Helpful Score: 1
Reel People of the Real War
"Mercury Pictures Presents" is a five star triumph. It is a rich and complex story, deep in characterization, yet there is no lagging, no time when you think exposition has created a slow detour. Everyday people populate the pages, people who have their hands full just dealing with the events the world is forcing on them.
The Mercury Pictures movie studio is a second-tier Hollywood outfit struggling to get by in the years just before World War II. We open on an amazing cast of characters from the studio head to the actors and the crew-- mostly recent immigrants from Europe. These people have left their homes behind, loved ones and stories of regret only ever-present memories.
Anthony Marra takes us back to their European roots and fills us in on the reasons which tore them away. There are very real ghosts carried to America-- ghosts living or dead who echo the guilt of those who abandoned them. No matter that most departed because of fascist persecution, there is always someone left behind.
Cutting back to America, there are punishments for the original sin of owning roots in countries on the wrong side of the war's breakout. Italians, Germans, Asians of all nationalities are treated with suspicion and are subjected to restrictions on travel and employment. It is time to stay in the shadows.
The hard times here are tempered with a wealth of humor. The wise-cracking studio founder, Artie Feldman, is a character the Coen brothers could do wonders with. He has six toupees mounted on mannequins in his office, each a larger size than the previous one, each with a different name and personality. His assistant, Maria Lagana, is the unrecognized and underappreciated strategist keeping things afloat. She lives with her colorful old world great-aunts who are hysterical in their eccentricities. An example is the description of their reverence of patron saints. The saints are each represented by a small figurine the aunts pray to when something is needed. If the prayers seem unanswered or slow in fulfillment, little hints will show up-- perhaps a threatening hammer will be left casually beside the figure as incentive.
On the flip side, this is a time of war and there are frightening reminders of the horrible mindset we are dealing with. The armed forces went to a great deal of trouble designing and testing a bombing pattern which could efficiently suck firestorms through heavily populated civilian areas. Hollywood's talent lent their skills to designing actual scale reproductions of Berlin neighborhoods. The goal was mass destruction, the maximum body count. We are reminded that during low-altitude bombing runs over Japanese and German cities our pilots wore insectile oxygen masks to avoid passing out from the smell of burning human flesh. And these are the good guys.
The World War II era comes alive in this novel, not just the fighting itself, but the blanket effect it had on everyone. Marra's perceptive portrayal of everyday characters draws us into the lives of people struggling to find a foothold in a world which has collapsed on itself. Initially I thought this would make a great movie-- but I doubt a film could do it justice and I will be content to keep a hold on these characters through these pages. Hmmm... maybe the Coen brothers...
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"Mercury Pictures Presents" is a five star triumph. It is a rich and complex story, deep in characterization, yet there is no lagging, no time when you think exposition has created a slow detour. Everyday people populate the pages, people who have their hands full just dealing with the events the world is forcing on them.
The Mercury Pictures movie studio is a second-tier Hollywood outfit struggling to get by in the years just before World War II. We open on an amazing cast of characters from the studio head to the actors and the crew-- mostly recent immigrants from Europe. These people have left their homes behind, loved ones and stories of regret only ever-present memories.
Anthony Marra takes us back to their European roots and fills us in on the reasons which tore them away. There are very real ghosts carried to America-- ghosts living or dead who echo the guilt of those who abandoned them. No matter that most departed because of fascist persecution, there is always someone left behind.
Cutting back to America, there are punishments for the original sin of owning roots in countries on the wrong side of the war's breakout. Italians, Germans, Asians of all nationalities are treated with suspicion and are subjected to restrictions on travel and employment. It is time to stay in the shadows.
The hard times here are tempered with a wealth of humor. The wise-cracking studio founder, Artie Feldman, is a character the Coen brothers could do wonders with. He has six toupees mounted on mannequins in his office, each a larger size than the previous one, each with a different name and personality. His assistant, Maria Lagana, is the unrecognized and underappreciated strategist keeping things afloat. She lives with her colorful old world great-aunts who are hysterical in their eccentricities. An example is the description of their reverence of patron saints. The saints are each represented by a small figurine the aunts pray to when something is needed. If the prayers seem unanswered or slow in fulfillment, little hints will show up-- perhaps a threatening hammer will be left casually beside the figure as incentive.
On the flip side, this is a time of war and there are frightening reminders of the horrible mindset we are dealing with. The armed forces went to a great deal of trouble designing and testing a bombing pattern which could efficiently suck firestorms through heavily populated civilian areas. Hollywood's talent lent their skills to designing actual scale reproductions of Berlin neighborhoods. The goal was mass destruction, the maximum body count. We are reminded that during low-altitude bombing runs over Japanese and German cities our pilots wore insectile oxygen masks to avoid passing out from the smell of burning human flesh. And these are the good guys.
The World War II era comes alive in this novel, not just the fighting itself, but the blanket effect it had on everyone. Marra's perceptive portrayal of everyday characters draws us into the lives of people struggling to find a foothold in a world which has collapsed on itself. Initially I thought this would make a great movie-- but I doubt a film could do it justice and I will be content to keep a hold on these characters through these pages. Hmmm... maybe the Coen brothers...
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
