The Chatterley Affair

I recently saw the Chatterley Affair and really enjoyed it. The film came out in 2006 on the BBC. It deals with the trial in 1960 in which the publisher of D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover" was brought to court under England's Obscene Publications Act. More specifically, it deals with the affair of two married jury members.

This film was really interesting to watch. The plot that was separate from the actual trial was extremely interesting. The trial itself was also very interesting. Many literary figures and English scholars were brought in to discuss the book. David Tennant gave an especially interesting cameo performance as Professor Richard Hoggart. The two main jury members were played by Louise Delamere and Rafe Spall. There performances seemed very simple, but always genuine.

I would definitely recommend this film. It is definitely a must-see!

Dream Cast Thursday! The Brontes

For this week's Dream Cast Thursday (technically Friday, since I have been getting these posts out later and later), I will be recasting novels by two of the Bronte sisters. Jane Eyre was published by Charlotte Bronte in 1847, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published by Anne Bronte in 1848. When making my casting choices for Jane Eyre, I looked at several adaptations. I looked at the versions of Jane Eyre from 1983, 1996 and 2006, and I looked at adaptations of Wide Sargasso Sea from 1993 and 2006.

The first character that I recast was Jane Eyre. She has been played by Zelah Clarke, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Ruth Wilson. For my adaptation, I cast Claire Foy

The second character that I recast was Edward Fairfax Rochester. He has been played by Timothy Dalton, William Hurt, Nathaniel Parker, Toby Stephens, and Rafe Spall. For my adaptation, I cast Rufus Sewell.

The next character that I recast was Mrs. Fairfax. She has been played by Jean Harvey, Joan Plowright, and Lorraine Ashbourne. For my adaptation, I cast Susan Sarandon.

The last character that I recast was Bertha or Antoinette Cosway. She has been played by Joolia Cappleman, Maria Schneider, Karina Lombard, Claudia Coulter, and Rebecca Hall. For my adaptation, I cast Mili Avital.

When  casting The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I looked at one adaptation from 1996. The first character that I recast was Helen. She was played by Tara Fitzgerald. For my adaptation, I cast Charlotte Riley.

The second character that I recast was Gilbert Markham. He was played by Toby Stephens. For my adaptation, I cast Henry Cavill.

The third character that I recast was Huntingdon. He was played by Rupert Graves. For my adaptation, I cast Jude Law.

The last character that I recast was Mr. Lawrence. He was played by James Purefoy. For my adaptation, I cast Alex O'Laughlin.

So what do you all think? What are are favorite Bronte novels? What are your favorite adaptations, and who would be in yours?

Dream Cast Thursday! Dracula

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Dracula. There have been many adaptations (some are true to the novel, and others simply use the character). The hardest character to cast was definitely Dracula. For me, it will always be Gary Oldman. I looked at several adaptations when choosing my cast. The first adaptation that I looked at was Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). The second adaptation that I looked at was Dracula 2000. The last adaptation that I looked at was Bram Stoker's Dracula (2006).

The first character that I recast was Dracula. Dracula has been played by Gary Oldman (1992), Gerard Butler (2000), and Marc Warren (2006). For my cast, I chose Jason Isaacs.

The second character that I recast was Mina Murray (named Mary Heller in Dracula 2000). She has been played by Winona Ryder, Justine Waddell, and Stephanie Leonidas. For my cast, I chose Keira Knightley.

The third character that I recast was Jonathan Harker (named Simon Sheppard in Dracula 2000). He has been played by Keanu Reeves, Johnny Lee Miller, and Rafe Spall. For my cast, I chose Henry Cavill.

The fourth character that I recast was Lucy Westenra (named Lucy Westerman in Dracula 2000). She has been played by Sadie Frost, Colleen Fitzpatrick, and Sophia Myles. For my cast, I chose Sienna Miller.

The last character that I recast was Professor Abraham Van Helsing. He has been played by Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Plummer, and David Suchet. For my cast, I chose Liam Neeson.

So what do you all think of this cast? Who would be in your adaptation?

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?

Wide Sargasso Sea

I just recently saw the 2006 adaptation of Wide Sargasso Sea. It is based on the re-imagined prequel to Jane Eyre by by Jean Rhys. I have always loved Jane Eyre and studies Wide Sargasso Sea this past semester in a female writers class and a contemporary theory class.

I haven't seen any of the previous adaptations, but really liked this one. It stars Rebecca Hall as Antoinette Cosway (Bertha Mason) and Rafe Spall as Edward Rochester. It was adapted for the screen by Stephen Greenhorn and directed by Brendan Maher.

I would definitely recommend this adaptation to anyone (especially to fans of Jane Eyre). It was absolutely stunning, and left me completely rethinking the original novel. Despite the fact that I already knew the ending, I was completely entranced by the tale. It is definitely a must-see.