I’m not much of a movie watcher. I can snuggle into bed and read happily for two hours but I find it difficult to sit and watch a movie for two hours. I feel as though I am wasting my time. But while I was having my volunteer interview and training at the library on Friday, my Bookman diligently browsed through the movies on hand and checked out four. When he saw the look of panic in my eyes he assured me he got four movies so we’d have a choice, not because I had to watch them all.
We watched two of the movies. One, to be enjoyed by Gertrude Stein fans, Waiting for the Moon. Once I got over the diminutive Linda Hunt playing Alice, I enjoyed the movie very much. The story takes place over three months and nothing in it is true except that Stein had an illness she thought would be fatal and didn’t want Alice to know. Of course Alice knew, she saw the letter from the doctor to Stein and read it. But she didn’t say anything to Stein, and Stein said nothing to her. There is a hilariously funny scene where Alice, who is not Catholic, goes to confession. The priest suggests she stop rambling and confess something, that perhaps that would help her feel better. So Alice confesses to reading Gertrude’s mail. The priest says that he would like to absolve her but since her sin was not a spiritual one, she’d have to go to the post office to confess. It’s a very sweet movie and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival.
The other movie we watched was Masterpiece Theatre’s 1998 production of Wuthering Heights starring Robert Cavanah as Heathcliff and Orla Brady as Cathy. They were a fantastic pair and played the twisted relationship quit nicely. Crispin Bonham Carter, who some will recognize as Mr. Bingley from the A&E production of Pride and Prejudice, pulled off a good Edgar Linton. The thing about watching this movie though was watching it with my Bookman. He has not read Wuthering Heights and the story was all new to him. His reactions to the characters and the story were better than the movie.
We sampled, but did not watch all the way through, the other two movies. One was the 1980 BBC and Time-Life production of Hamlet. Patrick Stewart plays Claudius. And he has hair! And a full beard and mustache! I don’t know if it was his real hair, but if it was, he looks so much better bald. Patrick Stewart with hair coupled with the bad makeup and 1970s hair of Hamlet (Derek Jacobi) was too distracting to continue.
The final movie was Adrift on the Nile based on the novel by Naguib Mahfouz. I don’t know if this movie was good or bad because we couldn’t get the subtitles to work. We played along gamely for awhile, making up our own dialogue which was really fun during a hashish smoking scene. But after that it got old and so we gave up.
On another note, the longlist for the Orange Prize has been announced. Lots of books on the list I’ve heard excellent things about, but I haven’t read a single one of them. I don’t know if I should be happy about that since here are 20 good books to read, or if I should be sad and wonder what the heck I have been reading? Any guesses on who will make the short list or even take home the prize?
I don’t mind sitting down for a two hour movie as long as it’s good. I saw a film adaptation of Hamlet myself, last night, the directed by Laurence Olivier with him playing the title role. I really loved the camera work and found his playing of Hamlet intriguing; the way he delivered some of the soliloquies was a lot different than I had imagined it but it worked perfectly. And I also liked how he took advantage of voiceovers so that Hamlet would be saying parts of the soliloquies in his mind with a few lines done as verbal outbursts. So so good.
I only have to books from the Orange longlist: the Adichie and the Hyland. I haven’t read either of them yet but I’m looking forward to them.
Oh you do make me laugh, Stefanie. No, I’m not much of a movie person either (nothng over 90 mins thank you), and the thought of Patrick Stewart with hair is immensely disturbing.
Waiting for the Moon sounds great. I do enjoy going to the movies a lot more so than watching movies at home but lately the audience members are getting on my nerves too much – talking, cell phones, etc. I may have to look into Netflix. I’ve only read one book from the Orange list and I was surprised by that. I never seem to read anything that makes it on those lists
It is difficult for me to get through movies very often. I do manage to keep up with those that interest me while on the treadmill. I don’t remember when movies switched from typically lasting about 90 minutes. The last few times I have been to a movie theatre it was well over 2 hours.
I’ve been watching fewer and fewer movies lately — I think blogging is eating into the the time I used to devote to things like movies, and lord knows I don’t want to give up any reading time. But Waiting for the Moon sounds great — just like my kind of movie.
I really like movies and save them up for Saturday nights. I can happily lose myself in a movie for a couple of hours and sometimes I get so involved in a really good movie that it stays in my mind for days. Any other day of the week I prefer reading, but movies for me are a nice break. Now I feel the same way about wasting time when it comes to most TV shows!
Imani, I’ve seen Olivier’s Hamlet. Very good. I like the voice overs too. And Olivier is easy on the eyes
Litlove, whether forced to by balding or as a conscious choice, Patrick Stewart going bald was the best career move he could have made, especially if that was his real hair in Hamlet!
Iliana, there are some movies that have to be seen on a big screen, like the Lord of the Rings movies, but most of the time I’m content to wait for the DVD because dealing with the other movie goers as you mention is too annoying.
Brad, I was just remarking to my sister the other day after she told me about a 2hr 40 min movie she saw about why movies seem to be getting longer and longer. It certainly doesn’t seem to be making them better.
Dorothy, I resent anything that eats into my reading time
I think you would probably like Waiting for the Moon.
Danielle, a movie on a Saturday night from time to time is a lovely thing. I’m with you completely on most TV shows being a waste of time.
Stefanie, if Anne Tyler’s book, Digging To America wins this Orange Prize, it will [at least] inspire me to write a novel, like tomorrow.
I found it so… non-engaging, so non-eventful, that I left it, right after finishing it, in the laundry room of my building for someone, during rinse cycles, to perhaps stumble upon the redeeming quality that I somehow missed!
Ouch Cipriano, that does not make me want to read Tyler’s book! But even if Tyler doesn’t win, perhaps you should write that novel anyway