Just when things are improving for Huck, he is kidnapped and mistreated by his no-good father. Huck’s refusal to do so only infuriates Pap. However, just as things begin to stabilize, Pap returns to the picture and demands Huck give him the money that he had previously attained during an adventure with his best friend Tom Sawyer. Although he dislikes the strict regime of education, manners, church and rigid clothing, which are a necessity to fit into society, Huck prefers anything to his previous life with his drunkard father Pap. The book opens with a description of Huck’s new life as he undergoes a process of “civilization” while living with the Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. The plot unfolds in several locations sometime before the Civil War. The novel serves as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, another famous work by Mark Twain. It would have been fascinating to see what he might have done in more complex, adult roles.Regarded as the pride and joy of American literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a picturesque novel depicting Huck’s epic journey from boyhood to manhood and the struggles he must face living in a corrupt society. Tragically, the Broadway-trained Durkin would die in a car accident (that nearly killed fellow passenger Coogan as well) in 1935. HUCKLEBERRY was a solid success at the box office and Paramount announced plans to bring back Coogan and Durkin in TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE and TOM SAWYER ABROAD, but the projects never got off the ground. His natural charisma and potent personality shine through, even in this somewhat creaky rewrite of Twain. But Junior Durkin, as he was in TOM SAWYER, is a letter-perfect Huck, with the perfect mix of charm and laissez-faire attitude. Coogan, who was a bit too much of a goody-goody to make a convincing Tom (he wasn't capable of capturing the character's penchant for mischief and rule-breaking), is more aggravating than endearing here and you'll soon wish Huck and Jim had sailed without him. Fidelity to the source material is far less important to Hollywood than pacifying a star. The screenwriters' solution was to have Tom tag along with Huck and Jim on their journey. The problem: Tom plays a fairly minor role in the novel, and Coogan was too big a star to play a supporting role. TOM SAWYER proved to be one of the biggest box office successes of 1930, so naturally Paramount hurried to reteam Jackie Coogan and Junior Durkin in HUCKLEBERRY FINN.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |