It must be at least 50 years since I read Steinbeck's novella, and it stays with one. But there is still something off-putting about it, and I don't think I ever re-read it. I don't think I'll be re-watching this movie, either. Yes, both story and movie are moving and touching. They are also highly depressing, and have a sort of ugly fascination about them, rather than being enjoyable or impressive.
This film adaptation is very faithful, if I remember the original rightly, although there may be a few adjustments here and there. Someone else has mentioned, however, that Malkovich doesn't seem quite right as the big lunk-head. He's too intelligent, and it's permanently distracting to watch him act dumb. This Lennie just isn't fully credible, and I kept catching myself distancing myself from the performance, watching it in a sort of bemused way. What was this man's mental age meant to be? I have a six year old grandson who is way brighter: Lennie seemed to have a mental age of about 2 and a half. At the same time it was all too obvious that Malkovich has an IQ well above average. He was just pretending, and that's not good acting. Also, I don't believe he's really that big and strong, and I kept asking myself how the visual appearance was being manipulated. I just knew he didn't have the strength not to know what it was. It was not convincing, though I can't think who would have been better. Primo Carnera would have been good, but he wasn't available. Same goes for the guy who played Moose Malloy to Mitchum's Philip Marlowe.
It is understandable that this effort was respected by critics, but I can't see it being recommended from one average viewer to another, and it's equally understandable that it bombed at the box-office. Now I feel just like George after he shot Lennie.
This film adaptation is very faithful, if I remember the original rightly, although there may be a few adjustments here and there. Someone else has mentioned, however, that Malkovich doesn't seem quite right as the big lunk-head. He's too intelligent, and it's permanently distracting to watch him act dumb. This Lennie just isn't fully credible, and I kept catching myself distancing myself from the performance, watching it in a sort of bemused way. What was this man's mental age meant to be? I have a six year old grandson who is way brighter: Lennie seemed to have a mental age of about 2 and a half. At the same time it was all too obvious that Malkovich has an IQ well above average. He was just pretending, and that's not good acting. Also, I don't believe he's really that big and strong, and I kept asking myself how the visual appearance was being manipulated. I just knew he didn't have the strength not to know what it was. It was not convincing, though I can't think who would have been better. Primo Carnera would have been good, but he wasn't available. Same goes for the guy who played Moose Malloy to Mitchum's Philip Marlowe.
It is understandable that this effort was respected by critics, but I can't see it being recommended from one average viewer to another, and it's equally understandable that it bombed at the box-office. Now I feel just like George after he shot Lennie.