tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post300474229336558215..comments2024-03-26T05:01:57.793-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: DAISY MILLER 1974Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-5811228365974793582023-10-13T18:51:09.647-07:002023-10-13T18:51:09.647-07:00Hello, Craig - I'm thrilled you enjoyed this p...Hello, Craig - I'm thrilled you enjoyed this piece on DAISY MILLER. Thank you. I don't know if you're a fan of the film or the book or perhaps both, but I know it has become a movie I seem to grow fonder of with each passing year. <br />If I somehow managed to address many of your points of curiosity or interest, I'm flattered indeed. <br />I'm happy you found this site and I thank you for investing your time in passing on such a nice compliment. Hope you stop by again!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-85426431865838429882023-10-12T12:58:24.162-07:002023-10-12T12:58:24.162-07:00Dear Ken,
Thanks for your wonderful piece on...Dear Ken,<br /> Thanks for your wonderful piece on "DAISY MILLER." <br />You actually covered ONE HUNDRED per Cent of<br />everything that I wanted to know about the film. <br />You covered everything. The entire "bolus."<br />Thank you for your expertise. Craig MullenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-77249281034429738732022-05-16T18:48:05.515-07:002022-05-16T18:48:05.515-07:00Hello Anonymous
Thank you for such a captivatingly...Hello Anonymous<br />Thank you for such a captivatingly thoughtful, informed, and keenly-observed contribution. Your long history with Bogdanovich enriches your take on Daisy Miller and the curious (but-all-too-familiar) way such a dynamic career came to such a swift and dramatic reversal. That Johnny Carson Show you cite is on par with my memories at the time. Bogdanovich's name was appearing as part of comic punchlines more frequently than in discussions about the decade's most influential directors. <br />I particularly loved your comparing Polly Platt's invaluable contributions to Alma Hitchcock's influential behind-the-scenes stabilizing effect. <br />I'm glad you have come to appreciate both the strengths and minuses of DAISY MILLER now more than when you were a youngster, but I did get a chuckle by your use of the word "difficult" in describing the effort it takes to surmount the hurdle of the film's lead performance in hopes of arriving at any kind of appreciation of how well-made a film it is. I chuckle because that's how it felt to me, too.<br />Thank you for visiting my site and taking the time to respond so analytically.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-18877744134823796922022-05-16T08:00:20.015-07:002022-05-16T08:00:20.015-07:00I have been a big fan of Peter Bogdonovich’s films...I have been a big fan of Peter Bogdonovich’s films since I was lucky enough to see the premiere of his Directed by John Ford at the S.F. Film Festival. His early film books on important, at the time, unsung directors like Hawks and Lang were very important to me and the fact that he could be an American equivalent of the Cahiers du Cinema critics turned directors seemed like an important precedent for Hollywood. The trilogy of films that followed only confirmed my admiration. Then came Daisy Miller and you described what happened better than other critics of the film that I have found. It is interesting to me that Orson Welles turned down an offer to direct the film with Bogdonovich as Winterbourne. It was a time when Welles was desperately trying to work but he must have envisioned the problem from the start; Bogdonovich’s mounting egotism and blind infatuation for Shepard. I remember seeing a Johnny Carson show with Orson Welles and Burt Reynolds as the stand-in host where they eagerly roasted Bogdonovich as an arrogant prick. It baffled me and made me sad that one of my film hero’s had fallen so hard and fast. I have always paid a lot of attention to crews on films, especially to the Art Directors, so I was very aware of Polly Platt and her contribution to arguably his best films. I blamed the end of their partnership to the abrupt demise of his career. But I now think that Polly Platt was to Bogdonovich what Mrs. Hitchcock was to Alfred Hitchcock as a collaborator who also advised him and kept him from going off the rails with his cool blond stars. Only Hitchcock knew what he had in Alma! Seeing Daisy Miller again after dismissing it as a young man, I have come to see it’s strengths and weaknesses in a slightly different way. First of all the Art Direction was by the late great Fernando Scarfati who I had the good fortune to know a bit and did a wonderful job, so that Polly Platt’s brilliant visual contribution is not so sorely missed. But perhaps it helps to clarify that she was important to the success of those films in more ways than one. I can go on about how difficult it is to ignore the main star performance of the film in order to see how well made a film it is, but alas it is impossible and ultimately it is Bogdonovich who is to blame. