Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard: Didn’t he write plays? And didn’t he win a record five Tonys for them? Oh, and didn’t one of them even win the Pulitzer Prize? Yes to all of the above. But- He also wrote several dazzling screenplays.

Yes, and one of them won an Oscar for him. Whenever I mention Shakespeare In Love (1998) to someone, their almost invariable reaction is, Oh, I love that movie! Indeed! So did the Academy,  favoring the film with 13 nominations and seven wins, including Stoppard’s screenplay. The film itself won Best Movie. The entirely made-up plot involves Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) trying to negotiate his plays to production while being barred from one theater and dealing with England’s ban on female actors.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) is loosely based on two minor Shakespearean characters in Hamlet. Stoppard’s screenplay is taken almost directly from his stage play of the same name. This film is also Stoppard’s only directorial effort. The named characters find themselves roaming the back roads of Denmark, trying to deliver a letter to Hamlet. The letter calls for Hamlet’s death, but he figures it out and escapes on a pirate ship.  The victim list somehow gets changed to R and G, who wind up hanged for their efforts. Roger Ebert said he had trouble following it. Join the club.

Anna Karenina (2012) finds Tom Stoppard adapting one of the most famous novels in literature for the silver screen, and doing a damn fine job of it. Keira Knightley is the doomed countess in love with the dashing cavalry officer Vronsky. Jude Law is the erstwhile husband Karenin. All are quite good and so is the screenplay. It is not easy to write an adaptation of a story virtually everyone already knows, but Stoppard was up for it. Most of the criticisms of this film involved the over use of stagecraft and costumery, not the acting or the script. To say it is better than earlier versions is damning with faint praise.

The 2020 made-for-TV version of A Separate Peace is far superior to the 1972 version, due in no small part to the faithful screenplay of Tom Stoppard. The story of young men at a prep school, and their camaraderie and conflicts, has been read by many since its publication in 1959. It is not an easy read, somewhat vague and not always linear. There’s no one in the cast you’ve ever heard of but in this case, that’s ok. Is it about homosexuality? Nobody is quite sure. 

Empire of the Sun (1997) is a fine screenplay adapted by Stoppard from JG Ballard’s autobiographical novel of the same name. It stars an incredibly young Christian Bale as Jamie, a kid living the dream in the Shanghai American settlement. Then the Japanese come and he is separated from his parents and on the run through occupied China. Helped by various Chinese people to dodge the bad guys, he is reunited with his parents but hardly recognizes them any more. 

All of the movies in this article are for grown-ups. 

                                                                 Diane Ladd

    She left this world at 89 and left behind a career spanning 70 years and hundreds of movies and TV appearances. She liked to work and producers and casting agents were happy to have her available. Highlighting the movie career of Diane Ladd is not an easy job, but of course Mr. Movie will take a crack at it.

    As far as Oscar nominations, she struck out: 0 for 3. I’m starting with the three for which she should have won. In Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) she played Flo. The main character, Alice, is portrayed by Ellen Burstyn. Due to bad luck, Alice winds up at a Mel’s diner in Arizona. Flo is her funny, outspoken colleague. Ms. Ladd was nominated for Supporting Actress for  her role, but lost to Ingrid Bergman for Murder on the Orient Express. Ms. Burstyn did win the Best Actress Oscar. Ms Ladd's turn as Flo still charms after 50 years.

Wild At Heart (1990) is quite a ride. Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern are unlikely lovers Sailor and Lula, who dodge in and out of the law throughout. Diane Ladd is Lula’s mother, not exactly Mother Of The Year. In fact, she is considered the Wicked Witch of the West. Ms Dern is also her daughter in real life. Ms Ladd plays it to the hilt and earned her second Oscar nomination. Alas, she lost again, this time to Whoopi Goldbert for Ghost. The frantic pace of the film is not to all tastes, but if you watch it, just stay with it. The strange ending is reward enough.

