Casting Coup Month: The Ten Commandments

NOMINATIONS

Best Picture

Best Cinematography, Color - Loyal Griggs

Best Editing - Anne Bauchens

Best Costume Design, Color - Edith Head/Ralph Jester/John Jensen/Dorothy Jeakins/Arnold Friberg

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color - Hal Pereira/Walter H. Tyler/Albert Nozaki/Sam Comer/Ray Moyer

Best Sound, Recording - Loren L. Ryder

Best Effects, Special Effects - John P. Fulton (WON)

I imagine I had more patience when I was a child. I've been putting off seeing Ben-Hur because I have no idea when I'll have four hours to kill. When I was a wee one, though, not only did I make time every Passover to watch The Ten Commandments, I would rent it to watch on my own time. I would spend 10 hours* of my year between the ages of five and nine watching Charlton Heston set his people the hell free. Now? I only have patience for the two-hour "Making Of" documentary on Disc Two of the 2004 DVD release.

Now that I think about it, that might not be so bad. As a recent graduate of the film school (toot. toot.), I am equally interested in both the film itself and the behind-the-scenes fun! And truly, is there anything more beautiful than the inspiring dedication and zeal of producer/director Cecil B. DeMille? When I saw Sunset Boulevard, I knew why Norma Desmond would want to work with the master. DeMille may have taken some creative liberties with chronologies, and some critics may claim that his work is bloated and sappy, somewhat cheesy. But can you doubt his sincerity? Can you doubt his dedication? Can you doubt his ability to actually get a large cast and crew and finances together to make his enormous vision come to be? I'm pretty sure you can't.

It was only a matter of time before this movie showed up here. Its significance in my life combined with my dream of making Biblical epics made its presence an inevitability. It's been some time since I've seen it, but I did take an Old Testament course last semester that made me reread the story of Moses in its entirety (that's a high five moment). Let's take a journey on the Casting Coup Couch, shall we?:

Comments Roundup!

This week (6/5/09 - 6/12/09), here's what you had to say!

6/6/09
From Ben Mekler: Chewy [Chiwetel Ejiofor] for president. I swear we've talked about him for Bond before, right? Otherwise, he is also who I've secretly been picturing in my head as Bond since Melinda and Melinda.

Why yes, Ben, we have indeed! I believe we want Chewy for everything under the sun! Or the moon, too! Melinda and Melinda was severely disappointing!


6/8/09
From Amanda: Chewy and I are deeply in love. Can he join the cast of SBG?

Sure! What is that?


6/12/09
From Caleb: You realize Chewy and [Sophie] Okonedo played a married couple in Tsunami: The Aftermath... right?

No! But if they had chemistry, then once again I have done well!

Casting Coup: Live and Let Die

Ian Fleming was a man who enjoyed the Caribbean. He wrote all the Bond books in his island home GoldenEye (sound familiar?), and a large majority of 007's adventures are set in -- or involve -- Jamaica, Nassau, Haiti, etc. His first novel, Casino Royale, focused on the French gambling scene, which is all very European and snooty and whatever. The follow-up, though, was set in the good ol' US of A and involved Haitian smugglers and crimelords financing the Russians. Great fun, as it blends swashbuckling adventure, American locales, and island imagery.



Live and Let Die is...odd, to say the least. Fleming takes a weird, semi-Imperialist view towards black people that is not atypical of the time period in which he wrote (after all, this is 1954). Most are simple-minded, everyone speaks jive, reference is made to their "sweet, feral smell" (!!!), and it is noted that they think like animals, whereas the white people think with logic. It's just bizarre and uncomfortable. Even the "good ones" are, t quote Bond, "pretty law-abiding chaps...except when they've drunk too much."

And yet it's a pretty suspenseful story, though I can never remember what the McGuffin is. Mr. Big is apparently after pirate treasure to finance the operations of the Russians, and Bond goes after him partly as payback for the events in Casino Royale. So, despite the treasure hunt being unmemorable and the racism being there at all and the sex scene in the train feeling...awkward -- it's got some great moments. Leiter is fed to sharks, Bond gets his finger broken, every chapter has a henchman get killed horrifyingly. Good stuff, overall. And can we talk about Mr. Big tying Bond and Solitaire to the back of his boat so he can drag them over the reef in shark-infested waters? DAMN!

