Adaptation (film)
Adaptation. | |
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![]() Adaptation. film poster | |
Directed by | Spike Jonze |
Written by | Susan Orlean (book The Orchid Thief) Charlie Kaufman (screenplay) and Donald Kaufman (screenplay) |
Produced by | Jonathan Demme Vincent Landay Edward Saxon |
Starring | Nicolas Cage Meryl Streep Chris Cooper Ron Livingston Brian Cox Maggie Gyllenhaal |
Cinematography | Lance Acord |
Music by | Carter Burwell |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates | December 6, 2002 |
Running time | 115 min |
Language | English |
Adaptation. is a 2002 film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, although Donald Kaufman is also given writing credit. It earned Chris Cooper an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, along with overwhelming critical acclaim. It is the second film to be both written by Kaufman and directed by Jonze (the first being the critically acclaimed Being John Malkovich).
Summary
The screenplay is partially based on a true story except Donald Kaufman is not a real person. After the success of his screenplay for Being John Malkovich, Kaufman was hired to write a screenplay based on Susan Orlean's book, The Orchid Thief. However, he soon realized that the book simply couldn't be filmed. As he came under increasing pressure to turn in a screenplay, the "adaptation" became a story of a screenwriter's attempt to write a screenplay about a book that cannot be adapted into a screenplay. Kaufman handed the script to his employers in the firm belief he would never work again. Instead, the backers enjoyed the script so much they decided to abandon the original project and film Kaufman's screenplay instead.[citation needed]
The film is self-referential, in that we see the creative process behind the movie we are watching. At one point, Charlie is unable to think of a satisfactory ending for the script, and asks his brother Donald (also played by Cage) how he would end it. At that moment, the style of the movie changes to Donald's style of scriptwriting, with intrigue, sex, drugs, car chases and guns replacing abstraction and angst. Another example is during Mckee's seminar while we hear Charlie in a voice over Mckee screams at his audience "God help you if you use voice over!" and immediately Charlie's voice over stops.
Throughout the course of the film, Charlie writes or dictates ideas for his script of The Orchid Thief that are in fact used in this movie itself, such as the rapid timeline of Earth's development, or even of himself sitting there talking into a tape recorder. As well, after Charlie tells the producer the things that he doesn't want his script to turn into (a 'typical' Hollywood movie, where characters fall in love, or it turns out to be about drugs, or somebody unexpectedly dies), virtually all of them occur after Donald "takes over" the writing of the movie.
The self-referential nature of the film raises questions as to Donald's existence: that is, whether he is a real person, or merely an embodiment of one aspect of Charlie's personality (as he is in real life). Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, Donald is not only credited as a co-writer for the film, but the movie's end credits feature a dedication to his memory (implying that, if he is indeed an existing individual, he died during the writing of the screenplay). In addition, The 3 is assumed to be an existing screenplay, and an excerpt from it is also featured in the credits. Another reference to Donald and his film can be found on the DVD release in the filmography section on the disc. It includes a page for Donald, listing his works as Adaptation. and The 3.
An ironic aspect of the film's post-modern self-referencing is the appearance of Robert McKee (Brian Cox), a real-life host of screenwriting seminars. McKee is renowned for warning his students about the technique of the deus ex machina. In the film, Kaufman represents McKee as the deus ex machina, as he gives Charlie the solution to his problematic situation.
The movie talks about the "Holy Grail", but all of the characters' quests in the story either fail or turn out to be futile:
- Charlie Kaufman wanted to write a movie just about flowers, and to impress Susan Orlean. He failed on both counts. Also, he failed in writing a screenplay wherein nothing much changes, as in "real life", seeing as his character prevails and finishes his screenplay.
- John Laroche wanted to be a leader in many different and obscure fields. Whenever he accomplished this, however, he would abandon his hobby for a completely new one.
- Susan Orlean wanted desperately to see the Ghost Orchid and care passionately about something. When she saw the Ghost Orchid, she was disappointed. When she found passion, she devolved into a hopeless addict.
- Donald Kaufman didn't really want anything out of life but he lucked into all the things his brother Charlie was desperate for and wrote a hit script called The 3.
Cast
- Nicolas Cage - Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman
- Meryl Streep - Susan Orlean
- Chris Cooper - John Laroche
- Cara Seymour - Amelia Kavan
- Tilda Swinton - Valerie Thomas
- Ron Livingston - Marty Bowen
- Brian Cox - Robert McKee
- Maggie Gyllenhaal - Caroline Cunningham
- Jim Beaver - Ranger Tony
- Judy Greer - Alice the Waitress
- Litefoot - Russell
- Doug Jones - Augustus Margary
- Jay Tavare - Matthew Osceola
- Stephen Tobolowsky - Ranger Steve Neely (scenes deleted)
- Roger Willie - Randy
Awards
Adaptation. won one Academy Award (Cooper for Best Supporting Actor) and was nominated for three others:
- Cage for Best Actor
- Streep for Best Supporting Actress
- Charlie and Donald Kaufman for Adapted Screenplay. Donald became the first truly fictitious person nominated for an Oscar. Oddly, the screenplay technically isn't an adaptation of The Orchid Thief, but in fact is a fictionalized account of Kaufman's attempt to adapt the book to film.
It won best adapted screenplay awards from these institutes:
- the BAFTA
- Boston Society of Film Critics
- Broadcast Film Critics Association
- Chicago Film Critics Association
- Florida Film Critics Circle
- Golden Satellite
- National Board of Review, USA
- New York Film Critics Circle
- Online Film Critics Society
- PEN Center USA West Literary
- San Diego Film Critics Society
- Southeastern Film Critics Association
- Toronto Film Critics Association
Financial measures
- Production Budget: $19 million[1]
- Opening weekend U.S. gross: $2,636,924
- Total U.S. box office gross: $22,498,520
- Total Foreign box office gross: $10,302,653
Miscellanea
![]() | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- In one scene, Charlie comes home and checks his mail. He is in front of a mirror, and Donald is talking to him behind him. The reflection of Donald in the mirror is actually the real Charlie Kaufman.
- Nicolas Cage's brother, New York radio personality Marc Coppola, often stood in for one of the Kaufman brothers during shooting.
- Robert McKee personally suggested Brian Cox to the producers to play him in the movie.
See also
- The Player, another satire of American films.
References
- ^ Gray, Brandon. "Box Office Mojo: Adaptation". Retrieved 2006-07-24.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Adaptation. at IMDb
- Adaptation. at BeingCharlieKaufman.com
- Adaptation. at Rotten Tomatoes
- Adaptation. Real Story vs. Reel Story at ChasingtheFrog
- Adaptation. September 24, 1999 draft script
- Adaptation. November 21, 2000 draft script
- Adaptation. Film Review
- Articles with trivia sections from June 2007
- 2002 films
- Comedy-drama films
- American films
- Films based on non-fiction books
- Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winning performance
- Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance
- Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe winning performance
- Metafictional works
- English-language films
- Screenplays by Charlie Kaufman
- Films about filmmaking