Jan 27, 2011 the bigbudget film adaptation of richler s final novel, barney s version, has brought with it an avalanche of new vintage paperbacks, with paul giamatti smirking wryly from the peak of a stacked. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading barney s version vintage international. Barneys version by mordecai richler overdrive rakuten. In the movie, towards the end, barney realizes that boogie was snatched from the. Dec 03, 2010 barneys version stars paul giamatti in an adaptation of a book by mordecai richler.
Barney panofskys troika, the nature of my friendship with boogie, and, of course, the scandal i will carry to my grave like a humpback. The movie doesnt even try to capture that same ambiguity. Before his brain began to shrink, barney panofsky clung to two ch. Provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises the barney boogie barney the barney boogie. Barney s version vintage international kindle edition by mordecai richler, michael panofsky. Barney s version is adapted from the bestselling book by mordecai richler, a story constructed in a specific manner that reflects the horrifying change in the lead character s mental stamina though the years. Dec 30, 20 this feature is not available right now. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals. The questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading groups discussion of mordecai richlers hilarious novel, barney s version, which is soon to be a major motion picture. Barney s version by michael konyves based on the novel by mordecai richler. Subsequently, this turns out to be intentional on barney s part to make michael, who he thinks to be insufficiently literate, read all those books.
The film was nominated for the golden lion at the 67th venice international film festival. Boogie told terry he was fulfilling the artist s primary functionmaking order out of chaos. The film does not hold back barney s flaws as he is very foul mouthed, speaks his mind whether you want him to, or not, drinks, smokes cigars and a lot of the time is an ego centric. In his novel barneys version 1997, mordecai richler uses layers of narrative to create an unreliable reality cloaked in a selfserving autobiography as an old man recounts his life while battling mental lapses and old age. Do you take this as being ironic or sincerely his belief. About barney s version charged with comic energy and a steely disregard for any pieties whatsoever, barneys version is a major richler novel, the most personal and feeling book of a long and distinguished career. Overflowing with narrative and character invention, hilariously funny, profoundly sad, and everything in between, the book tracks a rogue s adventures from his. Lewis, based on the novel of the same name by mordecai richler. Barneys version is also the portrait of a man who has wasted his life but had a pretty good time doing it.
This was a wonderful movie, now im looking forward to reading the book and then seeing it again. Barneys version by michael konyves based on the novel by. Barneys version is based on a 1997 novel by mordecai richler, whose the apprenticeship of duddy kravitz 1959 is also the life story of a flawed but lovable jewish character from montreal. Though sometimes barney s woes dampen the narrative tension, richler still excels in writing hilarious, ribald scenes, many of them set in bars or in bed. When michael asks barneys lawyer if his father had murdered boogie, the lawyer. I should have known better than to ask you a serious question, said terry, retreating from our cafe table. Underlying the story of barney s three marriages is the mysterious disappearance of his friend boogie. Italians loved barney s version the book and now the movie too. Barneys version is his memoir, a rambling, digressive rant, full of revisions and factual errors corrected in footnotes written by his son and enough insults for everyone, particularly vegetarians and quebec separatists. Barney s version is based upon the novel of the same name by mordecai richler. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. Barney s guilt and grief over his role in boogie s disappearance, his jealousy over the literary stardom of another paris acquaintance, terry mciver, and his. After falling in love with barneys version, the only book he has ever read twice, he discovered that mr. The barney of barneys version, mordecai richlers 10th novel, learned to tap dance.
Barneys version is his memoir, a rambling, digressive rant, full of revisions and factual errors corrected in footnotes written by his son and enough insults for everyone, particularly vegetarians and. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Barneys story is told in retrospect, in the form of a response to a book written by a cop who is convinced barney murdered his best friend. Through the rest of the book, barney continues to hope that boogie will show up again.