Now, it is true that race does play an important role in the villain's interactions with Bond. So, how do I face this when I've cast a black Bond? Well, if anything, it builds a more complicated character. For one, it makes more sense to send a black agent into the field on this mission than a white one. For another, here we could explore racial identity and the American idea of "race traitors". Also, it could add some tension between Bond and the FBI man he's assigned to work with. My God, such a detail could only make a so-so storyline into something powerful and amazing!

Featured in Live and Let Die: James Bond, M, Felix Leiter, Bill Tanner, Miss Moneypenny, Loelia Ponsonby (more on these characters).




CAPTAIN DEXTER
Who is He: The FBI man who meets Bond in New York. He is essentially running the show and briefs Bond on the particulars. It is also he that sets Bond up with CIA agent Felix Leiter, who he met at Casino Royale.

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actor (The Visitor), SAG Award Nominee for Best Actor (The Visitor)

Richard Jenkins (Hannah and Her Sisters, Intolerable Cruelty)
I know I've previously cast him as a captain of law. So I typecast. His no-nonsense demeanor could serve well the tension between him and Bond, as would be expected when one man allows another in his turf. And Jenkins in a Bond flick! Could you imagine?


WHISPER
Who is He: The switchboard operator for Mr. Big's operator in Harlem. A collapsed lung prevents him from raising his voice above a whisper, so... I mean, you get it, right? Appears briefly in the novel, becomes one of the lead henchmen in the original film. My version would stay true to the novel.

Originally played by:

Earl Jolly Brown

My Choice:

Leslie David Baker (TV's The Office)
Baker has a low voice, one that would suit the character. As does his physicality. He is a character actor whose presence would not be too distracting, though it would be quite exciting for Bond fans.


TEE-HEE JOHNSON
Who is He: One of Mr. Big's henchmen. So named because of his eerie, high-pitched laugh, Tee-Hee is the man who breaks Bond's finger during an interrogation in Harlem. Bond responds by throwing him down a flight of stairs and breaking his neck. Because that's how 007 rolls.

Originally played by:

Julis W. Harris (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three [original], the episode of The Golden Girls wherein Sophia runs the recreational activities at a senior center, but in reality she's being watched over by Don Lake so that Dorothy doesn't have to worry about her)

My Choice:

Seydou Boro (Paris, je t'aime)
His brief performance in Paris, je t'aime earned him "best in show" honors in my head. To see him as a worhty adversary to Ejiofor's Bond would be thrilling. Plus he'd be smiling, and that would be cool.


THE ROBBER
Who is He: The man who lures Felix Leiter to a warehouse, only to feed him to the sharks. It is he who leaves the mangled body of the Langley man in Bond's room with the note "He disagreed with something that ate him." Bond exacts his revenge soon after, giving him the same fate Leiter suffered, but without the hope of recovery.

My Choice:

L: Warner Miller (American Gangster)
Miller stood out to me in American Gangster. At least I think it's Miller -- he played the informant, if memory serves correctly. Anyway, I like him, so he gets the honor of being one of the most infamous characters in Bond mythos.


COMMANDER JOHN STRANGWAYS
Who is He: Head of Station J in Jamaica, where the climax takes place.

My Choice:

Tom Riley (Marple: Ordeal by Innocence, Return to House on Haunted Hill)
Too young for Bond. Also too pouty-lipped. But I admire him as an actor and do believe that he could pull off the whole secret agent thing, so as a cameo with some importance, he's perfect.


QUARREL
Who is He: Strangways' friend and assistant, a joyful fisherman who teaches Bond how to dive.

My Choice:

Tituss Burgess
Strictly a Broadway actor (The Little Mermaid and the the recent revival of Guys 'n' Dolls), Burgess has the look, the joviality, the cojones for Quarrel. It is one of the most important roles in Bond lore, as we will learn later on.


SIMONE LATRELLE/SOLITAIRE
Who is She: The Girl. A virgin with telepathic powers, she is named "Solitaire" because she will have nothing to do with men. Mr. Big keeps her on hand so she can tell him the "truth" about people he comes into contact with. Solitaire lies upon meeting Bond, then tries to run off with him in St. Petersburg, Florida. They do it, she's kidnapped, he follows, and they are tied to Mr. Big's ship so that they may be pulled over a coral reef. Ouch. Anyway, after all is over, she stays with Bond for a little holiday in Jamaica.

