchanges about their differing approaches to the creative process, and some reflections on whether one should bother buying green bananas.
An interesting postscript to this story is that the Coens had originally planned on adapting another novel (James Dickey's To the White Sea), but couldn't raise the money for a bleak and largely wordless film about the firebombing of Tokyo in WW2. Incidentally, Dickey is the author of Deliverance, the source novel for John Boorman's 1972 movie of the same name.
A further PS... Since composing the above, I've come across an informative article on Cormac McCarthy in the Guardian Review, which describes him as 'one of the geatest living novelists', and the Coen's film adaptation of No Country as 'remarkably faithful'. I've avoided reading the entire piece, for fear of spoilers.
But what about someone else’s book? This weekend sees the UK release of No Country for Old Men, their first stab at a literary adaptation (from the novel by Cormac McCarthy).
I'm not so familiar with McCarthy's work, having tried and failed to get on with All the Pretty Horses, which I found rather overblown in style. I've heard that even fans of his writing don't rate No Country very highly, which may add credence to the view that it is often lesser books rather than literary masterpieces that make the best movies. Anyway, I'm looking forward to making my own mind up about the film, and may even give another one of McCarthy's novels a try (I've heard very good things about his latest, The Road).In the meantime, here is a link to an entertaining article in Time Magazine, describing an encounter between the filmmakers and the normally publicity-shy author. There are some interesting exchanges about their differing approaches to the creative process, and some reflections on whether one should bother buying green bananas.
An interesting postscript to this story is that the Coens had originally planned on adapting another novel (James Dickey's To the White Sea), but couldn't raise the money for a bleak and largely wordless film about the firebombing of Tokyo in WW2. Incidentally, Dickey is the author of Deliverance, the source novel for John Boorman's 1972 movie of the same name.
A further PS... Since composing the above, I've come across an informative article on Cormac McCarthy in the Guardian Review, which describes him as 'one of the geatest living novelists', and the Coen's film adaptation of No Country as 'remarkably faithful'. I've avoided reading the entire piece, for fear of spoilers.
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