Variety is reporting that the book Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, about a kitten’s impact on a small midwestern town, will be made into a motion picture, starring none other than the Book Snark’s favorite actress, Meryl Streep. No, Meryl will not be playing Dewey (though with her talent, I don’t doubt she could), but rather Vicki Myron, the Spencer, Iowa, librarian who discovered Dewey.
Myron discovered the little puss, half-frozen, in the library book-drop. After anointing him library mascot, she watched the effect Dewey had on the community, inspiring her to write his story. It was published by Grand Central Publishing in September.
And now it looks like the ginger kitten is coming to the big screen. Pamela Gray, who penned the screenplay for Streep’s 1999 film Music of the Heart, will be writing the script.
I have a little orange kitty myself, so I am quite excited about this film. I am also the biggest Meryl Streep fan ever, so that makes it even better. I’ll probably be so damn giddy on opening night that I’ll be…purring.
If there’s one thing the Book Snark loves almost as much as loves books, it’s movies. So when these two art forms come together, it is an explosive wet dream for the BS.
Since the dawn of moviedom, Hollywood has been making films about writers because, let’s face it, writers tend to live far more interesting lives than you or me. If I were to cite every notable movie about a famous writer, this post would exceed my allowed bandwidth, and my little snarkfingers would more than likely be worn to the nub from typing so damn much. So I’ve opted to focus on just ten films about writers made in the last 25 years.
I’ve compiled a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly. But one thing is certain: the lives portrayed here were probably more fascinating, more complex, and more intense than we will ever know.
Henry & June
(1990). The first film to ever receive an NC-17 rating, writer-director Philip Kaufman helms this erotically-charged look at the love triangle of American writers Henry Miller and Anais Nin and Miller’s wife, actress June. The movie is far from perfect, but it does a brilliant job of breathing breathtaking life into 1920s Paris. The mood is so perfectly captured that you can’t help but feel transported there, even if the story isn’t particularly well-told. Nin is a captivating historical figure, and I’d love to see a better film made about her one day. But for now, Henry & June will do. The ravishing cinematography, by the way, boosted my final score by an entire letter grade. Grade: B
Iris (2001). Though I’ve always found British writer/philosopher Iris Murdoch’s books hard to get into, I’ve nonetheless been fascinated by her stunning mind. And it is this mind that writer-director Richard Eyre explores so flawlessly in Iris. The film focuses on Murdoch at two periods in her life: as a vibrant, magnetic, fiercely intelligent young woman (played by the always-exceptional Kate Winslet), and as a slowly-fading old woman ravaged by Alzheimer’s (played by the always-exceptional Judi Dench). This compare-and-contrast approach to Murdoch’s life is unique, masterful, and more than a little upsetting (I rewatched this film a few weeks ago and sobbed for a good hour afterward). But there is something more to this movie that one might not expect: a love story. Towering over the examination of Iris’s mind is the beautiful love affair of Murdoch and her husband, John Bayley. And despite the dynamic work of the two stellar actresses portraying Iris, the film belongs to Jim Broadbent (who won an Oscar for his work here) as Bayley. He will break your heart. Grade: A
Mrs. Parker & the Vicious Circle (1994). When it comes to footloose-and-fancy-free literary figures, no one fills the bill like the legendary Dorothy Parker. It’s a shame the movie based on her life, particularly during the Algonquin Round Table years, is such a dud. Though writer-director Alan Rudolph does have a knack for making his unpalletable films something special: he evokes powerhouse performances from his leading ladies - performances that lift his work to a whole new level (another case in point: Afterglow). In Mrs. Parker & the Vicious Circle, Rudolph had the great good sense to hire Jennifer Jason Leigh to portray Parker. Leigh’s performance is gritty, raw, and emotionally naked. Much like Mrs. Parker herself. Grade: B-