Originally played by:

Jane Seymour (Wedding Crashers, Somewhere in Time)

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Hotel Rwanda), SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Hotel Rwanda) and Best Ensemble (Hotel Rwanda)

Sophie Okonedo (Martian Child, The Secret Life of Bees)
Can you believe she's forty?! Damn! Anyway, the beautiful Sophie Okonedo meets my two requirements for Perfect Bond Girl: (1) she must be one of the most beautiful women you've ever seen, and (2) she must be a great actress. She also fixes one aspect of Live and Let Die that I found odd: why would Mr. Big have an all-black gang except for his voodoo priestess? What, is it because white girls are more desirable or something? FUHGEDDABOUTIT! Okonedo is the perfect kind of gal for both the Bond universe and this specific adaptation. God, she's sexy.


BUONAPARTE IGNACE GALLIA/MR. BIG
Who is He: The Villain. Half-French, half-African. Mr. Big has an unblinking gaze and a boredom with the world, one that may explain his curious hobby. Loves the ladies, and so he owns a number of nightclubs and brothels. Mr. Big is an intense son of a bitch. When Solitaire betrays him, he comes up with the keelhauling punishment (that's the coral reef thing). Little does he know that there is a limpet mine strapped to his yacht. Before he can get them to the reef, the yacht explodes, leaving an injured Mr. Big at the mercy of the sharks and barracuda.

Originally played by:

Yaphet Kotto (Alien, the episode of Murder, She Wrote in which Jessica is suspected of murdering a TV producer)

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (In America, Blood Diamond), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actor in a Drama (Amistad), SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Blood Diamond) and Best Ensemble (Gladiator, In America)

Djimon Hounsou (The Island, Eragon)
Bonafide badass. More fit and much sexier than the Mr. Big of the novel, Hounsou could actually pose a real threat to Bond. That he has never been cast in a Bond flick before is, to me, inexcusable. Now, he won't be saying lines like "Names is for tombstones, baby." But he would say, I don't know, "It was a displeasure knowing you, Mr Bond." Or something. The point is, he would rock.

Casting Coup: The Godfather

*What was I thinking here? First of all, my run-down of the Best Picture nominees of 1972, though meant to be amusing, isn't that funny, and almost reads as offensive. Second...a blaxploitation Godfather isn't a bad idea, really, but...what was I trying to prove here? Why Tommy Lee Jones as Moe Greene? Weird.*

CASTING COUP MONTH remembers the wisdom of Michael Caine, who did the Sleuth remake precisely because it was different from the original. After all, he reasoned, what's the point in doing the same damn thing all over again?

There are many remakes that have gone for the shot-for-shot, exact same thing "re-imagining". They say it's different, but it's not. Gus Van Sant's Psycho was the same film, but in color! John Moore's The Omen tacked on a "prologue" about the End Times approaching, but then gave the same story with better death sequences. Rob Zombie's Halloween had a forty-five-minute prologue begging us to love Michael Myers before making the same movie, only with worse dialogue and no acting. It was pathetic.

So, what's the point in doing The Godfather (1972) is you're not going to spice things up a bit? After all, the original was AFI's #3 greatest film of all time in 1997, before moving up to #2 in 2007. Many critics and film scholars consider it superior to Citizen Kane. And sure, it won only three out of its eleven Oscar nominations, but fuck you, you know?

Besides, three of those losses were in one category, so there was probably a lot of vote-splitting. Oh, yeah, you knew that, right? RIGHT? Three of the five Supporting Actor Nominees were from The Godfather. The Oscar went to Joel Grey for Cabaret, making him that rare breed of actor, winning an Oscar and a Tony for the same role. This happened seven times previously (and if they keep making decisions like replacing Cherry Jones with Meryl Streep, may never happen again). Anyway, Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Al Pacino were all deserved nominees--though can't we agree that Pacino should have been in the Lead Actor category?

