‘The Road’: Hear How Director John Hillcoat Stayed True to McCarthy’s Novel

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

By Shannon Nystedt
MovieSet.com

It’s easy for films based on novels to get off topic, and often you’ll hear that the book is far better than the movie. So for director John Hollcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, he kept McCarthy on hand to make sure the film’s focus didn’t deviate too far from the novel. To prevent the film from getting swept up in action, explosions and cannibalism and to put the foccuss back on the characters and their journey, McCarthy demanded four lines of dialogue remain in the film.

“…Just those four lines. Nothing else. He didn't miss any of it.” Said director John Hillcoat “It's been great, because he could see the more you focus on that other stuff [post apocalyptic doom, explosions and cannibalism] the more unbalanced it becomes, and it becomes something else…”

Find out what McCarthy insisted on keeping in the film here.

Viggo Praises Charlize’ Take on Nameless Wife

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

By Shannon Nystedt
MovieSet.com

It’s not often you’ll hear some one say “the movie was better than the book”, but what about an actor being better than the character? In the upcoming post-apocalyptic drama The Road, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, leading man Viggo Mortensen commends his co-star Charlize Theron for making her character more sympathetic than in the book. The Story follows a father and his son as they walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones, and, when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing: just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless cannibalistic bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a rusting shopping cart of scavenged food--and each other. Theron plays the nameless wife, who leaves her son and husband to cope on their own in a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape.

“…I don't want to ruin it for people but I think you understand her decision compared with mine. Mine is to keep going on and she wants to say 'I'm done', but you understand her reasons…"

Read the full article here.

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‘The Road’: Hear How Director John Hillcoat Stayed True to McCarthy’s Novel

Viggo Praises Charlize’ Take on Nameless Wife