Walter Sallesis a humanist filmmaker, thanks to his ability to identify the emotional truths behind complex stories; even if his masterpieces,The Motorcycle DiariesandI’m Still Here,are technically biopics about important historical figureswithin Brazilian history, they tell relatable stories about family, adolescence, and coming to grips with the future. Salles’ ability to tackle ambitious material from a unique perspective made him perfectly suited to handle a legendary novel of the “Beat generation” that was largely considered to be “unfilmable.”Salles crafted a surprisingly engaging, provocative adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s classic novelOn the Road, and did so with one of the most impressive ensembles in recent history.
An adaptation ofOn the Roadwas in the works for many years,with brilliant filmmakers likeFrancis Ford Coppola, Joel Schumacher,andGus Van Santall attached to different iterations of the adapted screenplay.On the Roadis a fairly unstructured series of anecdotesthat focuses on the adventures of Sal Paradise (Sam Claflin) and his new friend Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund) as they take a road trip across America and encounter many figures within the beat movement, with the exploitation of jazz, poetry, and drug culture emerging in the background. Since many of the characters and events in the book were inspired by Kerouac’s own experiences, it does not adhere to a standard structure; in fact, the original novel was based on a series of loose notes that Kerouac had made during his own journey, and had little thematic material that tied them all together.
Salles was able to turn his adaptation ofOn the Roadinto a coming-of-age story,as he put more emphasis on how Dean grows to understand the legacy of his father and the futility of his generation as he gets to see a wider scope of America. While the film doesn’t go out of its way to make Dean into a likable character, as he can often come off as quite irritable within the book, it does give more context for why he finds it necessary to break out of his select social circle. Even if the different misadventures that the group goes upon are only sparsely related to one another, the friendship between Sal and Dean makes up the bulk of the film’s dramatic heft. Although the chemistry between Claflin and Hedlund is quite excellent, the film gets infinitely more interesting upon the introduction of Dean’s wife, Marylou (Kristen Stewart), who complicated the romantic dynamic.
Walter Salles Crafted a Brilliant Adaptation
Salles is great at capturing cinematic naturalism, as his version ofOn the Roadmanages to honor the free-form, conversational style of dialogue that is inherent to the source material. While such strict adherence to Kerouac’s writing style could have resulted in a film that felt very grating, Salles was able to make a more visually inventive experience withOn the Roadthanks to the great cinematography byÉric Gautier, an industry veteran who had also worked alongside directors likeOlivier Assayas,Claire Denis, andSean Penn.While it does feel as if the characters can be static at times, Salles was able to explore howAmerica itself was changingduring one of the most significant cultural developments within the nation’s history. Although Keroauc was only tangentially aware of this, as the novel was published in 1957, Salles had the benefit of hindsight, and was able to craft a more aware portrayal of history.
Kerouac is able to make each of the side adventures inOn the Roadentertainingthanks to the incorporation of a gigantic ensemble cast of brilliant character actors, includingAmy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Elisabeth Moss, Steve Buscemi,andTerrence Howard. The combination of such different personalities allowed Salles to show the diversity of the American experience, as each of the co-starswas able to chew the scenerywithin their limited time on screen.On the Roadis a classic that will likely be taught in schools forever, but it is unlikely that there will ever be another filmmaker who has the wisdom, humor, and heart that Salles showed with his underrated adaptation.
On the Road