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-1661636192410569842020-03-08T19:46:03.965-07:002020-03-08T19:46:03.965-07:00Very true about how this film has inherited levels...Very true about how this film has inherited levels of poignance related to the romantic tragedy of Bogdanovich and Stratten. He mentions some of this on the DAISY MILLER DVD commentary which makes a great companion piece to a wonderful Bogdanovich documentary "One Day Since Yesterday." I think the things you reference are in part responsible for why contemporary audiences seem to respond to DAISY MILLER more favorably than audiences in 1974.<br />Thanks for another thoughtful observation!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-85962396157520152362020-03-08T00:40:08.436-08:002020-03-08T00:40:08.436-08:00What is so intensely eerie about this film is that...What is so intensely eerie about this film is that the Dorothy Stratten tragedy seems to be literally foretold in it (Daisy's piano song being especially chill-inducing)....and there is an anecdote that Bogdonovich found himself unable to shoot Daisy's<br />funeral scene and that it was "inexplicable....I couldn't seem to go through with it."<br /><br />Which is even more disturbing when you realize the real-life "Winterbourne" dynamic at play in his relationship with Stratten (He had an opportunity to keep her away from her husband in London, which may well have saved her life, but did not act upon his impulse to do so.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-79021559240603390762017-10-07T21:01:05.240-07:002017-10-07T21:01:05.240-07:00Hi Chris
I've never seen the film "Irreco...Hi Chris<br />I've never seen the film "Irreconcilable Differences," but someone else recommended it to me as being something of a roman a clef of the Platt/Bogdanovich bust-up. Now that you say it's one of your favorites I should most definitely seek it out. Like Scorsese's films can be slip into The De Niro Years/The DeCaprio Years, I think Bogdanovich's Polly Platt years are his best. "Daisy Miller" is one of the last gasp efforts of the Bogdanovich I fell in love with--kind of a grab bag of efforts after this. Hope you get a chance to check it out sometime! thanks for reading, Chris! Always a pleasure to see you here.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-47901344167564064462017-10-06T13:15:29.335-07:002017-10-06T13:15:29.335-07:00Hi Ken - I've never seen this one but it looks...Hi Ken - I've never seen this one but it looks like a sumptuous production. I happen to like Cybill Shepherd and thank Mr. Bogdonavich for discovering her...though it was a blow to poor Polly Platt.<br /><br />Have you ever seen the film Irreconcilable Differences with Ryan O'Neal and Shelley Long? O'Neal plays a Bogdonovich-like director who dumps his collaborator wife Long for a young unknown, played by a young Sharon Stone. It's one of my favorite little-known films. <br /><br />Paper Moon and What's Up Doc will always be my favorite Bogdonovich films, followed by Last Picture Show. But Daisy Miller does look a bit better than At Long Last Love (one hopes!!)<br />-Chrisangelman66https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471674180789592940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-34441469607193243212017-10-06T09:27:32.153-07:002017-10-06T09:27:32.153-07:00Hi Michael
That is SOME testimonial...getting you ...Hi Michael<br />That is SOME testimonial...getting you to detour from your October horror films to take in a little Henry James. I enjoyed reading your comments. With your mentioning that it struck you as a subtle and underplayed period film, I was reminded that Bogdanovich felt it should have been marketed as a small arthouse film but that his previous films were so successful, everyone was expecting another "Paper Moon"-size hit.<br />And what a great thing to remark upon--Daisy's bold walk! I would bet Bogdanovich would love your noticing something like that.<br />From the details noted about Barry Brown's performance to your comical comment about Eileen Brennan, it sounds as though your revisited experience of the film as a good one.<br />Bogdanovich's life fascinates me a bit. There is something almost theatrical in its structure: He idolizes an artist (Orson Welles) then his own career almost takes an almost identical course of quick success/fast decline. His early days of unbridled ego and the unrepentant hurting of others (his seemingly intentional failure to acknowledge the scope of the contributions of Polly Platt) takes a tragically karmic twist. Fascinating stuff.<br />Well, thank you for flattering me in saying that I inspired you to check this film out, and everyone reading your comments here are sure to be grateful (as I am) that you shared them with us. Happy Halloween horror marathon! Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-73497467006486882842017-10-05T20:21:31.052-07:002017-10-05T20:21:31.052-07:00Ken,
