ONTD posted pics (from Entertainment Weekly’s First Look and another magazine) of The Road (the bleak, unforgettable Cormac McCarthy novel) starring Viggo Mortensen. Viggo looks a lot more soulful than I imagined the character looking. And I have mixed feelings about seeing this book put to film in the first place since much of the power of it is in the simple way McCarthy describes most things and the complex way the reader imagines it. On the other hand, it’s Viggo. To quote Bob Dylan, “I’ll see him in anything so I’ll stand in line.”
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can’t wait! Viggo is the MAN!
Bleak and heavy will fit him well…
& John Hillcoat (is that right) is pretty interesting…
Wow, “soulful” is a great way to describe that look. I’m in.
I just read the book. As I was reading your post and looking at the pictures I had a thought. Suppose they used Neil Young’s son After the Gold Rush for the closing credits? Just a thought.
Chris that’s a disturbingly good idea, but it’d probably have to be a cover version by a hip artist, which could always go wrong. Love that song. Falsetto forever.
I’m excited for this. Really looking forward to another awesome Viggo performance.
and the Coens did pretty well with Cormac McCarthy’s work last year, so we can hope this one maintains the tone of the book.
Well … and then there’s Viggo. The man continues to impress, soulfull eyes and all.
Maybe I’m just incredibly stupid, but how is this going to make a good film?
While I didn’t absolutly love the book I really liked it and respected it as a book. As a film, however, I can’t see it doing well. It is pretty anti-climactic, and has a complete disregard for the conventions of its genre. THe book remided me of a brilliant reposte to the tales of an archetypal heroic quest, particular example being ‘The Old Man and the Sea’; and there’s a reason why that was never made into a (good) film.
As an intellectual engagment, it’s wonderous; but as a fully digested representation that requires me to pay to sit through two (probably three) hours of its bleak realistic depiction of an uneventful story, with no real resolution, it’ll be DOA.
Books cannot simply be filmed, any secondary representation must say somthing more, or else simply be a delight in its retelling. I doubt this film could say aything that wasn’t sparked within the reader by McCarthy’s brilliant prose.
THese are the type of pictures that give award-season films a bad name; protracted mood-pieces, concocted by some lazy exec that thought the great thing about TWBB and NCFOM was their mood or tone, look, or feel, because they were too busy on their blackberry to notice the actual components tht go into creating a great film, and just thought they could get something from the same author ( that has been veted by Oprah, and with the Pulitzer, just to be on the even safer side),and fingers crossed for some solid cinematography.
My God, I haven’t even seen or heard anything about this, I really need to stop ranting on.
Euan, watch THE PROPOSITION, cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Yes, it’s Viggo. But more importantly, it’s John Hillcoat. I think it’s one of the most exciting matches of filmmaker and source material in a long time.
And I disagree that the book isn’t cinematic – I think literature that sparse and visceral lends itself very well to film.
Before I knew that there was a movie to be made, I imagined what a good “The Road” movie would be.
1) No soundtrack. The emotion in the movie should come exclusively from the depressing nature of the background. I think that any soundtrack accompanying the two characters traversing the destroyed nation would be a mistake. The only ambient noise we should hear is the dead wind blowing.
2) A really good child actor. I have seen too many promising movies ruined by the (understandably) mediocre acting abilities of the primary child actor. I really hope this Kobi kid is as good as they say.
3) A no-holds barred approach to the more disturbing parts of the book. As much as I don’t really want to see a dead baby being barbequed, or Mortensen soiling himself, I don’t think the movie should “dumb down” the horror of what the book lays out for the readers.
I am really looking forward to this movie.
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