Tim Willocks

Another masterpiece from Willocks. Probably even better than Green River Rising, which is saying an awful lot. Turner is the most relentless detective since Derek's Raymond's unnamed detective. But Turner alone is not what makes this a great book. Every character is shown from all sides, and each one, no matter how much evil they may be up to at the moment, is capable of quoting Shakespeare or appreciating Camus. The story will make you question the meaning of justice and whether it really show more matters or whether life itself--except for the moment-to-moment pleasures--means anything at all. Turner is an admirable character in so many ways--but his inflexibility, well, just wait and see what happens. This is riveting and incredibly well-written from first page to last. And I guess it is probably famous for one of the most stomach-turning (not my stomach, incidentally) scenes in fiction. Willocks once again puts his expertise as a doctor to work in making the details of the story totally convincing. There isn't a throw-away line or even word in the whole book.

The desolate South African landscape is also a major player (as was Texas in Green River Rising.) But while both books seem to pit good against evil, the lines in Memo from Turner are not so clear--and sometimes they blur completely. show less

Fantastic. This was recommended by Anthony Neil Smith! If you are into extreme violence and over-the-top dialogue filled with exceedingly explicit language, this should be on your required reading list! Our protagonist, Klein, is an unjustly imprisoned doctor who is doing his best to help his fellow inmates in the prison infirmary, where he meets Dr. Juliette Devlin, a psychiatrist who has gained special permission to study the inmates. Her father was a former colleague of the warden. show more Telling you more would really be a waste of time. Just know that things start to go wrong--very wrong--and Klein, Devlin, and a cast of unlikely allies have to (literally) wade through shit to try to save themselves, their friends, and the paitients in the infirmary who are on the verge on being annihilated by perhaps the worst of the convict bosses (but he has stiff competition for being the worst person....) This book is so intense, I could only read it a bit at a time. I needed a break! Toward the end, there are a few pauses in the momentum that the first-time author should have avoided, although they are all part of the plot. Still, this is so beyond what most of the best suspense writers are even capable of that I have to give it five stars. I'm listening to Willocks Memo from Turner now--and it may turn out to be even better. show less

“It struck me that Amy Foster was one of the greatest love stories ever told, except that the love story itself had been left out.” — Tom Willocks (Screenwriter)

This lovely film based on Joseph Conrad’s “Amy Foster” is filled with the timeless grace of classic literature. The Cornwall English coast has rarely been so beautifully photographed as it is here in this story of two hearts saving each other from a life of loneliness.

Director Beeban Kidron uses Rachel Weisz’s open and show more beautiful face to marvelous effect, and Weisz brilliantly conveys the accumulated hurt and resolve of a girl who has lived her entire life deprived of love. Amy Foster is burdened with a father who resents her for the marriage her arrival into the world forced him into, and a mother who withholds her love because of a much deeper shame of which Amy is unaware. Amy counters their unkindness with a silence that seems strange to those around her, making her an outcast. She casts her heart upon the sea in the hopes it will be reborn.

This exquisitely beautiful work of art begins when the sole survivor of a shipwreck, a Russian man unable to communicate with those around him, washes ashore. He is treated in the same manner as Amy by the entire village, and their hearts connect instantly. A deeply moving yet simple act of human kindness when she washes his feet and offers him bread is never to be forgotten, setting the tone for the entire film. Vincent Perez gives a perfect performance as the stranger who is lost and helpless in a foreign land. For Amy it is as if the sea she so dearly loves has felt her hurt, and brought to her the love she has been denied. Ian McKellan and Kathy Bates also lend depth to this tender and tragic tale revolving around the sea.

Screenwriter Tom Willocks turned Conrad’s rather cold and distant story inside out, imbuing in it the romance it was lacking. Directed with sensitivity in a less is more school of filmmaking style, Beeban Kidron does a beautiful job in the rendering of this tale. The viewer is left with much the same feeling one gets after turning the final page in a work of timeless literature. A lovely film which will linger in the heart long after the credits roll, this deeply romantic film, laced with tenderness, will be loved by all in possession of a romantic heart. show less

For anyone who loves the beauty and grace of the fine film, Swept From the Sea, starring Rachel Weiz and Vincent Perez, this makes a wonderful companion. It includes the screenplay, an interview with director Beeban Kidron, stills from the film and, of course, the original short story by Joseph Conrad.

I have never been a huge Conrad fan and reading this short story after seeing the beautiful film it inspired was a reminder why. Though it obviously is literature, it is plagued by Conrad’s show more choice of Kennedy to relate the tale. Whereas F. Scott Fitzgerald could find grace and beauty in seemingly sketchy, or even trivial, people and situations, Conrad is either unwilling or unable to do so. It reads as though a beautiful romantic tragedy had been written without any love or sentiment. For that reason, Conrad’s “Amy Foster” leaves you cold.

Tom Willocks, who enjoys Conrad more than I do, ran into this problem while writing the screenplay. Then he realized everything was askew in Conrad’s original story. Kennedy’s perspective was obviously tainted, and recognizing this, Wiillocks was he able to turn the story inside out, uncovering the vestiges of love and romance Conrad had omitted.

It is because of Willocks's wonderful screenplay and Beeban Kidron’s handling of it that this is one of those rare instances where the film is better than its original source. The film has the grace and beauty of fine literature because screenwriter Tom Willocks gave it such. Reading the screenplay will make you appreciate just what a difficult task such an adaptation was and how screenwriting is an art form all its own.

One of my favorite Meryl Streep films is Plenty, and I was delighted to find that Fred Schepisi, the director of that film, was chosen to interview Beeban Kidron about the making of Swept From the Sea. The twenty-one questions Schepisi asks and Kidron’s responses are invaluable to anyone who loves this exquisitely beautiful work of art. There are little gems and insights into the making of the film fans will enjoy immensely.

The book includes some nice stills from the film to look at, and as a bonus, the entire credits for the film are listed as well. If you haven’t seen this spare and lovely film yet you are missing out. If you have seen it you’ll definitely want to own this as an addition to the film.

“It struck me that Amy Foster was one of the greatest love stories ever told, except that the love story itself had been left out.” — Tom Willocks (screenwriter) show less