Before reading The Sun Also Rises, I had watched "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen at least twice. The movie portrays Gil (Owen Wilson), modern day writer, on a vacation in Paris. He's a little spacey, and he somehow finds a way to travel back in time to Paris in the 1920s. He meets all of the famous writers of that time, Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein, and they humble him. But Gil also meets Hemingway, who is much different from the different writers. As I read The Sun Also Rises, I always had the following two scenes in my mind; the plain yet descriptive prose of Hemingway's reminded me of these two clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw9spMYA-XU
In this clip, Gil is talking to Hemingway about writing, and Hemingway's masculinity and aggressiveness comes on very strong in this scene. I can really see Hemingway knocking out critics with his attitude in this scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1P1m5gNQuo This long monologue by Hemingway really fits his prose style. He uses simple words that paint clear images and uses the word "and" a lot. At 1:36 in this clip, Hemingway begins to describe the passion in truly brave people, which reminds me of Jake's (and Hemingway's) deep respect for bullfighters. I think the filmmakers did a really great job with Hemingway in this movie.
Other than a portrayal of Hemingway, "Midnight in Paris" also paints a complete picture of 1920s Paris for me. Gil, while following these famous writers, goes from cafe to cafe, just like Jake does. Also like Jake, Gil is part of an in crowd, the crowd of writers (who are like the expats in the book).
"Midnight in Paris" really shaped my view of Jake's Paris throughout The Sun Also Rises. As Jake ambled along the river, I could only picture Gil, with his hands in his pockets, staring off into the starry sky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw9spMYA-XU
In this clip, Gil is talking to Hemingway about writing, and Hemingway's masculinity and aggressiveness comes on very strong in this scene. I can really see Hemingway knocking out critics with his attitude in this scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1P1m5gNQuo This long monologue by Hemingway really fits his prose style. He uses simple words that paint clear images and uses the word "and" a lot. At 1:36 in this clip, Hemingway begins to describe the passion in truly brave people, which reminds me of Jake's (and Hemingway's) deep respect for bullfighters. I think the filmmakers did a really great job with Hemingway in this movie.
"Midnight in Paris" really shaped my view of Jake's Paris throughout The Sun Also Rises. As Jake ambled along the river, I could only picture Gil, with his hands in his pockets, staring off into the starry sky.
Whoah this is really cool! I didn't know that Midnight in Paris includes scenes with Hemingway. I agree that from these clips it does seem as if they really did get his personality right. I love the quote where he's like "If it's bad writing I'll hate it and if it's good writing I'll be jealous and hate it all the more." Also, his monologue about the war could have been a paragraph straight out of one of his books. It sounded so much like his writing style.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll have to watch this movie now. The comparison between this movie and The Sun Also Rises seems really interesting.
_Midnight in Paris_ literally includes the trope of time travel, and there's a clear sense that the "Paris" being traveled to is a product of the character's (and the filmmaker's) highly active imagination--which has been stoked by works of art and literature from this period, most notably, _The Sun Also Rises_. These parallels are no coincidence: Woody Allen is certainly thinking of this novel (among other works) when he constructs his fictional rendition of 1920s Paris. And as with Jake and Brett's crucial first and last scenes, a taxi cab plays a critical role in the plot.
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