Page to Film :: A Room With A View

Hello there and welcome to the latest installment of my fantasy film casting pet project! If you're new here, I like to imagine and cast for my favorite books if they were to be made (or remade) into a film version.

Today we have a new favorite of mine: E.M. Forester's A Room with a View. 

I first read Forester's A Passage to India and was just mesmerized by how easily I could just completely submerge myself into his written world; the people, the places, descriptions...everything just breathed with authenticity...there was hardly any disbelief to suspend.

So I was quite prepared to enjoy A Room with a View and - not surprisingly - I did so very much. :)

Set in the Edwardian Era, the story follows the travels and romantic misadventures of Lucy Honeychurch as she tries to tread safely into the waters of an adulthood within traditional society while also nursing unconventional ideals and curiosities.

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My Casting choices are as follows:

{p.s. my cast is a tad "old" for the story, but I just can't change it - they're too perfect! ;D)

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 Lucy Honeychurch

A young Englishwomen who is unsure of herself 

and the world she is ever so hesitatingly curious to experience.

Elisabeth Moss

Charlotte Bartlett
Lucy's traditionalist spinster cousin who chaperones 
her on their trip to Italy.

Dame Judi Dench

Vicar Beebe
A friendly neighbor to the Honeychurch, Mr. Beebe leases his cottage to 
the Emerson's and tries to facilitate their acceptance within the community.

Stanley Tucci

Miss Lavish
A mediocre armchair novelist, Miss Lavish makes friends with Lucy and 
Cousin Charlotte while traveling in Italy and yet only adds to the mischief of the trip.

Penelope Wilton 

Mr. Emerson
An old, antisocial freethinker, Mr. Emerson is a rough-around-the-edges Englishman who has no patience for the ridiculous conventions of traditional English life.

Ian McKellen

George Emerson
Meeting Lucy and her cousin while traveling with his father in Italy, George is as deviant as his father in opinion and scandalously honest by conservative English standards.

Mark Duplass

Cecil Vyse
A comically pretentious, yet fashionable young Londoner, Cecil is smitten by Lucy in Rome and follows her back to Surrey where he proposes to her for the third time.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Freddy Honeychurch
Lucy's younger, cheeky brother who makes sport of all 
involved in the awkward situation.

Andrew Garfield

Mrs. Honeychurch
Lucy's loving but cautious mother.

Sinead Cusack

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I know there are many who would cry foul to this casting round up (especially since a much younger yet still brilliant Judi Dench held the role of Miss Lavish in the 1985 film adaption ) but flawed as it might be, these were the faces that fit when I read the book.
Anywho, there be my dream cast. Care to share yours? :)

Page To Film :: Bram Stoker's "Dracula"

Hello again!
Been ages since I did one of these {see here for some previous P2F goodness}, and I confess that this time I went through quite a few casts before I settled on the one to follow below {my first round of pickings were perhaps a bit too mature (i.e. Ralph Fiennes as Jack Seward), and my seconds were a bit too "pretty"(i.e. Alice Eve as Lucy)}. 

Eventually though, I puzzled through the many options and have now settled on a cast that I believe would best represent the characters as they were in Stoker's original story.

And so, without any more blibber-blabber, please enjoy my latest casting conjecture for Bram Stoker's "Dracula".

_____△△△ Beware - Mild Spoilers Below △△△_____

Count Dracula

 A Transylvanian noble who, after purchasing a house in London, asks

Jonathan Harker to visit him in his castle to do business with him.

 

 Michael Fassbender 

{Pale and icy looking in the beginning, Fassbender's Dracula should look like 

he'd been cut from marble; only slowly taking on color and beauty with each kill}

In Vampire Mode:

{please don't ask me how I found this I really have no idea}

Jonathan Harker

A solicitor sent to do business with Count Dracula; also Mina's fiancé.

Matthew Macfadyen

{Great actor who would nail the whole normal-joe-in-abnormal-situation schtick 

and overall just be incredibly believable as Jonathan}

Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker

A schoolteacher and Jonathan Harker's fiancée.

