THE GOOD LIAR - Book of the film

Nicholas Searle’s debut novel The Good Liar was published in 2016 and the film was released three years later.

The story concerns Roy, a conman, and Betty, a widow; both are in their eighties but reasonably fit for their age, though Roy is plagued by a ‘difficult leg’. They meet for the first time through an online dating connection. And they seem to get on well. The protagonists are played by two consummate actors, Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren, who effortlessly inhabit their personas. Roy comes across as a particularly unpleasant man in both book and film.

The book’s story is told in the present tense and in the third person past historic, and jumps around quite a bit – the present (probably 2009), 1998, 1973, 1963, 1957, 1946, and 1938.  The ‘present’ is a bit woolly in the book but since certain characters were youngsters in 1938, the ‘present’ must be around the 2009 date to realistically fit.

After a couple of dinner dates, Betty takes pity on Roy and asks him to stay at her home – with the proviso their relationship would be for companionship only. He is willing to accept her kind offer. The majority of the flashbacks relate to Roy and the various predicaments he found himself in: impersonating a man accidentally killed in Norfolk, conning widows out of their savings. It is soon obvious that he has designs on Betty’s nest-egg. The only fly in the ointment is her grandson who appears over-protective.

Searle commits the modern cardinal sin of head-jumping from Roy’s thoughts to Betty’s in the same scene. Yet in this instance it works, emphasizing not only a battle of wills but imbuing the tale with mystery about Betty’s motivation.

The gradual twists and revelations are served up towards the end.

This is one of those rare occasions where the screenplay improves on the book. In the book, the fate of Roy is a rather prosaic damp squib, yet in the film it is far more brutal and, dare one say, satisfying. In the book some events are considered but not carried through; in the film these events are enacted and enhance the drama. The book deals with the horror of the Nazi concentration camps, where the film barely touches upon this. The screenplay is by Jeffrey Hatcher.

A worthwhile psychological thriller that maintains its grip on the reader to the end.

It does not matter if you see the film before or after reading the book: the book provides more telling background regarding Roy, while the film is a gripping experience in its own right thanks to the lead actress and actor.     

Book of the film - Where Angels Fear to Tread

Published in 1905, when Forster was 26, this debut novel is regarded as a modern classic. He only published six novels.  He was inspired by journeys to Italy with his mother (in 1901). For a young man’s debut, it is accomplished. It’s written from an omniscient point of view, so that we hear the author as much as any character’s thoughts, which was – and perhaps still is – the fashion in literary fiction. It begins as an Edwardian comic piece but towards the end turns into a tragedy.

As it’s omniscient, the book’s an ideal vehicle for filming, with some great dialogue. Starring Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Helen Mirren and Rupert Graves, this 1991 film is faithful to the book. Doubtless due to the running time, some of the humorous pieces from the beginning were omitted or cut short. The music by Rachel Portman enhances the narrative.

 

The young widow Lilia Herriton (Mirren) tours Italy, leaving her daughter with her mother-in-law. She’s chaperoned by neighbour Caroline (Bonham Carter). When Lilia announces her marriage to Gino (Giovanni Guidelli), an Italian a dozen years younger than her, there are ructions at home and Philip (Graves) is despatched to put matters right. Philip is accompanied by his sister, Harriet (Davis). However, Philip is ineffectual and fails in his mission. To say more would spoil the story.

Edward Morgan Forster

Forster intended that the book should be about the improvement of Philip, according to one of his letters. Yet much of the first portion of the book is as much about Lilia and her rocky relationship with Gino and Philip’s implacable mother, Mrs Herriton.

Mirren and Guidelli

The editor for this book states that he finds the book ‘flawless – in the perfection of its structure, its subtle use of leitmotifs, etc.’ Much of the ‘etc’ I can agree with, but not the structure, which I found uneven, and some of the head-hopping quite annoying.

However, what won me over were Forster’s acute observation and his humour. There are many brief examples of the latter, and I’ll provide a few here: ‘Florence she found perfectly sweet, Naples a dream, but very whiffy.’

When learning of Lilia’s outrageous behaviour, Mrs Herriton fumes, ending with, ‘I am going to the kitchen , to speak about the range.’ She spoke just too much, and the cook said that if she could not give satisfaction she had better leave.

For three years (Philip) had sung the praises of the Italians, but he had never contemplated having one as a relative.

Philip’s sister Harriet accompanies him on another mercy mission to Italy and when asked about her ticket, she replied, ‘A single for me, I shall never get back alive.’ Perhaps because she held the view ‘foreigners are a filthy nation.’

Towards the end, Philip deduced that ‘For our vanity is such that we hold our own characters immutable, and we are slow to acknowledge that they have changed, even for the better.’ And that’s the case, though there is a neat little twist ending, which is retained in the film.