Dream Cast Thursday! Gone With the Wind

For this week's Dream Cast Thursday, I will be recasting Gone With the Wind (1939). It was really hard (because I love the original so much!). The hardest part was trying to get the ages about right. See, when I think of Rhett, I think of a man in his late forties to early fifties. He actually should be mid-thirties. I feel like this happens a lot with older films. I always want to cast someone fairly older than the original actor that played him or her. I see nothing wrong with the original cast. I just thought that it might be fun to recast it.

Scarlett was probably the second hardest to cast. She was originally played by Vivien Leigh. After giving it a lot of thought, I ended up casting Emily Blunt.

Rhett was definitely the hardest to cast. He was originally played by Clark Gable. I kept going back and forth between several guys. I ended up choosing Gabriel Macht (mostly because he was about the right age, and because I kept getting this Southern, bad boy feel from him).

Ashley was originally played by Leslie Howard. I ended up casting Patrick Wilson.

Melanie was originally played by Olivia de Havilland. I ended up casting Amy Adams.

Belle was another hard character to cast. She was originally played by Ona Munson. I kept switching back and forth between several older actresses. I ended up casting Charlize Theron.

So what do you all think? Who would you cast in your remake?

Dream Cast Thursday! Cleopatra

For this week's Dream Cast Thursday, I will be recasting historical figures. These figures have appeared in many adaptations (including Caesar and Cleopatra 1945, Cleopatra 1963, Cleopatra 1999, and Rome 2005). I tried really hard to pick the right people for the roles. It was really difficult (especially since I love some of the past casting choices - especially in Rome), but here are my choices.

Cleopatra has been played by Vivien Leigh (Caesar and Cleopatra), Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra), Leonor Varela (Cleopatra), and Lyndsey Marshal (Rome). I feel as though Cleopatra is an extremely important character. I actually ended up choosing an Italian-born actress. I thought that this would be a good idea, since she was a descendant of Ptolemy (Macedonian General to Alexander the Great) and by many accounts looked Roman. I ended up choosing Giovanna Mezzogiorno.

The next character that I cast was Julius Caesar. He has been played by Claude Rains (Caesar and Cleopatra), Rex Harrison (Cleopatra), Timothy Dalton (Cleopatra), and Ciaran Hinds (Rome). This was another character that was really hard to cast. I wanted to get the age relationships right between characters. I ended up choosing Liam Neeson.

Next, I cast Mark Anthony. He has previously been played by Richard Burton (Cleopatra), Billy Zane (Cleopatra), and James Purefoy (Rome). I went back and forth between several actors for this role, but ended up choosing Eric Bana.

The second to last character that I recast was Brutus. He has been played by Kenneth Haigh (Cleopatra), Sean Pertwee (Cleopatra), and Tobias Menzies (Rome). I ended up casting Dougray Scott.

The last character that I cast was Octavian. He has been played by Roddy McDowall (Cleopatra), Rupert Graves (Cleopatra), and Simon Woods (Rome). I ended up casting Laurence Fox.

So what do you all think? Who would you cast?

Vincere

The Chicago International Film Festival is now over. It was really good this year. A lot of the films looked really good (although I did not get to see nearly as many as I wanted because of my class schedule). I am hoping to catch more of them when they come out on dvd. This year was really cool. I actually got to volunteer. I met some great people and even saw Jacqueline Bisset. There was one film in particular that I got to see that I want to mention and definitely recommend to anyone that is interesting in international cinema.

The closely guarded story of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's secret lover and son is revealed in fittingly operatic proportions is this electrifying tour de force. Thunderstruck by the young Mussolini's charisms, Ida Dalser gives up everything to help champion his revolutionary ideas. When he disappears during World War I and later resurfaces with a new wife, the scorned Dasler and her son are locked away in separate asylums for more than a decade. But Ida will not disappear without a fight...

Vincere was written and directed by Marco Bellocchio. It stars Giovanna Messogiorno as Ida Dalser. She did an absolutely amazing job. International audiences may recognize her from her role in Love in the Time of Cholera. I also saw her earlier this year at the Chicago Cultural Center in Notturno Bus (also definitely worth checking out...click here to see my review). It also stars Filippo Timi as Benito Mussolini and Benito Albino. He also did an amazing job. I really look forward to seeing him again this coming year in The American with George Clooney.

