Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

It has apparently been a universal conclusion of long standing that it would be impossible to turn Laurence Sterne's novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" into a film. So director Michael Winterbottom does not really try to do so in this 2005 film, "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story." This is utterly appropriate, but at the same time totally confounding and while I want to say it is not as satisfying as it could be I have no idea as to what would constitute complete satisfaction under the circumstances. So just accept that going in and make your peace with it as best you can.

Your ability to enjoy the film may well be predicated on your knowledge of the novel itself, which may be limited. On the one hand the latest Amazon rankings for paper back copies of "Tristram Shandy" are #4,644 and #184,723 respectively (and dropping), but on the other hand if you are checking out the DVD then you have at least heard of it (or you are looking at the film's subtitle and making valid assumptions regarding the film's ribalry). Sterne's experimental novel (ivory tower talk for nobody knew what the hell the guy was doing; it is also called one of the first psychological novels) was published in nine volumes between 1759 and 1767. Narrated by Shandy, it begins at the moment of his conception and continues foward with an almost endless interruptions and digression, including stories within stories and basically every other narrative device at Sterne's disposal (including unfinished stories and pages of asterisks) with scant regard for chronological order. Everything is fair game. There is a wonderful joke in the film at the novel's expense when the cast is heartened to learn that "Tristram Shandy" is number seven on the list of the greatest novels of all time put out by the "Observer," only to have their hopes dashed when they learn the list is chronological (Please continue to read this review and do not try and figure out what the first six would be and I will tell you at the end).

The most obvious cinematic reference point for "Tristram Shandy: A Cook and Bull Story" would be Al Pacino's "Looking for Richard," which also spends considerable time looking at the production from the outside. The best way to describe this movie is that it takes place on the set of the movie "Tristram Shandy," where the actor plays not only Tristram and his father, Walter, but also the actor Steve Coogan. This is true of the rest of the cast, which includes Rob Brydon, Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Shirley Henderson, and Jeremy Northam. I did not actually time things, but it could well be that the actors spend more time discussing their characters and scenes than they do in playing them.

If there is a constant in this film it would be that Coogan and Brydon keep up a running battle of unveiled but relatively civil insults from start to finish, including a final round during the closing credits. Otherwise there is no more narrative structure to the film than to the novel, which, after all, would be the whole point. Any additional attempt at description of this film is mere vanity, and all you really need to know in the end is that it does not matter than you have never read "Tristram Shandy," because only one of the actors in the film actually has, and look what good it does her.

Now, as promised, here are the results. Ahead of "Tristram Shandy" on "The 100 greatest novels of all time: The list" put out by "The Observer," in ascending order, are: (6) "Clarissa" by Samuel Richardson, (5) "Tom Jones" by Henry Fielding,(4) "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift, (3) "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, (2) "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan," and, of course, (1) "Don Quixote" by Miguel De Cervantes. Is it not interesting than "Tom Jones" was an Oscar winning film, but "Gulliver's Travels" ended up as a semi-classic animated film and "Don Quixote" got changed into a Broadway musical that privileged Part 2 over Part 1?

The classic novel by Laurence Sterne is best described in this movie: "This is a postmodern novel before there was any modernism to be post about."

So it sounded pretty disastrous that a film was being adapted from it. Actually, half a film -- the other film is a mockumentary about a film crew desperaately trying to make some kind of movie, out of a book with way too much material. It's wickedly clever, but there's too little Tristram Shandy and too much about the shoes.

While his mother is in labor, a grown Tristram Shandy (Steve Coogan) narrates the backdrop of his life -- his awkward conception, the farcical circumstances of his birth, early penile injury, his uncle's obsessions and (ahem) war wounds, and the circumstances of being named Tristram (and not Trismegistus, which is even worse).

But then we cut to the real world, where a film crew is filming the whole thing. Star Steve Coogan (himself) and director Michael Winterbottom (Jeremy Northam) are struggling to make this novel as true to the spirit of Stern's book as possible. The problem is, there's WAY too much material, and everyone wants different aspects -- love story, battle, his own character -- to stand out as the MAIN part of the story. Will the movie be funny? A sell-out? A big confusing mess?

Filming an unfilmable book is usually either going to be a disaster or a masterpiece -- for the latter, look at "Lord of the Rings." But "Tristram Shandy" hovers somewhere in the middle, courtesy of its mockumentary storyline, and some pointed mockery of the studio bigwigs.

Basically, the bigwigs interfere and insist on stars -- such as Gillian Anderson, who barely makes it to the final cut -- and hoard money, because the movie is too quirky for their tastes. Meanwhile, the stars quibble about minutiae (like shoe height), and real-life director Michael Winterbottom deliberately blurs the lines of fantasy and reality, letting one seep into another. And it has Coogan in a giant plastic womb.

And there's an extra kudos for the dialogue. Half of it is deliciously witty modern stuff ("The thing is, I can't act..." "I know that." "... with Gillian Anderson. I have a proper sexual thing for Gillian Anderson. I covet her"), but there's a whole different style for Tristram. He tends to have these faux-serious metafictional monologues, which end up being very funny ("That is a child actor, pretending to be me. I'll be able to play myself later").

The problem? Well, there's too much of Coogan and not enough Shandy, especially in the second half. It would have improved the movie dramatically to cut some of this stuff about Coogan flirting with Jennie out, because it's really quite dull compared to Tristram. When the fantasy/reality starts leaning too heavily into reality, the movie starts sagging. Big time.

Coogan does a pretty good job playing himself, but he's much better as Tristram/Walter -- arch, wry and kind of inconsiderate. Rob Brydon is enormous fun as himself/Toby, and Naomie Harris is fairly good as a movie nut who specializes in arty German cinema, and not much else. Anderson isn't in the movie for long, but her "equipment" scene is gutsplittingly funny.

"Tristram Shandy - A Cock and Bull Story" is a very funny film, but one bogged down by too much reality (and Coogan). Entertaining, witty and strange.

I purchased this DVD because it looked fun. I love period films, enjoy British humour and was intrigued by the picture on the cover. A director wannabe, I also enjoy movies about movies. I had heard of Michael Winterbottom but had never seen any of his films. And finally, I had never even heard of the novel this movie is loosely based on. I was completely charmed. Funny, but not outrageously so (well some parts come close, specially the end dialogue between Coogan and Brydon, during the end credits, or the hot chestnut scene), this film has many very amusing moments. A film crew is filming an adaptation of the novel "The life and opinions of Tristram Shandy...", a novel reputed for being impossible to adapt for the big screen. As the shooting goes on, we are being taken in and out of the film, witnessing the lives of the cast and crew as they try to bring this classic novel to the screen. So scenes from the adaptation of the novel are mixed in with the making of the film. In the end result, we see very little of the story of the novel itself, but we see the cast and crew discussing their favourite parts of the novel, arguing about what should be filmed or left out, and get treated to small scenes of the film within the film. Not having read the novel, I'm guessing that what lead actor Steve Coogan is going through during the "making of" part generally mirrors what the character of Tristram Shandy goes through in the book, or at least on an emotional level: no matter how much you plan your life, it's going to go where it wants/has to go. Finally, the use of Nino Rota's music from Fellini's 8 and a half and Amarcord adds to the amusement. Very enjoyable. And of course, I'm going to read the book...