BoxOffice® Pro - May 2013

ook
smart
Bringing the Great American Novel to the silver screen
required reading
by Daniel Loria
Overseas Editor
BoxOffice.com
n Walk into any (remaining) bookstore in this
country, and one of the first tables you’ll find
will include a selection of classic American
novels. You’ll be able to find everything from
favorites plucked out of a high school reading
list to challenging works from more contemporary
authors. It’s also where Baz Luhrmann
turned for his next project.
Luhrmann’s previous film, Australia,
floundered at the North American box office
in 2008. Running at a bloated 165 minutes,
Luhrmann’s epic was unable to find the same
success his gaudy visual style has generated previously.
But industry hopes are riding high on
his upcoming The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
seminal novel has frequently been cited
among the best works of American fiction. The
last time The Great Gatsby hit cinemas was in
1974, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow
in their prime. In today’s studio atmosphere, a
property like The Great Gatsby can’t sit on the
shelf for too long.
Luhrmann has tackled important works of
literature before. His modern-day version of
Romeo + Juliet updated Shakespeare’s iconic
play with a contemporary setting and popular
young actors. He kept the Bard’s dialogue
mostly untouched, but the film is otherwise his
own, adorned with visual bravura and pastiche
touches that have characterized him as a director.
The film grossed $147 million globally and
helped launch Leonardo DiCaprio’s career as a
major movie star. DiCaprio will rejoin Luhrmann
as the title character in Gatsby.
A number of other films based on
American novel classics have had multiple
adaptations as well, with varying results. We
look at some adaptations that follow previous
efforts, as well as recent examples where beloved
books have had trouble translating into
popular films.
LOLITA (1997)
Original author: Vladimir Nabokov
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
n It’s not easy to follow up a film made famous
by Stanley Kubrick, especially when the
book’s author adapted the screenplay himself.
Adrian Lyne’s take on Lolita, however, avoided
comparison to Kubrick’s film and went for a
closer reading of the source material. The result
was too much for any company to handle;
nearly every American distributor in the market
reportedly rejected the film. A very limited
theatrical run resulted in a return just north of
$1 million and a subsequent television premiere
on Showtime.
lolita
of mice and men
on the road
revolutionary road
fear and
loadthing in las vegas
OF MICE AND MEN (1992)
Original author: John Steinbeck
Directed by: Gary Sinise
n This adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel
came nearly 60 years after a much beloved 1939
version. Gary Sinise produced and directed the
film, co-starring with John Malkovich. The
passion project couldn’t stir up enough interest
at the box office, with a paltry $5 million return.
ON THE ROAD (2012)
Original author: Jack Kerouac
Directed by: Walter Salles
n Francis Ford Coppola wrote the screenplay
for the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby and
bought the rights to Jack Kerouac’s classic
coming-of-age novel in 1979, more than two
decades after a proposed adaptation starring
Marlon Brando failed to take off. The inherent
difficulty of the production required balancing
the book’s bohemian spirit with the nuances
of a period piece. Brazilian director Walter
Salles proved he was the perfect man for the
job after accomplishing that exact feel with
The Motorcycle Diaries in 2004. Stars like Kristen
Stewart, Amy Adams, and Kirsten Dunst
slashed their salary demands to appear in
the production. Middling reviews at Cannes
hurt the film’s advance buzz coming off the
festival. IFC gave the film a limited release in
December 2012, hoping to gain momentum
through awards season, but the nominations
never came. On the Road didn’t receive an
expanded release until Marc 2013, almost as
an afterthought, and has grossed $256,695 at
press time.
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (2008)
Original author: Richard Yates
Directed by: Sam Mendes
n American Beauty and Skyfall director Sam
Mendes helmed this adaptation of Richard Yates’
novel, the first film starring Leonardo DiCaprio
and Kate Winslet as a couple since the juggernaut
success of Titanic. Revolutionary Road is not
exactly a love story, at least not one with a happy
ending. The film was nominated for major
awards at the Golden Globes but was overlooked
at the Academy Awards with only three nominations
in smaller categories. It was nevertheless a
strong enough draw for an adult drama, grossing
$75 million in North America.
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
(1998)
Original author: Hunter S. Thompson
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
n A long development process stalled the
adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel
for decades before Terry Gilliam was able to
bring the project to fruition. Gilliam infused
the project with a free-flowing manic style
that recalls the book’s stream-of-consciousness
writing. The film’s $10 million domestic gross
was a disappointment, but Fear and Loathing
in Las Vegas has since found new life as a cult
favorite.
80 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies may 2013