John Kennedy Toole was born in 1937 in New Orleans and died in 1969. In Biloxi, Mississippi, he graduated from Columbia University with a degree in literature and began teaching at the Hunter Institute in New York. In 1961, in the army, he taught English to Spanish-speaking recruits in Puerto Rico. At this time he began writing his work A confederacy of dunces.
In New Orleans, he began teaching at Dominican College and frequently visited the French Quarter, a neighborhood full of locals and artists that influenced the setting of his work. He offered The Conjuring of the Fools to the publishing house Simon and Schuster, being rejected, which produced great frustration in the author, falling into a spiral of depression and alcoholism that would end with his suicide in 1969.
Thanks to the persistence of his mother and friends, the novel was finally published in 1980, and the author received the Pullitzer Prize posthumously the following year.
The novel is wacky, acid and intelligent, funny and bitter. Ignatius J. Really is a character comparable to Don Quixote. It presents a very well handled black humor, and its protagonist is considered an antihero for his delirious behavior and nonconformity with life.
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He is a misunderstood person, who lives with his mother and fights for a better world, but from inside his room. He wanders the streets of New Orleans in search of employment, forced to confront a society, with which he has a repulsive relationship, to defray the expenses caused by his mother in a car accident while driving drunk.
All attempts to create a film have been unsuccessful as they stumble upon unfortunate events:
I.- John Belushi was the first actor chosen to play Ignatius. He died of a drug overdose a day before his meeting with executives of the production company interested in making the project.
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II.- John Candy, the second actor chosen was found lifeless in a hotel room after suffering a heart attack, .
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III.- Chris Farley, died, also from drug overdose after four days of partying, and excesses.
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IV.- Will Ferrell, was set to star in the film with a cast that included Drew Barrymore, Mos Def and Olympia Dukakis, being directed by Steven Soderbergh , the film was to be shot in New Orleans, but the Hurricane Katrina disaster occurred.
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V.- Zach Galifaniakis, was being named as the protagonist since 2012, but at the moment the project is stalled.
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Writing these lines I learn that there is another film that has not been carried out in Hollywood called Atuk,, having been read the script of the film nothing more and nothing less than : John Belushi, John Candy and Chris Farley!
And what do you think of this cinematic curse, which is not associated with any horror movie.? Thank you for appreciating my publication. Greetings to all the CineTV community.
Thank you for this little treasure of cinema history!
Thank you for being part of our community
When you feel the appreciation of the community and we are given the opportunity to express ourselves freely and have fun is when the commitment to everyone grows, often posting here is cathartic. Thanks to you for giving us this great opportunity. I am happy because I see that every day the publications are getting better and better, and that is thanks to you CineTV team. Greetings.
Chris Farley has always been my favorite and he was gone too soon. Thank you!
He was a great comedian who had great chemistry with David Spade, it was unfortunate his death as he had a lot to give.
I just watched Belushi (2020) recently. There's a lot of audio tapes and new footage in that one. I could only imagine what he could have brought forth if not for his early demise.
I was not aware of "A confederacy of dunces", this is quite a legacy for an unrealized film.