Thursday, November 15, 2012

House of Mirth: Film vs. Text

I thought it was really interesting to see some of the film adaptation of House of Mirth today in class.  I think they definitely pumped up the drama to make it more cinematic, but in most cases I didn't mind it.  One thing I wasn't quite sure about the casting of Selden.  The actor they chose to play him seemed more slight and less dynamic than I pictured in the novel.  While it did kind of throw me to see Dan Akroyd in this kind of role, I thought he did a good job in the parts we saw.  I actually liked the casting of Rosedale, because it set up a contrast between his character and Dan Akroyd's where he seemed like the lesser of two evils, but Lily still didn't want anything to do with him until it was too late.  Watching the film, I got more of an impression that Lily refused Rosedale's proposal because of the frankness and bluntness of his offer.  He didn't try to woo her at all, but was unapologetically straightforward.  After some time passes and Lily's other prospects dry up, Rosedale seems much more appealing.  Lily's aunt also had a stronger presence in the film than in the text for me.  The casting of her character and the staging of her scenes made her seem very vicious and almost frightening.  As for Gillian Anderson playing Lily, for the most part I thought it was fine.  Like I said earlier, it might have been a little bit overacted, but that added interest on a certain level for me.  She became a more volatile character, and her downward descent was that much more compelling to observe.  One thing I noticed was how much her breathing was exaggerated - it seemed like every other scene she was in ended with her gasping dramatically for air.  This could have to do with her having to put up a front and virtually hold her breath when she's among other people to maintain a dignified composure.  The tragedy of her character definitely came across, and in that way I think the film was successful.      

3 comments:

  1. I believe that the breathing to replace her blushes and such. So now her femininity and her delicacy is enhanced by showing her loosing her breath. I think it is great they did this part because it allowed people to see a different Lily who was not always composed. Also her loss of breath can show that corsets were not the best in those days. As far as I know women were still wearing those traps that held them tight and they literally lost their breath from how tight they were. Other than that the actress did a great job.

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  2. I think that Cecilia is right: we're meant to see LIly's emotion, and the breathing conveys that. Selden is played by Eric Stoltz.

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  3. I am so glad someone posted about the movie. I did not agree with most of the casting, especially when it came to Selden. However I have to agree that the role of Rosedale was filled appropriately. I found many of the actors to be flat within their roles and that they made Edith Wharton’s novel anything but appealing. I believe a lot of this is due to the filming as well. The pivotal scene of Lily Bart as a painting was barely three seconds long, yet the director had no problem filming water for three minutes. Though I would have re-casted Lily as well, I do believe the actress did a good job at showing how physically and emotionally broken Lily becomes. Overall, I think the film could have been much better.

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