There is something I should have learned better before now.
My first chance was over fifty years ago when I took a literature class from a
professor who had written a book entitled Novels into Film. Most
recently the same lesson was taught in comments on this blog (back when there
were some) by John from Phoenix. Now I finally get the lesson and I want to
explain why.
My reading through the years has been overwhelmingly
non-fiction with only very few novels. On the death of Harper Lee, I decided to
finally read To Kill a Mockingbird. At the same time I read a book (Scout,
Atticus and Boo) with memories by various people about when they first read
Mockingbird. I was in law school when the movie came out and I thought it was
great; I particularly admired Atticus of course. The screen play won the Oscar
for best adaptation. So after reading these books I watched the movie again,
the first time I can recall since my first viewing. I was shocked how totally
disappointingly different the movie was from the book.
I know I have seen at least a couple movies based on books I had read previously, but I do not remember being bothered by differences on the screen from the pages of the book. But in the case of Mockingbird I disliked the movie adaptation so much because it oversimplified the book and left so much of importance totally out of the script that I am not even including it in this list. I will let my ancient five star rating stay in place as a respectful memory, but I have now finally learned that a novel and a movie based on a novel are two separate and wholly autonomous works of art.
I know I have seen at least a couple movies based on books I had read previously, but I do not remember being bothered by differences on the screen from the pages of the book. But in the case of Mockingbird I disliked the movie adaptation so much because it oversimplified the book and left so much of importance totally out of the script that I am not even including it in this list. I will let my ancient five star rating stay in place as a respectful memory, but I have now finally learned that a novel and a movie based on a novel are two separate and wholly autonomous works of art.
Downton Abbey (SeasonSix) – 2015 (3.2). Enjoyable house guests sometimes engender mixed feeling
after they leave; while we will really miss them, we are also glad they are
gone. So with the final season of Downton, it is time to part company with the
people who have been visiting us and we wish them well. The scripts were
written to grant our wish and they did so, with everyone taking a positive step
forward in life, even as we are realistic enough to know they cannot all live
happily ever after. Perhaps a sequel will be made in ten or twenty years.
Matt Shepard Is aFriend of Mine – 2014 (3.2). Matt wanted to be famous, but not by dying at
a young age as a victim of a homophobic beating. Using archival home movies,
evocative scenes of the filmmaker traveling around the area where Matt lived, and
extensive interviews with his family and friends and those involved in
investigating his murder, one friend made this documentary to let us learn who
Matt was and why so many people loved him. There is not much issue preaching
here, but there is the encouraging example set by the parents of Matt in
starting a foundation to address the need for greater respect for individual
differences. There is also a provocatively thoughtful conversation between the
filmmaker and a priest who ministered to the murderers.
Call the Midwife(Season Four) – 2015 (3.1). As time moves forward, some of the cast turns
over though some of the old stay on, and the medical and social issues keep
evolving. A few story lines keep progressing even as new angles develop in the
lives of some characters. There is a valid feel to the way things move along,
but it does seem a little peculiar that the narrator from old age continues her
voice over role even though her character is no longer appearing in the series.
There are still many calendar years for the stories to run forward and as long
as the quality holds up there is good reason to continue filming.
Jackie Robinson –
2016 (2.9). With this documentary Ken Burns attempts to fill in more of the
personal side of the baseball great and his attitude toward racial relations in
America from his young days through his integration of major league baseball
and into his political activity after leaving baseball. The task is fairly well
accomplished with lots of archival footage, interviews and dramatic voiceovers.
Doc Martin (SeasonSeven) – 2015 (2.9). Louisa returns from Spain and she and Martin begin
couples therapy. We know about the problems Martin has, but bow we get to find
out whether Louisa has problems of which we have been unaware. Meanwhile the
characters and events in the town continue to provide drama around the central
couple. Unfortunately, after setting the counselling up to be not only quite
helpful to the couple but also to provide a deeper personal emotional drama for
the series, this story line sort of fizzles in the last episode.
