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Memoirs of Hadrian
#1
Greetings,
'Memoirs of Hadrian' by Maguerite Yourcenar is to be turned into a film. Directed by John Boorman and with screenplay partially written by Valerio Manfredi (who is getting everywhere right now... :lol: )
The only actor signed so far is Antonio Banderas to play Hadrian....
Shooting will begin next spring....with a $30 million budget...
[url:1m6nzoc1]http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467470/maindetails[/url]
regards
Arthes
Cristina
The Hoplite Association
[url:n2diviuq]http://www.hoplites.org[/url]
The enemy is less likely to get wind of an advance of cavalry, if the orders for march were passed from mouth to mouth rather than announced by voice of herald, or public notice. Xenophon
-
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#2
Antonio is an actor? Bah humbug

Manfredi might come up with a decent script. I hope he doesn't ruin it like Oliver Stone ruined Alexander with all that sexuality stuff. The original Yourcenar did a very well balanced job and in particular Hadrian's love for a cute boy/young man doesn't get all that much in the way.
Jeffery Wyss
"Si vos es non secui of solutio tunc vos es secui of preciptate."
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#3
I can't imagine that it will be anything else than awful... :x
One of the screenwriters is also credited for...... "Druids" :roll:
--- Marcus F. ---
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#4
It does sound potentially a bad concept - which is a shame. 'Memoirs of Hadrian' is one of my favourite novels, but its brilliance rests largely on the style of the writing - that very sober stately prose style, which is about as close as artifice can get to the real thing, and is as a result is most convincing. The idea of the book being an extended letter to Marcus Aurelius, and therefore a sort of prequel to the 'Meditations', gives it much of its texture - without this serious classical framing, it could all too easily turn into a lurid tale of boy-love and world domination. The novel could indeed make a good movie - but it would be a slow meditative sort of film, probably with a lot of long-shots of the emperor pacing along the colonnades of the Villa Adriana, deep in thought, probably with a lot of voice-overs and montage sequences - bit of an art thing, in other words. Casting Banderas in the lead role, however, suggests something else altogether.

Somehow I don't see Hadrian - either the original or Yourcenar's avatar - as a hunky all-action sort of dude. Will he personally lead his legions into the thick of the Jewish revolt? Surely not - but neither can I imagine Banderas frowning about the camp after dark, pondering the death of the distant Jewish rebel and wondering (hunkily) how that death reflects on his own mortality...
Nathan Ross
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#5
I wouldn't be too hard on Antonio Banderas. If you've seen 'Imagining Argentina' you would know what I mean, and he was Denzel's partner in 'Philadelphia' (not exactly an action hero role). Also, there are three screenwriters (one of which is the author of the Last Legion, therefore he has some historical knowledge on Rome), so John Boorman has likely been making sure the material is dealt with properly or there would have probably only been one so far. Speaking of whom, he's certainly a great one to be making this film imho.

'Druids' was not the best film I've seen Confusedhock: but I've worked on a few turkeys as well, and the director makes all the difference :? The screenwriter of that also wrote 'Excalibur' and 'the Emerald Forest', which were both John Boorman films as well, so I wouldn't panic about this one. They obviously collaborate well.

Cheers.
TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
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#6
Greetings from Hungary Smile
sorry, i don't speak English well :oops:


Quote:Antonio is an actor? Bah humbug

Antonio Banderas is a highly talented and intelligent artist: actor, director and singer (Evita, Broadway success: musical "Nine" )
His career began in Pedro Almodóvar's artistic films and he won many awards and had many nominations
(e.g. 3 Golden Globe nominations)

Yes, among his movies there are also action-movies, what's the matter with it?
Lots of people don't know anything about his artistic roles.

So don't worry, he would play the character of Hadrian wonderfully Wink

Here's the answer: Yes, he's an A C T O R Tongue wink:

Sorry, just wanted to protect him Smile
Kata
from the ancient Savaria
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#7
Hi Éowyn, welcome to RAT.
I liked you very much in LOTR III. Big Grin
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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#8
[Image: 4669409.gif]
I also liked myself in LotR III :mrgreen:
Kata
from the ancient Savaria
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#9
If he's anything like he was in the "13th Warrior" I'll at least rent the movie on DVD... :lol:
Cheers,
Jenny
Founder, Roman Army Talk and RomanArmy.com

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
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#10
If you haven't read Michael Crichton's novella which 'The 13th Warrior' is based on, you should (Eaters of the Dead). Crichton had to take over directing the film because of problems with the original director, I heard. Banderas' character is an actual historical figure, and his actual memoirs are mixed with the legend of Beowulf.
TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
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#11
I have managed to read most of Crichton while missing that one, so perhaps it'll be a future Amazon.com purchase. Thanks.

I also liked Jurassic Park and Timeline, although the movie adaptations lacked a lot of the science which always make Crichton so interesting.

The "13th Warrior" made the boogeymen look rather preposterous -- they live in caves and are savages, but they can manage to feed, raise, and conceal vast herds of warhorses?

However there are some wicked lines in the movie. I especially like the one that all the characters speak together at the climax of the final battle...
Cheers,
Jenny
Founder, Roman Army Talk and RomanArmy.com

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
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#12
Salve,

The account of Ahmed ibn Fadlan's travels amongst the Rus Vikings in the 10th century is very real and as far as I know directly transcribed from the original, up to the point when they go up to Skandinavia - Michael Crichton then made the rest up (in the book the monsters were resurgent neanderthals with a matriachial society)!

If you like this sort of thing, try ready the original Icelandic sagas, expecially the Saga of Grettir.

Vale,

Celer.
Marcus Antonius Celer/Julian Dendy.
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#13
I did gather they were Neanderthals, which is an interesting idea.
Cheers,
Jenny
Founder, Roman Army Talk and RomanArmy.com

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
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