Subject
Fwd: Re: Robert Evans and ADA film project (circa 1969)
From
Date
Body
Swifty Lazar, Nabokov's Hollywood agent -- or at least I think that's what he
was -- told that story some years ago on Bob Costas' old TV show "Later." I
think he and Evans were there together. Lazar's impression was the same,
though, that it was a "book for intellectuals" that he couldn't imagine seeing
as a movie.
What does everyone else think?
My idea of a model adaptation of a literary novel with an unusual structure is
Philip Kaufman's film of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Do you think it's
possible to put "Ada" or "Pale Fire" on film in a way that would satisfy not so
much a mass audience but, say, a reasonably intelligent filmgoer who had not
read the book? That's the true test.
Rodney Welch
-----Original Message-----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
Sent: Mar 15, 2005 1:37 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Robert Evans and ADA film project (circa 1969)
One thing I have never seen mentioned on this email group is the
discussion of 'Ada' in Robert Evan's autobiography "The Kid Stays In
The Picture". According to the legendary producer, he flew overnight
to Europe to read the final draft of 'Ada', with a view to purchasing
the film rights. I seem to remember he claims to have read it all in
one night and reluctantly passed on the opportunity to buy it as "it
might have been a work of genius" but "I sure as hell couldn't
understand it". He notes with pride that "to this day, they still
can't figure out how to shoot the damn thing!".
Heh. Anyway, I read The Kid Stays In The Picture a couple of years
ago, so that's probably a highly inaccurate recollection.... a highly
recommended autobiography though, especially as the people on this
list are probably fans of "unreliable narrators"..... ;-)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0263172/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj0wfHE9cm9iZXJ0IGV2YW5zfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=2;ft=20;fm=1
Andy
----- End forwarded message -----
was -- told that story some years ago on Bob Costas' old TV show "Later." I
think he and Evans were there together. Lazar's impression was the same,
though, that it was a "book for intellectuals" that he couldn't imagine seeing
as a movie.
What does everyone else think?
My idea of a model adaptation of a literary novel with an unusual structure is
Philip Kaufman's film of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Do you think it's
possible to put "Ada" or "Pale Fire" on film in a way that would satisfy not so
much a mass audience but, say, a reasonably intelligent filmgoer who had not
read the book? That's the true test.
Rodney Welch
-----Original Message-----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
Sent: Mar 15, 2005 1:37 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Robert Evans and ADA film project (circa 1969)
One thing I have never seen mentioned on this email group is the
discussion of 'Ada' in Robert Evan's autobiography "The Kid Stays In
The Picture". According to the legendary producer, he flew overnight
to Europe to read the final draft of 'Ada', with a view to purchasing
the film rights. I seem to remember he claims to have read it all in
one night and reluctantly passed on the opportunity to buy it as "it
might have been a work of genius" but "I sure as hell couldn't
understand it". He notes with pride that "to this day, they still
can't figure out how to shoot the damn thing!".
Heh. Anyway, I read The Kid Stays In The Picture a couple of years
ago, so that's probably a highly inaccurate recollection.... a highly
recommended autobiography though, especially as the people on this
list are probably fans of "unreliable narrators"..... ;-)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0263172/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj0wfHE9cm9iZXJ0IGV2YW5zfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=2;ft=20;fm=1
Andy
----- End forwarded message -----