On Jun 19, 2007, at 9:13 PM, Vince Keenan wrote:
> It was announced a while back that Clive Owen would
produce and
> star as Philip Marlowe in a new series of Raymond
Chandler
> adaptations. The first project has been announced.
It will be
> based on the novella TROUBLE IS MY BUSINESS. Perhaps
more
> interesting is the choice of writer: Frank Miller,
who worked with
> Owen on SIN CITY. Let the arguments
commence.
Okay.
Owen as Marlowe? Sure. He might be very effective, with the
ability to be both hard and soft. Certainly a better choice
than Montgomery or Garner. Or Boothe Powers (the poor man's
Stacy Keach. Or is it the other way around?)
And of course, Miller may have hidden depths. But him doing
Chandler?
Yuck. My first reaction is... Miller's a pretentious hack.
Oooh! Black ink! How artistic!
SIN CITY? Technically and visually, it was stunning. But the
writing was simply for the stunned. A bloated, smug,
overwrought, humourless and soulless film, based on equally
bloated, smug, overwrought, humourless and soulless comic
books; PULP FICTION (and pulp fiction) stripped of any
cleverness and dumbed down (way, way down) for fourteen year
males of all ages and genders.
Adapting Chandler requires a grace and deftness and subtlety
I've never really seen in any of Miller's work. Miller's
generally about as subtle as an amputated leg.
If Miller wants to adapt a classic detective author, he
should go for someone like Spillane, and leave Chandler for
someone better qualified.
You purists think Altman took liberties? Wait'll Marlowe
pulls out a bazooka or starts boinking hookers.
Of course, as I said, I could be wrong.
Kevin
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 22 Jun 2007 EDT