PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
Where’s The Emerson Bio-Pic We’ve Been Waiting For?
May 8, 2008 on 10:40 pm | In Inspirations |Could someone please make it their summer project to write a great screenplay about Mr. Emerson and his buds? We’ve just had this great HBO series on John Adams, so why not Waldo, HUH? Carlos Baker’s book Emerson Among the Eccentrics would give an enterprising writer plenty of good starting material (not that execrable waste of trees by Susan Cheever; who in hell was her fact-checker?) and there are loads of good roles for great actors!
I mean, isn’t it time that we got Sam Waterston on board with this? He’s my choice to play RWE. I’ll let you nominate your own choices for characters like Thoreau, Walt Whitman (cameo), Margaret Fuller, Lydian Emerson, the Peabody sisters, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott, and Horace Mann.
Chris Walton, you’re going to be home a lot this summer with the baby, aren’t you? We can DO this thing!
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I’m already working on “Hymnal: The Musical” with Baptized Pagan, but sure, who can’t develop two dramatic properties while changing diapers and washing baby clothes. Come on over!
Comment by Philocrites — May 8, 2008 #
For Margaret Fuller, I nominate Jennifer Ehle.
Lydian Emerson is more challenging because of the age range (since I don’t know what years you would like to cover). How about Annette Bening or Francesca Annis?
Comment by repressed librarian — May 8, 2008 #
Ooh, good idea. I love Sam Waterston, and he could totally play Emerson!
Comment by h sofia — May 8, 2008 #
Lisa Kudlow for Fuller.
Nicolas Cage for Thoreau.
Whatsisname who played “Kramer” on Seinfeld for Alcott.
Comment by fausto — May 9, 2008 #
Like the choices so far, but I am adamant on one thing: My darling Frances McDormand for Margaret Fuller. Do NOT suggest her for a smaller role - we are so tired of her not getting the leads she deserves!
Comment by Barbara — May 9, 2008 #
Orlando Bloom as Horace Mann
Anne Hathaway as Louisa May Alcott
Dana Delaney as Lydian Emerson
Reese Witherspoon as Edith Emerson
John Forbes Kerry in a cameo as his own ancestor John Murray Forbes, Edith’s father-in-law
PeaceBang, Pastor P, and Rali Weaver as the Peabody sisters
Patrick Dempsey as Walt Whitman
Fred Thompson as Frederic Henry Hedge
Alan Rickman as Andrews Norton
Russell Crowe as Nathaniel Hawthorne
Comment by fausto — May 9, 2008 #
Danny DeVito or Jason Alexander as Theodore Parker
Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters as William Ticknor and James Fields
And, especially for ChaliceChick, David Duchovny as James Russell Lowell
Comment by fausto — May 9, 2008 #
Fausto, you are cruel: Under no circumstances can Fred Thompson play my own personal hero! No, no, no! Also, he wasn’t old and crotchety during Transcendentalism’s heyday.
I love the lineup you propose for the Peabody sisters, though.
Comment by Philocrites — May 9, 2008 #
Dammit, Fausto! Every time I check this page for comments you make me spew iced coffee out of my nose!! Cut it out!
Comment by PeaceBang — May 9, 2008 #
Okay, then, George Clooney or Johnny Depp as Frederic Henry Hedge.
How about Arnold Schwarzenegger as Friedrich Schleiermacher? (cameo)
Comment by fausto — May 9, 2008 #
I know I proposed Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters for Ticknor & Fields, but actually, Williams would really need to be Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. I suppose that means Winters could be Hedge.
Comment by fausto — May 9, 2008 #
Paul Bettany for Hedge. I am thinking here of his turn as Stephen Maturin, not as Silas, though that would be funky. He looks the part with chops.
Comment by Adam Tierney-Eliot — May 9, 2008 #
What I need to see in these nominations is a wee bit more brain power. Remember, we need people who can credibly play intellectuals. Emily Watson as Louisa May. Still fierce on Frances McDormand as Margaret.
