By DANIEL FINNEGAN
STAFF WRITER
“Films like Fargo are why I love the movies,” said Roger Ebert, in his glowing review of the 1996 classic. A comical and sometimes shockingly violent police procedural, Fargo, written and directed by the Coen brothers, brims with a cast of quirky and unique characters that have provided numerous hilarious quotes and references for its fans.
In the spirit of fandom, for the past months, two Fordham seniors have worked on an adaptation of their favorite film, and later this month their hard will come to fruition. Adapted and directed by Michael McCarville, FCRH ’14, and Nick Pappas, FCRH ’14, Fargo is Fordham Experimental Theater’s (FET) second show of the semester, following the comedic drama, A Boat on the Shore. With the full cast already selected and practices in full swing, the play’s premiere on November 22 is rapidly drawing nearer. As the directors continue to prepare, The Fordham Ram got the chance to ask them a few questions.
While the film is popular for the characters’ hilarious, quirky accents, and the stark contrast between the peaceful, amiable characters and the intensity and violence of certain scenes, writer-director Michael McCarville said the most entertaining part of the adaptation process simply came from studying the script.
“I’d say it’s hard not to find a Coen Brothers script interesting,” McCarville said. “Even the scene directions you don’t get to experience watching the movie, or play, are fun to read in the script. [The Coen brothers] are two ridiculously smart and funny guys. It was mostly the writing Nick and I wanted to portray onstage, and the challenge was getting it up there in front of an audience.”
When asked what he believed was the most appealing aspect of Fargo’s script, and what aspect of the film stood out to him as most adaptable for the stage, writer-director Nick Pappas hinted at the strength of the original script.
“I think the most appealing thing is that it has its own very clear voice,” Pappas said. “The Coen Brothers took what could have been a generic story and made it very unique by having all this folksy dialogue and quirky things like the wood chipper scene.”
Because Fargo’s genius lies with its well-written script and captivatingly endearing female lead, Marge Gunderson, it provides an exciting upcoming stage adaptation at Fordham’s Blackbox Theater.
“I don’t know what was the best adaptable [aspect of the film],” Pappas continued, “but I think [what] the two of us were [most] excited about was recreating the kind of bleak feel of the movie while also kind of keeping a black comedy tone.”
While Nick and Michael were forced to “change some characters from male to female and cut out some minor characters and give their scenes to major characters,” the two worked closely to stick to the spirit of the film.
“Mike and Nick did a great job of keeping some of the darker, bleaker aspects of the script, while managing to maintain the comedic nature of the film as a whole,” character actor Tom Perry said. “I’m definitely amped to premiere the show for everyone, and show all the hard work we have been putting in behind the scenes.”
It is this commitment to the film’s dark comedic nature that has helped to spread the buzz around campus about Fargo’s upcoming premiere.
