So the movie was not miscast...just cast too early. :)
Yeah, but could he steal bases?
As I get older in life, I think of how few years remain. There’s a tendency to think you’re winding down, and I think that is a mistake.
Here’s a guy that lived to 103. If I should live to that age, I’d live over half my current life span into the future.
There are many possibilities. People should pursue them and not think as it is human nature to think.
RIP Mr Wouk.
The Caine Mutiny is one hell of a literary achivement. Probably the best twentieth century coming of age story.
RIP, H. W.
I admit that the “shocking” part of it was finding out he was still alive.
Wow, over 100. He had a good run. Really enjoyed his work, although Leon Iris was my my favorite.
Puts me in mind of another favorite author from when I was a young man - James Michener - writer of all those historical fiction novels like Space, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, Poland, etc. Looked him up just now and he's been dead for 20 years. Anyway, he did make it to 90 himself so not too shabby.
Ping
“Winds of War” and “War and Rememberance” are two tours de force. i have read them both repeatedly and enjoy them each and every time!
So the movie was not miscast...just cast too early. :)
I wonder how many other potentially great authors threw in the towel after two strikes. Not all persistent people succeed, but I think all successful people are persistent and don't become easily discouraged.
RIP Mr. Wouk
I note that the infamous “Hitler Rants” scene from Downfall, was pretty much lifted from War and Remembrance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKQZ5HpI73s
I've read them more times than I can count in the near half century since publication and each and every time I find something new to enlighten the experience of Wolk's wonderful writing. Now to the television mini-series, while both were excellent productions in both detail and production values, the casting and acting were, IMHO, below par as noted below:
Robert Mitchum played Victor "Pug" Henry and while Bob Mitchum is without doubt one of the best film actors of all time, he was 65-years old when "Winds" was filmed and pushing 70 when "Remembrance" went before the cameras. Mitchum, I am sorry to say, was just too old for the part and while he did not phone it in, his acting was not up to the standards of his past work. PLUS he was too damn tall as will be explained in the following.
Polly Bergen played Rhoda Henry and she drove the nail in perfectly for an acting role that required tremendous skills to give balance Rhoda 'the Good Wife' as opposed to Rhoda 'the Bitch' as she goes from one to the other. As to her downfall, it was the novelty of looking up for a kiss from Fred Kirby that sealed the deal.
While I detest Ed Asner's liberal politics, he would have been the perfect "Pug" Henry in both stature, age (54 when filming began) and, giving the devil his due, acting chops.
Ali MacGraw played Natalie Jastrow in "Winds" and to my mind, did the part justice as the character was written yet she was replaced by Jane Seymour in "Remembrance." Jane was just too pretty for the part and did not have that touch of ethnic Jewish look that Ali brought to the role.
Jan-Michael Vincent played Byron "Briny" Henry in "Winds" and while he looked the part, his wooden acting did not fill the bill. Hart Bochner replaced him as Byron Henry in "Remembrance" but was yet neither were the "Briny" Wolk created in the novels.
Ben Murphy played Warren Henry in "Winds" and Michael Woods as Warren Henry in "Remembrance" as here was the sin of the mini-series. Warren was the hero's hero in the whole damn plot of the novels but was relayed to a minor character in the teleplays. Both actors did what they could with the material given.
Okay, I'll get off my I know better sthick and say that every year or so, I re-watch the mini-series as even with my bitching above, they are most enjoyable entertainment.
What more can be expected or asked of a writer? Mailer, Roth... bah.