Jan 19, 2011 barneys version is based on a 1997 novel by mordecai richler, whose the apprenticeship of duddy kravitz 1959 is also the life story of a flawed but lovable jewish character from montreal. Lewis, takes on the challenge of adapting mordecai richler s unruly onslaught of a final novel. A detective mark addy tries to beat a confession out of barney until barney s father, izzy hoffman, intervenes. This summary of barneys version includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Taking place in montreal, barney is a hard drinking, hard smoking, foul mouthed, confused writer and producer, who is given up life struggles with numerous obstacles as the story goes on and nothing seems to be going his way. With barneys version richlers outsider has become an insider not that it makes this novels protagonist any happier. Barney s version this book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. Barneys version is an autobiographical account written in old age, and annotated with footnotes by his priggish and obsessive son. The protagonist of mordecai richlers novel is rambling, forgetful and may be a. He is the last surviving fictional brainchild and alter ego of mordecai richler, a novelist who, like bellow, was born in quebec but who, unlike him, stayed there, turning anglophone jewish montreal. Barneys guilt and grief over his role in boogies disappearance, his jealousy over the literary stardom of another paris acquaintance, terry mciver, and his. Barney panofsky tells his life story, complete with three wives, three children, and a possibly murdered best friend.
With barneys version richlers outsider has become an insider not. Barney s version of events may be viewed as that of two unreliable narrators, in that his recollections are told from varying mental states and then posthumously edited by his son. Also, the movie barney is not nearly unlikeable enough. Barney s version is his memoir, a rambling, digressive rant, full of revisions and factual errors corrected in footnotes written by his son and enough insults for everyone, particularly vegetarians and quebec separatists. Scott speedman twitches persuasively as boogie, barneys gifted, drugaddicted best friend, and. The two argue, firing rounds from barney s gun into the air before barney collapses onto his dock and passes out, and a drunk boogie falls backwards into the lake. I must note that it is not difficult to notice the similarity between mordecai s barney s version and bellow s masterpiece herzog, both in terms of the protagonist and in terms of the writing style. Italians loved barneys version the book and now the. But when his sworn enemy publicly states that barney is a wife abuser, an intellectual fraud and probably a murderer, he is driven to write his own memoirs. Robert lantos adapts barneys version for screen the. What disturbs me most about mordecai richlers 1997 novel, barneys version, now available in a new paperback edition as well as a major motion picture with paul giamatti, is that it took me almost 15 years to get around to reading it. The film spans several decades showing us the life of a man named barney panofsky. Lantos owned the rights and got a friend, the canadian theater impresario garth h. The film barney s version 2010, produced by robert lantos and directed by richard j.
Huggo spanning more than three decades, barneys version is the eponymous, acidic, and selfcentred canadian television producer barney panofskys firstperson confessional of a lessthanordinary life. Barneys version vintage international kindle edition. He is arrested for the murder, but is released, partly because no body was found. The individual effect of barneys three closest buddies boogie, leo and cedric on his marriages is also shown. I read mordecais barney s version and i saw the movie.
Ebullient and perverse, thrice married, barney panofsky has always clung to two cherished beliefs. Both are excellent even though i enjoyed the book more than its cinematic version. Barney panofsky is a hard living, curmudgeonly television producer, and barneys version is the story of his lifes successes and failures, professional and personal. Barney the picaresque antihero of barneys version is, in more ways than one, a cousin of bellows moses herzog.
This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Charged with comic energy and a steely disregard for any pieties whatsoever, barneys version is a major richler novel, the most personal and feeling book of a long and distinguished career. Speedman, the toronto native who plays barney s friend boogie. Barney s version is adapted from the bestselling book by mordecai richler, a story constructed in a specific manner that reflects the horrifying change in the. Most of barneys version is structured as an autobiography of a bitter old curmudgeon. It is barneys side of the murder and his life, and it leads up to and devolves from that fateful evening when, far from being angry, he felt joy in a bedroom scene that would be his ticket to live with miriam. In part, barney s version, talks about becoming older and eventually. I read mordecai s barney s version and i saw the movie. In reality, its just the 67yearold barneys version of the truth, told with frequent digressions, gratuitous slags, cynical observations and suspicious mental lapses that are a riot on the. Barney panovsky, whose meandering memoirs make up all but the final. After momentarily marrying the pregnant clara rachelle lefevre only to have the relationship fall through, he immediately finds an uptight second.
Barneys version vintage international and millions of other books are. Barney s version is the story of the politically incorrect life of barney panofsky, who meets the love of his life miriam at his wedding and she is not the bride. Based on mordecai richlers award winning novel his last and, arguably, best barney s version is the warm, wise and witty story of the politically incorrect life of barney panofsky. I read barney s version the novel because i loved the movie. Jan 12, 2015 provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises the barney boogie barney the barney boogie. Charged with comic energy and a steely disregard for any pieties whatsoever, barney s version is a major richler novel, the most personal and feeling book of a long and distinguished career. Though there is no body, police suspect murder, and. Barneys version by mordecai richler, paperback barnes. Robert lantos adapts barneys version for screen the new. A candid confessional, told from barney s point of view, the film spans three decades and two continents, taking us through the different acts of his unusual history. Barneys version film barneys version is a 2010 canadian comedydrama film directed by richard j.
