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!

The Handmaid's Tale

I recently watched the Handmaid's Tale. I knew a little of the story prior to seeing the film. The novel by Margaret Atwood was brought up several times in a class that I took this past semester while we were discussing the Edible Woman. I found the film to be very interesting and a little scary in the way that only truly good films can be. This film is a dystopian look at the possible future of the human race. Very few women are able to bear children. Those that can are enslaved. They are forced to become handmaids to the wealthy and powerful.

There was nothing hugely wonderful about the cast (although I do love seeing new films with Natasha Richardson). After her death, I love finding new roles of her that I have not had the chance to see before. As always, she did a wonderful job. The content and storyline make this an interesting film. It is definitely a must-see!