As some of you loyal readers might know, I'm a huge David Mitchell fan. However, I would never have said that his books (sweeping, painstakingly researched, and above all, lengthy) readily lend themselves to film. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that his 2004 novel,
Cloud Atlas, is being made into a movie--not to mention a movie with a cast that includes major players like Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Hugh Grant.
I
think I'm excited about this, though I definitely have some concerns. For one thing,
CA [the book] has a really inventive structure: six stories that sit within one another like Russian nesting dolls, so that we begin and end with the same narrative. This format suggests the complexity of individual lives while emphasizing an underlying interconnectivity, a shared experience of what it means to be human. To translate this to the silver screen, each of the main actors will be playing multiple characters, regardless of race, time period, age, etc. Kind of sounds like a gimmick, but then again, with this cast it could be okay. After all, the film did get a ten-minute standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival.
We only have to wait a few more weeks for the premiere on October 26, but until then, check out this extended trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWnAqFyaQ5s
I came across this interesting article today on NPR, and wanted to share. It discusses the measurable differences in brain activity when comparing leisurely reading vs. intensive analytical reading of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park....so cool! You can read a summary or listen to the original interview through the link below.