something much, much more. edward martel became edward martel esquire. i, edward martel, do solemnly swear. sworn into the michigan bar by judge bruce morrow. it is hereby ordered that edward francis martel be and is hereby admitted to practice as an attorney and counselor at law. [ cheering ] but it wasn t martel s first appearance in front of judge morrow. that was 16 years ago. what was on that lengthy rap sheet of yours? you know, was there anything from possessing of cocaine to delivery of crack cocaine and just a plethora of other violations. ed martel grew up in the detroit area, the son of a single mother. as a teenager, he lost his way. by 15, i was selling drugs. by 16, 17, i was selling harder drugs and dropped out of school and left the home. at 27 years old he was caught in a drug sting. what was the potential
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Adapting books, plays and other forms of intellectual property for the screen has always brought its unique set of challenges, most especially how to make the film version as satisfying as the often popular, lauded, sometimes even iconic material it’s based on.
This season, a handful of movies based on successful stage works are vying for awards attention, with three “The Boys in the Band,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “The Father” having the distinction of being scripted in part or in whole by someone other than the original playwright, unlike say, “One Night in Miami,” which was adapted by its original playwright, Kemp Powers.
What do you think it is about the 1960s that makes for great storytelling? What still resonates?
Willmott: America was created in the Revolutionary War, and then it was kind of re-created in the Civil War and then was re-created again in the ‘60s. They’re actually like three different Americas. We’re still living in the one that was created in the ‘60s. But that fight has never really gone away: the fight over the forms of America.
Martel: It’s an era of radical change. The characters are one person yesterday, and today they’re somebody else, and tomorrow, who knows? I think creative people can see in that compressed amount of time their characters can naturally go through a dramatic arc that audiences will be riveted by.