Speaking of the Kennedy era, the Great American Novel of the period is getting the film treatment. The book is Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, and the movie is coming down the pike with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the leads. Winslet’s husband Sam Mendes is behind the camera to ensure impeccable production design, which should help if you’re more interested in lightweight jackets than suburban ennui.
The book came out in 1961 offering a criticism of middle-class conformity before most people had even given it a name. It’s no coincidence the story is being dug up now—it’s a hot era at the moment, and this is one of its best relics—but we wonder how well it will translate. Like Mad Men, Revolutionary Road is more interested in burying the past than praising it, but it may pack a lot more raw desperation than we’re used to in our period pieces. At any rate, you’ll have to wait until December to find out.
