|
Literature
and film
have always wined and dined with each other but many a time it has
turned out
to be not such a successful marriage. With an individual’s imagination
always
being unique, it can be hard for one director’s vision to match the
mass
difference in expectation. Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is about
as much
loved a book as you are ever going to find. It
is the quintessential book of the “beat
generation”, a phrase coined by Kerouac himself. The classic has been
bought,
read and dog-eared across the globe for over half a century. Now with the help of director Walter Salles
the world gets to go on the road through the safety of your local
darkened
cinema.
On the
Road is the
story of the destructive
but symbiotic friendship between Sal Paradise (Sam Riley) and Dean
Moriarty
(Garrett Hedlund). Sal is the alter ego
of writer Kerouac who writes of his real life experience through 1947
to 1950.
After a debilitating sickness and a breakup, Sal reaches and emotional
turning
point in his early twenties. He now desires more from life. To be
fueled by
people with passion in their hearts. People that he describes are “mad
to
live”. This is how he meats Dean. Together with his friend Karlo Marx
and Dean’s
girlfriend Marylou (Kirstin Stewart), they embark upon a series of
travels
across America. Travels that will reveal a deeper truth than the one
they
wanted or expected.
The
change of any
human from youth to adult is the most pivotal and emotional transition
in ones
lifetime. Of the main actors cast to
portray this, Sam Riley really is quite believable as Sal.
His performance is quiet yet he manages to
ground the piece well. You can see the interest behind his eyes
throughout the
film and he remains a good choice to play Sal. Kirstin Dunst portrays
Camille,
who is another open-heart follower of Dean Moriaty. She puts in a
suitably
fragile performance, as does Tom Sturridge as Carlo Marx. The film is
greatly
let down by Hedlund and Stewart as Dean and Marylou. The two characters
supposed to bring the most fire and unpredictable behavior to the work,
are the
two actors weighed down by the worst of the casting decisions. With
their
acting history ranging from Twilight to Tron, these two anchor the
piece in MTV
pouting and detract from the fine performances of the entire supporting
cast.
With believable work from Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams and Steve Buscemi
their
lack of ability is even more obvious. They detract from the film in a
large and
typically disappointing way.
On the
Road is shot
on location, adding a beautifully
authentic and rich atmosphere to the piece. The production design is
accurate
and detailed. It is a joy to listen to the music played throughout.
Also hugely
enjoyable is the cinematography. The film is shot wide when on the road
and
closely intimate when the script requires. On
the Road looks marvelous in the cinema and should be experienced
that way
by lovers of the book and cinema alike. Salles direction is tight and
the
storyline keeps to the book in wise fashion. All this does over ride
the bad
casting decisions, but it is unfortunate that it even has to. Such a
loved
story is bigger than the time period it is shot in, and the film would
have
benefited greatly from the casting of unknown actors.
Fans
of the book and
the time period will love On the Road.
It’s a film with an enticing beating heart and a lovely visual palette.
The
relaxed pace at which the piece is directed while still obtaining a
strong
undercurrent of emotions at play, are the strongest factors of the
film. This
in a lovely way is also keeping accurate to the experience of reading
Kerouac’s
book. On the Road is a slow, emotional and beautifully made
movie. Not
entirely perfect but well worth the trip.
|
