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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
I found the ending was scarily similar to the state of America at the moment.
(4.5 stars)
(4.5 stars)
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
yeah man, I see far too much of myself in this book (and I mean that in a concerning ‘locking yourself up with the realm of ideology/fantasy and ignoring the rest of the world is bad actually’ way)
After watching The Dreamers years ago, I was so excited to find out that it was based on a novel. I ordered the book and as soon as it turned up, I began reading...and I managed about five or six pages before I put it back down. That was attempt number one. I don't know what it is about how it's written, but I just found it so incredibly difficult to get into this book. It's the kind of plot that I love and really thought would intrigue me as the film did, but in the end it took me five attempts to finally finish it, and it's hardly like it's a lengthy read. For my fifth attempt, it did only take me a day and a half to read, but to be honest I just felt relieved I could finally put this back on the shelf and call it a day.
It's so ridiculously pretentious. It's set in the 1960s and is about three teenagers who are in love with cinema, so I expected it to be pretentious. But I just couldn't get to grips with how melodramatic and bizarre it was. The story itself I love, and I still consider the film to be one of my favourites, but maybe I just don't click with Adair's writing style on paper. I just found myself getting bored with some passages, a lot of it felt flat.
There were some scenes that didn't feature in the film which I found to be problematic. The fact that Theo essentially rapes Matthew and it's just...a fun thing that happened? One of the first things Theo and Isabelle do to Matthew to sort of 'initiate' him into their little bubble is jump on him and undress him, to coerce him to sleep with Isabelle. Very uncomfortable. Also why at one point is Matthew covered in his (or their's, who knows) shit?
I think this is one of the rare cases where the film is, in fact, better than the book unfortunately. At least I finally finished it.
It's so ridiculously pretentious. It's set in the 1960s and is about three teenagers who are in love with cinema, so I expected it to be pretentious. But I just couldn't get to grips with how melodramatic and bizarre it was. The story itself I love, and I still consider the film to be one of my favourites, but maybe I just don't click with Adair's writing style on paper. I just found myself getting bored with some passages, a lot of it felt flat.
There were some scenes that didn't feature in the film which I found to be problematic. The fact that Theo essentially rapes Matthew and it's just...a fun thing that happened? One of the first things Theo and Isabelle do to Matthew to sort of 'initiate' him into their little bubble is jump on him and undress him, to coerce him to sleep with Isabelle. Very uncomfortable. Also why at one point is Matthew covered in his (or their's, who knows) shit?
I think this is one of the rare cases where the film is, in fact, better than the book unfortunately. At least I finally finished it.
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
“Name a film or pay the forfeit.”
- Gilbert Adair, The Dreamers
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers has long been one of my favorite films. While its decadent beauty draws you in, it's the captivating story about the love of cinema that holds your attention. The screenplay – adapted by author Gilbert Adair from his 1988 novel The Holy Innocents – centers on a trio of film fanatics sequestered in a sprawling Paris apartment with nothing more than a provocative game to keep them occupied. While a screenwriter less familiar with these characters may have struggled to transfer them in all their complex glory from page to screen, in Adair’s capable hands the integrity of his vision never feels compromised. On the contrary, it feels fully realized when brought to life by this phenomenal cast under the guidance of Bertolucci. The Dreamers is an invitation. Not merely to watch what unfolds on screen, but to become spies inside the withered walls of an opulent haven. A place where three young cinephiles spend their days lounging in the bath, tirelessly debating politics and film, and steadily raising the stakes in their game of dares.
Read full review on the book and film here
- Gilbert Adair, The Dreamers
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers has long been one of my favorite films. While its decadent beauty draws you in, it's the captivating story about the love of cinema that holds your attention. The screenplay – adapted by author Gilbert Adair from his 1988 novel The Holy Innocents – centers on a trio of film fanatics sequestered in a sprawling Paris apartment with nothing more than a provocative game to keep them occupied. While a screenwriter less familiar with these characters may have struggled to transfer them in all their complex glory from page to screen, in Adair’s capable hands the integrity of his vision never feels compromised. On the contrary, it feels fully realized when brought to life by this phenomenal cast under the guidance of Bertolucci. The Dreamers is an invitation. Not merely to watch what unfolds on screen, but to become spies inside the withered walls of an opulent haven. A place where three young cinephiles spend their days lounging in the bath, tirelessly debating politics and film, and steadily raising the stakes in their game of dares.
Read full review on the book and film here
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fascinating exploration of obsession, comparison, and fantasy with the political backdrop of the 1968 Paris student riots providing a stark, real contrast against the naive hedonism embodied by the main trio. Interesting to compare and contrast with the 2003 film adaptation, I found the omniscient POV provided an enjoyable insight into the protagonists' internal motivations in ways I wish had been fleshed out more in the film. I do wish there were less odd racial descriptions from the author. Nothing overtly racist iirc but just odd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Police brutality
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am not a big fan of the romance drama genre, but ever since I learned of The Dreamers (2003) directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, I was immediately drawn and enamoured by the story simply through the trailer and the clips that I had seen, despite never having seen the movie. Once I learned that the movie was an adaptation of a novel, I took it upon myself to read the book first. It should be noted that I am reviewing the rewritten version of the book, the edition that the author rewrote after the success of the original film adaptation. Set against the background of the 1968 Paris student riots, a young American studying in Paris strikes up a friendship with a French brother and sister. The novel is a meditation on the obsession of flesh and living within a dream, disregarding reality for moments of pleasure. The characters are cinephiles always on a mission for a new fixation. The source of their new obsession is each other. When people speak of romance, they usually refer to modern mainstream storytelling tropes that fit into stories that resemble American romantic comedies, which romanticizes relationships and commodifies love itself. When I say that this book is romantic, I am referring to the way that it romanticizes life itself, including who we are in our youth and the complicated and deeply complex feelings we have towards the intimacy of others and the vulnerability and magic of loving them. The writing of this book is romantic in the way that it uses words to paint a beautiful portrait of a story revolving around three youths finding love within art, within each other, and within themselves. I found myself identifying with these characters and their lives, knowing exactly what it was like to hide in one’s own world of ideas, fantasies and film. The elements of this book explore many things that draw me to fiction: illicit relationships, sexual taboos, hedonistic lifestyles, a love for art, and romanticism. I love that this book drips with passion and romance. I loved the European flair that this had and the setting of this book itself, both the setting of 1968 and Paris during the student riots. I only wish that this book had explored the threesome of the characters and their unique relationship more deeply. This book made me want to watch the film, which I anticipate that I will love, if it is anything like this book. I think that this book does a great job at portraying the romantic aspects of youth as a dream state and the jarring awakening of adulthood and adult life. The ending surprised me. I recommend this book for readers who love French cinema.