MovieChat Forums > Victory (1997) Discussion > A Failed Attempt...

A Failed Attempt...

posted 18 years ago by Edward_de_Vere
5 replies | jump to latest

One would think that Conrad's novels would be perfect material for film, but just about every attempt to adapt his books to movies has been a failure ("Lord Jim" with O'Toole was awful, "The Secret Agent" with Bob Hoskins mediocre, as was the made for TV miniseries "Nostromo"). This effort to commit "Victory" (one of my favorite Conrad novels) to film is no exception.

The main problems (among many) are the flat acting and the poor choice for casting. Half of the casting problem would have been solved by switching the lead roles - casting Sam Neill as Heist and Willem Defoe as Mr. Jones rather than the reverse (Mr. Jones should be gaunt, cadaverous, and sinister looking. Sam Neill is a fine actor but he is none of those things, and is completely out of place in the part).

[–] funkyfry 15 years ago

I agree actually, it seems so obvious that they should be cast in the opposite roles that I have to assume it was done this way deliberately to cast against type. Dafoe might have been bored of playing villains and asked for the switch. Dafoe was good as Heyst, but I agree that Neill is too beefy and hale to play this half-dead junkie character.

Have you seen Maurice Tourneur's version from 1919, with Lon Chaney and Wallace Beery? Some aspects of that film are pretty cheezy, but overall it's a much better effort and the character of Mr. Jones is appropriately creepy. Chaney plays the character that Rufus Sewell plays in this film, and Beery plays the guy on the mainland who sends Jones and his companions to get revenge on Heyst. If you ever see it drop me a message because I'd love to hear how it matches up against the novel. I guess I should just go ahead and read it. But many of the details are different from the 90s version and the 10s version, so I'm curious which version is more faithful. The whole ending is different in the 1919 version, which features an earthquake and a much bigger role for the idiot manservant who just ends up getting shot in the 90s version.

Did I not love him, Cooch? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN'T LOVE BETTER!!! But he had to say 'Nooooooooo'

[–] Edward_de_Vere 15 years ago

When reading VICTORY, my mental picture for Mr. Jones was always William S. Burroughs.

Have you seen the film THE LIGHTSHIP? It's based on a novel by Siegfried Lenz that borrowed a lot from Conrad, particularly VICTORY. Robert Duvall (at his most over the top and entertaining) plays the Mr. Jones type character in the film, while Klaus Brandauer plays the Heyst role.

[–] BB-15 12 years ago

The story of "Victory" with its tragic ending imo is not going to work for the broader audience as a film (and I thought the cast in this one was fine).

As a novel the writer can spend pages describing things in detail which lessens the impact of lives ending to serve. But typical movies, as a visual medium which compress a story in just two hours, can't soften the blow of watching two likable characters die. (Axel Heyst dies in the novel and in spite of what the narrator hints at, imo he dies in the film.)

BB ;-)

it's just in my opinion - imo -

[–] Edward_de_Vere 10 years ago

The story of "Victory" with its tragic ending imo is not going to work for the broader audience as a film (and I thought the cast in this one was fine).

Why can't films have tragic endings and still reach broad audiences? Sure, they may note make for a good teenage data night flick, but those people won't be watching an adaptation of a Joseph Conrad novel anyway, with or without a bowdlerized ending

Conrad's ending where Heyst allows himself to burn to death in Alma's funeral pyre and Mr. Jones drowns was great, it brought to mind the finale of Wagner's Gotterdammerung - which also has death by fire for the hero/heroine and death by water for their antagonist (being a devotee of Wagner's music, I'm sure that's where Conrad got the idea).

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16160) 2 years ago

Lord Jim is a good movie, what are you saying?