Larry Brown and film

Day 3 of Larry Brown Week.

The one film related to Larry Brown that probably best sums up the man and his work is one that I have yet to see, and that seems as fitting a metaphor for Brown’s relationship with cinema — and perhaps the cultural world at large — as any.

The Rough South of Larry Brown is a 2002 documentary/drama made by director Gary Hawkins. The film mixes interviews with Brown and other documentary elements with narrative adaptations of three of Brown’s short stories – “Samaritans” and “Wild Thing” from Facing the Music, and “Wild Thing” from Big Bad Love. It follow’s Hawkins’ previous “Rough South” entry, the 1991 TV documentary The Rough South of Harry Crews.

The film has yet to be released on video, so infrequent screenings at festivals seems to be the only way to catch this one for now.

The one Brown-related film that is readily available is Arliss Howard’s 2001 adaptation of Big Bad Love. The film, which carries that same name, tells of Leon Barlow (Howard), a Vietnam veteran and struggling writer who still isn’t over the breakup of his marriage. His ex-wife, Marilyn (Debra Winger) doesn’t make things easy for him, though there are moments of quiet grace that make it clear why the two married in the first place. While it is not without its flaws, the film is highly watchable, if for no other reason than to see Howard fully inhabit Barlow.

Last up, for now, is a planned adaptation of Brown’s comic novel The Rabbit Factory. It was reported last summer that actor and director Vondie Curtis-Hall (Waist Deep) will direct the film for Ithaka Entertainment. Surprisingly – and intriguingly – short story writer Thom Jones is reported to have written the screenplay. There is little new information about the production, but some listings report a planned 2008 release.

As for Brown’s other novels, it was reported in 2000 that Billy Bob Thornton had optioned Joe, a match made in heaven if ever there was one, but a search finds no recent mentions of the project.