Coming to a theater near you: Seventeenth-century libertine poets.

In the Department of Movies I’m Eagerly Looking Forward To: The Libertine, starring Johnny Depp as the notorious John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. But why isn’t Aphra Behn in it? I want to see someone make a movie about her. Meanwhile, scribblingwoman blogs about reading Rochester with her students, one of whom was amazed that four-letter words were in use "back then." (This, as I recall, was part of the fun of teaching Chaucer’s Miller’s Tale back in my course assistant days.)

7 Responses to “Coming to a theater near you: Seventeenth-century libertine poets.”

  1. Cleis says:

    Why haven’t I heard yet of The Libertine? How delicious! And I agree that we need a movie about Aphra Behn! I don’t know anything, really, about her life. Perhaps you shoud get crackin’ on the screenplay.
    I’m really looking forward to Capote and Brokeback Mountain. Hell, I’m even looking forward to P&P 3.

  2. Cleis says:

    Can’t find an on-line trailer. Damn.

  3. Amanda says:

    I think I’ll juggle writing the Aphra Behn screenplay with writing the one about Christopher Marlowe that’s been in the back of my head ever since I saw Shakespeare in Love and thought “Why hasn’t anyone made a Marlowe in Love?”
    I’m looking forward to Brokeback Mountain too. I hadn’t heard about Capote, but any movie with Philip Seymour Hoffmann in it automatically goes on the to-see list.

  4. Jane Dark says:

    Whaaaa….? I don’t know if I’m excited or not. Johnny Depp, yes. But I cringe at the thought of Hollywood, even indie Hollywood, trying to capture 17thc libertine lifestyles.
    Then again, I didn’t like Shakespeare in Love. Too pat. Too cute. But I’m looking forward to Brokeback Mountain.

  5. Cleis says:

    I didn’t like Shakespeare, either.
    Amanda, I’ve been wondering who you would cast as Behn.

  6. Amanda says:

    Well, not Gwyneth Paltrow, for starters. (I didn’t hate Shakespeare in Love, but I wasn’t wild about it either, and the Gwyneth Paltrow factor was a big part of that.) I’d rather see someone British and not too well-known as Aphra Behn, but I’ll have to think about it.

  7. Jane Dark says:

    I’m ashamed by how little I know my non-famous British movie stars right now, but I think that Embeth Davidtz might do a good job as Behn…