Nino Rota lost the Oscar for Original Score, as it was deemed ineligible, its nomination withdrawn. Apparently, he was re-using old themes from Fortunella, an earlier film. Ironically, the Oscar went to Charlie Chaplin, Ray Rasch, and Larry Russell for Limelight, a film made in 1952 but not released in the USA until 1972. Meanwhile, Anthony Powell's Costumes for Travels with My Aunt (starring Maggie Smith) triumphed over Anna Hill Johnstone's designs.

Cabaret was the big winner that year. Besides Best Supporting Actor, The Godfather lost the Sound (Charles Grenzbach/Richard Portman/Christopher Newman to Robert Knudson/David Hildyard), Film Editing (William Reynolds/Peter Zinner to David Bretherton), and Director (Francis Ford Coppola to Bob Fosse) to the Kander and Ebb musical. It seemed poised to take the Best Picture Oscar; alas, this was not to be.

If The Godfather would only get three Oscars, it was going down swinging. First off, one of the most important awards, that of Best Adapted Screenplay, went to director Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, the original novelist. Writing a best-selling novel, then getting the Oscar for your script? Bad-ass, Mario. Marlon Brando (the title character?) won Best Actor, and famously decided not to accept his award until the Native Americans were better treated. A Hispanic actress dressed as an American Indian accepted the award, and made the entire thing just plain weird.

Best Picture. The Godfather won Best Picture. It had to win Best Picture. It kicked way too much ass not to. Deliverance? Just a hicksploitation flick, really. Cabaret? Fairy musical. Sounder? Please. A black folks movie? Please. The Emigrants? Just a Swede film, pass it by. It HAD to be The Godfather. Look, see the movie. It's got film noir bad-assery dripping out of its ears. The movie shits gold. Pure fucking mountain gold. Brando? Pacino? Duvall? All Gods. In a Zeus way, not in a Yahweh way. This thing put Coppola on the map.

Dare we consider, though, that the time of the Italian Mob flick has come and gone? That The Sopranos is over, whereas American Gangster is nominated at the Oscars? See where I'm going with this?

What if The Godfather was a blaxploitation gangster flick?

JACK WOLTZ
Who is He: A film producer who loves horses, but doesn't want any part of them in his bed.

Originally played by: Philip Baker Hall's brother, John Marley


My Choice: I've decided to make everybody who's not in the family white. And a comic actor. Because that's funny. Plus, wouldn't you love to hear this guy hurling racist obscenities at people?

Academy Award Nominee Elliott Gould (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Ocean's Thirteen)


CAPTAIN MCCLUSKEY
Who is He: A corrupt cop who screws over the Corleones. Bad idea, man, bad idea.

Originally played by: Sterling Hayden


My Choice: Less Irish, more Dutch. Let's call this character Captain Notirish.

Rutger Hauer (The Hitcher, Blade Runner)


VIRGIL "THE TURK" SOLLOZZO
Who is He: A glorified drug dealer. Dangerous and deadly. He says things like, "Try the veal, it's the best in the city." He's in league with Capt. McCluskey.

Originally played by: Al Lettieri


My Choice: Finally, we're getting to the actual inner workings of the Black Mafia. Virgil "The Man" Solomon would say things like, "Try the motherfuckin' veal, it's the motherfuckin' best in the motherfuckin' city!"

Academy Award/Hollmann Nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Black Snake Moan)


JOHNNY FONTANE
Who is He: The Godfather's godson, a popular crooner who wants the lead role in a film that is most certainly not From Here to Eternity with Frank Sinatra. Not at all. Uh-uh.

Originally played by: Al Martino


My Choice: I won't do "gangsta rap", but there is a man out there able to combine hip-hop with Sinatra's charisma.

Academy Award Nominee Will Smith (Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness)


BONASERA
Who is He: An undertaker who asks the Godfather to kill the men who raped his daughter. Has the first lines of the movie.

Originally played by: Salvatore Corsitto


My Choice: As Goudet, I'm all about revitalizing careers

Sherman Hemsley ("The Jeffersons", "Amen")


DON EMILIO BARZINI
Who is He: The head of one of the Five Families. His hand-shaking with the Godfather is a great moment indeed.

Originally played by: Richard Conte


My Choice: As Emilio Boss, I've been waiting to see this guy go toe-to-toe with my Godfather for quite some time.

