Simon Mawer's "Trapeze," the movie

Now showing at My Book, The Movie: Trapeze by Simon Mawer.

The entry begins:

It’s a game, isn’t it? Fun, but pointless because what will really happen is that someone will option the book, spend years writing a miserable script, try without success to get Angelina Jolie in the leading role, reset the whole thing in Afghanistan, make Marian a CIA operative with fluent Pushtu, and then fail to sell it because in the meantime the Taliban have become pacifist, NATO troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan and everyone is saying, “Where the hell?”

But even so, it is fun. I see it filmed with an understated colour palette, all greys and browns, and lots of mysterious, angled shots of Parisian streets. Absolutely no views of the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum (largely because the Coliseum is in Rome, not Paris). 1940s period detail, both in Britain and in France. Director? Carol Reed, seeing what he did with The Third Man. He’s dead? Well someone must be able to do stuff like him. Noir. French, you see.

As regards cast – I’m in a bind here because the lead actress playing the part of Marian Sutro has to be bilingual in English and French, and actors suffer from the same problem that strikes all mortals – aging. Because I really need someone who can pass as 19 years old. That rules out Kristin...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Simon Mawer's website.

The Page 69 Test: Trapeze.

My Book, The Movie: Trapeze.

--Marshal Zeringue