Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

[zotz]

I went to see The Constant Gardener on Monday night. This isn't going to sound as impressive as it would when I went to the cinema more, but it's an excellent film, and the best I've seen in a fair while. It reminded me of Edge of Darkness a bit, which I've seen said by other people in a couple of reviews too. Sandy commented afterwards that Sandy (in TCG - played by Danny Huston) reminded him a bit of Harcourt (EoD - played by Ian McNeice), and I agree. It was probably just coincidental, though.

At points the film's a little heavy-handed in the infodumping, but more often it's brutally effective both dramatically and informatively. The acting was excellent, and I can see that it's the sort of acting that the Academy members like, so the predictions of Oscar nominations sound plausible. Don't let that put you off, though.

The end credits were interesting - Feinnes gets a cameraman credit for some of the handheld stuff that's on screen, and there's a note from Carré saying that while he didn't base it on a real incident, his research led him to believe that compared to what does happen his story is a walk in the park. Now this, of course, is possibly comparable to Dennis Wheatley's famous warning about the danger that dabbling in the occult may lead you to write bestselling horror novels and how there wasn't room for two on his patch . . . but I digress.

It was also dedicated to an aid worker, although she apparently died in an innocent car crash with a couple of colleagues after a long and dedicated career rather than being assassinated.

It ends on the shores of Lake Turkana, in the Kenyan section of the Great Rift Valley. It's a spectacular area, with much vulcanism, and was the cradle of humanity. Years ago an expedition featuring one of the Leakeys unearthed most of a homo erectus skelton - the remains of an adolescent dubbed the Nariokotome Boy. I read a fascinating book - The Wisdom of Bones - some years ago, which was largely about this.

The trailer for Memoirs of a Geisha was on before the film. Someone remarked a bit ago that the poster has a picture of the lead with blue eyes, while the actress has brown eyes. Well, in the film her eyes are blue. Anyone read the book? It may actually be in the original story.

What a clumsy post. Never mind. In lieu of an apology, have some good news - more charges for Pinochet. And a railway engine's been named after Tam the Gun.

Comments

[jehanna.livejournal.com]

Well, in the film her eyes are blue. Anyone read the book? It may actually be in the original story.

Yep. In the book, her eyes are also blue.

[zotz]

Excellent. Thank you. There was some speculation on the company's motives. This might actually have been resolved in the discussion, actually, but if so I didn't see that bit.

[thewomanmeg.livejournal.com]

Did it say when Memoirs of a Geisha is coming out? I loved the book and would really like to see the film if only to compare it to the book with scorn!

[zotz]

No, but according to IMDB it's the 13th of January.

[thewomanmeg.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I really should start looking up these things myself instead of relying on my Friend List!

[badriya.livejournal.com]

I read TCG a little while ago and thought it very good. I don't really want to see the film as they are usually a disappointment after the book. My pictures are better and I don't like Feinnes.

[hfnuala.livejournal.com]

I've read the book and I don't remember the blue eyes thing. However, have you notced all the female actors are Chinese? That must be because the lack of a Jpanese film industry meant they couldn't find any Japaense actors *rolls eyes* Also, apparently they toned down the make-up becuase they thought the extreme whiteness would be off putting.