The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 8/29

Larry McMurtrey’s Lonesome Dove is a great novel. I have not come across any work that depicts what settlers faced better than that epic. It was adapted into a fine mini-series. Last night I watched a film with a similar theme, The Homesman (2014), adapted from a novel by Glendon Swarthout. Tommy Lee Jones directed and adapted the screenplay with two others. He also stars. The tone is somber, grim throughout, unlike in Lonesome Dove, which is leavened by wonderful humor. The story is compelling, however. Three women, mail order brides, have been driven mad by the harshness of pioneer life in the Nebraska territory of the 1850's. The local reverend arranges for them to be sent to a church in Iowa, where they will be transported back to their families in the east. Hillary Swank plays a deeply religious spinster who takes on the five-week trek. Along the way she “recruits” Jones to help. I did not like a major turn the narrative took, although it was certainly feasible, and there is a scene involving a fire I thought unnecessary. Some elements work better in a novel than they do on screen. The cast is first rate. Several stalwarts took small parts to work under Jones’ direction: John Lithgow, James Spader and Meryl Streep, whose daughter, Grace Gummer, plays one of the madwomen. Barry Corbin, William Ficthner and Tim Blake Nelson, great supporting players, also appear. 16,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Homesman, forging to a consensus of 6.6 of ten. On a scale of five, I rate it 3.25. Those who are averse to the downbeat should pass. There is also very little action, despite great dramatic tension. It runs a little over two hours. I was surprised to discover this was Jones’ fourth stint at the helm, two of the others having been TV movies. He also has two other writing credits, one as uncredited monologue writer for The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978).

As everyone knows, there are a lot of sickies out there. This week on Facebook two bogus deaths were reported, Steven Seagal and James Earl Jones. The internet is one of the greatest inventions of all-time, but there’s nothing to prevent the perversion of it in a free society. Such behavior conjures phrases that web users now abbreviate, such as WTF and SMH. I don’t know if an abbreviation has been conjured for that old standby: “Some people…”

Since Thursday I’ve had music pieces playing in my head constantly. First it was the Habanera from the opera Carmen. Friday it was The Girl from Ipanema. On this morning’s walk it was Zager and Evans ode to paranoia, In the Year 2525. And I’m pretty sure I haven’t heard any of them recently. The mind works in mysterious ways.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today on Bay Parkway, the first decent sales day since last Saturday. Last week Conspiracy Guy said he went into the Chase bank, in full cavalry uniform, and warned them they wouldn't get away with something similar to what happened in Greece. He threatened to hang the manager if any chicanery occurred. Or so he says. Today he handed me a business card and said: "if the s--- hits the fan, you're protected." Here's what it looks like:

Army of the American People

-AAP-

Brig. Gen. Steven S. B------

1st Kings Regiment

1st NY Division

Somehow he has the impression I'm a fellow radical and not the evil conservative I am. Some people...

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/