Johnny Depp the Gender Bender?

[laurainlimbo]

in my effort to avoid all of the important things in life (exercise, studying, writing), I've been reading too much stuff on the internet. for all you Johnny Depp fans out there, I found this video slideshow of his adventures in gender-bending through the years. I've always loved him, and seeing all these clips makes me realize what a talented actor he really is. I haven't seen the movie Before Night Falls (though it was on my Netflix queue for about a year before I left the country). The only one of these I didn't like was Willy Wonka - Johnny went way over the top on that one, and his performance gave me nightmares! and of course on this slideshow they didn't include some of my favorite of his performances, like Donnie Brasco, Dead Man, Gilbert Grape, and Benny and Joon... (but I guess those were not considered "gender-bending"?)

I've decided that I don't want to see the new Alice movie. I'm sure that the whole cast is good in it, and I'm sure that visually it's very stunning... but I read this review on Slate's website, and it sounds like Tim Burton is taking WAYYY too many liberties with the story. I'm a purist - I can't see why people can't make movie adaptations that even slightly resemble the story, especially when you're dealing with something as classic as Lewis Carroll! And why make the Mad Hatter a love interest for Alice? there wasn't the slightest hint of that in the book.

I'm not trying to sound like a snob, but I wrote a paper on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass in college. I really loved everything about those stories! It's like seeing the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet - or any of these modern adaptations of Shakespeare. they don't work for me.

I know many people will disagree with me about this, but film adaptations work only when they stay true to the original author's vision. Why else do we want to see the film except to see a broader view of what we've read and loved?

anyway, that's enough of my soapbox. I'm back to staring at katakana and kanji and wondering if I'll ever learn Japanese well enough...

Comments

[bitchygrrl.livejournal.com]

I love Before Night Falls and Javier Bardeem is also in it, so if you can get a copy try to see it.

I agree with you about Willie Wonka I like the attempt at a darker tone but it didn't work.

Now I have reservations about seeing Alice I am a stickler in some ways about not changing the author's intent. Some things you don't mess with, which is why I have yet to see a single movie version of Little Women because the slightest deviation would make me rage. Some things are best avoided. Oh while I was in Vegas I saw a rare edition of Alice it was $4500. I wish.

Oddly though I am fond of Baz Lurhman's R&J because it sticks to the original language, though one scene is missing. To me Shakesspeare was a showman and I think he would have changed settings, etc to grab his audience. I mean he was adapting himself. So for me I always enjoy seeing what new settings directors can come up with for his work. Now when they start playing with the language I have issues. I do have mixed emotions about things like Scotland, PA because it's not really a Shakespeare adaptation, but I'm still iffy on them. Have you seen that? Sorry to to be off on an a tangent but I love Shakesspeare.

[laurainlimbo.livejournal.com]

I've got to see if I can find Before Night Falls - I love Javier Bardem and - Johnny in drag is worth it alone! though he is also in drag in Ed Wood . that's a hilarious movie!

I saw that version of Little Women with Winona Ryder, but I'm ashamed to admit I never read the book in entirety. I really should. did that movie version stray from the book a lot?

we had a great hard-bound version of Lewis Carroll's works, including Alice's Adventures , and it had color pictures. I think we sold it at a garage sale, though now I realize I should have kept it!

I suppose you're right about Shakespeare - but what do you think of that Hamlet with Ethan Hawke that was set in modern-day NYC? Being the purist, I preferred the version with Mel Gibson:) oh they should never play with the language of Shakespeare - but I guess that's why I had trouble with that 2000 version of Hamlet - seeing people in a modern-day American city (New York) reciting Shakespeare line-for-line is a bit awkward for me.

No I didn't see Scotland, PA - but after reading this synopsis: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265713/plotsummary
I laughed that they list William Shakespeare as a writer! that sounds nothing like MacBeth! I'm with you on being iffy on those kinds of "loose" adaptations. if it's not even close, then why call it an adaptation?