Even this time around, and having become a fan of tragic romances in the meantime, I found the Redford film curiously inert. The cast is actually really good, but there was no dramatic tension for me. The one moment that gave me a jolt was when Myrtle Wilson (played by Karen Black) smashes a window with her hand and then sticks her bloody fingers in her mouth. Now *that* wasn't in the book! But in general it felt way too mannered and safe -- which may actually be true to the book too.
In the book, by the way, Nick makes a big deal at the beginning about how he reserves judgment on people, and yet he comes across as not so much reserved as torn about everything. What we know about his past is very similar to Fitzgerald's life.
On the Road is a book I've never been interested in whatsoever, and I haven't heard anything good about the recent film adaptation.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-04-11 06:47 pm (UTC)In the book, by the way, Nick makes a big deal at the beginning about how he reserves judgment on people, and yet he comes across as not so much reserved as torn about everything. What we know about his past is very similar to Fitzgerald's life.
On the Road is a book I've never been interested in whatsoever, and I haven't heard anything good about the recent film adaptation.