癲狂院 Vixen Owl Cigar..。o○

Cider House Rules - Let's get STRANGE !!!!!


John Irving Finds Success in Hollywood...
Watching a movie that has been adapted from a book , especially a well-loved book can often be a painful and horrifying experience.
But every once in a while, they manage to get it just right.
And I'm happy to say that the movie adaptation of "Cider House Rules " was one of those times.

Being a fan of John Irving's novels, I watched the movie with an extremely critical eye.
I was especially worried after seeing what an utter disaster "Simon Birch " was.
It was so far from the original that John Irving refused to let them use the book's title, A Prayer for Owen Meany, for the movie.
However, with this project, Irving wrote the screenplay and was actively involved in the project and that is what made the difference.

The screenplay is excellent.
Irving managed to take a novel that spanned decades and make it work on a much smaller scale and time period (just two years ).
To be able to do that and still maintain the integrity of the novel itself, is no small feat.
Considering he'd been working on the project for over a decade and had already gone through four directors before the movie went into production showed his dedication to the project.
And throughout the filming he always made sure that the story went in the proper direction.
It is clear to see that his of the story and his need to see it told properly has shone through.

For those who don't know what the story is about, here's a quick overview.
Homer Wells (Toby Maguire )is a child of St. Cloud's orphanage and is guided by the benevolent, although often flawed, Dr. Larch (Michael Caine ) to "be of use ".
Dr. Larch Homer and sets out teaching him the only thing he knows, how to help women who are pregnant and in need of help.
He teaches Homer both to deliver babies and to perform abortions for those who want them.
Homer, however, feels that he is having Larch's ideals thrust upon him when he doesn't believe in the same thing.
So he decides to set off on his own, with the help of a young couple who came for an abortion, and experience the world outside of St. Cloud's to find his own path.
Whether that path returns to St. Cloud's is yet to be seen.
I'll let you watch the movie to find out.

【Tobey Maguire】Cider House Rules【Charlize Theron】
The Princes Of Maine, Kings Of New England..
One day Homer is visited by a young women in labor Candy (played by Charlize Theron ) and her husband Wally.
They visit St. Clouds to undergo an abortion.
Abortion in the pre Roe v. Wade days is illegal, but Dr. Larch is one of the few doctors who still perform this operation.
While visiting St. Clouds, Homer decides that he wants to leave his home and find himself in the world.
He hitches a ride with his travelers to make himself "useful " and discover who he is.
Well, young Homer soon finds work on Wally's farm as an Apple farmer.
The work is mundane, but Homer finds peace in the physical labor.
And while young Wally is called off to war, his beautiful wife Candy "educates " Homer about life.
Candy and Homer soon become an item, and this is further complicated by Wally's tragic accident while flying over Burma.
Wally is left paralyzed and Candy is left to struggle with her misgivings.

Homer's "wait and see " approach to problem solving is wonderfully innocent and xxxxx.
His inability to confront his problems is played beautifully by Maguire.
Yet, he cunningly tackles issue after issue while on this Apple farm.
Finally, when Homer is confronted with another horrid event (the incestuous rape of a 14 year old ) he comes to the self-realization that he will become a doctor.
Homer heals the young girl, only to find that her father commits suicide.
It is a wonderfully complex emotional ride.

The entire movie is wonderfully cyclical
The movie does however, end on a positive note.
After learning of Dr. Lark's death, Homer returns to St. Clouds to take his place as physician and caretaker at St. Clouds.
It leaves a pleasant feeling of resolution to a roller coaster of a movie.
If you have not experienced the Cider House Rules then you are depriving yourself of an excellent movie going experience.
If you really want to discover the imagination of Irving however, read the book.
Movies are wonderful things, but they can never be a good substitute for the detail and the imagination of a good novel.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
I found Michael Caine to be a bit stiff, but otherwise solid in the role and found everyone else to be excellent, especially Tobey Maguire.
There was more to this than meets the eye and we got even more than we expected.
Although the adult issues make it inappropriate for children, most others should find it an extremely entertaining experience.