Thinking a little more about Jim Thompson films, the original
"The Getaway" has to have the most perfect casting possible
with Steve McQueen as Doc McCoy and Al Lettieri as Rudy. It's
just too bad the movie had to ruin the book's terrific
apocalyptic ending.
The most disappointing film has to be The Killer Inside Me
with Stacy Keach as Lou Ford. My favorite Jim Thompson movie
(well, he wrote the screenplay) has to be "Paths of
Glory"
Years ago I read that Michael Keaton signed on to play Carl
Bigelow in Savage Night. Too bad they never made it, Keaton
would've been perfect in that role.
To me Coup de Torchon achieves the same dazzling ending that
Pop. 1280 did. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone
who hasn't read the book, but Philippe Noiret throughout the
movie, and particularly at the end captures the essense of
Nick Corey. I was doing a little browsing and found that a
new Coup de Torchon DVD is available with both an alternative
ending and a 45 minute presentaion by the director, Bertrand
Tavernier.
-Dave Zeltserman http://www.hardluckstories.com/inhisshadow.htm
In His Shadow - noir to the nth degree
-----Original Message----- From:
owner-rara-avis@icomm.ca [mailto:
owner-rara-avis@icomm.ca] On Behalf Of Etienne Borgers
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 1:46 PM To:
rara-avis@icomm.ca Subject: RE: RARA-AVIS: The Grifters -
Hell of a woman - Serie Noire
At 14:51 02-03-03 -0500, you wrote:
>"The Grifters" is a good adaptation, but the best
adaptation of a Jim
>Thompson book has to be "Coup de Torchon" a French
adaptation of Pop.
>1280. What's remarkable about this version is it
takes Pop. 1280 out of
>West Texas and moves it to a French territory in
Africa, and the movie
>still captures the feel of the book
entirely.
>
>The one movie I've bene wanting to see but can't find
is the French
>version of "Hell of a Woman". Has anyone on this list
ever seen it?
>
>-Dave Zeltserman
I do not share the same enthusiasm as Dave for "Coup de
torchon", very good film by itself, but IMO did not capture
the final essence of 'pop. 1280' by lacking this near
metaphysical level Thompson's novel reaches. But I place the
novel very high in my personal pantheon, and I always
considered it as the best novel by Thompson.
'Hell of a woman' was adapted in a French film by Alain
Corneau (Serie Noire - 1979), in which the best part is the
first class interpretation by two actors: Patrick Dewaere and
Bernard Blier. The grim atmosphere created by Corneau added
to the basic qualities of this film, which is good but not
prominent. Even if the script was co-written by Georges
Perec, the well known writer, and the story adapted to French
locations and French style of characters. And I do not think
it recreates really the ambiance of the novel nor Thompson's
universe... But I did not watch it again recently. Dewaere
committed suicide in 1982 (he was 35 years old) and his dead
cut short the promising career of this ultra-gifted
actor.
E.Borgers Hard-boiled Mysteries
http;//www.geocities.com/Athens/6384
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