Posts
Tom Hanks + Oprah = Hamlet
That’s right, you heard me.
Hanks and Winfrey are teaming up to produce the movie version of Edgar Sawtelle, which is based on Hamlet:
"Edgar Sawtelle" is about a mute boy who runs away from home after the murder of his dog-breeding father and other subsequent misfortunes. He travels through the wilderness of Wisconsin and Canada followed by three pups from a litter he'd been raising himself until he decides to return home and face the man he suspects is the killer.
I’ve been looking at that book, wondering whether to pick it up, but I always skip it. I’ve got a stack of books I’m not reading already, I don’t need to make it bigger. This one will definitely go in the “see the movie instead” pile.
2 comments:
My wife nagged me to read Edgar Sawtelle till I finally did, even though I would ordinarily run from anything on Oprah's list. It's really quite fine, by no means a perfect novel, but some very good writing, memorable scenes, and characterizations. And yes, the plot's borrowed from Hamlet, played out on a dog-breeding farm in Wisconsin. The lead character is a boy whose mother is "Trudy" and whose uncle is "Claude." On principle I won't see the movie, but I have to recommend the book to any Shakespeare lover.
Now I gotta ask, what principle is it that keeps you from the movie? Just a general "book first movie second" philosophy, or something personal against Mr Hanks and Ms Winfrey?
Post a Comment