A Separate Peace

Starring:J Barton, Toby Moore, Jacob Pitts, Danny Swerdlow, Aaron Ashmore, Adam Frost, Matt Austin, Sean McCann, Alison Pill, R.D. Reid, Hume Cronyn, Colin Fox, Lise LeBel-Wagner, John Bayliss, Linda Goranson, John Peters, Bazil Williams
Director: Peter Yates
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Description

Based on the novel by John Knowles, A SEPARATE PEACE tells the coming-of-age story of the students attending an all-boys prep school. With the possibility of being drafted for World War II, the boys try their best to graduate before the draft and encounter many obstacles along the way.

Customer Reviews:

Good story and acting, but fans of the book will be disappointed. .......2006-05-28

When I saw a listing (in a gay film catalogue) for the DVD of "A Separate Peace", a 2004 Showtime made-for-cable movie, I recalled reading the book while in high school (apx 40 years ago) and that it did spark some confusing feelings which - now in retrospect - I recognize as my latent homosexuality. The feeling was reinforced somewhat when I saw the 1972 film version of the film, when it was first released in the theatres, which followed the book closely, though the acting was poor (It was produced mostly with non-actors who were actually students at the New England prep academy where they filmed. Trivia note: The one "real" actor was a teenage Parker Stevenson in his first acting job.) While the acting and production values are much better in this 2004 update, what was lost is essentially the subtle power of John Knowles original novel, to the point where this really should have been designated as a story "based on" the book, rather than represent that it was a cinema rendering of that story.

Before we go any further, let's clarify that "A Separate Peace" (the book or either movie) is NOT a gay story, per se. In discussing his (first published in 1959) book, Knowles made it clear he was not suggesting there was any kind of physical relationship between the athletic, outgoing Finney (played in the new film by Toby Moore) and his prep school roommate, the somewhat shy and studious Gene (J Barton). However, keep in mind that, in the 1960's and 1970's (including the release of the first film), gays were used to "reading between the lines" in books and screenplays to get some subtext of possible homosexuality, and there certainly was enough here, in the closeness that developed between the two boys in the book, and visibly suggested in the 1972 film (based on recent comments I read about it).

This 2004 version is - at best - a "male bonding" / "coming of age" story, with some eye candy thrown in (Toby Moore was a competitive swimmer before turning to acting, and Barton is also an attractive young man). Unfortunately, it deviates a bit more than it should from the original story and, in doing so, compromises not just the spirit of Knowles' book but also diminishes (perhaps intentionally, I don't know) the nuance of possible homosexuality between Finney and Gene. Relegated to tell a rather detailed story in less than two hours, it also takes some shortcuts (such as voiceovers giving information that readers had to "discover" in the book itself, deleting some scenes (and at least one character) from the book, and providing clarity to a climactic scene (the double jump from the tree) that would have been better served if left as vague as it was in the book and first film. Pure fans of the book are justified in blasting the 2004 film for this.

However, this is still a beautifully-made "coming of age" film that I think gay men can relate to, perhaps more than the general population, and I can recommend (and rate it ... 3 out of 5 stars) based on that criteria.

DVD contains no extras, just scene selection. [Trivia notes: 1. Another of the boys (Chad) is played by Aaron Ashmore, who had the lead role in the gay film "Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story". 2. This was the final role for character actor Hume Cronyn, who passed away at age 92 shortly after completing this film.]

Should have had a different title.......2006-05-26

I was greatly disappointed with Paramount's film version of A Separate Peace. Crucial dialog was deleted (which I understand must happen to make a movie under 2hrs), but scenes were added and the roles of certain characters like Brinker, Leper, and Gene were drastically changed. I felt as if the writers and director were trying to improve the story, which of course is unnecessary. Some examples of my complaints: 1) the mystery of Gene's intent to causing Finny's fall is pretty much decided for us as the movie zooms in to a serious and knowing look on Gene's face before shaking the branch of the tree. 2) The dialog during Gene and Finny's last conversation where Gene basically summarizes Finny's entire character by telling him that he would be no good in a war because he would make friends with everyone and confuse everyone on who the enemies were is completely left out.

The movie roughly portrays the events that take place in the book. None of the underlying lessons and themes, except that war disrupts peace, is conveyed.

The 1972 VHS version captured more of the love story in the book.......2006-04-04

Although the acting, special effects, story details, plot, and such in this version were ages ahead of the 72 version, the 72 version captures more of the Love Story between the two friends.

I especially liked the music in the 1972 version, and the feel it gave me about the story between the friends, and the cold feeling of the War. When I watched the 72 version I cried, and almost could feel like I was there with Phiny and Gene, and a war was going on. After I watched the 2004 verison I felt nothing. Actually I was anxiously awaiting the film to end, so I could watch a few Twilight Zone masterpieces I recorded onto VHS.

Although I will not rate this version lower than 3 stars, I think its missing the musical score, realism, and capture of the love story between the friends found in the 1972 version.

