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Post by Patcat on Jul 6, 2005 9:39:18 GMT -5
I can't praise this film enough--it's full of wonderful performances--Zwelleger is remarkably poised and strong opposite Mr. D'Onofrio.
He's always good, but this performance seems to be a case where the right actor and the right part hit at the right time. He's not playing Robert Howard; he's channeling him.
I gather that in real life Robert Howard was a much more difficult person with racist attitudes, but that the film does do a good job of portraying his best qualities.
Patcat
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Post by bammi on Jul 10, 2005 21:35:52 GMT -5
I got my book the other day, let you know whether that kiss really took place. So far the movie is almost exactly like the book. But I'm not very far, actually been doing some of my own writing, which is pretty time consuming.
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Post by blucougar57 on Jul 20, 2005 0:24:28 GMT -5
I have the book, purchased from Amazon. (Looove the pictures on the front and back covers) Though I might have missed something, I don't recall anything about a kiss in it. Not that I mind that liberty being taken... ;D
If you listen to the audio commentary through the movie, they do talk about the liberties they took with the story. For example, they eased up a little over the portrayal of Bob Howard's protective mother, where in the book Novalyne Price described her as been the worst possible influence for Bob. Also, apparently when interviewed, Novalyne denied ever being in love with Bob, but that is effectively how she was portrayed in the film - as being in love with Bob.
As with any film adaption of a book, things inevitably get changed and tweaked for the sake of showmanship. Fortunately, in the case of this movie, it didn't do any harm to the end product.
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Post by NikkiGreen on Sept 2, 2005 15:54:06 GMT -5
www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2005/September/02/style/stories/03style.htmSanta Cruz Sentinel September 2, 2005 DVD gemsLot’s to embrace in ‘Whole Wide World’"It’s a nice, finely acted period romance with a bite, featuring one of Hollywood’s most in-demand starlets in a film hardly anyone has seen. In other words, it’s a perfect candidate for a DVD recommendation. "The Whole Wide World" stars Renee Zellweger in a based-on-true-story saga about the long, troubled love affair between pulp-fiction author Robert E. Howard ("Conan the Barbarian") and school teacher Novalyne Price. Set in rural Texas in the 1930s, the 1996 film presents its central characters as free-spirited outsiders in a proper, conservative world. Howard is played with rambling sincerity by Vincent D’Onofrio and Zellweger, in her first serious starring role, makes Novalyne into a heroic figure, a woman able to look past Howard’s uncouth clumsiness to see the passion of a writer underneath. Though it’s probably her most obscure film, "The Whole Wide World" is, in many ways, Zellweger’s signature role, a fiesty but sometimes prissy character that fits nicely with her Zellweger-ness. D’Onofrio, a criminally overlooked character actor, delivers a performance every bit as dynamic, making these two square pegs who don’t quite fit together, though certainly not for lack of trying." — Wallace Baine
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js
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Post by js on Sept 3, 2005 10:42:39 GMT -5
'Criminally overlooked" is an excellent description of the way VDO is often either ignored or bashed by some folks. I believe that TWWW is one of VDO's best performances. His emotions, body language, and voice portray so perfectly what it must have been like to be Robert Howard. I suspect it was emotionally draining for VDO to perform but so well done.
js
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M
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The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist
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Post by M on Oct 5, 2005 2:09:10 GMT -5
All American accents annoy me, sorry, but they do. I think it likely that Bob would have topped himself regardless what Novelin did. There are only two types of men who are that close to their mothers, the suicidal and the homicidal.