PlantPure Nation
– 2015 (2.9). The son of one of the doctors whose life work on the health benefits
of plant based eating was featured in the film Knives Over Forks is the maker
of this newer documentary. Kentucky is the state with the least healthy
population and this movie follows the efforts of the film maker to get the
Kentucky legislature to approve a modest study of plant based eating. Surprised by the defeat
of the proposal, a self-funded study is done in North Carolina with impressive
results and the Kentucky Legislature approached again. The truth of the value
of this way of eating seems quite obvious but efforts to get government
involved in promoting it run into vested animal based food interests and their
control of the political process.
An Honest Liar –
2014 (2.9). For decades professional magician James Randi has made it his
mission to discredit people who use the tricks of his trade to fool people into
believing the tricksters have psychic, spiritual or other mystic powers. Lots
of archival footage is combined with interviews, especially of Randi himself,
to produce this documentary. Sadly, we learn there are willingly gullible
people who use the charlatans as an emotional crutch and are angered when the
fraud is exposed.
Supermensch: TheLegend of Shep Gordon – 2013 (2.9). Comedian Mike Meyers directed this
documentary homage to a show biz agent who seems universally admired not only
by his famous clients but also by no less than the Dalai Lama. Numerous
interviews and clever reconstructed videos are well edited together with the
precise timing of an experienced stand up comic. The result is a fun movie that
moves right along.
Welcome to Leith
– 2015 (2.8). A peripatetic white supremacist provocateur bought a rundown
house in a very small town in North Dakota with the intention of attracting
others of his ilk and taking over the town politically, though only one other
couple actually came. These invaders were so obnoxious that the townspeople
rose in opposition and ultimately persuaded the prosecutor to file charges
against the men for terrorizing the townspeople. This documentary uses
interviews with the townspeople, invaders and the prosecutor and a spokesperson
for the Southern Poverty Law Center along with some archival footage of events
that happened in the town to follow the case in a very personal way, without
going into an academic analysis or criticism of the white supremacist views.
The Look of Silence
– 2014 (2.8). In this sequel to an earlier documentary, The Act of Killing, the
film maker follows the efforts of the brother of one of the victims of the
Indonesian political genocide of the 1960s to confront the aging murderers and
see if they have remorse or feelings of guilt. The brother was born after the
killing as a replacement for son who was killed. The mother still lives and is
kept informed as the son pursues his mission. The audacious sadism of the
killers shown in the earlier film is fodder for the new journey and the people
he confronts are still despicable and unremorseful. New to this film are the
children of the murderers who profess varying degrees of ignorance about what
happened, understandable because the murderers have been in charge of the
Indonesian government since the slaughter and have tried to bury the past in
silence.
How to Survive aPlague – 2012 (2.8). Archival footage and current interviews are used in
this documentary to tell the story of the Act Up protestors whose persistent
activism over many years finally got enough serious attention from the
government and the pharma industry on the need for effective treatment AIDS
victims. The film is more of a testament to the work of the individuals
involved than a political history of how and why they had to work so long and
so hard to get our country to properly address the problem.
Forks Over Knives
– 2011 (2.8). Decades of lab research and working with patients have convinced
two American doctors that a plant based diet is optimal for health. They
present their findings in this documentary which also includes input from other
doctors and patients who swear by the wonderful health gains of excluding
animal products from what we eat. The presentation is easy to follow, though
one is left with many questions about specifics, which means visiting the
website and reading the book are the next steps for consideration.
Reel Injun – 2009
(2.8). A documentary film maker from the far north of Canada takes a road trip
in a "res car" to visit Hollywood, the creator of American Indian
mythology. Along the way he visits some historic Indian sites and talks with
various Indians including some famous actors and activists. Archival footage of
Indians being played by whites and cast as stereotypes provide humor tinged
with resentment. But there is some good news in the more recent movies, some
made by Indians, showing indigenous people in a more accurate light.
The movies on this list streamed via Netflix were (though
some of the streaming rights may now have expired):
Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine
Call the Midwife (Season Four)
PlantPure Nation
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
The Look of Silence
How to Survive a Plague
Forks Over Knives
Reel Injun
