Word: brackman
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Director Ron Field, scriptwriter Joe Stein and song team Peter Link and Jacob Brackman '65 were faced with a difficult problem in adapting Philippe de Broca's wonderful film about World War One in a town suddenly overrun by loonies. It's a tough act to follow, and on the whole the film still comes out ahead. But the musical version remains enjoyable; certainly it is diverting...
...sort of dreading reading the reviews that will talk mostly about the film," Brackman says. "King of Hearts is completely confection--King of Marvin Gardens is like a nightmare cartoon, and by comparison, this is like a Disney cartoon...
King of Hearts' secret may have been its genteel anti-war message, as well as the superb performances by Genevieve Bujold and Alan Bates. Brackman notes that the message may not be quite so forceful in the post-Vietnam musical version. "It's certainly not, as is, a Vietnam statement, but it is kind of a war statement, within the parameters of a musical. We did, for a while, try to inject a harder edge into it, but really, all of that has fallen by the wayside. It's a fairy tale...
Curiously, Brackman is not one of the film version's devotees. "I never liked the film that much, but when it was suggested as a musical, I knew it was a great idea. The obstacle was to persuade deBroca, but he was persuaded that it was the young people of America who had made the film." Hmm. Forensic skill...
...Brackman's future depends, in part, on the success of his current ventures. But even if they all fail, he will be able to bounce back. Witty personable, and clearly facile with a typewriter, he will be able to bounce into almost any kind of new project. And it is not until the end of the interview that he.unloads the precious secret of his avocation: "I became a writer so I could wear a sweater...