Once again you have inspired me to watch a m...Ken,<br /><br />Once again you have inspired me to watch a movie and in October, yet, the month I reserve for the spooky and the macabre. I do remember seeing Daisy Miller when it came out in 1974 but it was not the best choice for 13-year-old me. (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Young Frankenstein were more my speed.) But revisiting it a few decades later was worth it. It was a subtle, underplayed movie compared to some of the other costume dramas from 1974 like The Great Gatsby and Murder on the Orient Express, and very artfully done. Cybill Shepherd was not well served by Bogdanovich, but she seemed to me to almost there. I thought she looked and moved very well. Her bold swagger when we see her walking outdoors for the first time was a delight to watch. Her line delivery just wasn’t as refined as her movements. <br /><br />I was very impressed by Barry Brown, though. He was able to project Winterbourne’s desire and despair lurking under his affable, polished exterior. There was a beautiful, heartbreaking edge to his performance. You could just see him yearning to break out of convention and not finding the courage to do it. I was very sorry to learn about the circumstances of his early death. The rest of the cast was excellent, as well. I just made a mental note to never make Eileen Brennan angry. <br /><br />Coincidently, I have been reading a bit about Peter Bogdanovich the past couple of weeks. He is a real jerk, but that early run of movies is amazing. Your comment about seeing him interviewed with Cybill Shepherd really summed it up. He just stopped growing. The info about Polly Platt was also fascinating. I wonder how much of his early success was due to the women he worked with? After the Dorothy Stratten tragedy, I suspect he had a hard time finding talented women who wanted to be anywhere near him. That must have been a factor in his subsequent flops. Anyway, thanks for the good read. I can't wait for you next piece.<br /><br />MichaelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-80797811154707468512017-10-05T15:20:36.971-07:002017-10-05T15:20:36.971-07:00Hi loulou
I might have seen that interview as well...Hi loulou<br />I might have seen that interview as well. "Grown up" Cybill has always been an eye-opener for me when giving interviews because she genuinely illustrates what maturity means.<br />She looks back at her beauty as a gift, she recognizes it opened doors, admits to having been "obnoxious" during her heyday, and, best of all, speaks of her time going on stage and studying acting as the turning point for her, both professionally and personally. She has actually learned from her experiences.<br />For all his brilliance, Bogdanovich rationalizes quite a deal, and when I saw them on a dais together in later years talking about "Picture Show", it was clear she was now the adult to his child.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-87982753723253818322017-10-05T13:10:43.308-07:002017-10-05T13:10:43.308-07:00I remember seeing Cybill on Larry King, she told h...I remember seeing Cybill on Larry King, she told him in retrospect it wasn't that great starting at the top and not "paying dues". He didn't know what to say.loulou de la falaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17120127948192259286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-16633733796424933922017-10-05T12:36:51.198-07:002017-10-05T12:36:51.198-07:00And I hope this satisfies you,"Anonymous"...And I hope this satisfies you,"Anonymous". Put that in your pipe and smoke it!loulou de la falaisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17120127948192259286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-83417892306123823042017-10-05T07:11:36.763-07:002017-10-05T07:11:36.763-07:00Hi Cinemarocks
I got such a kick out of your enthu...Hi Cinemarocks<br />I got such a kick out of your enthusiasm for this movie and for Barry Brown! Your rundown of his personal and professional history is a welcome addition to this post, for he is one of the major assets of the film as far as I'm concerned.<br />i remember all the promising hype surrounding him early in his career, and i recall seeing him on a couple of TV episodics during my youth, but never saw him in a film until I was an adult.<br />I've known about the tragedy of his life and indeed i think His writer brother addresses the family legacy of depression and mental illness in some tome of his.<br /><br />That being said, I think your comments stand as a marvelous testament to Brown and his too-brief career, and I hope readers appreciate the extra info and backstory you've provided.<br />I'm happy this is one of your favorite films and that you shared your thoughts and memories of your movie star crush with us. Thank you for contributing such a heartfelt and informative comment!