Oh, man. Atonement, one of the most haunting books I’ve read in years and yeeears, is being made into a movie. And when you love a book, that’s always a double-edged sword; you’re excited to see it, almost long to see it, and, yet, at the same time, you’re so terrified they’ll destroy the whole thing somehow and that once you’ve seen it, your vision of the book will always be that — that ruined thing forever playing in your head. Which is terrible because you can feel just so utterly proprietary over a beloved book. Two people can pick up the same book and have completely different experiences with it. So your experience of a book really is just that — your experience, your vision. It’s hard to let that go and surrender to someone else’s. You can’t wait but also, you feel you need to throw up a little.
Still, despite my trepidation, I’m allowing myself to digest the fact of this movie, that it’s a done deal, in little bits. So I read a little bit about it. Check out the cast. Try to emotionally prepare for a movie version of a book that I swear I read without ever once breathing. So for anyone else preparing for the movie version of “Atonement,” (sheila, because this was talked about over there), I found some images online from a feature in Empire magazine about the movie.
Keira Knightley as Cecilia Tallis:
James McAvoy (whoohoo!) as Robbie Turner (with director Joe Wright):
Romola Garai as Briony Tallis (really not sure how I feel about this casting, don’t think she looks right, for one thing):
Vanessa Redgrave as Older Briony:
hmmm, never heard of the book before…could you tell me who the author is so I can go and find a copy to read?
Ooo, that’s not Briony. Ack. I’ve been leery of movie adaptations of my favorite books since A Time To Kill. (Don’t even get me STARTED on Prisoner of Azkaban.)
I don’t know that I’ll ever see this movie, but I’m like you, Trace, I accept the reality of it. Reluctantly. Ugh.
sam — the author is Ian McEwan. Read it!!
Lisa — I KNOW! I was like, “Who’s that??” NOT Briony. Plus, for me, Romola Garai is just a kind of uneven actor. So — ACK is right! I’m hearing, though, that the girl playing 13-year-old Briony is really good. I dunno ….. I feel wary.
And, please, GET started on Prisoner of Azkaban!! Have you ever posted about it so I can read it? If not, feel free to vent here!
I think I did post on it. Let me look in my archives and I’ll find it. But here’s a three-word summary: NOT. A. FAN.
POA? What about Goblet of Fire? That travesty was ten times worse an adaptation than even POA! And yes, I agree about POA. Agree very much. I mean, I own all the Harry Potter movies, but the only movie that even remotely compares to the book is Chamber of Secrets, and frankly, it’s better than the book in my opinion, because the book was boring because half of it was a recap of the first. The other movies? ACK! I’m trying not to be hopeful about #5, especially since the first time I checked the cast list, Rita Skeeter wasn’t even in it, and how do you even have the movie without the whole HOW THEY GET THEIR STORY OUT? But anyway… maybe it was just a preliminary cast list.
Oh, my. They can’t leave out Skeeter. That would be like leaving out the Scouring of the Shire in… heyyyy, wait a minute!
Agreed on the Potter movies – but those books are so long it’s hard to keep it all in. I thought they made some great choices on what had to drop, but screwed up on the characterizations. Krum was way too self-assured off the Quidditch pitch, and Dumbledore, alas, lacks the necessary gravitas that Richard Harris brought to the role. There was some of that in Azkaban as well. I get the uncomfortable feeling that the Weasleys (and Arthur in particular) are going to be played solely as buffoons, as comic relief rather than strong (if eccentric) characters.
I’m still trying to get over that right clavicle of Keira’s in the photo. It looks like it’s about to snap through her dress strap.
Oh my gosh, I am SO excited for this movie. I think that Keira Knightley and James McEvoy are great choices. I’m a little apprehensive about a potential hatchet job, but the early reviews I’ve read have been good. Trying to be optimistic!
And I agree with you completely on the whole not breathing thing. He’s such an amazing author.