Book Vs Movie: “Dangerous Liaisons”
The 1782 Novel Vs the 1985 Play & the 1988 Movie
The Margos get a little sexy and wicked with this 1782 “libertine novel” from Pierre Chodlerlos de Laclos, a French writer and Army General who ten years before the French Revolution published four volumes of “Les Liaisons dangereuses” about a pair of manipulative rivals in the bourgeoisie. Marquise de Merteuill and her past lover/frenemy Vicomte de Valmont compete via letters to seduce others just for the fun of it.
They include lonely wife Madame de Tourvel, innocent Cécile de Volanges, and her suitor Le Chevalier Danceny who are all caught up in the web of seduction, lies, and all are caught up in the tragedy.
The story has been adapted many times as a movie, play, opera, and ballet. The 1988 Stephen Frears film is the first American/English language production and features John Malkovich and Glenn Close as the two evil leads who wreak havoc on characters played by Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, and Keanu Reeves (really!) Nominated for several Academy Awards, the movie is now considered a classic and with the gorgeous costumes and art direction--it’s a beauty to watch.
So, between the novel, the play, and the movie--which did we prefer?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The backstory of the author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
- France right before the revolution
- The cast members who became sex symbols afterward
- Starring: John Malkovich (Valmont,) Glenn Close (Isabelle Merteuil,) Michelle Pfeiffer (Tourvel,) Uma Thurman (Cecile,) Swoosie Kurtz (Madame de Volanges,) and Keanu Reeves as Danceny.
Clips used:
- Isabelle talks about why she manipulates men
- Dangerous Liaisons trailer
- Valmont promises Tourvel they can be freinds
- Valmont and Dancey have a duel
- Audience boos
- Music by George Fenton
Book Vs Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
. 
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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine
Book Vs Movie: “Heartburn”
The “Nora Ephron is a Queen” Episode
Norah Ephron was one of the most celebrated writers of the 20th Century from her work as an essayist for Esquire to her best-selling novels and screenplays for classic films. She has been honored with Academy Awards, Writer’s Guild Awards, and BAFTAs. She was a food writer and movie director. Known for being tough and uncompromising (who fired a child actor after his day on the set of Sleepless in Seattle!) Yet she was a total romantic who enjoyed a happy marriage with fellow writer Nicholas Pileggi.
Her first novel, Heartburn, came out in 1983 and was based on her tumultuous marriage to reporter Carl Bernstein (we talked him in our All the President’s Men episode) which ended when he had an affair during her second pregnancy. The “power couple” split and the divorce took years to happen. Mainly because Berstein was concerned about how he would be played in the movie directed by Mike Nichols.
Ephron wrote the screenplay for the 1986 film and due to her divorce decree, she had to make sure the character filling for Bernstein (called “Mark Feldman” as a maybe-nod to Mark Felt. The real “Deep Throat” source for Watergate) had to be portrayed as not a jerk. Nichols and Jack Nicholson (who played the Mark Feldman part) were a part of the divorce negotiations.
Meryl Streep gives an amazing performance as “Rachel Samstat” who loves her husband even though he is having an affair while she is in her second trimester. It’s frustrating to hear her character lose her voice in this translation--but we will talk ALL about that in this episode plus the awful reviews some male critics gave the film.
Mostly we talk about the wonderful Norah Ephron and why she is one of the wisest, funniest, and most romantic writers of her generation.
So, between the novel and the movie--which did we prefer? (Honestly, it is not going to even be close but have a listen anyway!)
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The incredible life of Norah Ephron
- Her most famous films including When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.
- Carl Bernstein’s unusual divorce/lawsuit demands
- The cast: Meryl Street (Rachel Samstat,) Jack Nicholson (Jack Forman,)Stockard Channing (Julie Siegel,) Jeff Daniels (Richard,) Milos Forman (Dmitri,) Steven Hill (Harry Samstat,) Catherine O’Hara (Betty,) Mamie Gummer (Annie,) Maureen Stapleton (Vera,) and Mercedes Ruehl as Eve.
Clips used:
- Rachel has a hallucination
- Heartburn trailer
- Rachel confronts Mark about his cheating
- Rachel hits Mark in the face with a pie
- Music: Coming Around Again by Carly Simon
Book Vs Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
.
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/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine
Book Vs Movie: “Almost Famous”
Based on several articles by Cameron Crowe in Rolling Stone Vs the 2000 film
In 1973, writer Cameron Crowe was just your ordinary 16-year-old on the road with The Allman Brothers writing a cover story about the band’s troubles and successes while going on the road. The resulting article came out in December 1973 and changed his life becoming a well-respected journalist who covered the biggest bands of the 70s including Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Eagles all before he was old enough to have a driver’s license.
Years later, he would spend a year undercover as a high school student at Clairmont High School in San Diego to write Fast Times at Ridgemont High (it would become his first screenplay as well.) Later films of his include Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and Singles but the film that most closely resembles his life is Almost Famous.
The story of William Miller (played by newcomer Patrick Fugit) a teenager who gets the assignment of his dreams--to write about the new band “Stillwater” for Rolling Stone magazine. Along the way, he befriends “Band-Aids” who are NOT groupies but rather muses for their favorite musicians. Led by 16-year-old Penny Lane (Kate Hudson in an Academy Award-nominated performance) she follows lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) on the road and teaches William how to live life as if there were no tomorrow.
