ironweed novel vs. movie

A detailed Summary of ironweed novel vs. movie

IRONWEED is the story of Francis Phelan's return to Albany, New York. In 1901, Phelan was a trolley car worker for the Albany Traction Company. During a strike, Phelan throws a rock and kills a scab conductor. To escape prosecution, he leaves Albany for a year. After he returns, he attempts to build a life with his wife and children. But he drops his 13-day-old son Gerald on the floor, killing him. Phelan splits for good. For the next several years, Phelan wanders all over the US and Canada, playing minor league baseball--his rock-throwing at the trolley strike was a preview of his throwing skills. But the Great Depression hits and Phelan becomes just another of the millions of hungry, boozing bums. During these dreary years he takes up with Helen Archer, a sickly but lovable homeless woman with a musical background. Finally, in 1938, Phelan returns to Albany to confront his pas

Kennedy has also lifted Helen Archer, Francis' girlfriend, into a major character role. I was concerned about this, as Archer plays only a minor role in the novel. But again, Kennedy has changed the novel into the screenplay with amazing skill and taste. And Meryl Streep, as Archer, shows the stuff that pros are made of. You won't forget her performance for a long time. When she belts out a tune in "The Gilded Cage" nightclub, the audience on the screen and in the theater are both moved.

t, his family, and the ghosts that populate his memories.

But Kennedy has done an excellent job with the screenplay. The movie doesn't deserve the nickname "Ironweird" like the novel does. Excising all the bizarreness of the novel, Kennedy has managed to concentrate focus upon the main character Francis Phelan. Despite numerous flashbacks, Francis' story flows from scene to scene with sparkl

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Hector Babenco's, Traction Company, William Kennedy's, Helen Archer, Jack Nicholson's, Archer Francis', Phelan Despite, Streep Archer, Albany York, Gilded Cage, helen archer, reads letter, novel kennedy,

Approximate Word count = 594
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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