Overflowing with narrative and character invention, hilariously funny, profoundly sad, and everything in between, the book tracks a rogue s adventures from his. Barney s version is a 2010 canadian comedydrama film directed by richard j. Barney s manuscript is littered with mistaken allusions to film, literature, and thencurrent events, which his son michael notes and corrects with footnotes. After falling in love with barney s version, the only book he has ever read twice, he discovered that mr. 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. Barney s version is a canadian film that feels american. A good, at times better, canadian cover version of an american favorite. He has a drunken argument with boogie and passes out on the dock, as boogie falls into the lake. 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. The story is written as if it is an autobiography by barney panofsky recounting his life in varying detail.
A candid confessional, told from barney s point of view, the film spans three decades and two continents, taking us. Speedman, the toronto native who plays barney s friend boogie. Through the rest of the book, barney continues to hope that boogie will show up again. Scott speedman twitches persuasively as boogie, barneys gifted, drugaddicted best friend, and. Before his brain began to shrink, barney panofsky clung to two ch. Its time, barney decides, to present the world with his own version of events. In part, barney s version, talks about becoming older and eventually. Barney s version stars paul giamatti in an adaptation of a book by mordecai richler. Scott speedman twitches persuasively as boogie, barney s gifted, drugaddicted best friend, and. 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. 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. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Readers may never love barney panofsky, the selfdestructive, selfloathing, derisive, womanizing, hottempered antihero of richlers latest novel.
This summary of barneys version includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. 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. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. 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. Barneys version cuts to the core of mans foibles and strivings. Provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises the barney boogie barney the barney boogie. The barney of barneys version, mordecai richlers 10th novel, learned to tap dance. Barney s 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. 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. The movie doesnt even try to capture that same ambiguity. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Told in the first person, it gives us the life and what.
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. Of our contemporary satirists, mordecai richler is considered one of the greatest. With barney s version richlers outsider has become an insider not that it makes this novels protagonist any happier. 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. 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. 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.
He recalls drinking with boogie and their going for a swim. Barneys guilt and grief over his role in boogies disappearance, his jealousy over the literary stardom of another paris acquaintance, terry mciver, and his. It\ s time, barney decides, to present the world with his own version of events. 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. 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. Lewis, takes on the challenge of adapting mordecai richler s unruly onslaught of a final novel. Barneys version vintage international kindle edition. Bernard boogie moscovitch this is barney s best friend who betrays him in the book and sleeps with his wife. Barneys version is richlers giller prize winning version of saul bellows national book award winning classic, herzog.
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. With barneys version richlers outsider has become an insider not. 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. Sign me up to get more news about historical fiction books. 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. Dec 21, 2011 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. This summary of barney s version includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Italians loved barneys version the book and now the. Do you take this as being ironic or sincerely his belief. Also, the movie barney is not nearly unlikeable enough. Told in the first person, it gives us the life and what a life. Dec 30, 20 this feature is not available right now.
Barneys version barneys version is a narrative, where the protagonist gives a summary of his life and what he has achieved so far. Barney s version 9780679404187 by mordecai richler and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. I cant really describe it any other way, it feels like an american film, mostly because it s not a documentary or directed by paul gross. It has everything you could want from a novelhumor and poignancy, complexity and passion, eloquence and. Barneys version vintage international kindle edition by. Barneys version by michael konyves based on the novel by. Barneys version vintage international and millions of other books are. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. So you think kids in the hall and saturday night live.
Both are excellent even though i enjoyed the book more than its cinematic version. In the movie, towards the end, barney realizes that boogie was snatched from the. 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. 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.
Feb 04, 2011 barneys version is a smart, wellacted two hours at the art house, full of witty observations and fellow feeling. Jan 12, 2015 provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises the barney boogie barney the barney boogie. Barney s version is an autobiographical account written in old age, and annotated with footnotes by his priggish and obsessive son. It s time, barney decides, to present the world with his own version of events. Barney panovsky, whose meandering memoirs make up all but the final section of this novel, is the latest in a long line of richlers ostensibly unsympathetic heroes.
Underlying the story of barneys three marriages is the mysterious disappearance of his friend boogie. Barney s version vintage international kindle edition by mordecai richler, michael panofsky. Barney pours himself more scotch and continues reading. What disturbs me most about mordecai richlers 1997 novel, barney s 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. I read mordecais barney s version and i saw the movie. Lewis, based on the novel of the same name by mordecai richler. Ebullient and perverse, thrice married, barney panofsky has always clung to two cherished beliefs. Dec 23, 2010 the single greatest feat of barneys version may lie in pulling a cohesive screenplay out of mordecai richlers shaggy horndog of a novel. 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. 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. Barneys version by mordecai richler, paperback barnes. 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. 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. 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.
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. This book is an intelligent, tremendously entertaining read. 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. The protagonist of mordecai richlers novel is rambling, forgetful and may be a. Italians loved barney s version the book and now the movie too. The film was nominated for the golden lion at the 67th venice international film festival. The film barney s version 2010, produced by robert lantos and directed by richard j. 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. The single greatest feat of barneys version may lie in pulling a cohesive screenplay out of mordecai richlers shaggy horndog of a novel. Though there is no body, police suspect murder, and. The film spans several decades showing us the life of a man named barney panofsky.
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. Richler assumes the reader is wellread, and this is challenging for some me. I read barney s version the novel because i loved the movie. Barney s version is probably one of the most problematic films youll ever see me fully recommend. When michael asks barneys lawyer if his father had murdered boogie, the lawyer. Barney s version by michael konyves based on the novel by mordecai richler. Huggo spanning more than three decades, barney s version is the eponymous, acidic, and selfcentred canadian television producer barney panofskys. Robert lantos adapts barneys version for screen the. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading barney s version vintage international. Barneys version by mordecai richler overdrive rakuten. 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. Barney deserves everything he gets in life, except perhaps the final cruelty imposed upon him, as it unfolds in relation to boogie. He is wealthy and basically has everything he has ever. Barney s version is a narrative, where the protagonist gives a summary of his life and what he has achieved so far.
What about this book is satirical and what or who is his target. Barney s version this book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. Lantos owned the rights and got a friend, the canadian theater impresario garth h. 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. Barneys version is a smart, wellacted two hours at the art house, full of witty observations and fellow feeling. How does the final scene of the book influence your answer.
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 individual effect of barney s three closest buddies boogie, leo and cedric on his marriages is also shown. It is barney s 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. Barneys version is an autobiographical account written in old age, and annotated with footnotes by his priggish and obsessive son. Barneys version is based upon the novel of the same name by mordecai richler. He is arrested for the murder, but is released, partly because no body was found. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. When he awakes, boogie is missing, and barney is suspected of killing him. Jesus, boogie, stop dicking around and finish your book already. That alone gets points in my book, are we as a country finally getting things right in the movie making business. Barneys version vintage international mordecai richler, michael panofsky on. Dec 03, 2010 barneys version stars paul giamatti in an adaptation of a book by mordecai richler.
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