By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: James Franco
Starring: Ahna O'Reilly | Danny McBride | James Franco | Joey King | Loretta Devine | Seth Rogen | Tim Blake Nelson
Country: united_states
Year: 2015
Running time: 101
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3026144/
Thom says: “A year before this film, Franco had directed a brilliant adaptation of William Faulkner’s AS I LAY DYING, putting to rest any doubts that the right talent wouldn’t be able to make a film from Faulkner’s difficult, mesmerizing read. Right off, I should admit to finding Faulkner as the greatest American writer in our entire history, so I was hoping my immense admiration for Franco’s talent as a committed artist would be able objectively appreciate the difficult interpretation. If anything THE SOUND AND THE FURY is even more arduous to visually interpret because the free-form stream-of-consciousness of the novel doesn’t necessarily translate to images more than it does to thoughts.
“That the major character Bengy Compson is a half-wit is another drawback that must be dealt with. In a perfect world I would have liked another actor in the part but Franco was near perfect as the addle-brained Bengy but the character is so intense I was worried that it might get in the way of his spot-on direction. The novel (which gets its name from Macbeth’s famous soliloquy, act 5, scene 5) is divided into four parts, as is the film, each told by a different member of the Compson family, a genteel Southern family that has begun a steep and sharp decline in stature & circumstance. Much of the same territory is covered in each segment so we get a RASHOMON version of events. Perhaps because of my great love for Faulkner I was overwhelmed with a series of memories and transcendent illusions. But I love this movie. 5 cats”
Kyle responds: “I write in response to Mr. Bowser’s review of James Franco’s THE SOUND AND THE FURY, as I fear its late October release resulted in its flying beneath the radar of most Chlotrudis members. Having nominated it in seven Chlotrudis-eligible categories without any impact, I not only felt it was one of the best films of 2015, but also that it captured the characters behind the opacity of William Faulkner’s prose better than any other attempt I know of. As such, the film qualifies in my view as one of the finest Faulkner adaptations (if not simply the best), but also marks James Franco as an cinema auteur of rare gifts and a skillful and sensitive director of his fellow actors. Its dramatic development was so potent and unerring that I actually had to pause the DVD a few times to absorb the impact of what I was watching and feeling. This is a distinguished work, worthy of all Chlotrudis members’ attention if not their awards. 5 cats”