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captainsblogFrom Gaiman-land comes the sad news of the passing, two days ago, of sci-fi and mystery author Donald Westlake, also known to nom de plume as Richard Stark.
I was never into his heavy-duty crime sets, but I knew I remembered the name. Sure enough, he penned The Hot Rock, the novel which began the life of one of his own most enduring characters, Dortmunder, but which I know even more fondly from its 1971 film adaptation starring Robert Redford in that role- and filmed in my childhood home town. The escape scene at 1:06 or so of the trailer?
That's Modells supermarket, baybee:)
The pedigree of the rest of the film ain't bad, either- Quincy Jones did the music, and Westlake's novel was adapted by future Princess Bride attendant William Goldman- but Westlake's words were what originally took a famous public crime ("Murph the Surf's" theft of the Star of India) and made it far more intriguing, and funny.
In his honor, I shall watch the film today. Maybe even while eating a piece of fruit from an Afghanistan bananastand.
I was never into his heavy-duty crime sets, but I knew I remembered the name. Sure enough, he penned The Hot Rock, the novel which began the life of one of his own most enduring characters, Dortmunder, but which I know even more fondly from its 1971 film adaptation starring Robert Redford in that role- and filmed in my childhood home town. The escape scene at 1:06 or so of the trailer?
That's Modells supermarket, baybee:)
The pedigree of the rest of the film ain't bad, either- Quincy Jones did the music, and Westlake's novel was adapted by future Princess Bride attendant William Goldman- but Westlake's words were what originally took a famous public crime ("Murph the Surf's" theft of the Star of India) and made it far more intriguing, and funny.
In his honor, I shall watch the film today. Maybe even while eating a piece of fruit from an Afghanistan bananastand.
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Date: 2009-01-02 11:35 pm (UTC)