One of the most haunting images in American theater of recent memory came, for me, at the close of Tracy Letts' marvelous play, "August: Osage County." Atop the three story set, the housekeeper, Johanna Monevata, a Cheyenne Indian woman, is holding the tragic matriarch, Violet Weston, in her arms. She begins singing slowly, the ditty, "This is the way the world goes round.." softly, the lights lower, then blackout!
What a moment! And what a perfectly haunting ending to a perfect play!
Now that Letts' play has gone before the cameras, and is gearing up for a film festival circuit of screenings, prior to an end of year release, to certify Oscars, or, at least, nominations, for some of the players, the whole things stands to be ruined by one individual--Julia Roberts!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me tell you something. Ever since Roberts tarted herself up, like Trailer Trash Barbie, and spouted social cant in the title role of "Erin Brockovich," back in 2000, winning an undeserved Oscar, critics and audiences have been deluded into thinking she is a serious actress. But no one is more deluded than Julia herself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had serious questions of her competency, when I heard she was cast as the eldest daughter in the film version of "August: Osage County," which was done so memorably on the stage by the great Amy Morton! The daughter, Barbara, is one of the greatest portraits of evolving bitterness I have ever seen, and when the curtain came down, it was clear Barbara was going to end up exactly like her mother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With Meryl Streep as Violet, how could it miss??????? And with Meryl working with Julia, she could whip the lesser actress into some semblance of shape!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Except----!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It seems the filmmakers here are going for something less dark. The film is directed by John Wells, so, like who the hell is he???????? But the screenplay supposedly is being written by Tracy Letts, and, boy, if he sells out here, he will lose any respect I now have for him!!!!!!!!
According to the word on the street, the film was supposed to end, with a close-up shot, of an embittered Meryl, as Violet! Perfect! But it seems Julia wanted to hog the action, and filmmakers are trying to lighten things up, so the end is going to be a smiling shot of Julia, as she drives off in her car, into the sunset!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And Meryl is royally pissed! As she should be!!!!!!!!!! The word is she boycotted the film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival!!!!!!!!! Good for you, Meryl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course, the ones I blame are Wells and Letts. IF they allow this, then nothing has been learned from the controversy, twenty five years earlier, when the ending of the iconic film, "Fatal Attraction," was changed.
As originally planned, that film was to have ended with the deranged Alex Forest (Glenn Close) killing herself, Harri Kari style, to the strains of "Madame Butterfly." Her body is found, but the fingerprints on the knife are not hers, but Michael Douglas'. Whereupon the police come to his house, and take him away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course, audiences would not accept this. They wanted to see the bitch get killed, and the movie makers obliged them!!!!!!!!! I can still recall sitting in the Paramount Theatre, back in 1987, watching the climactic bathroom scene in the film, with a houseful of people yelling, "Kill her!" "Kill the bitch!" I was more terrified by the audience, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Years later, I bought the film on DVD. It has the original ending. And what I discovered was this was not very good, either, because there is a loop hole that gets the Michael Douglas character off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As the police vehicle drives off, with him in the car, and Ann Archer and daughter Ellen look on in horror, (which is the shot on which the film SHOULD have ended!!!!!!) Douglas tells her to call their lawyer. She goes up into his attic den, and while rifling through his stuff to find the attorney's number, finds the cassette we, the audience, have seen earlier. The one that says "PLAY ME--ALEX!" Where she calls him a cocksucker and all else, saying if she can;t have him, she will kill herself, but he will be responsible! Ann gives it a listen Whereupon she and Ellen elatedly run out the door, get in the car, and drive to the police station, tape in hand, with Ann hollering, "We're going to get Daddy!!!!!!!!!"
Gag me with a spoon, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And now the whole thing is being played over again, with "August: Osage County." If they cheapen it, I don't know what I will do! I mean, there is Meryl, but if she is boycotting it, maybe we all should! But watch! Today's dumb critics will go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even Rodgers And Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" had some darkness to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Up yours, Julia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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