Whee, I am taking this remarkably seriously.
Comment by Rev. Gidget — May 9, 2008 #
Ellen Page (Juno) could pull off Louisa May as well. Ditto on Frances McDormand as Margaret and Sam Watterson as Waldo.
Comment by Renee — May 9, 2008 #
You want more brain power? I think you’re judging them by their roles, not their innate intellect. Let’s have a closer look:
Sam Waterston: Yale
Lisa Kudrow: Vassar
Anne Hathaway: Vassar
Danay Delaney: Wesleyan
John Kerry: Yale
Fred Thompson: Memphis State (double major in philosophy and poli sci)
David Duchovny: Princeton (BA), Yale (MA), working on unfinished PhD at Yale in English Lit
I’d mention the brainy Peabody sisters too, but as always they are perfectly capable of speaking for themselves.
There does seem to be a dearth of names on the list from historically Unitarian Harvard, though. Perhaps we could correct that by finding roles for Stockard Channing, John Lithgow, Mira Sorvino, Natalie Portman, Amy Brenneman, Lindsay Crouse, Tommy Lee Jones, Peter Sellars, Elisabeth Shue, David Monahan, and Donal Logue.
Comment by fausto — May 10, 2008 #
As soon as I hit “send”, I had a pang of remorse, vis-a-vis the obviously brainy actresses nominated for the sisters Peabody. (Not to mention that I know some of them, and they can brain me under the table, or brain me with a brass candelabra at GA.) I did not mean all of the actors. I also did not know the educational pedigrees of these fine people. And I have not seen Lisa Kudrow or Anne Hathaway betray on camera much of the intellect it must have taken them to graduate.
Comment by Rev. Gidget — May 10, 2008 #
I think Anne Hathaway left Vassar to pursue a career before graduating (and Reese Witherspoon, a descendant of early Princeton president Rev. John Witherspoon, did the same at Stanford), but I understand Lisa Kudrow took her BS from Vassar in biology.
Comment by fausto — May 10, 2008 #
And let’s not forget another intellectual giant who has a BA from Yale and an MA from Harvard: George W. Bush. Hah.
Comment by Rev. Gidget — May 10, 2008 #
Does anyone think that Fausto and I have too much time on our hands?
Comment by Rev. Gidget — May 10, 2008 #
Yes. I’m off to find a Mother’s Day present and go fishing.
But before I do, it’s worth noting that GWB was in the last class Yale admitted before replacing the old-school-tie admissions director with a new one (named Islee Clark; you can look him up) who no longer gave preference to family legacies, and was therefore the last Bush in his generation to attend Yale. Where he did not exactly distinguish himself academically.
Also, his Harvard degree is an MBA from Harvard Business, not an MA from the University. That’s a trade school, not arts and sciences. I didn’t list anyone with an MFA from Yale Drama School either, for the same reason, or the list would be much longer!
Comment by fausto — May 10, 2008 #
Make that INSLEE Clark. Typed too fast and left out the “n”.
Comment by fausto — May 10, 2008 #
I must say, you lot have a powerful name.
The George Fox bio-pic isn’t quite the same.
Maybe Susan B. Anthony would be a candidate.
Comment by Comrade Kevin — May 10, 2008 #
You mean the same Susan B. Anthony who left the Quakers to join the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, NY? Yeah, maybe we should do her after we finish RWE.
George Fox? Don’t even think about it. Look, any Quaker bio-pic is going to be a snoozer. My mom went to George School and my wife went to Swarthmore, so I oughta know. For them it’s all about humbling yourself, quiet waiting, and consensus. Bo-ring! For a good bio-pic you need a subject who is a quirky, complicated, idiosyncratic, self-righteous, vocal individualist, and the UUs will always beat the Quakers in that department, hands down.
Comment by fausto — May 11, 2008 #