The next year, the author released As I Lay Dying, a similarly stylized book about the impoverished Bundren family’s struggles to bury their matriarch, Addie, in the town of Jefferson, Mississippi. It wasn’t an immediate success when it was released in 1929, but it’s since been recognized as one of the author’s essential works. As I Lay Dying has much in common with The Sound and the Fury.įor six months, Faulkner put everything he had into writing The Sound and the Fury, a story that uses multiple narrators and a stream-of-consciousness style to chronicle the decline of the formerly aristocratic Compson family. Here are some facts about the book and Faulkner’s very deliberate undertaking of writing a “classic.” 1. It’s since become regarded as an American classic-and a bit of an endurance test for some readers. It just comes off as weird.Released in 1930, author William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying appeared to be an impossibly ambitious undertaking the novel has 15 different narrators over 59 chapters. I mean, that final bit is kind of hilarious, but Franco doesn't play it as such. Franco also seems to miss the semi-comic tone of the novel, making it almost fully a tragedy. She's quite good, but, of course, dead for most of the movie. Finally, there's Beth Grant (who still doubts your commitment to Sparkle Motion) as Addie. Ahna O'Reilly is not a bad actress, but she's 10 years older than the character of Dewey Dell, which is incredibly noticeable. Brady Permenter as Vardaman is a poor child actor.
Franco is easily the standout as Darl, but Jim Parrack and Logan Marshall-Green as Cash and Jewel respectively pretty much get lost because of their bland performances. The casting of the rest of the Bundrens isn't that great, either. Nelson really was a great choice to play Anse, so it's really unfortunate his performance goes down the toilet like this. Again, I can understand why (the text clearly states that he is toothless), but he didn't need to be so impossible to understand (again, someone who is unfamiliar with the book will be utterly lost).
Tim Blake Nelson, who plays Anse, the patriarch of the Bundren clan, is incomprehensible. I can understand why, but it's just too busy. Franco, clearly an amateur (though not without talent), utilizes split screens to tell his story. It's a valiant attempt, I think, but a failure nonetheless.
Unfortunately, even as a big fan of the book, this film really doesn't work very well. That doesn't necessarily effect me any as a viewer, but it should be noted. I remember, when this debuted at Cannes, a tweet from some critic which basically said "I can't wait to read the book so I can figure out what the Hell it was I just watched!" Now, I have read the book (around 13 years ago), but, man, does this ever seem absolutely impenetrable to anyone who hasn't.
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