The synopsis above mentions that the film is very operatic. This is a perfect adjective to describe it. I had to sit in the front row, because I had rush tickets. I didn't mind. The film was visually spectacular, and the subtitles were really large. I also really liked that the film was interlaced with actual, historical footage. It is the perfect film for someone interested in history or this time period or even someone that doesn't know that much about this period of time.

If anyone sees it, let me know what you think.

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 47

They Spy Next Door Trailer

The Bunny and the Bull Trailer

The Missing Person Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 46

Dear John Trailer

Edge of Darkness Trailer

Serious Moonlight Trailer

Stan Helsing Trailer

Update

Currently Reading for School
The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

Currently Reading for Pleasure:
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Currently Watching:
Cold Case

Currently Listening to:

Pomplamoose

Dream Cast Thursday! Sunset Boulevard

For this week's "Dream Cast Thursday," I will be recasting Sunset Boulevard. There have been countless stage adaptations. The original film was directed by Billy Wilder in 1950. It stars William Holden as Joe Gillis, Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, Nancy Olson as Betty Schaefer, and Erich von Stronheim as Max von Mayerling.

As Norma Desmond, I recast Glenn Close (I cheated a little since she recently played Norma Desmond on Broadway, but once I had the image of her in my head as Desmond, I couldn't get it out. I recast Simon Baker as Joe Gillis. I recast Rachel McAdams as Betty Schaefer, and Anthony Hopkins as Max von Mayerling.

So what are all of your ideas? What do you think of my recasting? How would you recast it?

Pomplamoose

I just happened upon this youtube channel. It is a band called Pomplamoose. You should definitely check it out. Free mp3s are also available. Here are a few of my favorite videos...

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 45

The Crazies Trailer

Women in Trouble Trailer

Red Cliff Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 44

Me and Orson Welles Trailer

Splice Trailer

The Book of Eli Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 43

Takers Trailer

A Beautiful Life Trailer

Nobody Trailer

Irene in Time Trailer

Some Days are Better than Others Trailer

Tooth Fairy Trailer

Dream Cast Thursday! (actually Friday) Emma

This week, I will be recasting Emma. It was originally a book by Jane Austen. There have been many adaptations. The two adaptations that I am familiar with were each done in 1996. The first Emma was made for television. The second Emma was a feature film.

First, I recast Emma Woodhouse. In the two original films, Kate Beckingsale and Gwyneth Paltrow were cast. I decided to cast Emily Blunt.

The second character that I cast was Mr. Knightley. The two original films cast Mark Strong and Jeremy Northam. I cast Toby Stephens.

The third character that I recast was Harriet Smith. The two original films cast Samantha Morton and Toni Collette. I recast Billie Piper.

The fourth character that I recast was Mr. Elton. The two original films cast were Dominic Rowan and Alan Cumming. I reacast David Tennant.

The fifth character that I recast was Mrs. Elton. The two original films cast Lucy Robinson and Juliet Stevenson. I recast Alex Kingston.

The sixth character that I recast was Frank Churchill. The two original films cast Raymond Coulthard and Ewan McGregor. I recast Rupert Penry-Jones.

The seventh and last character that I recast was Miss Bates. The two original films cast Prunella Scales and Sophie Thompson. I recast Sally Hawkins.

What do you all think? Who would you cast in a new adaptation of Emma?

Update

Currently Reading for School
Reading the Romance by Janice A. Radway

Currently Reading for Pleasure:
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Currently Watching:
Torchwood: Children of Earth

Currently Listening to:

Titanic: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed

I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed (1923)

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

I, being born a woman and distressed
By all the needs and notions of my kind,
Am urged by your propinquity to find
Your person fair, and feels a certain zest
To bear your body's weight upon my breast:
So subtly is the fume of life designed,
To clarify the pulse and cloud the mind,
And leave me once again, undone, possessed.
Think not for this, however, the poor treason
Of my stout blood against my staggering brain,
I shall remember you with love, or season
My scorn with pity, -- let me make it plain:
I find this frenzy insufficient reason
For conversation when we meet again.

Music Monday! pt. 11 I'm Henry VIII I Am

This week's Music Monday MP3 is "Henry VIII I Am" by Herman's Hermits.

Henry VIII I Am mp3