subject: Display easel art for the silver screen: Cormac McCarthy movie adaptations pt. 2 [print this page] Cormac McCarthys dark, bloody and often apocalyptic novels for the longest time were said to be unfilmable, but it wasnt until the Coen brothers directed an adaptation of McCarthys novel No Country For Old Men that people thought again about the possibility of adapting his work for the silver screen. McCarthy is not a prolific writer, with only ten novels in more than forty years but already three of them have been adapted for the screen. Some of his novels, namely Child of God and Suttree seem too dark and grotesque even for Hollywood, but you never know, No Country For Old Men was dark but the Coen brothers were able to turn it into art worthy ofdisplay easel. Here is a list of current and future Cormac McCarthy film adaptations. All the Pretty Horses This film directed by Billy Bob Thornton and starring Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz received largely negative reviews by critics who though the film was not a proper adaptation of the dramatic novel. Many critics found the love story between the two main leads as lacking in chemistry and not nearly as powerful as the novel. The original film is said to be around three or four hours but Thornton was forced to cut an hour off the picture, which Damon and Thornton believe hurt the storytelling and final vision for the film. There have been talks about releasing an uncut DVD of the film, but there have been further legal troubles with Daniel Lanois, who made the original score and owns the rights to the music. I wouldn't bet my poker chips in seeing the film uncut on DVD anytime soon. Blood Meridian This endlessly dark and bloody novel about the Glanton gang, a historical group of scalp hunters who murdered many Indians and non-Indians along the US-Mexico borderlands in the middle of the 19th century is reported to be adapted into a feature length film by Todd Field, the director of In the Bedroom and Little Children, two intense and emotional family-focused films. It will be interesting to see how Field adapts Blood Meridian, a similarly dark picture but one that has a broader focus than Fields usual suburban dramas. There is no word yet about who will star in the picture but reports are that it is set to be released in 2011, so look for more news about it in the coming year.
Display easel art for the silver screen: Cormac McCarthy movie adaptations pt. 2
