The Beach - and why chances are it'll turn out badly. The Beach is due to be released by Fox in December 1999. Directed by Danny Boyle. Adapted from the novel by Alex Garland, by John Hodge. Cast includes: Leonardo DiCaprio (Richard), Tilda Swinton (Sal), Robert Carlyle (Daffy), Virginie Ledoyen (Francine) Guillaume Canet (Etienne). There's always been a problem when books are adapted into films. Devoted fans of the book are rarely satisfied, always armed with a list of missing events and misjudged moments.  But I've always tried to avoid this when watching a film of a book that I've enjoyed, and simply judge the film as a stand alone piece of art. And if it works (as in the case of Boyle's Trainspotting) and maintains the tone and the themes of the novel, then, well, you can hardly complain. But, and clearly there always was going to be a but, some novels simply don't translate well to the cinema. Some novels were always meant to be read. Not seen. No, really. And thus some projects seem destined to fail before the even reach the big screen. Sadly Danny Boyle's film of Alex Garland's excellent novel 'The Beach' falls in to this category. For more than a few reasons. It's not just about the casting either, though that clearly plays a part. The famous adage of how 'good novels make bad films whilst bad novels can make good films' pretty much applies here. I'd like to be optimistic. But I'm finding it pretty hard. So, where to begin? Well, I guess we ought to deal with Mr DiCaprio first.

Once, before Hollywood got its grubby little fingers on to the boy, Leonardo DiCaprio was a good actor. I'm being serious here. I remember after walking out of the MGM Tottenham Court Road after seeing 'What's Easting Gilbert Grape', slightly stunned by DiCaprio's performance. Friends were convinved (at the time, mostly, but some still are) that DiCaprio really was mentally disabled. Few who have seen the film can thus critcise DiCaprio as freely as they may wish to, and I find myself falling in to this camp. 'This Boy's Life' seemed to confirm Leo's talent too, and though only a modest picture, all three of the lead performances are equally stunning. And that's quite a compliment when considering DeNiro and Ellen Barkin were his co-stars. So, where did it all go wrong? Well, clearly, it didn't. It just went very average. And has stayed average since. Even his cameo in Woody Allen's superb 'Celebrity' seemed stilted and strained in a film full of beatifully natural performances. Thus I find it a little difficult to imagine DiCaprio successfully pullinf off a decent, accurate portrail of Richard. Of a self absorbed, questionably schizophrenic, without doubt mentally unstable smoker, who finds himself in paradise and yet still quite can't find happiness. The parallels to 'Lord of the Flies' are obvious (and they made two very poor films from that classic novel), but updated to the '90's to incorporate drug abuse and the way popular culture has infiltrated our everyday lives. DiCaprio's performance needs to work on so many different levels. And that's the problem. He is too much of a one note performer. And whilst that worked, probably even helped, with his early work, it's pretty fatal to his latest. If DiCaprio is believable......well, I'd be happy. Over the moon. I'd love to be proved wrong. But I can't see that happening. Whilst I'm looking forward to seeing Robert Carlyle in a Danny Boyle movie again, and Tilda Swinton in a mainstream movie, and I have to admit she's superb casting fro Sal, I just can't shake the feeling that DiCaprio is going to ruin this m

But it's more than problems with casting. It's to do with the novel and the style it's written in. and whilst at first it seems very cinematic, that's simpy because it's so saturated with popular cultrue references centering around Richard's obsession with the Vietnam war. And his obsession is clearly necessary to the understanding of his character and to why he acts as he does. And while his musings on the A-team work well in Garland's prose, adapted to the big screen they'd be in danger of being dull. This is a novel heavily influenced by cinematic conventions and ideas, which plays with form and idea's, and thus translating them back to the cinema seems not only pointless, but it risks being tedious. Clearly certain aspects of the novel will be lost in translation to film and in this case it will create problems. For the novel is tightly constructed and their is so little wasted text, that whatever is missing will be glaringly obvious. Added to this is the simple fact that one of the novels most important characters, who clearly signposts that paradise is far less than it appears to be, Jed, does not appear in the film. Richard's closest confidante. The man responsible for Richard's state of mind degrading in the directiuon that it does, is absent from the movie. And there seems to be no reason why. Keaty, Unhygenix, Gregorio are all to be found in the film despite the lack of their importance. So, why no Jed? And perhaps, even more importantly, what right do Hodge and Doyle have in removing the character? In attempting to, I presume, improve on the book? So, why no Jed? Well, until the movie is released I can't answer that question in full. But I don't like it, I don't like it at a

And the trailer, first seen in this country accompanying Star Wars the Phantom Menace, seems to confirm my worries. Whilst the Eden like paradise that Boyle and co. ran in to so much trouble in creating seems pretty spot on, the trailer seemed 'action-packed' which hardly fits in to the tone of the novel, and perhaps most worryingly, there is a scene in which Richard is seen passionately kissing Francine in the water. Which, as anyone who has read the novel will tell you, simply doesn't happen. and, more importantly, shouldn't happen. So, you can kinda see where my worries come from. Why adapt a novel if you're simply going to change it greatly? Why not write inventive and interesting original scripts? If you're going to adapt a novel from the big screen, then please stay loyal. Especially when the source material is as good as Garland's novel.

Update: Wednesday 15th September 1999. The Beach's release date in the USA has been put back till Spring 2000, suggesting problems with the movie. We don't know any exact details yet, but will update this feature as soon as we do. We currently have no idea when the movie will be released in the UK.

Update: Tuesday 14th March 2000. The Sequel to this article - The Beach and Why it Turned Our Badly can be found here.

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