Oh Dear!
I was perusing a movie site—checking for performance times of First Man—when my eyes fell upon an ad for a new film; The Happy Prince, written, directed and starring Rupert Everett, and based on Oscar Wilde's downfall and last years.
What a happy time that will be.
My biggest concern was that First Man is no longer showing in local theaters—its run of a few weeks suggesting that it did not find favor with modern audiences. Most of whom are probably convinced that man never walked on the moon; and would not want to see such nonsense!
But I digress.
For I cannot imagine that a movie about Oscar Wilde's later years will be a happy way to spend an evening. If they don't want to see a movie about successfully landing on the moon, why would they want to see one about abject failure?
I am, of course, annoyed.
I have been working on a short play about Oscar Wilde's last years for a while now, and I am distressed to see someone else making a hash of it before I have finished my effort.
One does not want to appear unoriginal.
I take comfort in the fact that my work will be nothing like the film. My play is so loosely based on the facts as to be total fiction. The film, however, is probably 'based on a true story'—Hollywood's way of saying that it is mostly fiction.
The problem with 'based on a true story' always is; how 'based' is it? So loosely based as to be totally debased?
You can never tell.
A key event portrayed in First Man is when Armstrong leaves something on the moon for his young daughter, who had died years before. This was fabricated by the filmmakers, as there is no record or comment from Armstrong suggesting that he did such a thing.
As an aside, the Emperor may have told Mozart "Too beautiful for our ears, and a powerful lot of notes, dear Mozart!" (though he may have meant the performance was too long)* and Jack and Rose might have survived on the door if they'd used Rose's lifejacket for added buoyancy.
So what to do?
Well, of course, I will probably wait a couple of years before publishing so that everyone will have forgotten about the current movie.
And maybe I'll go and see it—though maybe I shouldn't.
*I was told some years ago that the "And there are simply too many notes" quote was totally fabricated in the movie Amadeus. That annoyed me so much, as I'd loved that moment in the film.
It's something you remember.
But it appears that a quote that is not too different appears in Leben des k.k. Kapellmeisters Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart nach Originalquellen geschrieben by Franz Xaver Niemetschek, published 1798 ref: Google Groups.
The quote there is: Zu schoen fuer unsere Ohren, und gewaltig viel Noten, lieber Mozart! —
"Too good for our ears, and a lot of notes, dear Mozart!"
We'll ignore the fact that the quote may have been manufactured by that author, because I am sure it is based on a true story.
I was perusing a movie site—checking for performance times of First Man—when my eyes fell upon an ad for a new film; The Happy Prince, written, directed and starring Rupert Everett, and based on Oscar Wilde's downfall and last years.
What a happy time that will be.
My biggest concern was that First Man is no longer showing in local theaters—its run of a few weeks suggesting that it did not find favor with modern audiences. Most of whom are probably convinced that man never walked on the moon; and would not want to see such nonsense!
But I digress.
For I cannot imagine that a movie about Oscar Wilde's later years will be a happy way to spend an evening. If they don't want to see a movie about successfully landing on the moon, why would they want to see one about abject failure?
I am, of course, annoyed.
I have been working on a short play about Oscar Wilde's last years for a while now, and I am distressed to see someone else making a hash of it before I have finished my effort.
One does not want to appear unoriginal.
I take comfort in the fact that my work will be nothing like the film. My play is so loosely based on the facts as to be total fiction. The film, however, is probably 'based on a true story'—Hollywood's way of saying that it is mostly fiction.
The problem with 'based on a true story' always is; how 'based' is it? So loosely based as to be totally debased?
You can never tell.
A key event portrayed in First Man is when Armstrong leaves something on the moon for his young daughter, who had died years before. This was fabricated by the filmmakers, as there is no record or comment from Armstrong suggesting that he did such a thing.
As an aside, the Emperor may have told Mozart "Too beautiful for our ears, and a powerful lot of notes, dear Mozart!" (though he may have meant the performance was too long)* and Jack and Rose might have survived on the door if they'd used Rose's lifejacket for added buoyancy.
So what to do?
Well, of course, I will probably wait a couple of years before publishing so that everyone will have forgotten about the current movie.
And maybe I'll go and see it—though maybe I shouldn't.
*I was told some years ago that the "And there are simply too many notes" quote was totally fabricated in the movie Amadeus. That annoyed me so much, as I'd loved that moment in the film.
It's something you remember.
But it appears that a quote that is not too different appears in Leben des k.k. Kapellmeisters Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart nach Originalquellen geschrieben by Franz Xaver Niemetschek, published 1798 ref: Google Groups.
The quote there is: Zu schoen fuer unsere Ohren, und gewaltig viel Noten, lieber Mozart! —
"Too good for our ears, and a lot of notes, dear Mozart!"
We'll ignore the fact that the quote may have been manufactured by that author, because I am sure it is based on a true story.
Comments
Post a Comment