The Prose Garden

The Bad Thing About Seasons

And don’t forget about me

And when the sun rises,

And flowers bloom

And people laugh outside.

And you smiled to my voice

And played with my fingers.

How could it be that

Winter you spend with me

And summer with another?

The world is perishing. Rejoice man!

Nature has been raped, has anyone heard.

Man did of course; rejoice!

Art lost its heart, but who kept theirs?

Man did of course; rejoice!

Peace cannot be found. Who is hiding it?

Man is of course, rejoice!

Love has kissed its last. Whose hand was the dagger in?

Man’s of course, rejoice!

What became of Mr Duffy?

Does anyone know? Read Joyce!

He throws stones at us and all we do is collect them from the floor and give them back to him

It’s a sin to be sincere

King Lear to The Big Screen

In recent times why has there not been an adaptation of King Lear; is it not a blockbuster, buster, Mr Producer?  It is a fetish of cinema to look for help in the archive and the classics, when it gets a bit dry in terms of ideas. And why shouldn’t they, it has proven to be successful in the form of green dollars. Movies such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, any adaptation of Dickens; will always reap money. Every decade there are new fans of the novels therefore it is only right that they get remade and be given a fresh stroke upon the dusty canvas. This is fine but why isn’t the same being done to Shakespeare’s work? Are there no brave directors out there to adapt the guy notorious at schools? Baz Luhrmann created a storm when he brought Romeo and Juliet to the big screen; replacing rapiers with 9mm, and cars with engines roaring. Once he established a modern setting, the soliloquies and monologues became easier to understand. Even actors with whom we would never for once associate Shakespeare with, behind the masquerade quite like him. Al Pacino, the guy with a profane tongue, is one of these who is an avid fan as well as activist for Shakespeare. He played Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in the highly reviewed ‘The Merchant of Venice’. It’s not a role that fans of Al are used to seeing him in maybe because instead of holding a gun, he held a staff. Then in 2009 there was the made for television production of Hamlet which created a buzz when it was announced Doctor Who star, David Tennant would be playing the phallic prince. The success should be attributed to the cast with whom the audience were familiar with, but also because of the modern Hamlet roaming the stage in slim-fit jeans and t-shirt.

The nucleus role should go to no one but Robert De Niro. You may question the decision and the casting directors may not agree but read me out. Bob, the once smart talking wiseguy, the mischievous Johnny boy, the existentialist taxi driver, and jab throwing actor has finally turned of age. He is now truly a wise guy in the entire sense of the word with the amount of white that can be traced from his once slickly oiled black hair. The bad thing for an actor when he ages, limits the types of roles he can play. You won’t seen him at a fragile age of 68, running from Al Pacino. I’m not saying that he can’t, but it’ll be best if he doesn’t.

The fool is very much similar to Lear. He is in essence the mirror, a sort of ‘mirror mirror on the wall’ type of character. He acts as the soul of Lear and exact opposite who has no consideration for the timing of his motley behaviour. The fool could be played by none other than Rob Schneider, since Schenieder has track record of playing foolish in nearly everyone film he has been in. If we’re talking serious then get the agent of Steve Buscemi. Steve Buscemi has this emotional glazing all over him, maybe it’s his eyes. I never felt sad for any actor but for Buscemi when he dies in The Big Lebowski. His death causes a stir in the hearts of the audience because his character is as naïve as the curious cat, as well as good-natured making eclectic almost Elvis-like noises when he gets a strike in the bowling alley. He is always reduced to ‘shut the fuck up Donny’ by John Goodman’s character, a ‘nam veteran. If you’re free Buscemi, this role is for you.

Cordelia has to be played by none other than Rachel Weisz or January Jones. They both have that childlike, and candid innocence in the work that they’ve done such as The Mummy/The Fountain, and Mad Men. The roles of Goneril and Regan can only be played by two people who can do justice to these roles and they are: Tilda Swinton, and Helena Bonham Carter. Both these actresses have a record of playing distasteful characters in film, and the unity of these two on-screen will have good chemistry for the film. And I can already see an Oscar for best villain, with Edmund the bastard played by the Machiavellian actor himself, Edward Norton. SNM.

But the main reason Hollywood needs to bring King Lear to the big screen is because it is essentially a tale of the human condition. It is about dependency and even the best of men respected by both colleague and child can in impure times get neglected by people they trust. It is a heart-wrenching story about family and friends, blinded and sight, as well as false loyalties. Lear’s story shows us what a lot of love can do, but Gloucester’s story shows what the lack of it can also do. It can be argued that Edmund behaved in his manner because of the way he was brought up. That’s a nice Marxist take on things, but then what is the explanation for the betrayal of Goneril and Regan, despite sheltered by monarchy? King Lear has everything from youth to senile, from bastard offspring to cuckolding wives. It has tragedy where it is needed and comedy where it isn’t.  And what is there not to love about a fool that speaks the truth in false times?

So there you have it reader, a vision for this film from both fan of the book and of the actors mentioned. Call me a false harbinger, but I would like to see King Lear shown at the box office in coming years.