Merchant Ivory's HOWARD'S END by E.M.Forster

It is interesting to see Aspects of the Novel applied to the silver screen.

"Why the goblin?"

"The goblin signifies the spirit of negation."

Brook's BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Dostoyevsky

Noble families in Europe tended to solve the problem of inheritance by sending some sons into military or church service. The third brother in this novel is a writer and philosopher. It is his developement as a free thinker in contrast to Alyosha's faith - a struggle for the soul of Ivan, the flawed man - that makes this one of book often touted as best work of literature ever!

Alas the movie cannot do justice to all three brothers (let alone embedded stories like the inquisitor's) and Ivan's action and lust make him the main focus. Yul Brenner steals the show. Even Williiam Shattner must play second fiddle.

Siodmak's THE KILLERS by Hemingway

Whereas Tarkovsky's student film limits itself to Heminway's short story about the killing of the Swede, Siodmak's noir extends the action to explain why the Swede waits suicidally for the killers. Personally I'd skip the Dragnet-style 60s remake (with the originally intended director) whose interest is more ostensibly in the killers than the vistim but whose only inovations (the boxer becomes a racer) pale beside the cherchez la femme story stolen from Siodmak.

What I find most interesting is th suicidal Swede as a tiny insight into the ultimatelly suicidal Ernest. Noir draws on war-wearriness, as I believe does Hemingway's greatest work. Perhaps it is not that women worked while the men were away that ultimately makes them fatal. Perhaps its their failure to make it all
better like mommy did with skinned knees. Love cannot make these broken men whole again. They are
victims, but also killers.