It’s no secret that, more than just about any other medium, cinema has relied on — and thrived on — adapting material from other art forms. Whether it is as traditional as a new production of an old classic (see any number of period piece dramas) or as unusual as films based on music (Across the Universe used the Beatles catalogue as the launching point for its plot, while Sean Penn’s 1991 film The Indian Runner is based on Bruce Springsteen’s song “Highway Patrolman”), the people who make our movies have never been shy about a healthy bit of borrowing. And, of course, they bring their own talents to the table: it says a lot about the richness and intimacy of cinema that Springsteen’s five and a half-minute slice of Americana can support a full two hours of film.
This week, a clutch of films come to area screens that point toward that tradition of borrowing, adaptation, and reinvention. They range from straightforward book-to-screen productions to a modern day retooling of the traditional stage play experience, but however different they may be from each other, each serves as a reminder that cinema, perhaps the most malleable of our modern arts, has never been afraid to play the pickpocket as it looks to make something new.
Amherst Cinema gets things going with a Saturday screening of the National Theatre’s production of Of Mice and Men. The film is a cinematic experience of the London theater’s version of John Steinbeck’s stage play, with two film stars — James Franco (Milk) and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) in the lead roles. For filmgoers unfamiliar with Steinbeck’s story of two Depression-era migrant workers chasing an elusive stability, this modern take on a night at the theater should prove a good introduction.
On Tuesday, the theater continues the stage-to-screen journey with DV8 Physical Theatre’s production of John, a spoken word and movement piece that is the result of a series of interviews with men about love and sex (the piece contains adult themes and some nudity). The tale it tells about one man’s evolving sexuality and self has been called by various British papers “a thrilling descent into chaos,” and a “sleazy, amoral, national disgrace.” As always, there’s only one way to see for yourself.
A different sort of stage-to-screen evolution is on display in Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy, screening at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. Michael Kantor’s documentary (narrated by musical legend Joel Grey) traces the role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of what we now call the Great American Songbook.
While most of them were originally writing for Broadway, the musical golden age of Hollywood meant that names like Gershwin, Berlin, and Bernstein would become cemented in our wider cultural history. Lending their thoughts and voices to the history are dozens of great performers and musical luminaries including Barbara Streisand, Dick Van Dyke, Idina Menzel, and Stephen Sondheim.
And finally, Cinemark gets on the adaptation train with Sunday and Wednesday screenings of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The film version of Truman Capote’s novella is a loose adaptation, but remains the most iconic take on his work. Audrey Hepburn stars as the young woman trying to live the life she has imagined that she wants, while George Peppard co-stars as the neighbor who could be something more.
Also this week: Hadley-based after-school center Whole Children celebrates its 10th anniversary this Sunday with a free screening of the award winning film The Crash Reel, a look at the remarkable story of champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce. An accident just before the Olympic trials in 2009 left Pearce with a traumatic brain injury that brought him close to death, and while Lucy Walker’s film looks at the high-octane atmosphere of the sport, it expands to become a story of family ties, and what it means when someone we love is driven to do something that could take them from us. Pearce, his brother David, and their mother Pia Pearce will be on hand for the 2 p.m. event, which will be held at Baystate Health’s Whitney Ave. building in Holyoke. Visit wholechildren.org for more information or to reserve a seat.•
You can reach Jack Brown at cinemadope@gmail.com.