When he awakes, boogie is missing, and barney is suspected of killing him. Barney s version 9780679404187 by mordecai richler and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Barneys version vintage international kindle edition by. Bernard boogie moscovitch this is barney s best friend who betrays him in the book and sleeps with his wife. Barneys version taking place in mont real, barney is a hard drinking, hard smoking, foul mouthed, confused writer and producer, who is given up life struggles with numerous obstacles as the story goes on and nothing seems to be going his way. Barney, the titular protagonist, is trying to proclaim his innocence both of the crime of murdering his friend boogie for which he had been acquitted, by the law and of the more general charge of being a bastard and a sycophant. Unlike the endless grey parade of books set in historical smalltown ontario that are constantly taking top literary prizes in canada, barney s version struggles with the here and now. What disturbs me most about mordecai richler s 1997 novel, barneys version, now available in a new paperback edition as well as a major motion picture with paul giamatti, is that it took me almost 15 years to get around to reading it. Underlying the story of barneys three marriages is the mysterious disappearance of his friend boogie. About barney s version charged with comic energy and a steely disregard for any pieties whatsoever, barneys version is a major richler novel, the most personal and feeling book of a. However, herzog is written in a third person point of view, while barneys version is written in the form of a memoir, i. Barney s guilt and grief over his role in boogie s disappearance, his jealousy over the literary stardom of another paris acquaintance, terry mciver, and his heartsick knowledge that his. I must note that it is not difficult to notice the similarity between mordecais barneys version and bellows masterpiece herzog, both in terms of the protagonist and in terms of the writing style.
Barney, the titular protagonist, is trying to proclaim his innocence both of the crime of murdering his friend boogie for which he had been acquitted, by the law and of the more. Barneys version is a smart, wellacted two hours at the art house, full of witty observations and fellow feeling. Feb 04, 2011 barneys version is a smart, wellacted two hours at the art house, full of witty observations and fellow feeling. There is a lot to dislike about barney and the way he has hurt others, yet there is a good heart underneath it all as he yet fulfills the adage of being his own worst enemy. When barney awakens, it appears that he has shot boogie. Nov 28, 2010 and he fleshes out the character of barneys third wife, miriam, who in the book is an almost ethereal, disembodied presence, so that she, or barneys affection for her, becomes the fulcrum of. Barneys version of events may be viewed as that of two unreliable narrators, in that his recollections are told from varying mental states and then posthumously edited by his son. I must note that it is not difficult to notice the similarity between mordecais barney s version and bellows masterpiece herzog, both in terms of the protagonist and in terms of the writing style. The book is narrated by the aged and mentally faltering barney, and much of its charm is in the fact that the reader cannot fully trust the version being recounted by a narrator who is suffering from dementia. The story is told through a series of flashbacks after we learn a detective has written a book accusing barney of killing his best friend boogie scott speedman. Told in the first person, it gives us the life and what.
Of our contemporary satirists, mordecai richler is considered one of the greatest. Barney s story a cross between what he calls table talk and my very own apologia pro vita sua offers barney the chance to set the record straight about his failed marriages and his relationship with boogie, a central and shadowy figure of the parisian group. Told in the first person, it gives us the life and what a life. Barneys version vintage international mordecai richler, michael panofsky on. The barney boogie is the thirteenth us studio album from barney, released on cd and cassette on march 9, 2004 under koch records and hit entertainment it was released the same day as the home video, movin and groovin and shares the name of the song of the same name, which is the first song on the album. Barney s manuscript is littered with mistaken allusions to film, literature, and thencurrent events, which his son michael notes and corrects with footnotes. Its time, barney decides, to present the world with his own version of events. He also receives a message earlier from barney s wife that he was suppose to give to barney but didnt leaving his wife to kill herself. Unlike the original album, all the songs on this album were taken from the home video movin and groovin with the barney boogie added in the end. Barney s version is a narrative, where the protagonist gives a summary of his life and what he has achieved so far. Based on mordecai richler s award winning novel his last and, arguably, best barney s version is the warm, wise and witty story of the politically incorrect life of barney panofsky.
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