The movie is filled with rock-n-roll tropes such as greedy managers, awful promoters (Marc Maron’s “lock the gates!” intro on the WTF podcast comes from this movie,) sex, drugs, and misogyny abound. There is also a great deal of heart and warmth here with Frances McDormand playing William’s tough but loving mother. Zooey Deschanel plays his stewardess sister who is running away to find herself in the early 1970s.
The film was a big hit for all involved and the budget for the soundtrack (which includes more classic rock classics than can seem bearable) was reportedly $3 million. Crowe won an Academy Award for his screenplay and Hudson became the movie Rom-Com queen for the next 20 years.
There has been controversy, however, with THE ultimate groupie (no shame in her game!) Pamela Des Barres is NOT consulted even though she wrote the seminal work on fandom I’m With the Band. And by the way, aren’t they a little young to be on the road?
So, between the original Cameron Crow articles and the movie--which did we prefer? Have a listen and find out!
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The life story of Cameron Crowe
- What classic rock and touring meant in the 1970s
- Almost Famous trivia
- Which actors did their own singing and played their own instruments
- The cast: Patrick Fugit (William Miller,) Billy Crudup (Russell Hammond,) Frances McDormand (Elaine Miller,) Kate Hudson (Penny Lane,) Jason Lee (Jeff Bebe,) Zooey Deschanel (Anita Miller,) Anna Paquin (Polexia Aphrodesia,) Fairuza Balk (Sapphire,) Philip Seymour Hoffman (Lester Bangs,) Terry Chen (Ben Fong Torres,) Jimmy Fallon (Dennis Hope,) Marc Maron (angry promoter) and Peter Frampton as Reg.
Clips used:
- William finds out he is 11
- Almost Famous trailer
- Lester Bangs
- Ben Fong Torres & Rolling Stone
- Lock the gates!
- New manager
- Frances McDormand talks with Billy Crudup
- Music Fever Dog by Stillwater
Book Vs Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
.
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/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine
Book Vs Movie: “Dog Day Afternoon”
The Classic Hollywood 1974 film Vs “The Boys in the Bank” from 1972 article from Life Magazine
On August 22, 1972, John Wojtowicz and two accomplices entered a bank In Brooklyn at 450 Avenue P (in Gravesend) and started a robbery. One left early, (20-year-old Bobby Westeberg) while Wojtowicz and 18-year-old Sal Naturale proceeded to steal almost $200,000 in cash and traveler’s checks before being surrounded by the police. What happened for the next 14 hours was a standoff and media circus for the ages.
Turns out Wojtowicz said he needed the money for a “sex change” operation (as it was known at the time) for his partner Ernest Aron. The police brought Aron to the scene straight from the hospital where they had attempted suicide the week before. Another of Wojtowicz lover was brought out and he kissed him on the mouth in front of the news camera which hundreds of locals who made up the crowd. He also threw money into the air and ordered pizza for the bank hostages held inside.
Eventually, the robbers and many of the bank hostages were taken to JFK airport where Naturale was shot in the chest and killed immediately. Wojtowicz was arrested and eventually spent a few years in jail for his crimes. He married again while in prison and had a tough time holding down a job because of his past. In the end, he was reduced to trying to make some money by posing in front of the bank for autographs. He died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 60.
Aron eventually had gender reassignment surgery and died from the complications of AIDS in 1987. She took the name, Elizabeth Eden.
Writers P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore wrote about the crime and hostage situation on September 22, 1972, for Life magazine and the title of the article was “The Boys in the Bank” that was bought by Warner Brothers pictures and developed into the film Dog Day Afternoon.
The 1975 film directed by Sidney Lumet and screenplay by Frank Pierson changes a few of the major details. The lead crook is “Sonny Wortzik” played by Al Pacino and his main cohort is Sal Naturile played by 40-year-old acting legend John Cazale. Filmed in Winsdor Terrace, Brooklyn (near Margo D’s home!) the movie would become a huge moneymaker and nominated for all of the major categories at the Academy Awards in 1976 (and losing most to One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest which was the movie to beat that season.)
The film is a modern classic and entered in 2009 to the Library of Congress and in the National Film Registry.
In 2014, The Dog a documentary by filmmakers Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren told the “real” story by following the real John Wojtowicz who painted himself as an early gay rights icon and misunderstood human.
So, between the original novel and the movie--which did we prefer? Have a listen and find out!
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The backstory behind the 1972 robbery & the aftermath
- The biggest differences between the real story and the 1975 film
- Rumors as to who was really behind the bank robbery
- What happened to the main figures
- The cast: Al Pacino (Sonny Wotzik,) John Cazale (Sal Naturile,) Charles Durning (Sergeant Eugene Moretti,) Penelope Allen (Sylvia,) Susan Peretz (Angie,) James Broderick (FBI agent,) Lance Henricksen (FBI agent,) Carol Kane (The Squirrel,) and Chris Sarandon as Leon Shermer.
Clips used:
- The bank robbery
- Dog Day Afternoon trailer
- Sonny negotiates with Moretti
- “Leon” comes to the site
- Final phone call for Sonny and his wife
- “Wyoming?”
- Music Amoreena by Elton John
Book Vs Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts
.
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/
Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine