Lord Jim on TCM
 

Did anybody else catch this tonight on TCM? I expected Peter O'Toole to deliver just as he always does, but was happily surprised to see James Mason in a role I had not been familiar with. What a treat! It is a flawed movie, and it's just begging to be remade, but I enjoyed it immensely anyway.

I'm a fan of that film. I like the adventure aspects. I like the way it ends.

Yeah it's a signature Joseph Conrad ending all right. I'd like to see Terrence Malick take a stab at it. Of course, he'd probably make it a five-hour epic.

Could be worse... Peter Jackson could do it, and turn it into a 3 DVD set... with a Director's cut... and special edition...

I can't say as I've seen this movie though. Which version do you recommend? The original, or the remake?

I saw "New World" last night and I wouldn't mind seeing "Lord Jim" done by Malick at all. I just wouldn't be able to see it with Peter O'Toole doing the trademark Malick soliloquies.

The one Chris is talking about is the Richard ('The Professionals', 'Blackboard Jungle', 'Key Largo', 'The Killers') Brooks version (color), 1965. This version also has Curt Jurgens in a really nice role as the former company official who has become corrupted. Another reason I like this version is because it really looks like the Malaysia in my mind. I was born in Malaysia, in the city, but whenever I think of the place now it looks like Lord Jim.

I haven't seen (nor did I know of) the 1925 version.

I would love to see the 1925 version. I wasn't aware that the 1965 version was a remake. It's a remake that should be remade again. Another great performance in this Richard Brooks version, is Eli Wallach as the general. You might know him better from his famous role a year later in "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" in which he played the part of Tuco, opposite Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. "When you have to shoot... shoot, don't talk." Wallach has plenty of great lines in Lord Jim as well.