Let’s not talk about Sarah Palin, or rant about my work, or about the fact that the money that was supposed to cover my council tax the year I stop being a student is locked in Icesave as it collapses. Let’s instead talk about the BBC miniseries, State of Play, and the fact that it’s being re-made as a movie, and let’s weep a little inside.
I have finally (only six years late) got around to getting hold of and watching State of Play, and spent the last two evenings glued to it (It’s only six hour-long episodes, so that’s not too epic a time investment). I know why I didn’t see it before – it aired in the part of my life where I didn’t have a television. I don’t quite know why I’ve not picked it up before now – given that about half a hundred people have told me how wonderful it is, and that it stars Bill Nighy, David Morrissey and John Simm – oh and James McAvoy, back before he was the new Big Thing. Nor am I quite sure why the world needs a movie of it, when the original is so damn fine.
The TV series: BBC produced, Paul Abbott written, British newsroom – House of Commons based conspiracy series about the unravelling of the story after a young black kid is shot in London and the researcher for a prominent government MP is pushed under a train, on the same day. David Morrissey is the MP, John Simm the senior reporter, Bill Nighy the editor of the paper. It unravels beautifully, hour by hour, it’s tense, it’s disturbing, it’s sad, it’s freaking funny, particularly when Bill Nighy, who is a truly great actor, is playing the editor being a really bad actor playing innocent to get his way. It just works on all its levels.
The film. Well, it’s being directed by Kevin MacDonald (Touching the Void, Last King of Scotland), who I like. Russell Crowe is playing the journalist. Ben Affleck is the Congressman (‘cos, oh yes, it’s being set in the States, because Britain doesn’t have a political system worth caring about, or a journalistic tradition either). Bill Nighy is being replaced by Helen Mirren; Kelly McDonald by Rachael McAdams (Rachael McAdams, a reporter, dare me not to laugh, go on). All fine – except, y’know, I love Helen Mirren, but they didn’t want to get Bill Nighy? Really? Everything is made better by the presence of Bill Nighy.
I’m sure the film will be just fine. Except for Affleck, who I’m deeply unsure about, and who I think is deeply inferior to David Morrissey in pretty much every way as an actor. I’m sure everyone will act their little socks off. I’m sure it would have been better with Ed Norton as the journalist and Brad Pitt as the Congressman, but what the heck. With it’s pedigree – the director, the cast, the fact that the original story is so darn good (though how they’re going to compress it to 2 – 2 1/2 hours, I don’t know) – it might even be really good, and probably Oscar bait. It might even be illuminating about the American political system. Who knows.
But I’m just not sure why we need it at all? Why is a movie better than a TV series? I’d put money on State of Play becoming ‘that TV series the movie was based on’ – as has happened with Traffik/Traffic. It’s a better show than that – it deserves better, and the cast and writer deserves better. I’m probably just cranky because I’m having a cranky day, and I’m sure that people invovled in the original will make money off selling the rights, and good for them. Why oh why oh why does the world feel the need to remake things that were already great in their own right – and yes, I’m looking at you Martin Scorsese, for making The Departed, that thoroughly inferior remake of Infernal Affairs; and you Cameron Crowe for turning Abre los Ojos from a great Spanish film in which Penelope Cruz could act to a wacked out schmaltzathon in which she proved that she cannot act in English. And now you, Kevin MacDonald – you should know better after you Munich proved to be a crappy fictional film about an event you made a fabulous documentary (One Day in September) about.
Just tell everyone to watch the original, ok. It’s worth it.