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digresser
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Post by digresser on Nov 14, 2005 1:56:25 GMT -5
The Whole Wide World happens to be one of my favorite movies so I thought I'd put my two cents in. Vincent D'Onofrio never fails to impress. And poor Bob Howard. Such talent and intelligence. Anyway, I'd like clear up a few issues between the movie and Novalyne's book. Novalyne and Bob DID kiss according to the memoir (their first kiss is definitely the best movie kiss ever, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows that ). Here's a passage from One Who Walked Alone : "Without warning, he [Bob] grabbed me in his arms and kissed me as I had never been kissed before by him or any other man. It had all the careless possessiveness of a barbarian who is here for one moment and is gone the next. It had something of the tenderness of a man's love for a woman." (Price, pg246) As for whether or not Novalyne loved Bob, she repeatedly says that she does love him throughout the book. Then sometimes she says she doesn't. It's very difficult to convey exactly what transpired between Novalyne and Bob because nothing about their relationship was ever simple and it was all terribly real. Also, Bob doesn't really seem to really have been a jerk (as was suggested in an earlier post). He certainly had his faults, but the impression I was left with was basically that of a lonely, complicated, good man. I highly recommend reading the book to those of you who haven't. It's both beautiful and haunting and I find I appreciate things in life a little more each time I finish reading it. I'd like to add one final note in regards to Vincent D'Onofrio and his accents. Off hand, I can recall Scottish for The Salt on our Skin, Boston for Steal This Movie, Texan for The Whole Wide World, English for A Case of Evil and whatever accent was used in Being Human (Irish? Scottish? I'm not great at placing accents but it sure was different from Robin Williams' accent, and their characters supposedly lived in the same area...). I know for a fact that I didn't use some of the proper accent labels above, but it doesn't really affect what I have to say so I'm keeping it simple. Now, as I said before, I am as far from being an expert on accents as can be. The only one I can even remotely comment on is the Boston accent since I suppose I have a bit of one myself. Do I think Mr. D'Onofrio sounds native in any of these instances? Nope. Does it bother me? Nope. Know why? Because he's consistent. Mr. D'Onofrio might be doing it wrong, but at least he's even and his mistakes are always the same. Take Steal This Movie (I just made a bad pun). Abbie Hoffman was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and he graduated from Brandeis, so I can conceivably see him having a Boston accent. But the accent doesn't quite work the way Mr. D'Onofrio portrayed it. He was rather too eager. In Steal, Mr. D'Onofrio seemed determined to drop every single "R" in his dialogue, save for those which began words. But the truth is, after my initial laugh of surprise, I was able to ignore the accent because it stayed the same throughout the movie. I hate it when actors have no idea how the accent they're supposed to do sounds and as a result they constantly fluctuate their pronunciations. Anyway, I guess I'm assuming Mr. D'Onofrio is consistent with all his accents, as he certainly seems the type to be careful about such things. But if not, well, I hope people are able to look past the accents and see the movies for what they are. Especially The Whole Wide World.
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Post by janetcatbird on Nov 14, 2005 11:45:19 GMT -5
I have mentioned that I thought Vincent D'Onofrio managed to get one of the Worst Fake Southern Accents on film. Personally I'm much more distracted by constant (failed) efforts than if he had just spoken naturally. It's muche asier for me to overlook the lack of an accent than the constant screwing up of one.
Catbird's Note: This next section is copied from one of my SVU posts regarding Marcia Gay Harden's appearance in "Raw", it seemed appropriate enough here. Besides, I thought hard about how to write this out the first time and didn't want to repeat the process. Not that the person I specifically responded to has even ACKNOWLEDGED my efforts at an explanation of my response, nudge nudge wink wink!
I'm just saying how D'Onofrio sounded to me. I know there are lots of regional variances--the South is a pretty big area--but nobody I know talks like he did in "Whole Wide World". He sounded waaayyy over-done and seemed to be an actor trying to project "Hey, I'm a small-town hick eccentric!". It seemed deliberately drawn out and exaggerated, not the casual talking that people do without thinking how it sounds. D'Onofrio sounded especially hokey when working with Renee Zellweger, who may not speak like that ordinarily but obviously knew how real Southerners talk. But then, a lot of actors base their Southern accents on other actors' fake southern accents. Vivien Leigh is not an accurate model. I'm sure part of my reaction was knowing that the actor D'Onofrio had to assume an unnatural accent for the role, having seen him in CI I knew he didn't ordinarily talk like that. But even if I hadn't seen him in anything else, his speech would have had me cringe.
If we knew each other face-to-face people might get surprised at my defensiveness. My own Southern accent is not especially strong, it's more of vocabulary and phrasing than pronunciation. (It's not deliberate, I wish I had more of one.) Every now and then it thickens without me really trying, just certain words or conversations. But a good deal of my family talks like this, and a lot of the people at my school come from rural areas and working-class families where the accent is going to be more present than in the suburbs with a lot of Yankee transplants--where I grew up. So while I know North Carolina southern accent does differ from Texas/Southwest or Old Money Charleston/Savannah, or anything like that, it's not so terribly separate from other parts.
Like I said, in actors like D'Onofrio and Harden (or for that matter, John Turturro in "O Brother Where Art Thou" as compared to Tim Blake Nelson) it's the very deliberateness of their delivery. They may pronounce the vowels or words in keeping with a region, but the presentation gives it away....I hear the actor attempting to talk Southern as opposed to just a Southern character opening their mouth to talk. But then, I'm a sucker for voices, and kinda sensitive to them.
Just my own thoughts on the subject.
--Catbird
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digresser
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Post by digresser on Nov 14, 2005 19:49:43 GMT -5
But then, I'm a sucker for voices, and kinda sensitive to them. In the words of Mr. Monk, that must be a blessing and and a curse, Catbird. I don't have much of an ear at all for voices and accents, I'm afraid. But thanks for responding to my post, it's always great to learn information straight from the source.
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Post by janetcatbird on Nov 14, 2005 21:06:41 GMT -5
Well, I don't claim to be an expert, I certainly haven't studied linguistics or anything. All I know is what I've grown up with, and I've just always been fascinated with voices. Thanks for putting up with my rants!
--Catbird
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Post by domenicaflor on Dec 3, 2005 1:02:23 GMT -5
This is OT, but for any fans of Dan Ireland's (TWWW, VOG, Passionada) work, he has a new film that was just released in New York. I hope that it can have a tiered release to arthouses across the country.
