 |
With the Tiger
by Inez Baranay
"An elegant retelling of the Somerset Maugham classic
The Razor's Edge"
Inez
Baranay has brought the story of Larry up to date and is even working
on a screenplay of her book.
John Byrum and Bill Murray decided not to update their version of The Razor's Edge. They stayed true to the novel and 1946 film and set events after WW1 and the during the 'Great Depression'.
Although authentic in look and feel, it would have been interesting to see how the story would have changed had it been set after the fallout of the end of the 60s and the war in Vietnam.
In the film's press release, John says "... this film is all about idealism. In the '80s, the '60s or in the '20s, you're still dealing with the same principles". Inez Baranay decided to put this to the test.
With The Tiger, takes the characters and plot of Somerset Maugham's novel and places them in Australia during the 70s, 80s and 90s. In her note to the reader, Inez Baranay says she has "...followed Maugham's structure exactly". She even uses a line from the original novel as the title of each chapter.
However, she chose not to use the classic title (a quote from the Katha Upanishad) .
Inez
explains "I had other titles the publisher didn't like and it was
getting urgent. Over lunch one day in Sydney some friends came up with
With The Tiger as there are many stories about meditation and
the spiritual life that mention a tiger. e.g. if you meditate well in
the forest, a tiger will sit next to you peacefully. Sometimes I think
I should have called the book The Edge's Razor..."
The book was first published in India in 2008 (It's interesting that a book about a spiritual quest to India is published in India, but it did receive good reviews).
Even more exciting is the news that Inez is working on a screenplay for With The Tiger. With the recent financial crash, environmental crisis and ongoing situation in the Middle East, it seems a good time for Larry's story to be dusted off for a third outing on the big screen.
As well as its first publication in India with HarperCollins India, With The Tiger will be coming out in May 2010 in Australia with Press On Publishing http://www.press-on-publishing.net/ (Copies are available now via Amazon).