Katherine Anne Porter's 1929 title short story resists screen adaptation in much the same way that Joyce's Ulysses does (though, of course, on a much lesser level). The stream-of-consciousness technique Porter used to illustrate the deathbed ruminations of the title character simply doesn't have an obvious cinematic equivalent (there's also a pervasive thread of religious doubt in the text that's difficult to convey). Director Randa Haines' (Children of a Lesser God) solution--filmed here in 1980 for the PBS American Short Story Collection--is to follow Granny Weatherall going through the day leading up to the physical collapse that puts her into bed, which is close to pure invention, with characters either added or introduced early. Haines' film also makes the jilting over which the character obsesses--her long ago abandonment at the wedding altar--more concrete as she sees hallucinations of her fianc( as her mind deteriorates, but the ultimate jilting (by God, as Granny dies) is depicted in somewhat more ambiguous terms. While these alterations may bother those with a deep attachment to the original, cinematically speaking they work quite well, and Geraldine Fitzgerald, always an underappreciated actress in America, gives a strong performance as the flinty, demanding old woman. The Jilting of Granny Weatherall is an imaginative treatment of Porter's story--no slavish adaptation, but one that is reasonably true to its spirit. DVD extras include author and cast biographies, a printable study guide, the original PBS introduction by Henry Fonda, and more. Recommended. [Note: also newly available in the series is Paul's Case, based on the short story by Willa Cather, and starring Eric Roberts.] (F. Swietek)
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
Monterey, 60 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 20, Issue 3
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
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