Rambling Rose (1991) from the William Price Fox novel features a sweet Southern family put to the test by Rose (Laura Dern), a homeless waif who comes to live with them and be a maid and caretaker for Buddy, their little boy. Robert Duvall portrays the father of the Hillyer clan. Diane Ladd is credited simply as “Mother”. Rose is, to put it mildly, a distraction and disturbance in the home. Father tries to get rid of her while Mother stanchly defends her. Rose rambles indeed. Ms. Ladd received her third Oscar nomination for this film, but lost to Mercedes Ruehel for The Fisher King. This time I have to say Ms Ladd was robbed- what were they thinking?

Chinatown (1974) got a whopping eleven Oscar nominations. But won only for the screenplay. Jack Nicholson is private eye Jake Gittes who tends to stick his nose into places better left alone. The plot is all about the Water Wars of the 1930's, which ended up allowing Los Angeles to grow into a megacity. Faye Dunaway is the slippery Evelyn and John Huston is the sleaziest old man in town. Ms. Ladd’s role as Ida Sessions is decidely a minor one. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) is the scary adaptation of a Ray Bradbury short story which Bradbury himself adapted. Two young boys, Jim and Will, who are best pals and live next door to each other, slip out and find Mr. Dark’s carnival. It is indeed dark. Diane Ladd plays Jim’s mother, Mrs. Nightshade, and is one of the few normal characters in the movie. 

    All of these films are for adults. 

                                                                 Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton left this old world at 79 after a stellar career on the silver screen. She first attracted notice in the Godfather movies, as Kay Adams, later the bride of the new godfather Michael Corelone (Al Pacino). These classic gangster films were released in 1972, 1974 and 1990. Ms. Keaton was the not-so-young-in -Hollywood age of 28. The first two were revered by critics and audiences alike. The last one- not so much.

In the first Godfather flick Kay is the good girl trying to puzzle her way through the denizens of crime and to steer Michael away from the desires of his family that he become the Don. She doesn’t have much luck as Michael assumes the throne and does not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to maintain his post. Toward the end of this one, the gang assures Kay that the demise of a competitor was not the action of her husband, but she leaves unconvinced.

In the second Godfather, she reprises the role of Kay Coreleone. The film traces the early years of the main characters, most of whom grew up in Italy. Gang warfare is the main ingredient of the film, with Michael’s gang somehow surviving on top. Meanwhile Kay, very unhappy with her role in the family, suffers a miscarriage and an abortion. Michael slugs her, then banishes her.  In the final Godfather, Kay and Michael are divorced and the children, now grown, live with Kay. Their son becomes a noted opera singer. Michael and Kay tour Italy together and declare they still love each other. The main thing about Ms. Keaton’s appearances in these blockbuster movies is that it got her noticed by lots of producers and directors. 

I’m skipping ahead to the role that put Ms. Keaton on the movie map forever. Well, she didn’t just play Annie Hall (1977), she was Annie Hall. She won the Oscar for her performance as Woody Allen’s on and off girl friend. And her clothing became a thing for women of most any age for quite a while. That look is still referred to as the Annie Hall look. Allen won Oscar for Best Director and the film itself took the big award as Best Picture. As Alvy, Allen is already two past wives deep into things and his neuroses are funny only to the audience. The scene with Alvy vs. the enormous spider is a classic. The film ends with both principals moving on to greener pastures (for Annie anyway). Oh, BTW the screenplay also won the Oscar!

Diane Keaton became a regular in seven other Woody Allen outings, including Play It Again, Sam (1972) and Manhattan (1979),always cheerfully pulling her weight. In 1981, she was in another film that captured almost every award. Reds is the biopic about American journalist John Reed, who cataloged the Russian revolution. The film won Best Picture, Warren Beatty won Best Actor and Best director. This time Ms. Keaton swung and missed. Her performance as activist Louise Bryant was also nominated for Oscar. But she lost to another Hollywood icon, Katherine Hepburn, who won the Oscar for On Golden Pond.