Daniela Denby-Ashe 

{Loved her in "North & South" and think she would be the perfect Mina 

and counterpart to Macfadyen's Jonathan. Liking the idea of her as a brunette Mina too}

Prof. Abraham Van Helsing

 A Dutch professor and vampire hunter. Jack Seward's former teacher.

 Bruno Ganz

 {Fantastic actor. Just add spectacles and bam - 

the best Van Helsing God could ever give us}

Reinfield

 A lawyer whom Dracula turned mad. Mental patient of Dr. Seaward.

Andy Serkis

 {Can't imagine anyone else doing near as great a job as he would portraying Reinfield. 

My favorite "Dracula" character and I just know he would knock it out of the park}

Dr. John "Jack" Seward

 A doctor at a mental asylum; one of Lucy's suitors 

and a former student of Dr Abraham Van Helsing.

 Tom Hiddleston

 {I'm thinking glasses, slicked over black hair, and some sort of thin mustache or goatee.  

Can't have Hiddleston being both brilliant and attractive as the somewhat clueless doctor... ^-^}

 Lucy Westenra

 A 19-year-old aristocrat; Mina's best friend and Arthur's eventual fiancée.

 Imogen Poots

{Loved her sassy self in Jane Eyre and think she would make both a lovely living

 representation of Lucy, as well as a terrifying and beautiful immortal one}

Quincey Morris

An American cowboy and explorer; and one of Lucy's suitors.

  Jason Dohring 

{With slightly longer hair and a touch of southern drawl, Dohring would make a fantastic  

Quincey and provide that much needed comic relief with flair}

 

Arthur Holmwood

Lucy's suitor and later fiancé.

 Rupert Friend

{Enjoyed him in "The Young Victoria" and think he would 

be excellent as Lucy's suitor, fiancé, and later, avenger}

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 Hope you enjoyed the latest "Page to Film". :)

Stay Tuned:  
Next up will be a modern recasting of E.M. Forster's "A Room With a View".  

 

Perspective

Just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now... 

...and then got it back again.

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Frances Rodman

{the power of conviction...one of God's greatest gifts...}

When One is Uninspired

Hello there...it has been a awhile since I have posted more than a vague sentence or two with corresponding imagery...time is either so completely stagnant or passing me by at such a blistering speed that I have not the presence of mind to stop and take stock of my dwindling supply of inspiration.

And so, today I ramble.

I am sitting here, listening to my recently acquired vinyl recording of the "Charade" soundtrack. Having been brooding over the late-50's/early-60's atheistic and its absence from my life as of late, Mancini's main theme for the film is actually a very effective balm for my misplaced yearnings.
I am also plotting the reconstruction of a vintage dress find. Rest at ease, dear reader...it is not my clumsy, unskilled hands that will be undertaking this deed of beautification; the proper professionals will be consulted. I am thinking a low scooped back, quarter-length cuffed sleeves, skirt hitting at or just below the knee, and perhaps a thin gold braided belt to finish it off.

What say you, hmm? Normally I would not meddle with items of age, but being a sweet homespun frock with such an irresistible pattern, it seemed a shame not to show it off.  I shall be glad to update you when the transformation is complete. :)

Please Enjoy ~ Melody Gardot

...for no particular reason at all, darling...

To Procrastinate is Divine

How is a girl supposed to get any schoolwork done when such a thing as Cray Grant .gifs exist on the internet...

"The Awful Truth" ~ 1937

Sigh...I need a screwball movie marathon stat...

Page to Film :: Far From The Madding Crowd

{{It's been awhile since I've done one of these, 

but after catching Masterpiece Theater's 1998 version 

of Thomas Hardy's "Far From The Madding Crowd", 

I was instantly struck with modern casting inspiration. Enjoy!}}

 Bathsheba Everdene 

A young and haughty beauty, Bathsheba Everdene unexpectedly inherits an Estate from her uncle and is suddenly thrust into a world of wealth and responsibility. Though intent to remain independent and solely in control of her fate, Bathsheba finds her life entangled with those of three widely different men as she tries to maneuver in this new and dangerous world. 