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-33760254239307827792017-10-04T22:46:41.299-07:002017-10-04T22:46:41.299-07:00Anonymous: if you want....I wrote a short biograph...Anonymous: if you want....I wrote a short biography about Brown below. I got to tell you he may very well be my favorite actor of all time. I guess the hatred Brown felt for Cybil was mutual, as Ken wrote about. one part I left out of my "review" is that Barry would tell his friends, if they asked about Daisy Miller, he would say, "Every 5 minutes I wanted to scream at Cybil, "LEARN YOUR FUCKING LINES". His gift for acting is undeniable. But my crush on him will never go away. One of the most beautiful men I have ever seen...swoon. cinemarocks.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08068980827220674196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-81093312193913233622017-10-04T22:13:37.520-07:002017-10-04T22:13:37.520-07:00Now, here's the deal. I am so over the moon a...Now, here's the deal. I am so over the moon and beyond the stars happy that you chose Daisy Miller here....I want to tell you all I know and love about my favorite (or in my top 3 favorite) films of all time. <br />I saw it once about 15 years ago on VHS. I wasn't paying attention, must have been doing something, eating dinner I suppose. but the real reason I didn't watch and just turned it off was because the quality was damn HORRID. The picture, sound quality, lines going in and out.<br />But I managed to get a very good glimpse of the good looking costar of the film....and had no clue who the heck it was. I have a pretty good memory and knowledge of actors, but I couldn't place him. and keep in mind he was very handsome, the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.<br />I went to the library but no luck. So I forgot about the whole thing. then, 3 years ago, I happened upon a website a friend told me about, of actors who were not well known but could have been major stars. and there was the handsome man with the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen....actor Barry Brown.<br />Barry Brown's mother had bipolar disorder (she burned down a house when Barry was a teenager and was arrested) Barry inherited the disorder. He left home for Hollywood at 19 and landed an ABC contract for television. Robert Benton saw him and cast him in the dark comedy Bad Company (with Jeff Bridges). Peteer Bagdonovich saw Brown in the film and immediately said ( it's true): I saw him and I thought....that's Winterbourne...I have to find him...I have to cast him in this role. He did. <br />Bagdonovich said that Brown was "difficult". He said Barry was phenomenal in the part, but he Bagdonovich said he carried it with him throughout the movie. Bagdonovich said it was almost impossible to communicate with him.<br />It didn't help that Brown hated (as in HATED) Cybil Shepard. It's amazing to see how wonderful they are together in the film and know that Barry wanted to scream at her when she constantly forgot her lines. It was at the time that Bagdonovich was having an affair with her and it would take over the production and Barry thought it was unprofessional. <br />Barry was worried about the movie. He knew it would be good. But he didn't know if it would be a hit. If it were a hit, he would get parts in films, and still fulfill his contract, what little was left. Brown went into despair when the movie bombed. He started drinking constantly, even at work. He gained the cliché reputation of the "difficult actor" and burned all of his bridges.<br />His brother, a writer, said that his manic depressive behavior kicked into high gear. His brother said that he would try to stop drinking but after he stopped, he was erratic, crying, desperate, paranoid and in constant fear. <br />Brown had finished a B movie called Pihranna in the summer of 1978. In his last filmed scene (as a police officer) Barry was drunk, walked off the set and drove to the airport. He didn't even change clothes. He still had his police costume on. One morning he went to see Barry at One morning Barry's brother went to see him at his small house in LA. He walked in to see that Barry had committed suicide.<br />I write this, to tell about his life. He was a great actor. His Winterbourne is one of my favorite parts and performances. I can't describle what it is that makes him so damn good in this movie. I told a friend that it may have to do with those beautiful eyes. They're the most expressive, sad, heartbreaking....his emotions throughout are transcended through his expressions, through those looks. I'm not sure if he's using a specific technique. I never really thought about it very much. the part comes so easily to him. like Bagdonovich said, "Barry IS Winterbourne". So, there he is....forever my movie star crush. I always wonder what he would have done, could have done...had he not left us so early. the mystery is and will always be so sad for me.<br />cinemarocks.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08068980827220674196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-72275206161002253982017-10-03T01:34:26.763-07:002017-10-03T01:34:26.763-07:00Hi Max,
