Book vs Film
Last night, courtesy of Netflix by mail, I caught up to the big screen adaptation of News of the World (2020), based on the novel by Paulette Giles. Although it captures the spirit of the book, there are several differences. First a recap: A civil war vet, played by Tom Hanks, takes on the task of transporting a young girl, kidnapped six years earlier by Indians, back to her surviving kin. Her mom, dad and siblings were butchered. She has transformed completely into a Kiowa. The biggest change is that the Captain, a widow, has no daughters. I imagine this was done to create a stronger bond between the lead characters. Unless I missed it, there is no mention of the Kiowa selling the girl to an agent. One of the novel’s themes is the confounding brutality of the human race. The Captain simply finds her in the woods. The agent is hanging from a tree. If I remember correctly, in the novel the Captain is paid to do the job. There are a couple of other aspects that seem different, but it would be wrong to cite them, as my memory, while still good, is no longer stellar. In the past I found web articles about the contrast between a particular book and film. I came up empty regarding News… Despite the changes, I enjoyed the movie, although it falls well short of being a classic. Germany’s Helena Zengel follows in the footsteps of the child actors who have given amazing performances throughout the history of cinema. The work received four Oscar nominations, including one for cinematography. I hate the lighting, which is frequently dark. I did not recognize Mare Winnigham and Elizabeth Marvel in their roles. The rest of the cast is unfamiliar to me but seem authentic in their portrayals. 63,000+ users at IMDb have rated News…, forging to a consensus of 6.8 on a scale of ten, a bit high in my opinion. It runs just short of two hours. The violence is tame by modern standards, and profanity is at a minimum. There’s a bit of humor to leaven the grimness. Sticklers who insist a book should be followed faithfully may be disappointed. Made on a budget of $38 million, released during the Covid era, News… fared dismally at the box office, returning only $12+ million worldwide. I doubt DVD sales and rentals and streaming will close that gap significantly. Britain’s Paul Greengrass directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Luke Davies. He has had great box office and artistic success in the past, helming three of the Jason Bourne incarnations, as well as the excellent Captain Phillips, which also starred Hanks. He has received one Oscar nomination and a boatload of the British equivalent, the BAFTA. Here are the leads in character:
Good news, foxnews.com headline: “New COVID-19 cases plummet to lowest levels since last June.”
It was hot for the first time in 2021, and humid and there was hardly a breeze. I set up shop and packed up very slowly. It wasn’t easy, although I was under a tree. My thanks to the woman who donated five books, two in Russian; and to the sweet elderly woman who did her customary weekend swap and buy of Russian fare; and to the Turkish woman who bought a kids book in Russian for a friend; and to the gentleman who purchased three early Doo Wop CDs; and to just about the only Asian buyer at present, who took home six DVDs. Saddest thing I saw today was two young light-haired women in Black Lives Matter T-shirts.
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