The ads for this HBO production promise that this will be one helluva great movie. I know nothing about the play, which ran on Broadway around 10 years ago. Any of you Noo Yawkas seen it? I’m interested in how they’ll translate a play into a 6 hour movie. Was it great? Do you think film can do it justice?
I saw it, Kalhoun, but in Seattle, not on Broadway. I remember it as long, but not in any way boring – though it got pretty heavy handed at times. Oddly, I can remember almost nothing about it now, even though I remember being impressed by it at the time. How’s that for an utterly unhelpful answer?
Its good if viewed as a play and not a history. A lot of people get annoyed with some of its ahistorical takes (very harsh on Roy Cohen (who probably deserves it) and the Reagan Administration), but it was never written to be factual. It was written to spread a message, an idea, and its quite a beautiful work as well.
As for the film doing it justice… it might or it might bomb the thing horribly. I think it depends on whether the people who wrote and directed it all understood the spirit of the play. If they didn’t then they’ll never get it right even if the script is word-for-word.
I saw both parts on Broadway with a friend of mine. However, I must qualify my answer a little bit:
When I first moved to the East Coast, I was very excited by my proximity to live theatre and the opportunity to see Broadway productions. However, after several years and many shows, I came to the conclusion that I only really like live theatre when my friends are in it. Otherwise, I prefer the intimacy and immediacy of film.
Also, I didn’t love the plays. I thought they were overly verbose and emotionally cold (but then, again, how can one create a sense of intimacy in a drafty theatre filled with people?). Basically, too many monologues, too much exposition.
IIRC, I liked the second one better.
Having said that, I actually think that the plays might transfer well. There are certain strong visual images and effects that can only look better on TV, IMO. The dialog would need to be pruned a little, maybe a couple speeches shortened, but the cast they’ve got lined up is certainly strong enough to shoulder the expositional load and warm it up a little. Give it a sense of urgency, and not just stand center stage and declaim.
I do realize I am a philistine, so YMMV.