Dream Cast Thursday! Suddenly Last Summer

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Suddenly Last Summer. The original film came out in 1959 as is an adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play by the same name that was published a year before. A television adaptation came out in 1993. A stage adaptation of the original play came out more recently. I looked at all of these when making my casting decisions.

The first character that I recast was Catherine Holly. She has been played by Elizabeth Taylor, Natasha Richardson, and Carla Gugino. For my adaptation, I cast Natalie Dormer.

The second character that I recast was Violet Venable. She has been played by Katherine Hepburn, Maggie Smith, and Blythe Danner. For my adaptation, I caste Annette Bening.

The last character that I recast was Dr. Cukrowicz. He has been played by Montgomery Clift, Rob Lowe, and Gale Harold. For my adaptation, I cast David Conrad.

So what do you all think? Who would be in your adaptations?

Suddenly, Last Summer

I just saw Suddenly, Last Summer for the first time. I really enjoyed watching it. I didn't really know anything about the film or the story, but had pretty high expectations. I have really loved every other film that I have seen that has been based on a Tennessee Williams' play (except perhaps the Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone).

 I thought that Katherine Hepburn was really good. Montgomery Clift was okay, but it really wasn't a role meant to showcase one's acting abilities. The person that I was really blown away by was Elizabeth Taylor. I have seen her in so many really good roles and honestly thought that at this point it would be impossible to be really surprised and blown away by her, but I was. She was absolutely amazing.

As could be expected, the dialogue was also amazing. This might be my favorite Tennessee Williams script so far (though I tend to change my mind a lot). The way he creates phrases is so poetically southern and so wonderfully exaggerated and dramatic. One of my favorite quotes was when Mrs. Venable said, "My son, Sebastian and I constructed our days. Each day. We would carve each day like a piece of sculpture, leaving behind us a trail of days like a gallery of days until suddenly, last summer."

After I watched it, I became really interested in other adaptations. I found two adaptations in particular that I found to be really interesting. The first adaptation was a made-for-television movie of Suddenly, Last Summer that came out in 1993. It stars Maggie Smith as Violet Venable, Rob Lowe as Dr. Cukrowicz, and Natasha Richardson as Catherine Holly. The second adaptation that I found interesting was a 2006 stage production of Suddenly, Last Summer starring Blythe Danner as Violet Venable, Gale Harold as Dr. Cukrowicz, and Carla Gugino as Catherine Holly. This will definitely be making an appearance in a future installment of Dream Cast Thursday. This film is definitely a must-see!

Dream Cast Thursday! A Room With a View

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is A Room With a View. The novel by E. M. Forster came out in 1908. The first film adaptation came outi n 1985. The second came out in 2007. The second adaptation took was much more different from the original novel than the first. I really enjoyed the novel and really love the original adaptation. I didn't really care for the 2007 adaptation, so now, it is my turn.

Lucy Honeychurch is the heroine of the story. In the 1985 adaptation, she was played by Helena Bonham Carter. In the 2007 adaptation, she was played by Elaine Cassidy. In my adaptation, I would cast Keira Knightley. I know that she is sometimes over-used (especially in British films), but I think that she is really good at being naive, sensual, innocent and intelligent all at the same time.

In the 1985 adaptation, George Emerson was played by Julian Sands. In the 2007 adaptation, he was played by Rafe Spall. In my adaptation, I cast Joseph Beattie.

In the 1985 adaptation, Charlotte Bartlett was played by Maggie Smith. In the 2007 adaptation, she was played by Sophie Thompson. In my adaptation, I cast Emma Thompson. At first, I wasn't sure if she was old enough, but I really think that she could pull it off.

In the 1985 adaptation, Cecil Vyse was played by Daniel Day-Lewis. In the 2007 adaptation, he was played by Laurence Fox. This was really hard, because Daniel Day-Lewis did such a wonderful job. In my adaptation, I cast Simon Woods.

So what do you all think? Have you seen either of the adaptations? Have you read the novel? Who would be in your adaptation?

Quartet

I just finished watching Quartet. I have always really liked Merchant Ivory films, so I was really eager to see this one. It came out in 1981. It was directed by James Ivory and stars Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, Isabelle Adjani, Anthony Higgins, and Sheila Gish. Adjani was especially good. I loved her in Queen Margot, but this film was definitely a change. I had never seen her in an English-speaking role before. She became the complete focus of nearly every scene that she was in (aside from the scenes she shared with Maggie Smith, which would be a difficult task to accomplish). She really made the film.

As with all of James Ivory's films, it was beautifully directed. The costumes and the makeup were magnificent. It was adapted from an autobiographical novel by Jean Rhys (it is interesting that I did not find this out until after the fact...click here for my review of Wide Sargasso Sea). The film shows a quadrangle between a young West Indian woman, her husband, a manipulative older man, and and his wife.

I would definitely recommend this film to any Merchant Ivory fans. It is definitely a must-see.

Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary

I recently saw two films written by and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. I have enjoyed other films that I have seen by him in the past (especially Perfect Strangers). I had pretty high expectations for these films and am very happy to report that I was not disappointed.

The first film that I saw is called Joe's Palace. It came out in 2007. It is a drama that centers on the relationships between Joe and Elliott and Joe, Richard and Charlotte. Elliott is the rich, eccentric owner of a grand mansion. Joe is the young man hired to care for the empty house. Richard is in government. He and Charlotte are both married to other people. They come to the house for privacy.

The cast was amazing. One thing that I have come to expect from Poliakoff films is the amazing casts. Elliott Graham is played by Michael Gambon. Joe Dix is played by Danny Lee Wynter. Richard Reece is played by Rupert Penry-Jones. Charlotte is played by Kelly Reilly. Michael Gambon and Kelly Reilly were especially phenomenal. I kind of expected a wonderful performance from Gambon, but was absolutely blown away by Reilly.

The companion piece to Joe's Palace is Capturing Mary. This film came out later in 2007. This film also involves Joe, but revolves around Mary Gilbert (a older woman trying to come to grips with her past and the part the Greville White plays). The setting for this film is once again in Mr. Graham's magnificent mansion.

Joe is once again played by Danny Lee Wynter. Mary Gilbert is played by Maggie Smith and Ruth Wilson. Greville White is played by David Walliams. This cast was also magnificent (as expected). The one surprise was David Walliams. I have always seen him in comedic roles. This was the first realy dramatic role that I had seen him in. He was amazing!

These films are definitely a must-see. I would suggest seeing Perfect Strangers first. Poliakoff does an absolutely magnificent job of bringing realistic dramas about family secrets and the past. They are always a real treat.