Out of Africa (1985). The epic tale of Danish writer Isak Dinesen, a.k.a. Baroness Karen Blixen, and her early years as a young woman on a Kenyan coffee plantation. Amidst the drama of the farm and the tumultuousness of her marriage, Blixen begins a life-altering love affair with big game hunter Denys Finch-Hatton. Meryl Streep turns in her usual tour-de-force and propels what, in another actor’s hands, could’ve been a dreadfully boring film. Add to this the smart direction by Sydney Pollack, David Watkin’s gorgeous cinematography, and John Barry’s lush score, and you’ve got a movie that does justice to the mesmerizing life of an inimitable woman. Grade: A-
Quills (2000). Finally! That old genius/perv the Marquis De Sade gets his story put on the big screen. Quills turns a lens on the Marquis’ years at the Charanton Insane Asylum, as he writes some of his greatest works, which are smuggled out for publication by a rogue young laundress (once again: the always-exceptional Kate Winslet). Director Philip Kaufman (of Henry & June) and writer Doug Wright create a deliciously dark, often terrifying tale of the power of literature and the twisted, brilliant mind of the Marquis (played flawlessly by Geoffrey Rush). Also notable is Joaquin Phoenix, as a young priest on a mission to save the Marquis’s soul…only to love his own in the process. Grade: B+
Shadowlands (1993). In his later years, acclaimed British writer C.S. Lewis romanced a cancer-stricken American poet named Joy Gresham. Their story is told sensitively, yet unsatisfyingly, in Sir Richard Attenborough’s Shadowlands (based on William Nicholson’s play). Anthony Hopkins gives a strong performance as Lewis, and Debra Winger, as Gresham, is emotionally-nuanced and quite good - even if her New York accent is atrocious. Though the film attempts to be smart and informed, it unfortunately doesn’t give us much insight into these two interesting literary figures. There are, however, a couple of truly touching moments that will stick with you. Here’s one of them. Grade: C+
Sylvia (2003). How this stinkfest ever got made is beyond me. Gwyneth Paltrow as the iconic poet Sylvia Plath is one of the most appalling examples of an actor totally, completely ill-suited to a role. The whole film - which had so much potential - is frightfully dull. The only reason I did not give this movie a failing grade was the presence of Daniel Craig, who portrays Ted Hughes. Daniel Craig is always fun to look at. But as for the film itself…Plath deserved better. Grade: D-
Tom & Viv (1994). Brian Gilbert directed this film adaptation of Michael Hastings’s play based on the first marriage of American expatriate writer T.S. Eliot to Vivienne Haigh-Wood. The movie looks intimately at the connective sparks of the Eliots’ relationship, made all the more difficult by Vivienne’s mental instability and T.S.’s poetic betrayals. Though it loses its steam in a few spots, Tom & Viv is saved by the cast of notable performances. Willem Dafoe is wonderful as Eliot, and Rosemary Harris, as Vivienne’s mother, deserves a special shout-out for a job well done. But the film is owned by Miranda Richardson, whose performance as Vivienne is so fiery and devastating that she all but sets the screen ablaze. Grade: B
Total Eclipse (1995). Another craptacular movie attempting to do justice to a monumental literary figure, Total Eclipse is the wildly uneven tale of legendary poet Arthur Rimbaud (Leonardo DiCaprio, as miscast here as Paltrow was in Sylvia) and his love affair with fellow writer Paul Verlaine. What could have been a deliciously homoerotic love story is instead a series of uninspired scenes attempting to capture the passion of new love fueled by the bigger passion of great writing. If you can stay awake during this one, the BS will buy your Jujubes the next time you hit the cinema. Grade: F
Wilde (1997). Another terrific Brian Gilbert-directed bio, Wilde is a visionary and unconventional glimpse into the life of a man who could best be described as visionary and unconventional. Stephen Fry shines as Oscar Wilde, Jude Law (in an early role) is sexy and effective as Wilde’s young lover Bosie Douglas, and Vanessa Redgrave, portraying Wilde’s mother here, can do no wrong in my book. But the real success of the film lies in its unique ability to inhabit not only the story of Oscar Wilde’s life, but the life of his writing as well. Told through bold and colorful sketches, Wilde is a wild good time. Grade: B+
