Several months ago I had the good fortune to read Louise Penny’s A Fatal Grace, as good a mystery as I’ve ever sampled, the second in her award winning Inspector Gamache series. Last night, courtesy of Netflix, I viewed Still Life (2013), based on the first novel in the series, which I haven‘t read. As is usually the case, it is not nearly as satisfying as a book. It fails to deliver the detailed characterizations the author so expertly portrays, especially in the case of the arrogant, embittered female assistant, who I assume Penny fleshes out throughout the series. The commentary section at IMDb is almost universal in stating disappointment with the Canadian production and unfamiliar cast. One aspect it did get right is the location, which is just like the idyllic small town outside Montreal described in the novel. 91 users have rated the film, forging to a consensus of 5.5 of ten, a tad low. I rate it three on a scale of five. I must also say that I miss a lot when there is no close captioning. Many nuances in dialogue or plot points might have escaped me. I had no problem with the cast. It is almost impossible to find an exact match to a literary character. I did chuckle at the black woman’s appearance. She was a lot younger and slimmer than her literary counterpart. She was entirely in the background in the film, whereas she had a larger, though minor role in A Fatal Grace. What sets that work apart from genre works is the accurate depiction of humanity, not only the criminal but the average person.
The floating book shop was rained out today.
Vic'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://tiny.cc/rP7o9
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://tiny.cc/rP7o9
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/
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