Absolute Embodiment of Literary Characters on Film
Submitted by jenhowel on Fri, 05/11/2001 - 02:39
Tags:
- Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara - Unquestionably perfect, Vivien Leigh shines as Scarlett. She obviously loved the character and became it.
- Dominique Swain as Lolita - Read the book again if you can't see how perfect Dominique Swain is as this oh-so-complicated 12 year old. She brings out Lolita's innocence and seductiveness, her cruelty and her victimhood. She makes you believe!
- Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert - Not to keep too much on the same movie, but Irons is magnificent as Humbert. You see his sickness, are repelled by his obsession, but are also fascinated, drawn in and made to identify and strive with him. The novelistic experience to a tee.
- Jennifer Ehle and pretty much the whole cast of A&E's "Pride and Prejudice" - I single out Jennifer Ehle because she plays Elizabeth Darcy, the main role, but really the whole cast here is perfection. The page comes alive, with all of Austen's splendid farce and hilarity as well as the poignant and romantic moments.
- Gary Sinise in "The Stand" mini-series - First, let me say that this mini-series as a whole blew. I recommend not watching it if you want to enjoy the book, because inevitably images from the inferior mini-series will pollute your imagination. But I've got to hand it to Gary Sinise - he IS Stu Redman. His performance and the scene where Franny and Harold listen to Crowded House are the only two things about this mini-series I wouldn't pitch.
Author Comments:
I'm sure I will think of more in time, but these are examples of movies based on books where the actors have managed to really embody the characters they portray. And I, for one, am never so upset about an adaptation as when it tampers with the characters I've grown to know and love. So here is a list where I have had nothing to complain about, and something to celebrate, for these actors have lent their flesh and blood to my literary dreams!
Have you seen, Stanley Kubrick's Lolita with Sue Lyon in the title role? I always thought that Sue Lyon was a good choice for that role but I have never seen Lolita with Dominique Swain.