Hey folks, Harry here with a report from Angus, that misunderstood high school fella, that frankly... Has hit the nail on the head with this report. Now I've followed with great interest the back and forth on BEING JOHN MALKOVICH... it seems that while most folks seem to be loving it, there is a group that just isn't. What can I tell you people that didn't love BEING JOHN MALKOVICH? I don't know. Sometimes there are paintings that strike a universal chord, and sometimes there are paintings that begin appealing at an individual level. And I think... BJM is one of those. A painting that not everyone hangs on their wall, but for those who do... It's a glorious work of art. And for me... Well... I'm dying to see the next one, and that is what this report from Angus is going to shed some light upon. Read on... and enjoy...
Hey, Harry,
Knowing your love of BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, I thought you might be interested in a little scoopage about the other antics of the screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman.
The November 10 VARIETY reported that Spike Jonze is signing on for the next Kaufman project, ADAPTATION. This is fantastic news, as it's one of the funniest scripts I've ever read -- and seemingly the most unfilmable. Kinda like -- you guessed it -- BJM.
ADAPTATION began life as just that -- an adaptation of a best-selling book entitled "The Orchid Thief." Susan Orlean, a New Yorker scribe, wrote an interesting piece about an obsessive orchid collector prosecuted for breaking into a swamp and stealing a rare flower.
The screenplay for ADAPTATION opens with a character named "Charlie Kaufman" -- who constantly refers to himself as "old, fat and bald" -- being given the assignment to turn "The Orchid Thief" into a screenplay. However, he's suffering from terrible writer's block, and spends most of the script delivering long interior monologues about his old, fat baldness. These devastating scenes of self-flagellation are hilarious, if your sense of humor is as black as Kaufman's.
Scenes from Orlean's book are brought to life, intermingling with moments of Kaufman's comparably dull, aimless life. Kaufman struggles with his identical twin brother, Donald (who, by the way, receives a co-writing credit despite being a fictional character). Donald is one of the script's most brilliant creations; he wants to be a writer like his smarter brother, but he's an absolute hack. Of course, this means Donald falls in with screenwriting guru Robert McKee, who is portrayed as something of an evil cult leader. Later in the story, even Charlie Kaufman is brainwashed by McKee's advice.
The story continues with Charlie obsessing over the beauty and brains of Susan Orlean, and stalking her. Everything comes to a head in the swamp, which is cleverly capped off by a big third-act battle straight out of McKee's "STORY."
This may sound pointless and overly self-reflexive, but it's consistently funny and dark. It's almost as if Kaufman is showing he can skewer himself as adroitly as he did Malkovich. I still can't really imagine the finished product, but that's a good sign that we'll all be in for a pleasant surprise.
I also read Kaufman's script for CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND -- the Chuck Barris biopic -- and found it pretty damn brilliant too. Does anyone know what's going on with this violent, funny project?
Later,
ANGUS
