***NOTE: SPOILER AHEAD*** (unless you've read the book.) In John D. MacDonald's 21-book "Travis McGee" series, "The Empty Copper Sea" is a standout: up to this point, the books could more or less be read as the reader happened to encounter them. But, by "Copper," John D. had come to realize that "his people" were following the books as a chronological series, with the characters learning and growing--and, in McGee's case, moving into a wonderfully-described, full-blown midlife crisis. So, from "Copper" onward, the books read like chapters, with events in one leading to consequences in the next. For me--and I'm one of those McDonald afficionados who periodically rereads the 21 McGees in order--"Copper" is the best of a very fine lot.
Which is why I wish it had led to a better movie. Certain elements showed promise: the wonderful choice of Andrew V. McLaglen ("Shenandoah," "The Wild Geese") to direct, and the inspired casting of Katharine Ross as the extraordinary heroine, Gretel Tuckerman Howard. Other elements, though, led the adaptation astray:
Location: One one other McGee novel made it to celluloid, "Darker Than Amber." While it wasn't a marvelous adaptation, it tried for the most part to be faithful to John D.'s characters and settings. Thus, "knight-errant" Travis McGee was shown on his barge-type houseboat, "The Busted Flush," moored at the Bahia Mar marina in Fort Lauderdale. The makers of "Copper," on the other hand, inexplicably tunred the Flush into a sailboat--and home-ported it in California!
Leads: Again, "Amber" wasn't perfect, but it tried hard in its casting: Rod Taylor wasn't too far off as McGee, probably a little stockier--but he can go from a look of bovine incomprehension to seething anger quickly, McGee's trademark. And as McGee's confidant, the hairy, gentle economist Meyer, Theodore Bikel wasn't dead-on, but he wasn't bad. "Copper," conversely, gives us the (then) heavily mustachioed and debonair Sam Elliot as McGee--far too close to the traditional dashing hero--and rough, gruff Gene Evans is hopelessly miscast as Meyer!
Supporting: As mentioned, Katharine Ross personified Gretel, while Richard Farnsworth is certainly appropriate as McGee's "client," Van Harder. But--SPOILER HERE--the pivotal role of Gretel's brother, John Tuckerman, goes sadly awry. McDonald describes Tuckerman as a "Clark Gable gone seriously to seed." The character gradually exhibits symptoms of derangement that eventually lead to the story's climax. "Copper" gives us in this part Geoffrey Lewis, a talented actor but no Gable type--in fact, he's known for portraying crazies; thus, the "unfolding surprise" of Tuckerman's derangement is lost, as he appears to be ga-ga from the get-go. (Same thing happened in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining": the lead, in King's book, is a man under stress who gradually goes bonkers; by casting Jack Nicholson, fresh off his role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Kubrick short-circuits the entire character development.)
Summary: Fans of John D. MacDonald and Travis McGee will find a game but flawed attempt at an adaptation; those unfamiliar with John D. and Trav will encounter an unobjectionable mystery-suspense film.
Which is why I wish it had led to a better movie. Certain elements showed promise: the wonderful choice of Andrew V. McLaglen ("Shenandoah," "The Wild Geese") to direct, and the inspired casting of Katharine Ross as the extraordinary heroine, Gretel Tuckerman Howard. Other elements, though, led the adaptation astray:
Location: One one other McGee novel made it to celluloid, "Darker Than Amber." While it wasn't a marvelous adaptation, it tried for the most part to be faithful to John D.'s characters and settings. Thus, "knight-errant" Travis McGee was shown on his barge-type houseboat, "The Busted Flush," moored at the Bahia Mar marina in Fort Lauderdale. The makers of "Copper," on the other hand, inexplicably tunred the Flush into a sailboat--and home-ported it in California!
Leads: Again, "Amber" wasn't perfect, but it tried hard in its casting: Rod Taylor wasn't too far off as McGee, probably a little stockier--but he can go from a look of bovine incomprehension to seething anger quickly, McGee's trademark. And as McGee's confidant, the hairy, gentle economist Meyer, Theodore Bikel wasn't dead-on, but he wasn't bad. "Copper," conversely, gives us the (then) heavily mustachioed and debonair Sam Elliot as McGee--far too close to the traditional dashing hero--and rough, gruff Gene Evans is hopelessly miscast as Meyer!
Supporting: As mentioned, Katharine Ross personified Gretel, while Richard Farnsworth is certainly appropriate as McGee's "client," Van Harder. But--SPOILER HERE--the pivotal role of Gretel's brother, John Tuckerman, goes sadly awry. McDonald describes Tuckerman as a "Clark Gable gone seriously to seed." The character gradually exhibits symptoms of derangement that eventually lead to the story's climax. "Copper" gives us in this part Geoffrey Lewis, a talented actor but no Gable type--in fact, he's known for portraying crazies; thus, the "unfolding surprise" of Tuckerman's derangement is lost, as he appears to be ga-ga from the get-go. (Same thing happened in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining": the lead, in King's book, is a man under stress who gradually goes bonkers; by casting Jack Nicholson, fresh off his role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Kubrick short-circuits the entire character development.)
Summary: Fans of John D. MacDonald and Travis McGee will find a game but flawed attempt at an adaptation; those unfamiliar with John D. and Trav will encounter an unobjectionable mystery-suspense film.
