HAVE NEW PLOT, WILL TRAVEL.Byline: - Glenn Whipp Hollywood has a history of taking beloved books and turning them into something unrecognizable, but when it came to adapting Frances Mayes' best-selling best·sell·er also best seller n. A product, such as a book, that is among those sold in the largest numbers. best memoir memoir History or record composed from personal observation and experience. Closely related to autobiography, a memoir differs chiefly in the degree of emphasis on external events. ``Under the Tuscan Sun,'' filmmaker Audrey Wells didn't have much choice. For one thing, the book doesn't have a plot, so Wells (``The Truth About Cats and Dogs'') had to invent one. Fortunately for her, she was already working on something that fit. ``I was writing a story about a woman overcoming a big heartbreak, and I realized I could combine that theme and that kind of emotional journey with the setting and the cultural milieu mi·lieu n. pl. mi·lieus or mi·lieux 1. The totality of one's surroundings; an environment. 2. The social setting of a mental patient. milieu [Fr.] surroundings, environment. of Frances' book,'' Wells says. ``So I put them together and came up with this kind of new thing.'' The movie, opening Sept. 26, stars Diane Lane Diane Lane (born January 22 1965) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. Biography Early life Lane was born in New York City, the daughter of Colleen Farrington, a night club singer and Playboy as an American who travels to Italy to escape the aftermath of a messy mess·y adj. mess·i·er, mess·i·est 1. Disorderly and dirty: a messy bedroom. 2. Exhibiting or demonstrating carelessness: messy reasoning. divorce. There she finds plenty of good food, handsome men and a fine measure of that Tuscan sunshine, even if it rained during much of the actual shoot. Wells says everyone assumes that making a movie in Tuscany is a good excuse for an extended holiday. The reality was a little harsher. ``If it's not in the movie, I never saw it,'' Wells says. ``I didn't have time to walk into a church or museum I wasn't scouting scouting: see Boy Scouts; Girl Scouts. scouting Activities of various national and worldwide organizations for youth aimed at developing character, citizenship, and individual skills. Scouting began when Robert S. for a location. And mostly we ate catering that wasn't all that good. I tell people I'll have to go back to Italy sometime and find out what it means to relax.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Under the Tuscan Sun, Sept. 20 |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion