I have always felt that Bolt's screenplay in "Lawrence" is not just good, but spectacular. There's a reason why it remains in the top ten lists of the greatest films ever made. It is so far ahead of its time with its ambiguous portrait of Lawrence that it feels timeless and undated. In fact, the parts that linger on the visual majesty of the desert or the battle scenes sometimes drags down the pacing. I've always felt (and I know there is debate about this), that despite my love for Gregory Peck, who won Best Actor that year, that Peter O'Toole's performance in Lawrence is simply electric and drop-dead perfect. And what an ending! It disappoints many, but it is an anti-climax that is faithful to the integrity of where Lawrence's story HAD to go. Can you imagine some corn-ball U.S.-tinkering happy ending tacked on to make Lawrence's efforts uplifting and redemptive?
A generalization, but I think the Brits have a knack for making wonderfully written films that - as I wrote last year - are masked when they're budgeted by American dollars and cast (e.g., Anthony Quinn, who was a major star here in 1962) to draw an American audience. Astoundingly, the country-of-origin and first printing of "Lawrence" is the U.S.A. like "Bridge over the River Kwai" (which was cast budgeted to include William Holden) - despite being thoroughly British in tone and sensibility. Hence my obsession with "country-of-origin" posters which I treat like first edition books regardless of less than attractive art. I'm bitter that the beginning of Carol Reed's "The Third Man" was butchered by Selznick when it was released in the U.S.; the British version is superior. But at least in the case of the wonderfully written "Third Man" -- the country-of-origin is rightfully the U.K. Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:57:20 -0500 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: OT; BLIGH ME, GUVNOR To: [email protected] I think Bolt started the screenplay for The Bounty, but had a stroke and the eventual film contains little of his original writing. I imagine the movie with a screenplay by the Bolt of the early 1960s, and it would have been wonderful. I first read the three novels by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall (Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairn's Island) as a teen, and I know there is still a great series of movies (or an epic TV mini-series) waiting to be made of the entire story (only parts of which were addressed in the earlier versions). Bruce On Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 8:50 AM, Kirby McDaniel <[email protected]> wrote: He also co-wrote the script for THE BOUNTY (1984), the mutiny on the HMS Bounty story, which David Lean had always wantedto film, but was never able to get financed. This film takes a fuller look at the BOUNTY epic, and is enjoyable enough, directed by Roger Donaldson. But one can only imagine that tale with the Lean camera and editing synergy and perfectionist sensibility. Maybe the financiers remembered all too well the MGM experience with the Brando version. I have always liked that version. LEAN went on to make A PASSAGE TO INDIA, a thoroughly wonderful film, in my opinion. I think that'sout on BLU - RAY now. K. On Jun 12, 2010, at 7:49 AM, Bruce Hershenson wrote: Robert Bolt, who wrote Lawrence, quickly followed with Doctor Zhivago, A Man for All Seasons (from his earlier play), and Ryan's Daughter, a pretty amazing string of wonderful screenplays. Of course he didn't manage to include a tagline as great as "Get off my lawn!" in any of them, but he did his best. Bruce On Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 1:06 AM, Phil Edwards <[email protected]> wrote: Odd, we nearly always think of LAWRENCE in terms of its epic scope and spectacular visuals, but it has one of the most literate andprecise screenplays of almost any film I can think of. ----- Original Message ----- From: Kirby McDaniel To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2010 2:06 PM Subject: [MOPO] OT; BLIGH ME, GUVNOR Tony Hayward: I am reminded of the wonderful line Claude Rains (Dryden) gets in LAWRENCE: Prince Feisal: You, I suspect, are chief architect of this compromise. What do you think? Mr. Dryden: Me, your Highness? On the whole, I wish I'd stayed in Tunbridge Wells. http://www.theonion.com/articles/massive-flow-of-bullshit-continues-to-gush-from-bp,17564/ Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
