Great Movie, just One Problem......

My English lit teachers is good friends with Margaret Edson, so our recent studying of both the play and the film have both been extremely insightful. Unfortunately, my teacher uses the word "hate" to describe Edson's reaction to this film, and she sights two examples. The first one is when Emma Thompson is sitting up alone before her pelvic exam she recites "Death Be Not Proud"....incorrectly. Margaret Edson was FURIOUS. She also disliked how the ending (to make this relevant) lost all of the transcendent effect. To have it end with a corpse on the hospital bed does no one any good. In the play they usually have the actress playing Bearing completely disrobe and walk up the aisles into a light being shined (shone?...lol) on the back of the house. She was very upset to have this effect lost.

My guess would be that a "fade to" anything, would allow the viewer to forget too quickly everything that was in the film, and everything that the lead character went through, and felt, etc. Whereas focusing on a photograph, or even a freeze-frame of her in her end state is far more powerful to the viewer. And it's true that the play's ending (I've not seen it, but from just from what you've described) would not translate well on film. In fact, hearing about the play's ending reminds me of the play to movie, "Angels in America," and there were scenes in that movie which definitely didn't "feel" right, and as I watched, I just found myself not enjoying the film at all. Which was a shame, because it had a great cast. This movie, on the other hand, was done really well, and while I completely understand the playright's feelings (and the recitation of the poem definitely should have been recited/read properly if they were going to do it at all) and I too, would hate to see things changed if it was my vision which was being translated from play to movie, or book to movie, sometimes you have to accept that there are some things which cannot be done in a film as they would be done in a play or book.

Anyway, personally, I like the transition from her death face to her portrait. It reminds you of who she was, not who she became (which was a beautiful, vibrant professor, tough as nails, yes, but alive, not a research guinea pig subject to doctors' whims, and a shell of who she used to be).

And yes, I agree with others from other threads, that Emma Thompson DEFINITELY should have won an award for her portrayal of Vivian Bearing in this movie. But then, the Oscars/Emmys/whatever, never seem to properly recognize the movies that should be recognized.


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