My cast choice ~ Jennifer Lawrence

 

 Gabriel Oak 

A kind and honorable shepherd, Gabriel meets Bathsheba before she acquires or is even aware of her inheritance and is struck both by her beauty and vanity.  After his own fortunes are ruined in an accident, he happens upon a barn fire and assists in putting out, unaware that it is was owned by Bathsheba. In need of someone she can trust, Bathsheba hires Gabriel to be her bailiff, and through the course of the story he becomes her unofficial (and yet often ignored and abused) counselor.

My cast choice ~ Gerard Butler

 William Boldwood 

Bathsheba's new neighbor, Boldwood is a middle-aged  gentlemen farmer, wealthy and respected by all. A solitary bachelor his life long, the lonely Boldwood thinks nothing of Bathsheba until a childish prank gone awry and kindles his infatuation. Seeking her as his own, the noble man patiently courts the shrewd young beauty, who is perpetually unsure whether she would marry the eligible gentlemen even if only for practical business reasons.

My cast choice  ~ Jeremy Irons

 Sergeant Francis "Frank" Troy 

Returning to his native land, the handsome Sgt. Frank Tory happens upon Bathsheba as she is out walking one night and (thinking her a servant woman) boldly address' her by brazenly commenting on her looks and straightforward manner. When he at last understands who she is, he is yet unashamed and continues his unwholesome attentions. His caviler advances at first repulse Bathsheba, but before long she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him and his dashing mannerisms (much to the chagrin of both Gabriel and Mr. Boldwood).

My cast choice ~ Jonathan Rhys Meyers

 

 Fanny Robin 

A former servant in Bathsheba's recently deceased Uncle's house, Fanny is the secret lover of Sgt. Frank Tory and runs away to find him shortly after Bathsheba procures the estate.

My cast choice ~ Romola Garai

There's the just of it, hopefully spoiler free. Do read the book or see a film adaption! It's a great story. ;)

Rusalochka || 1968's Soviet-animated "The Little Mermaid"

Today being the day after Valentine's, I thought it fitting that I let you in on a new love of mine: The 1968 Soviet cartoon version of Hans Christian Andersen's, The Little Mermaid.

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 Being previously almost completely ignorant of Russian film Soviet or otherwise, I instantly fell in love with the beautiful animation of Rusalochka (or Pусалочка to be precise) when I stumbled upon it a few months ago.

{warning: potential spoilers ahead}

This version has a lot going for it besides enchanting animation. 

Namely, it is not "Disney-fied".

Staying true to Andersen's original tale, this little mermaid is a ghostly, graceful, sea-nymph who makes a dangerous choice and succumbs to the consequences even in light of  possible "way out". Instead of risking it all to "get the guy", the heroine weighs the cost of love and eventually puts the happiness of others before her own.

 Its portrayal of the ever idolized "true love" is not the exuberant, musical one that most of us knew growing up. Instead, it is a haunting, and at parts downright somber, picture of a steadfast (even if initially impulsive) love that might have cost the mermaid her happiness in the end, but never her goodness.

This is a telling contrast to the much loved Disney version, which twists a very "me-centered" theme into the story: The ends will always justify the means as long as you are following you heart, right? 

And while some prefer their fairy-tales without moral overtones thank you very much, they really miss out on the richness of the very human themes within the original stories.

 1968's Rusalochka, a faithful retelling of Andersen's classic love story, proves that sometimes a quiet resignation in the face of a moral dilemma is a greater testament to love than a "no-holds-barred" approach filled with musical numbers and sassy side-kicks. 

 { .gifs via }

 And because of this {along with its gorgeous animation} it holds a special place in my own romantically-closeted heart. ;)

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|| The original Russian version can be found here, and the English closed caption version  here. ||

Love In All Its Loveliness

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❤ Play and Enjoy ❤ 
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❤ A Smorgasbord of Love ❤

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❤ >>> happy valentine's day <<< ❤