Remake The Green Mile

I think as a general rule we can expect not to enjoy a movie based on a book we really adore. Two personal examples are Sphere, the movie of which I was seriously disappointed in, and The Princess Bride, which I felt came up short. With subsequent viewings these movies seem much better to me than the first time.

I have not read The Green Mile yet, and can't comment, other than to say what I've already said, except I know that The Green Mile movie is a very good movie. I think subsequent viewings of it only get better.

what with the very sad (and too early) passing of michael clarke duncan...i decided to give this one another go...i came away with a bit of a better apreciation for the movie ( i no longer am totally dismissive of it) and a better appreciation for duncans coffey: he comes very close to owning the character...

i still think hanks, as the other lead, brought out more of his bland, wishy-washy countenance than he usually does: when he has a strong director...one that understands character and motivation (jonathan demme..or, even, penny marshall)...he delivers top notch stuff...imho, not here, not this time

...and most of the rest of the cast, while top notch character actors, also seem seem adrift half the time...

and this leads me to my biggest sore point on this and a few other king adaptions: the director

i know...i know...so many of you absolutely love good ol' frank...everything he touches, king-wise, is golden to many, so does unka stevie (just like he loves that TV guy he over-uses)...

but darabount ??

well...he just literally bores me as a director...much the same exact way ron howard does...his choices, on so many levels, is so very safe: for me, he literally limits his actors by his consistent non-direction: his forte seems a sort of wistful aimlessness...his scriptwriting is way overrated...his lighting choices drive me bonkers; this thing is lit like a bad tv movie...

what's that you say ? frank brings no passion ??well...

franks been quoted as saying that 'the mist' should've been done as a B&W altogether...excuse me ?

so...why can't a major hollywood director (not to mention, one that, supposedly, has the 100% backing of one of the worlds pre-eminent authors - the author of the story being filmed) have the ability to just make it in 'real' B&W, anyway...they've done it numerous times...unless, of course, that same director just doesn't have the fire to push hard for it...

and that, for me , sums up darabount in a nutshell: some talent, no passion...and, for me at least, it shows in the performances he gets out of most of his actors in most of his movies

don't get me wrong...this isn't a bad film, but like shawshank...it's not as good as as could be given a powerful vision by a steadier, more thoughtful director

just my humble O...

I think John Coffey was an awesume pick. I loved the movie and is one of my favorites.

I disagree with you about Darabont, Guido, but not about Mick Garris. I think Darabont has a sensitivity and a knack for not stepping into the craptacular even while he's dealing with elements of the supernatural. It's easier for him to get a viewer to suspend disbelief than Garris, who übers virtually everything in his flicks.

I'm waiting for Steven Soderbergh or Ron Howard to tackle a King project. I think either of them could blast one right out of the water and do it justice.

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Originally Posted by guido tkp

don't get me wrong...this isn't a bad film, but like shawshank...it's not as good as as could be given a powerful vision by a steadier, more thoughtful director

just my humble O...

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And you are entitled to your opinion. I personally wouldn't change a thing about this movie, or Shawshank. I'm always happy when I notice friends on sites like Facebook rating these movies amongst their favourites and I know they are definitely not fans of SK's work. These people have referred to them as "classics" that any generation can watch and enjoy numerous times and still feel an emotional response to...that says it all for me. I feel these movies could never be improved upon. :smile2:

No movie makes me cry as much as The Green Mile does,here in Yorshire men normally only cry if they lose their wallet.There are a lot of turkey SK adaptions out there,but this isn't one of them

I think,just my own opinion,that in the Green Mile,the characters of Hanks and David Morse were understated just as they were in the book,which was part of the personality they were supposed to portray as death row guards..that is why the bad guys were kinda over the top,the guard was not suited to that type of work..Morse is really good at playing these types of roles,restrained but his face shows the pain,see "The Crossing Guard" and "The Indian Runner"..Hanks has no problem hamming it up tho,remember when he showed Lyndon Johnson his war wound in forrest gump?:grinning:heehee..

i fully agree that darbount is better than garris...i'll take frank any day over garris

and there hae been some truly awful king adaptions: TGM isn't one of those...but, for me, just like RH&TSR, it isn't quite as succeesful as an awful lot of the world sees it as being...and that's fine

just trying to kindly point out that there are legitimate reasons for fans of both cinema and king not to be in love with this movie, my friends

i believe i alluded to hanks having very good instincts and abilities..at times, given the right set of circumstances...and i don't feel he was even close to hamming it up...but i have to disagree that he and morse were very successful, if that's what they were going for, in being understaed...i understand that method...that's not what i came away with, in any of my viewings...

but, hey...to each his own

i do think ally is on to something, at least where Shawshank is concerned...i run into an awful lot of people who love that movie and cannot believe it is from king...kinda like people were about Stand By Me...all those years ago

now that was a great movie

Totally agree with you on "Stand By Me" :) that's a classic.

You have a very well thought out opinion here :) but I'll say my opinion is different. Frank has a much better instinct than Garris when it comes to films based on King's work. I don't agree with every decision he makes, by far, as far as what he cuts and changes etc. but I do think he manages to "get it right" most of the time. Hanks's character especially, I was glad his delivery was pulled back to a big degree. Being such an icon he can sometimes overshadow a character with his own persona. In the case of the Green Mile I really, really think he brought the character of Paul Edgecomb to the screen wonderfully.

Michael Clarke Duncan's portrayal of John Coffey was nothing short of brilliant. This movie was the first that came to mind when I heard of his untimely passing, I really feel like he was blooming into one of the greatest actors of the current generation. Such a horrible loss to film.

Guido, great post :)

i totally agree on MCD's talent..he was awesome under a gorilla mask in burtons wildy uneven POTA remake...

and he is ...well...was a name i would actually seek out for distinctly great character acting...much like so many of the people in this film: anyone remember doug hutchison as the creepy killer from the first season or two of 'the x files'...he was the one that came out of hibernation every 40-50 years and gobbled up people...could squeeze through cracks in the walls...