Like political commentary, a polarized version.......2006-02-07

You might as well see this version of A SEPARATE PEACE if you have the chance, but it is not likely to be a treasured memory like the book might be for those whose feelings have been captured in the original story by John Knowles. The four main characters start the story as students attending a summer session of Devon School so they can receive high school diplomas before being drafted when they turn 18. As narrated by Gene Forrester, the book has constant overtones of comic menace picking everything apart. As a main character on the DVD, Gene is merely a wimp, and the glory all belongs to Phineas, as in these two paragraphs early in the book:

"What I like best about this tree," he said in that voice of his, the equivalent in sound of a hypnotist's eyes, "what I like is that it's such a cinch!" He opened his green eyes wider and gave us his maniac look, and only the smirk of his wide mouth with its droll, slightly protruding upper lip reassured us that he wasn't completely goofy.
"Is that what you like best?" I said sarcastically. I said a lot of things sarcastically that summer; that was my sarcastic summer, 1942.

The movie does its best to capture a manic level of energy, especially associated with jumping out of the tree and swimming. I thought the high point in the background music was twenty six minutes into the movie, when `Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger)' is used to pep up jumping into the ocean, buying popcorn, and eating ice cream cones the day before Gene has to take a math test. Sleeping near the beach so Finny can go for a morning swim, Gene gets to math class late for the test and can't think straight. Fun and study compete for Gene's time on the DVD, and he is likely to get cut off if he tries to say anything. Ultimately the main theme of the movie is about friendship, and the idea of the Super Secret Suicide Society is mentioned about six minutes before the `Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger)' music starts.

The novel was published in 1959, a year before two veterans of World War II ran against each other with amazing vigor for the presidency of the United States of America. One of the first scenes of the movie features a Hitler radio broadcast received by the bright boy character six times a day to keep track of what is going on in the world. Half way through the movie, Finny calls the war stupid, corrupt, "what a waste!" With all the emphasis on Gene working hard to be able to compete with rich kids on their own level, there is a lot of testing of the value of warfare in blue blood temperament. Clearly the people that made this movie might have been influenced by President Kennedy getting the Vietnam ball rolling with a few key assassinations in Saigon early in November, 1963, and more recent struggles in the world's trouble spots, where America's elite thinkers like to pick and choose what form of government they will support. Each new war gets promoted like a trip to the ocean: "Being here with your best buddy." Every episode is treated like Americans liberating the world. Finny gets the most ironic line: "Can't they stop talking about that war for one second?"

Nietzsche has a scene in section 6 of Zarathustra's Prologue in which a tight-rope walker reaches the middle of a rope between towers; then a jester came up behind him, uttered a devilish cry, and jumped over the lazybones who had stopped in his way. (THE PORTABLE NIETZSCHE, p. 131). Comic actors can attempt to do the same thing to World War II. Leper makes a great comic Hitler in a dance sequence featuring boys in their dorm after the first fifteen minutes of this DVD. Using war as a dramatic backdrop is as modern as constantly questioning the sanity of everything, but the book maintains a comic edge on the imaginative binge behind these characters far longer than the DVD. There is a line early in the movie about Leper's snail house, which allows each snail to have complete privacy so they stay peaceful and don't fight like us. The events of the story call for contrasting interpretations from different points of view that are by no means united in the condemnation of a spoiled brat.

The 1972 film version was a preppy classic: 2004 was not!.......2005-04-14

John Knowles modern masterpiece, A Separate Peace, are one of many subtle, and subtly is the watch word, themes of love, hate, jealously, denial and regret. The 1972 version does attempt to address this style and what the book is - A love story.

The 2004 version does not use subtly at all but overtness in the portrayal of the story. What is staring you in the face when you read the novel is, as I have previously stated, a love story and yes maybe it is arguable, a gay love story. In the novel and 1972 film version there are sexual understones everywhere in the writings and dialog. In the 2004 Showtime film version these tentions were omitted and the actors were in there late twenties playing teenagers which caused for mature acting taking away from any tenderness or hesitation of innocence in youth.

I did not like this remake for more reasons! The hair that broke the camels' back was that Phineas was given a surname on the letters he received from the draft boards! Finny is a character that does not have nor needs a last name. John Knowles did that intentionally.

Though I accept the 1972 version the acting was at times a little amateurish, so what, it attempted to be sincere to the novel by shooting on location at Phillips Exeter Academy that The Devon School was based on; which also the writer attended as a student.

The directors and producers took all teenage Exeter students, with excepton of Parker Steveson whom attended The Brooks School, to play in a Paramount Film! Class act by preppies compared to this Canadian College shot, played with adult actors, politically correct, platonic version. No - Veto on this sham try again. The 1972 film version with John Heyl and Parker Stevenson was the real deal for A Separate Peace on the screen. The Showtime 2004 film made for cable version was not.

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