The ongoing debate over whether J.D. Salinger should have sold the stage and screen rights to “The Catcher In The Rye,” one of the most influential books of all time, has been argued for years, sometimes reaching Hume proportions of whether or not God exists. Some believe that Salinger simply lacked the imagination to know where the future of film might have taken his very “novelistic” novel, as movie-making has evolved and tested the boundaries of visually portraying one’s thoughts. Others believe a film version of the book would actualize one person’s specific Holden Caulfield and therefore heavily influence or, depending on whether they make a hash of it, commit a hostile takeover of countless young minds’ personal relationship with the text. Wherever you net out on the argument, the fact remains that Salinger did not sell those rights, and whether or not he left them unsold to his family after his passing, the film version has yet to be made.
The 1951 novel, with its iconic illustration of a blood-red carousel horse on its cover, has inspired, frankly, most everyone who has read the damn thing. Its influence can be found in varying mediums, and many films evoke ‘Catcher’ in subtle and unsubtle ways. There are myriad examples, but a personal favorite of mine is “Bottle Rocket,” Wes Anderson‘s gentle 1996 ode to two friends and their unwilling transition to adulthood.
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Last night at the Museum of the Moving Image, The Playlist attended a special screening of another film more obviously inspired by the book and Salinger himself.
Directed by James Steven Sadwith, best known for his work in television and his Emmy Award-winning miniseries “Sinatra,” “Coming Through The Rye” is a coming-of-age tale with “Catcher In The Rye” at its core (and in its name). Inspired by true events in the director’s life, the film is set in 1969 and stars Alex Wolff as Jamie Schwartz, a lonely young man so obsessed with the character of Holden and playing him on stage that he adapts the book into a play and runs away from home in search of Salinger to get his permission. The consistently impressive Chris Cooper plays Salinger.
Cooper was on hand for a Q&A after the screening to discuss the film along with the Sadwith, the disarming Stefania Owen (who really shines in the role of Jamie’s love interest as Deedee), and one of the film’s producers, Stan Erdreich. A true “labor of love,” it took a lot of blind faith and hustling for Sadwith to get his first feature film off the ground. He began with Googling “how to make an independent film” and went from there.
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As the reclusive, almost impossible-to-find Salinger, Cooper is not on screen for very long. When asked about his limited screen time, Cooper responded, “I don’t feel like I need the lead in a movie. I’m known as a character actor; in my head, I make the leads work harder.”
Was Cooper reluctant to play Salinger? Definitely. “You can’t find his recorded voice anywhere, so I asked Steven what I should do. He said think ‘Upper East Side, Jewish intellectual of the 1950s,’ so I found recordings of Arthur Miller and tried to do my own, not very good impression of him.”
Moderated by David Schwartz, Chief Curator of MOMI, the discussion turned to Cooper’s first film experience working with John Sayles in the critically acclaimed “Matewan“ and how Sayles set the bar for independent filmmaking. On his relationship with the director, Cooper said, “We’ve known each other for over 25 years and work together about once every five years. He is whip-smart and socially conscious. Sayles paved the way, and I couldn’t be prouder with that experience as a first film.”
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When asked how Cooper came to join this production, he responded, “I first met James on the set of a TV movie in the early ’90s with Brian Dennehy based on another true story about an entire small town who sees a man killed and no witnesses come forward [“In Broad Daylight“]. I read this script and loved it. I made him sweat for two or three days, and then I called and told I’d play Salinger.”
Under tough independent film constraints, Sadwith used his experience in television to help guide him. “In TV, you shoot for about 18 days, and the budget is usually under $2 million dollars. So I was comfortable shooting that way, except this time I had to make sure the money kept coming in.”
The film stumbles in the beginning, starting uneven in tone as we meet the unpopular Jamie at Crampton, his all-boys school in Pennsylvania, but it eventually finds its footing when Jamie and Deedee take to the fall-foliage-covered roads in search of Salinger. Toward the end, it takes a surprising emotional turn and, when complete, you will have definitely felt something affecting.
Unfortunately, Alex Wolff wasn’t able to make it, but Stefania Owen spoke charmingly about her experience as a 16-year-old making a film about first love, innocence and Salinger. Owen is also going to appear in Katie Holmes‘ 2016 directorial feature debut “All We Had.” “I play her daughter in the film and it’s about our relationship and how the roles are kind of reversed. I am really excited for this year.” Owen is one we intend to keep an eye on; she can next be seen in “Chance,” the new Hulu series starring Hugh Laurie.
“Coming Through The Rye“ opens in limited release in New York and Los Angeles today. And rest assured, this is not a film version of “Catcher In The Rye.” After seeing it, Holden and Phoebe will still remain, forever young and yours.