Lee Caplin speaks with people before the screening of his film As I Lay Dying”
Photo by Cady Herring I The Daily Mississippian
Once again, the Lyric Oxford brought the cultural heat to a town already well acquainted with the arts. On Monday, the Oxford Film Festival hosted a single-night screening of actor James Franco’s adaptation of William Faulkner’s famous novel “As I Lay Dying.” This was the final public screening before the movie premiered yesterday on iTunes.
The Yalobusha Brewing company provided free beverages for the event, giving patrons a taste of their new beer River Ale. Faulkner enthusiasts and Franco fans mingled together in the lobby anxiously awaiting the film. By the time the film started, the theater was selling standing room only tickets.
Melanie Addington, director of the Oxford Film Festival, said she was extremely pleased with the turnout.
“The event turned out better than expected with over 400 tickets sold and a good amount of money raised for the festival,” Addington said.
A movie screen to rival the Malco was erected in place of the stage, and when the much anticipated movie began playing, a hush fell over the audience.
The film features James Franco as the tragic figure Darl Bundren. Alongside him are other familiar faces such as Danny McBride as Darl’s Bundren’s wealthy neighbor Vernon Tull and Tim Blake Nelson of “O Brother, Where Art Thou” as the born-again Christian Anse Bundren. The movie centers around Anse, Dewey Dell, Jewel and the brothers Bundren on their quest to bury their mother, Addie, in Jefferson County. Franco paints a chilling picture of life in Mississippi during its formative years, capturing the emotion and the heartbreak that rings throughout “As I Lay Dying.”
During a Q&A session after the screening, producer of the film Lee Caplin told the audience: “Some said it was impossible. It was a movie completely incapable of being put on film. James Franco came to me talking about making this movie about eight years ago and I thought to myself, this is the guy to do it.”
When Caplin was asked why they made the decision to film on location, he said “Some of the actors wanted to go other places but I have a big love for this state and a big love for this town.”
Obviously being the home of William Faulkner did not hurt. Caplin said the one hour and 10 minute movie was made in only two weeks and for under five million dollars.
Local actors who played roles in the film were also in attendance at the screening. Ash Taylor, Jessica Wilkenson, Casey Dillard, Kenny Cook, Elise Spike and the very young Brady Permenter made an appearance on the screen as well as at the Q&A session.
“They cut me out of the film completely,” said Spike. “I still joke around with James (Franco) about him cutting me out.”
All the actors and actresses had nothing but glowing things to say about the experience of filming such a legendary piece of Mississippi literature.
Caplin said they tried to stay as true to the book as possible.
“Everyone from the doctor to the desk boy had a copy of the book,” Caplin said. “For Franco, the book was the script.”
James Franco and Co. aren’t done with Faulkner quite yet, as he and cowriter of the film Matt Rager are hard at work adapting “The Sound and the Fury,” another complex work.
For those whose interests in artful movies were piqued by the event, the Oxford Film Festival is hosted in earnest Feb. 6-9.