D.
*************** Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont Variety.com
A Cineville/Picture Entertainment release of a Picture Entertainment production. Produced by Lee Caplin, Zachary Matz, Carl Colpaert. Executive producer, Gustavas Prinz. Co-producer, Matthew Devlin. Co- executive producers, Martin Donovan, Harry Gregson Williams. Directed by Dan Ireland. Screenplay, Ruth Sacks, based on the novel by Elizabeth Taylor.
Mrs. Palfrey - Joan Plowright Ludovic Meyer/the Writer - Rupert Friend Gwendolyn - Zoe Tapper Mrs. Arbuthnot - Anna Massey Mr. Osborne - Robert Lang Mrs. Post - Marcia Warren Mrs. Burton - Millicent Martin Desmond - Lorcan O'Toole
By LAEL LOEWENSTEIN
Rupert Friend and Jean Plowright star in 'Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont,' a drama directed by Dan Ireland.
The tale of an unlikely friendship between an elderly widow and a young writer, "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" is an endearing, deceptively simple story. Like helmer Dan Ireland's previous (and very different) films, "Mrs. Palfrey" excels at presenting a relationship unfurling. Pic's debt to "Harold and Maude" is clear -- one character, eyeing the friendship, even mentions that classic comedy by name -- but this is a far gentler film, a low-key drama with comedic undertones that will appeal to older auds, arthouse patrons, and Joan Plowright fans.
When Mrs. Palfrey (Plowright) arrives at London's Claremont Hotel (sporting, in a delicious homage, Celia Johnson's hat from "Brief Encounter"), she announces under her breath, "I had expected something quite different." In fact, her stay at the senior-oriented residence hotel is nothing like she anticipated.
Having relocated from Scotland to be near her 26-year-old grandson Desmond (Lorcan O'Toole), Mrs. Palfrey soon faces a host of questions from well-meaning but nosy fellow residents. Where is Desmond, wonders Mrs. Arbuthnot (Anna Massey), among others, and when will he be coming to visit?
But Desmond fails to return Mrs. Palfrey's many calls. Just as she is about to retreat into loneliness, she stumbles and falls outside the flat of aspiring scribe Ludovic "Ludo" Meyer (Rupert Friend). Meyer treats her wounds, and a friendship begins. In their ensuing conversations, it's clear that each fills a void for the other, and that these two lonely souls have much more in common that meets the eye. Ludo even agrees to pass himself off as Mrs. Palfrey's grandson during a visit to the Claremont.
Some situational comedy follows, especially when the real Desmond finally shows up and Mrs. Palfrey tries to pass him off as her accountant.
But pic's best moments are those in which the friendship of Mrs. Palfrey and Ludo grows into a deep bond. One scene in particular, in which Ludo serenades her with an impromptu version of "For All We Know," is beautifully directed.
Mrs. Palfrey inadvertently plays matchmaker for Ludo when she recommends her favorite film, "Brief Encounter," to him, and, at the video store, Ludo collides with another customer, Gwendolyn (Zoe Tapper of "Stage Beauty"), who becomes his girlfriend.
Plowright is cast here in one of her best roles in years. So often relegated to dotty supporting perfs, she carries this pic squarely on her shoulders as the proud, private Mrs. Palfrey.
And, she's surprisingly well-matched by Friend as the kindly young writer. Friend joins a list of young actors shepherded by Ireland, including Renee Zellweger, Thomas Jane and Emmy Rossum; with his strapping looks and ample talent, Friend can expect bigger roles ahead.
Final act is unexpectedly dark and poignant, but also offers hope and misty optimism. The entire film has a retroretro look and feel that is especially evident in its costumes and intimate settings. Pic also features also a rich, evocative score by Steven Barton.
Camera (color), Claudio Rocha; editors, Nigel Galt, Virginia Katz; music, Stephen Barton; production designer, Julian Nagel; art director, Fabrice Spelta; costume designer, Maja Meschede; sound (Dolby Digital), Jerry Gilbert; assistant director, Rod Smith. Reviewed on DVD, Santa Monica, Nov. 18, 2005. Running time: 108 MIN.
****************
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Post by DNA on Jan 25, 2006 4:55:57 GMT -5
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Post by oreochico99 on Jan 31, 2006 18:10:43 GMT -5
I just finshed the book, a it was a sad but beautiful story and I can't wait to go rent the movie tonite....
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digresser
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Post by digresser on Feb 1, 2006 16:28:18 GMT -5
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how well the movie captures the book. Both are just...beautifully moving.
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Post by kawaiidragonfoe821 on Feb 6, 2006 13:13:43 GMT -5
It is a good movie but lately I'm having a hard time finding it to buy, does anyone know a store that carries it in stock? If I had to say ANYTHING negative, it would be his accent (sorry Vince ). I promise thats not what we really sound like LOL (nor do we sound like that horrid politician from the LOCI episode 'Sex Club')
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