Thanks for thinking I could offer anythin...Hi Max, <br />Thanks for thinking I could offer anything to the commentary track of a DVD. I have never been approached, but I honestly think - for certain films - I could offer a lot of insight and backstory (plus it would be fun just to see how it's done). <br />The closest I ever came was when I was approached to be one of the talking heads in a Bonus Material documentary on the latest "Xanadu" DVD release. I enjoyed it a great deal.<br />Very nice of you to inquire and express interest, Max. From your mouth to God's ear!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-13958744005126761302017-10-01T08:35:45.163-07:002017-10-01T08:35:45.163-07:00Hi Ken,
I also wanted to ask you if you've ev...Hi Ken,<br /><br />I also wanted to ask you if you've ever been approached to do a DVD commentary. What an asset you'd be to unsung films like Windows, The Fan, The Night Digger,and Once is Not Enough! And what a fresh and personal perspective you'd bring to "sung" ones like Rosemary's Baby, Bonnie and Clyde, and The Birds. Just asking...and hoping.<br />Thanks!<br />MaxMax frostnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-57369178805330561052017-09-29T00:22:03.658-07:002017-09-29T00:22:03.658-07:00Very evocative description of the effect early Cyb...Very evocative description of the effect early Cybill had on you. So relatable.<br /> Because I never watched her TV show(s) the tide for Cybill Shepherd began to turn for me after seeing her in Texasville & Taxi Driver, and significantly, a TV interview in which she took responsibility for her youthful arrogance and confessed to not being very proud of the hurt she caused others with her various affairs with married men.<br /><br />I saw The Heartbreak Kid when it was released, but haven't since. Without seeing it I can well imagine that she comes off in that scene a just as you describe. For me she never was devoid of talent, she was just given too much to shoulder too soon. <br />I'm glad she studied. <br />And what a terrific anecdote about meeting and getting her to sign your poster! To hear that a actor has grown as both a person and a professional is always a perfect addendum to a career that got off on the wrong foot.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-34863741436098200752017-09-28T10:54:29.451-07:002017-09-28T10:54:29.451-07:00I love Cybill Shepherd but throughout the 70s and ...I love Cybill Shepherd but throughout the 70s and early 80s seeing her in a movie always made me uneasy. Like watching a stand-up comic bomb or an Olympic skater crash into a wall. In Daisy Miller and the At Long Last Love she’s less a chatterbox than a robot. The difference was that Cybill always seemed cool with it. So did poor besotted Peter B. Instead I was the one mopping up flop sweat. I felt so embarrassed. That’s why Taxi Driver was such a relief and even more so, for me, The Heartbreak Kid.<br /><br />Even at the beginning of her career with the right director, she was so good. Even natural! I have to call out one of my favorite scenes in The Heartbreak Kid when Cybill first introduces her father, Eddie Albert, to Charles Grodin. It’s a long, dialogue-heavy, brilliantly acted scene and if you can manage to take your eyes off Albert and Grodin, (nearly impossible!) watch Cybill sitting between them. I’m not sure how much was Elaine May or how much was Cybill’s instincts but she does more with an imperceptible blink and dart of the eye and the bite of a breadstick than in all her “starring” roles put together. She doesn’t say a single word yet you know she’s playing with Grodin, you know she admires her daddy, and you know she’s absolutely delighted with daddy taking down her new boyfriend. If it’s true that great acting is listening, then Cybill’s performance here is a great one.<br /><br />I also think she’s absolutely marvelous in Chances Are and Texasville. And like some aging groupie, I waited for her at the stage door after seeing The Best Man on Broadway and she was so gracious and happy and giggled when signing my poster for The Heartbreak Kid. And given that poster is mostly white space, she wrote large and grand. "Heartbreakingly yours, Cybill Shepherd"<br />max frostnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-13396337814943683052017-09-27T18:55:32.059-07:002017-09-27T18:55:32.059-07:00OK, I didn't read close enough to see the spec...OK, I didn't read close enough to see the specific cast you decided upon, I just looked at it as a review of a film. But an example of that way of being heartless and annoying the hell out of everyone that you attributed to the narcissistic lovebirds was that Shepard took a strong disliking to Barry Brown on the set, and if she felt like tearing into him, Bogdanovich would join in with alacrity -- it's actually a miracle the final result is so polished. And I did achieve my purpose of hearing your opinion of Barry RIP. