Adaptation

Left pane: Hunter S. Thompson; Top Right: Hunter S. Thompson; Bottom Right: Benicio Del Toro, Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp

Good afternoon finger lickers! One of my heroes Hunter S. Thompson sadly died just over two years ago. At the time I remember re-reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and thinking, “this man was pure genius.” I had a similar thought during a flight to the states where I read the book in just under 8 hours and on a Spanish holiday where I first discovered his work. What never changes for me when it comes to Hunter’s writing is the speed at which I can read and the extent to which I become engrossed. It is important to note that my fervor for the man is not because of his widely publicised glorification of psychedelic drug use, a component of his writing and life that I believe has receive too much attention. I attribute the longevity of my attraction to his work largely to his infectious prose and a fascination with the man’s life. So, it was with much excitement that I read, this morning, a report of a new documentary about his glory years.

Gonzo, the hyperactive first-person and ultra-subjective writing style for which he became famous, has been borrowed as the title of Alex Gibney’s documentary which focuses on the high point of Thompson’s career 1965 - 1975. According to spout.com, Alex Gibney has stated his documentary is a critique of the present day media’s obsession with “phony” objectivity. A cause I think we can all appreciate. Gibney hot off the back of his Best Documentary win at the Oscars for Taxi to the Darkside, a documentary focusing largely on American torture practices in Afghanistan and an innocent taxi driver who was tortured and killed in 2002, last week spoke and screened his new film at True/False film festival in Columbia, Missouri.

The film is reported to contain as yet unseen home movies, audio recordings and unpublished manuscripts. While I am very very keen to see the flick I hope that it does not give us too much of an insight into the “real” Hunter S. Thompson because one of the most endearing facets of the man, for me, was his enigmatic and perhaps mythical persona. Think of him fondly; read his work; watch the flick.

K

Left pane: Cormac McCarthy; Bottom right: Guy Pearce and John Hillcoat.

[digg=http://digg.com/movies/Hollywood_McCarthy_Mania]Gooood morning finger lickers! As I write this with bed head of astronomical proportions there is glorious sunshine streaming through my windows. Aaaaaaaaaah spring is here film fans. And with it comes news of the latest Cormac McCarthy silver screen adaptation. While slurping a moca-frapa-capa-latte in Starbucks with good friend and fellow Finger Lickin’ contributor Mark this weekend; we discussed my recent article about Literary Arrogance and McCarthy’s work in general. After our chat, I got intrigued and did some high profile investigative journalism (googled it) and found that the very book I am currently reading, McCathy’s The Road, is now in production.

The book and therefore undoubtedly the film, though you can never trust Hollywood, is a tale of a father’s struggle to save the life of his son in a cannibalistic post-apocalyptic America. While I am only half way through the book, I am totally gripped. The prose is beautiful and exquisitely descriptive and I hope that Joe Penhall, who penned the screenplay, will be able to deliver the same flavour. Cast in the role of the father is the brilliant Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence) and the casting of his son has caused a X-Men style who-ha in recent days. As many of you, I’m sure, are aware X-Men Origins: Wolverine was forced to change shooting schedule and this has caused a clash in young Kodi Smit-McPhee’s (brilliant name btw.) diary. Kodi was originally destined to play young Logan in Wolverine but sensibly, in my opinion, has decided to drop the Wolverine flick in order to work with The Road’s Australian director John Hillcoat.

So what else do we know about The Road, well not very much other than the following folks are attached to the project Viggo Mortensen, as I said, Charlize Theron, playing his wife, Robert Duvall is rumoured to be involved and Guy Pearce has an IMDB credit with no character name. Likewise, due for release in 2009 but currently still in development by Ridley Scott is McCarthy’s 1985 Western, Blood Meridian. In an interview with nymag.com Scott has the following insight about the literary adaptation:

It’s about the end and the turning point for the American Indian, but it’s a pocket in that time — and it’s a hard one because it’s a wonderful read, and I think it should be kept that way. When one makes a film, you’ve got to make it like the read.

It would seem that with big names like Scott, Mortensen, Peace and Theron involved in adapting McCarthy’s work that this spree of adaptations might continue, should it prove to pay well at the box office. Which, after the success of No Country for Old Men, I can’t see being a problem for The Road. All I can say is that I hope they are as faithful to his original text as No Country because it seems to have been the Coen’s courage in not contorting the story into a Hollywood mould that has been so successful.

That’s it from me… I’m off to the shops in some glorious sunshine.

K