Delroy Lindo (This Christmas, The Cider House Rules)


LUCA BRASI
Who is He: The most famous man to ever sleep with the fishes. He hoped Connie's first child was a masculine child.

Originally played by: Lenny Montana


My Choice: As Luke Brands, the only actor who consistently gives top-notch performances in shitty movies.

Faizon Love (Blue Crush, The Perfect Holiday)


MOE GREENE
Who is He: A big deal in Vegas. Michael wants to do business with him.

Originally played by: Alex Rocco


My Choice: Let's dress this up a bit, give it a bit of down-home flair.

Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive, In the Valley of Elah)


SALVATORE TESSIO
Who is He: Family friend, and also a friend of Vito's. Hooray!

Originally played by: Abe Vigoda, still defying death at 126


My Choice: As Sam Tessly, an old veteran.

Academy Award Winner Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field, A Raisin in the Sun)


CLEMENZA
Who is He: A fatty who can cook--and kill. One of the awesomest characters, he remembers to leave the gun, but take the canollis.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee Richard S. Castellano (Lovers and Other Strangers)


My Choice: Well, he needs to be deadly, yet have comic timing.

Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, Battlefield Earth)


APOLLONIA CORLEONE
Who is She: Michael's bride when he is exiled in Italy.

Originally played by: Simonetta Stefanelli


My Choice: When Michael goes to Nigeria, he meets the beautiful Abali. Here is the beautiful Abali.

Academy Award Nominee Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda, The Martian Child)


CARLO RIZZI
Who is He: Connie's abusive husband. Gets the shit beaten out of him by Sonny.

Originally played by: Gianni Russo


My Choice: As Carl Ross, a favorite of ours here on Planet Earth.

Academy Award Nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Crash)


CONNIE CORLEONE RIZZI
Who is She: The Godfather's daughter, whose wedding to Carlo opens the flick.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee Talia Shire (The Godfather: Part II, Rocky)


My Choice: As Connie Tyson Ross, an actress that I hope gets more and more exposure as time goes on.

Hollmann Nominee Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls, The Princess & the Frog)


FREDO CORLEONE
Who is He: The weakest of the sons. Spineless, willing to take sides against the Family, not cool. Guy's just a mess.

Originally played by: John Cazale, ex-fiance of Meryl Streep (he died of bone cancer)


My Choice: As Freddie Tyson, this guy can play anything, from a psychotic sociopath (Devil in a Blue Dress) to British explosives expert (The Ocean Movies).

Academy Award Nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Talk to Me)


SONNY CORLEONE
Who is He: The hot-headed oldest son, he is quick to react with his fists, but is not the best thinker.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee James Caan (The Godfather)


My Choice: As Sonny Tyson, again: bona fide bad-ass.

Idris Elba (This Christmas, American Gangster)


TOM HAGEN
Who is He: The German-Irish orphan adopted by the Godfather, he becomes the consigliere to the Family. Here's a secret: he's my favorite character.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner Robert Duvall (Tender Mercies)


My Choice: Like I said, if you're not in the Family, you're a whitey.

Academy Award Nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago, The Hours)


KAY ADAMS CORLEONE
Who is She: Michael's fiancee and eventual wife, she remains out of the loop. She flip-flops between willful ignorance and angry demands for the truth.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner Diane Keaton (Annie Hall, Something's Gotta Give)


My Choice: She's a white woman. And slightly older. And a feminist. Oh-ho, she most certainly does NOT fit in with the mob wife stereotype!

Janeane Garofalo (Ratatouille, Wet Hot American Summer)


MICHAEL CORLEONE
Who is He: He may be the youngest of the brothers, but he's the only competent one. Takes over the Family Business after the Godfather's retirement. Goes from War Hero to Crime Lord within a two hour film.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman)


My Choice: As Mike Tyson (lol), only the greatest actor under forty to come out of this generation.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster, Kinky Boots)


VITO CORLEONE
Who is He: The Fucking Godfather

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront, The Godfather)


My Choice: Are you ready? Bear with me here, people, because you will see the wisdom of this choice. This guy's playing Vincent Tyson.

Danny Glover (The Royal Tenenbaums, Gone Fishin')


What d'ya think? Too radical? Or JUST RIGHT?