|
Both the short story and screenplay are likely to move you to tears,
make you feel like somebody's pulling your guts out hand over hand a yard
at a time, as Annie Proulx writes of Ennis. They can also make you
treasure love more.
Proulx's prose is pure poetry. The screenplay is one of the best I've
read -- a terrific read and a faithful adaptation and expansion. It's
fascinating to have them side by side, to see how certain characters and
events were fleshed out, how for example a single sentence [about a
terrible misunderstanding of Jack's, for those who know the story] became
a tear-jerking three-page sequence of scenes.
The story, script and movie all add depth to each other, like three
tellings of the same tale that emphasize different shades. If you're
interested in delving deeper into the lives and loves of these characters
and the starkly beautiful honesty of this world, buy this book.
In addition to the story and script, the book includes three eloquent
essays by Proulx and each of the screenwriters, Larry McMurtry and Diana
Ossana. These offer a good deal of insight and color to the story and
whole development process, from Proulx's germ of an idea for a short story
to the screenwriters shepherding the project for years, to each of their
reactions to the final film. Fascinating and powerful. Strongly
recommended.
| 
