Book Vs Movie
A Room With a View
The E. M. Forster 1908 Novel Vs the 1985 “Merchant/ Ivory” Film
The Margos are closing out our “80s in August” with the James Ivory/Ismail Merchant film A Room With a View which is based on the 1908 novel by E.M. Forester. The book took a few years fro Forster to complete before his better-regarded works Howards End and A Passage to India but he felt it was “much nicer.”
The story centers on Lucy Honeychurch who comes from a strict English background and is traveling with her spinster cousin Charlotte Bartlett when she meets exciting George Emerson in Florence, Italy. They share a moment of romance but she must return home to her drab Edwardian life with its social structure.
This means marrying Cecil Vyse, even though he’s dull and she doesn’t love him. George comes snack into her life by staying at a rental cottage nearby and the romance heats up again. But will George & Lucy take a chance on love even though her family doesn’t consider him an equal?
The 1985 movie stars Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy, Maggie Smith as Charlotte, Julian Sands as George, and Daniel Day-Lewis as Cecil. It made a fortune at the box office and won dozens of awards including an Academy Award for best-adapted screenplay.
This is one of those rare occasions that neither Margo has read the book or seen the film before recording this show. So between the two, which did we like better?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The biography of E.M. Forster
- What it was like to travel as an English person in early 20th Century Europe.
- Changes between book & movie
- The cast including Carter, Smith, Sands, Day-Lewis, Denholm Elliott (Mr. Emerson,) Rosemary Leach (Mrs. Honeychurch,) Rupert Graves (Freddy Honeychurch,) Judi Dench (Eleanor Lavish,) and Simon Callow (Reverend Beebe.)
Clips Featured:
- A Room With a View trailer
- George loves Lucy
- Emerson’s come to visit
- Mr. Emerson tries to help Lucy
- Music: A Room With a View soundtrack Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro”
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Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Book Vs Movie
Steel Magnolias
The 1987 Play Vs The 1989 Classic Film
The Margos are making sure Shelby drinks her juice and that Drum doesn’t shoot Oiuser in this special episode talking about a play to movie adaptation from the 80s. Based on a true story about his sister’s death at a young age after giving birth, Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias is the smart, funny tale of strong women who are underestimated by the men in their lives.
The play, which opened Off-Broadway in 1987, is notable for having one setting (Truvy’s beauty parlor in Northern Louisiana) and an all-female cast. The lines are so witty and sharp, audiences embraced it very quickly.
Soon Hollywood came calling, and now we have one of the ultimate “chick flicks” of all time which came out in 1989 and stars the soon-to-be-famous Julia Roberts as well as a huge cast of amazing actors. (This is truly an ensemble piece.)
This is one of the most quotable films of the last 30 years and we have a ball dissecting the differences between the play and film.
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The story of Robert Harling’s sister Susan Harling Robinson
- The main themes of both play and film
- Biggest changes between the original work and adaptation
- The cast including Roberts, Dolly Parton (Truvy,) Sally Filed (M’Lynn,) Shirley MacLaine (Ouiser,) Daryl Hannah (Annelle,) Olympia Dukakis (Clairee,) Tom Skerrit (Drum,) Sam Shepard (Spud,) Dylan McDermott (Jackson,) Kevin J. O’Connor (Sammy,) and Ann Wedgeworth (Aunt Fern.)
Clips Featured:
- Steel Magnolias trailer
- “30 minutes of wonderful vs. a lifetime of nothing special”
- “Hit Ouiser!”
- Music: Steel Magnolias soundtrack George Delerue
Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Book Vs Movie
Top Gun
Yes, it was based on a magazine article so it counts!
In 1986, a movie entered the popular culture starring Tom Cruise--Top Gun. It was a massively successful hit and San Diegos’ Margo P. as a teenager saw it almost every week that summer which is a thing that teens used to do to pass the time.
Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, a teen Margo D. stubbornly decided she hates four things: Madonna, Bon Jovi, Tom Cruise, and sushi. None of those things would enter her life. (This is a dumb stand. I am Margo D. by the way.)
The movie is based on a 1983 article in California magazine by writer Ehud Yonay and is a deep dive into the Top Gun naval school based in San Diego. It’s a fun, quick read and it’s easy to think of mega producers Don Simpson & Jerry Bruckheimer knowing they would have a hit here.
Top Gun is an action-packed film filled with good looking men (that volleyball scene!) a ridiculous romantic subplot and truly impressive camera work. Cruise plays LT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell who is a king among the pilots (“Top Gun”) and he has a best friend named Goose (Anthony Edwards), a girlfriend Charlie Blackwood (Kelly McGillis,) and his real love interest “Lt Tom “Iceman” Kazansky played by Val Kilmer at his swaggering best.
Margo D. has finally seen the film and we have things to discuss here!
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The story behind Ehud Yonay and Top Gun
- The 80s model for successful films
- The soundtrack that was everywhere
- Why the film was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2015
- The cast including Cruise, Edwards, McGillis, Kilmer, Tom Skerrit (Viper,) Michael Ironside (Jester,) John Stockwell (Cougar,) Barry Tubb (Wolfman,) Rick Rossovich (Slider,) Tim Robbins (Merlin,) Meg Ryan (Carole,) and Adrian Pasdar (Chipper.)
Clips Featured:
- Top Gun trailer
- “I was inverted”
- “A confidence problem”
- “You can be my wingman anytime!”
- Music: “Top Gun Theme” by Harold Faltermeyer
Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/