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-90906345192691065262017-09-27T17:48:01.768-07:002017-09-27T17:48:01.768-07:00Thanks very much, but as far as I'm concerned ...Thanks very much, but as far as I'm concerned there are no "shoulds" when it comes to what I choose to write about. No film critique can (not should it feel compelled to) cover every aspect of a film and its production. My intent and purpose was to cover "Daisy Miller" through the locus of the Shepherd/Bogdanovich relationship. <br />Perhaps it's a matter of semantics and what you mean to say is that you "wished" I had covered more of Barry Brown--a more appropriate expression conveying what YOU would have liked to see as opposed to telling me what I SHOULD have done. A thought which makes me laugh.<br /><br />Of course, the benefit of this comments section is that readers like yourself have the opportunity to introduce and extrapolate on that which doesn't fall within the author's chosen scope or isn't addressed.<br />Barry Brown is one of my favorite unsung actors from the '70s, his personal demons seeming to infuse his screen performances in BAD COMPANY and DAISY MILLER with a poignance and solemnity not altogether on the printed page.<br />His personal story is a sad one, but, indeed, he left behind a small but impressive body of work.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-19317281750747928292017-09-27T17:23:39.526-07:002017-09-27T17:23:39.526-07:00A fine review, but as you justly consider him to h...A fine review, but as you justly consider him to have given the finest performance in the movie, you really should have devoted some space to discussing Barry Brown !!!! He was an immensely talented, extremely intelligent, and incredibly well-read person, and his voluntarily joining the 27 club just four years after the film came out was a real tragedy and a loss to the world. Since you went so much into the interplay of real life and fiction in the movie, you should have commented on the supreme irony that it was Frederick/Barry and not Daisy/Cybill who was soon pushing up daisies in winter. Life can be a real kick in the ass, but in this case there is one overwhelming consolation -- We can forever run the film and glory in Barry Brown as Frederick Forsyth Winterbourne !!!!!!! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-3428647505211644362017-09-26T18:13:10.450-07:002017-09-26T18:13:10.450-07:00Hi Tanya
You're going to LOVE Filstruck! I'...Hi Tanya<br />You're going to LOVE Filstruck! I've been getting my Chabrol fix thanks to that site. Had something like that been around when I was in film school, I think I would have flunked out from binge-watching.<br />I haven't seen many of them (I own a copy of Portrait of a Lady, but I want to see the film before I read it), but I've seen all of the adaptations of "Washington Square" and none have matched "The Heiress" for me. I think "The Innocents" is a brilliant adaptation of James' "The Turn of the Screw." I read "The Bostonians" and loved it, but I was disappointed in the film adaptation. <br />In fact, it's because of my experience with "The Bostonians" that I don't want to read the book of some films before I see the film. A film adaptation is so much a separate creation (it has to be slighter and more abbreviated and less internal) that if I take to the book a great deal, I keep waiting for the film to live up to my expectations. When I read the book after a film, I have a much more pleasant experience, for it often feels like the meat being applied to the skeleton, and the reverse experience actually enriches the film for me.<br />The most recent film I saw that was adapted from a Henry James novel was "The Wings of the Dove," which I thoroughly enjoyed. Now I have to get around to reading the book.<br /><br />if you have any film adaptations that are favorites or would recommend, please pass them on.<br /><br />By the way, I love that you have a copy of "Daisy Miller" in your desk at work! Enjoy Bogdanovich's DAISY MILLER, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to again prattle on about my favorites.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-30915489802108361502017-09-26T11:57:47.813-07:002017-09-26T11:57:47.813-07:00I just signed up for the Film Struck channel so I ...I just signed up for the Film Struck channel so I look forward to finally watching this. I have a copy of Daisy Miller (the book) in my desk drawer at work as I type this (Don't leave hoem without it?). I'm curious, Ken, what other Henry James adaptation do you like, if any? They were throwing a lot of them at us for a while. I actually liked (not loved) Jane Campion's Portrait of a Lady.Tanyahttp://www.tanyadiva.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com