Adaptation. 4K 2002 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Taking on the adaptation of journalist Susan Orleans' book "The Orchid Kidnapper", the famous screenwriter Charlie Kaufman finds himself in a mental and creative deadlock. Strange feelings that have seized him, prevent him from working. But once Charlie decides to describe in the script everything that happens to him. Soon the author notices that reality and fiction begin to intertwine in the most bizarre and unexpected way.

Review 4K Movie

There is nothing worse for any screenwriter than to fall into a creative crisis and disrupt the production deadline on which the future of an entire project depends. And to trap themselves are capable of both venerable writers and newcomers who have not yet had time to test their own imagination. The now revered writer Charlie Kaufman, best known for his work on the fantasy tragicomedy "Being John Malkovich," once faced similar problems. In the mid-'90s, as an up-and-coming but far from famous screenwriter, Kaufman received a tempting offer from Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme and Columbia pictures to develop a detailed feature-length synopsis based on Susan Orleans' somewhat specific but nonetheless remarkable book, The Orchid Thief. Unable to refuse the most genuine gift of fate, Kaufman set to work, but only as he began to write dialogue and situations did the author suddenly realize that he would not be able to progress beyond a couple of dubious sketches. Faced with apathy, lack of confidence in his own abilities and lack of understanding of what the producers and the studio wanted from him, Kaufman failed with a bang on the job originally assigned. Nevertheless, he was not going to put the ill-fated "Thief of Orchids" into a long drawer, because he realized that on the basis of his creative struggles he could create an original script and show as it were the torments of creativity of an unhappy writer, faced with the most important enemy that dwells in his own head. By preparing all the necessary materials for a spectacular demonstration, Kaufman was interested in them is not Jonathan Demme, and Spike Jonze, with whom they just planned to shoot "Being John Malkovich. And after the film with John Cusack was successfully distributed worldwide and received a number of well-deserved awards, Kaufman and Jones returned to The Orchid Thief and managed to secure the support of influential producers who agreed to let Adaptation go to the big screen. Thus, from a frankly critical situation, Charlie Kaufman unexpectedly came out a winner, becoming one of the creators of an incredibly eccentric, yet fascinating, touching and a little crazy film that became a classic virtually as soon as it was released.

So, the plot of the movie is based on the biography of a certain for the time being nobody knows John Laroche (Chris Cooper). Fascinated by the cultivation of orchids, John and his wife set up in Florida, an extensive nursery with its favorite plants, but his personal happiness did not last long. Laroche's close relatives die in a car accident, and his wife, upon regaining consciousness, files for divorce. But the biggest blow awaited the Pomologist a little later and caused him crushing injuries. Andrew's hurricane destroys LaRoche's greenhouse, from which the work of all his imagination turns into unnecessary debris. Not having the strength to start from scratch, the hero nevertheless gets after the Indians who grow orchids for the purpose of obtaining narcotic substances, and he has nothing else to do but to move to the reservation and continue his work both for his own benefit and for the dubious benefit of unexpected patrons. And though in time Laroche's specific activities came under the scrutiny of law enforcement, his story interested writer Susan Orleans (Meryl Streep), who decided to write her most famous novel, The Orchid Thief, based on the events that occurred, which once did make it to the bookshelves. And where great sales followed, Hollywood producers immediately showed up as well, buying the screen rights and commissioning the writing of the script to the very same Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage), who was beginning his ascent to the heights of fame, but was facing a notorious creative crisis.

Not understanding how to create from "The Orchid Thief" an adequate basis for shooting a promising film with celebrities of the highest echelon, Kaufman fails time after time, as good ideas refuse to come into his head, and the stupidity dwelling around the pure consciousness reminds him more and more and leads to fresh mistakes, of which he has accumulated an unacceptable number. And just at this time to Charlie arrives in Los Angeles, his negligent twin brother Donald (Nicolas Cage), who has decided in the image of his brother to storm the dream factory as a playwright. Attending all kinds of creative seminars and along with this sketching notes for a future psychological thriller, Donald finally gets his way and sends in the production of a completely untalented, but nevertheless attractive script, thereby forcing Charlie to be in a state of complete bewilderment. And yet our hero is not going to give up. In any given situation, he tries to emphasize something important, allowing him to move from the dead point. But in order to finally bring the beginning to the end, Charlie must meet with Susan Orleans and, if possible, get to know John Laroche himself. And this meeting promises to be a truly unforgettable experience for the screenwriter.

After working together on "Being John Malkovich", Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze perfectly understood each other's creative style and produced "Adaptation" in a similarly unorthodox manner. As one would expect, Kaufman's creative tossing and turning of the screen image is full of unexpected and catchy plot twists and turns, with the story alternating between genres, incorporating comedy, drama, phantasmagoria, thriller and detective. Watching what happens to the long-suffering screenwriter, one cannot help but begin to believe in the irresistible power of creative despair that clogs the head with irritating garbage, but at the same time "Adaptation" has a salutary black humor that allows to push aside the voluminous eccentricity of the creators and set the story on the righteous path. Of course, the stylistic and atmospheric games of Kaufman and Jones will not seem appropriate for all viewers, which may make the plot twists of "Adaptation" look like an artificial drama, as detached from reality as possible, but with such specific tools the creators could show in all colors what is sometimes going on in the minds of authors and what they have to go through to finally deliver the cherished script into the hands of directors.

Charlie Kaufman's guide from his own frustrations to the audience was Nicolas Cage, who played two key roles in the adaptation at once. Cage's infectious enthusiasm for his work was a key reason for being invited to "Adaptation", and he did not let his benefactors down, giving them all his strength and skills to convey as accurately as possible the creative turmoil akin to a nightmarish mental illness. The opportunity to play two roles at once allowed Cage to reach its full potential and develop both of the characters to the point that Charlie and Donald have become completely self-sufficient and lively characters, each of which was a serious dramatic competition for his counterpart. And Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep charmingly complemented the tale of the travails of creation, giving it the exquisite gloss of as excellent acting as ever.