This is not the first of Evelyn Waugh's books to be adapted for visual entertainment. In the late 70's Brideshead Revisited was adapted into an excellent television drama that spanned several weeks allowing character development that is not impossible in a 90-minute film. Merchant Ivory used their skills of pacing and lavish cinema photography to produce a terribly poignant adaptation of A Handful of Dust. However Vile Bodies presents its adaptor with a number of problems. It is quite a short book and Waugh's first success. Like Jackie Collins's novels of the 70's/'80's (and even Richard E Grant's By Design) part of its success was in the recognition of the real people behind the thinly disguised characters. Now, of course, these 20's celebrities are mainly unknown to today's readers. Waugh himself acknowledges that:- `The composition of Vile Bodies was interrupted by a sharp disturbance in my private life and was finished in a very different mood from that which it was began. The reader may, perhaps, notice the transition from gaiety to bitterness.'
Although Waugh viewed the book as a comic one, which it is, I felt that his own awareness of the tragedy of life came through by the end. Therefore I was uneasy with the Hollywood `happy ending' that Mr Fry had concocted.
It is very difficult to be objective about your own work and Stephen Fry not only directed this film he wrote the screenplay. I'm not completely aware of the whole process of filmmaking but I felt that there were areas in the film that would have benefited from someone else's input. For example; there were a lot of very short scenes at the beginning of film and towards the end a long monologue. Both of which irritated for different reasons.
Amongst the main characters Miles (Michael Sheen) and Agartha (Fenella Woolgar) enliven the film, as they were meant to. Our hero Adam (Stephen Campbell Moore) is likable and good-looking enough and his situation affords him our sympathies. The heroine Nina (Emily Mortimer) is beautiful, exquisitely dressed but a little too self-absorbed to be totally likable. Although I'm a fan of Richard E Grant in a film of many famous cameos his is not one that stands out. Although he successfully oozes the disapproval that his upright Priest characterisation requires. More memorable are John Mills zestfully sniffing cocaine and Peter O'Toole portrayal of Nina's father. Every scene seems to contain a well-known, British actor in a supporting role and, without exception, all their performances in this film were well executed.
Stephen Fry states he would like to direct again. I hope he is given that chance. Although the film has a few flaws it is not a bad movie and it is British. Our problem, as an industry, is that we make so few films but we expect them all to be brilliant. Stephen may not have produced a diamond but, despite the limitations of the original plotline, it is definitely a diamante.
Although Waugh viewed the book as a comic one, which it is, I felt that his own awareness of the tragedy of life came through by the end. Therefore I was uneasy with the Hollywood `happy ending' that Mr Fry had concocted.
It is very difficult to be objective about your own work and Stephen Fry not only directed this film he wrote the screenplay. I'm not completely aware of the whole process of filmmaking but I felt that there were areas in the film that would have benefited from someone else's input. For example; there were a lot of very short scenes at the beginning of film and towards the end a long monologue. Both of which irritated for different reasons.
Amongst the main characters Miles (Michael Sheen) and Agartha (Fenella Woolgar) enliven the film, as they were meant to. Our hero Adam (Stephen Campbell Moore) is likable and good-looking enough and his situation affords him our sympathies. The heroine Nina (Emily Mortimer) is beautiful, exquisitely dressed but a little too self-absorbed to be totally likable. Although I'm a fan of Richard E Grant in a film of many famous cameos his is not one that stands out. Although he successfully oozes the disapproval that his upright Priest characterisation requires. More memorable are John Mills zestfully sniffing cocaine and Peter O'Toole portrayal of Nina's father. Every scene seems to contain a well-known, British actor in a supporting role and, without exception, all their performances in this film were well executed.
Stephen Fry states he would like to direct again. I hope he is given that chance. Although the film has a few flaws it is not a bad movie and it is British. Our problem, as an industry, is that we make so few films but we expect them all to be brilliant. Stephen may not have produced a diamond but, despite the limitations of the original plotline, it is definitely a diamante.