by Dodai Stewart
The thing about turning iconic American literary work into a movie is that there’s no way the folks on screen are going to look like who readers pictured in their heads. So the new On The Road stills are jarring.
On The Road, written by Jack Kerouac in 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957, has been called “The novel that defined a generation.” The film version stars Garrett Hedlund as Dean Moriarty and Kristen Stewart as Marylou. (See more images here.)
Now Kristen Stewart, to her credit, does not look like a miserable vampire-loving mopey girl from Forks in these stills. She looks happy. Ready to explore America! Still, I just pictured Marylou different, somehow.
Here’s what Keroauc writes about Marylou on page two of the Penguin Books edition of On The Road (which I plucked from my bookshelf):
Marylou was a pretty blonde with immense ringlets of hair like a sea of golden tresses; she sat there on the edge of the couch with her hands hanging in her lap and her smoky blue country eyes fixed in a wide stare because she was in an evil gray New York pad that she’d heard about back West, and waiting like a longbodied emaciated Modigliani surrealist woman in a serious room. But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.
Okay, it’s not like you actually expect the filmmakers to cast some one who looks like a Modigliani surrealist woman. And when I first read this book, I didn’t even know what that meant, I only knew that these characters were wild wanderers from a different era. I pictured them looking like hippies, even though that’s all wrong. I thought Marylou was basically Janis from the Muppets, and I thought Dean Moriarity looked like Frank Zappa. I realize this makes no sense but I was 15 and still figuring stuff out. But books do that: The words create a blueprint and your mind colors it in. I also pictured Sal Paradise looking like Sal Mineo.
In any case, Garrett Hedlund actually lines up fairly well with Kerouac’s description of Dean:
My first impression of Dean was of a young Gene Autry — trim, thin-hipped, blue-eyed, with a real Oklahoma accent — a side-burned hero of the snowy West.
Trying to do justice to such a famous book is a really tough assignment, and no doubt some people will be furious that the “chick from Twilight” is involved. (One blogger said the main shot of Dean and Marylou, at the top of this page, looks like “a picture out of an Urban Outfitters catalog.”) But if anyone can make it work, director Walter Salles — who’s best known for another truly beautiful road picture, The Motorcycle Diaries — probably can. Fingers crossed.
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By Dodai Stewart, originally published on Jezebel. Republished WITH PERMISSION MOTHERF*CKERS.
i always have such a hart time when they make films of my favourite books. let’s hope they make justice to such a wonderful story. i’m also having this problem with the american remake of the Larsson’s millenium…oh well, fingers cross right?
I can’t even describe how excited I am by this film. It’s my all time favorite book and I just really hope it lives up to it.
From the ages 11 to 13 I had a growing experience thanks to the release of the Harry Potter movies. At first I was so mad because SO many things were SO WRONG and it hurt. But in time, I came to realize that I could enjoy the books and movies whole-heartedly and INDEPENDENT of one another and have since lived a much better life.
Basically, I’m excited. I think it will be amazing and if not, I will be staring and KStew the whole time so I’ll be content either way.
I am on a lonely island of one because I still do not get what is so damn great about Kristen Stewart.
One word, three T’s: Hottt.
And she seems prepared to make more than one facial expression.
basically.
Can I join you on that island?
Yes, you can. And on that island we can discuss why I don’t think KStew is “Teh Hott” or why she constantly looks like she’s equal parts bored and constipated most of the time.
Oh and if you also don’t get Justin Bieber and the need to look like him then I will bake you any cake of your choosing.
Do I get a cake too, because I am SO on board here. I’ll even help with the baking.
Second picture reminded me of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEJbmXBENyA
Yet another book in which I just envisioned myself as one of the men in the story, because the women were treated by the author as being totally inconsequential.
same
All I can think looking at that picture is ‘Oh my god her thighs are tiny!’ Is that photoshopped?!
another reason why i dont care about kristen stewart. what are they gonna do about the end when they have ‘sex’ with the underage mexican prostitues. i had like, feelings about all that.
I’m actually not posting on the above article, I just wanted to post on the most recent article so sorry for the digression (but I know we’re all fans of the odd digression – hello kittens and unicorns – so I’m sure you’ll all forgive me)
This is a bit silly but that’s not unusual for me so I’ll just go with it…. I was trawling through old comment awards for some light amusement and I came across that horrible woman Emily Forrester who wrote disgusting/religious nonsense on the bottom of the post which referred to the recent teen suicides and Lance Bass being gay (before boy band members outing themselves became too passe). And I was thinking how strange and attention seeking it was that she used her real name so I thought I’d see if I could find her. And Eureka: I have.
Some things I have found out about our closeted Ms Forrester:
Her maiden name was Witcher in high school, but she was nicknamed Bitcher. She was universally hated and is currently a very unpopular teacher in a small town school. She has one lawsuit pending for bullying a 10 year old from the parents of the child, and a slew of onsite hatred is directed at her. Much of it seems to be directed at her promiscuity and lack of morals.
So maybe we should all feel a bit sorry for her and not hate her so much. And maybe none of you really needed to hear this/and have completely forgotten/forgiven and I don’t need to be as much of a troll as our own dear Ms Forrester. But I feel some kind of vindication and pity and I thought maybe I could sharesies?
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i will automatically love any movie whose cinematography looks like the images from an urban outfitters catalog. as many problems i may have with the company, they know a thing or two about image.
See, TOTALLY agreeing with Juliamarisa up there
**pauses to sneeze for the upteenth time!**
Those pictures just look wonderful, and sorta how I’d imagened it. But Stewart…meh. I’m not a big fan at all.
Kristen Stewart offends me and especially now she is the film adaption of my favourite book. I am taking this very personally.