When I first heard that Neil Gaiman’s Stardust (my favorite work of his, which is a feat) was being produced as a film, and had in fact proceeded past the option limbo where most fantasy and sci-fi scripts go to die (just when is Neuromancer coming out, anyway? 2009 now?), I was desperately hopeful. When I heard some of the attached cast, I became more concerned: Claire Danes as Yvaine is a good match in temperament yet hardly a snow-blonde, but Michelle Pfeiffer? Robert de Niro?! Was this going to be a case of names trumping plot?

Time passed and optimism slowly returned. I have gradually learned to take any book-to-movie adaptation on its merits as a film rather than a film of the book. Previously I had distressed over the 2002 retelling of Count of Monte Cristo, a favorite classic rendered into Hollywood swashbuckler. The first warning was the title treatment, “Alexandre Dumas’ The Count Of Monte Cristo,” where past experience has shown that any movie that includes the original author marks for an ironic diversion from the source material (cf. “Bram Stoker’s Dracula“, “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet“). I then made the express mistake of re-reading the book shortly before the movie came out, which led to concentrating at the theater only on its divergences: why keep most of the character names intact except change Noirtier to Clarion? Where are Haydée, Maximilien, and Valentine? How can Edmond and Fernand be best friends? All of the character endings are wrong! But given some distance, I grew to appreciate the movie for itself, even the Jacopo humor which had seemed so jarring at first (particularly his lampooning of the entire planned revenge – “Why not just kill them? I’ll do it! I’ll run up to Paris – bam, bam, bam, bam. I’m back before week’s end. We spend the treasure. How is this a bad plan?” – which is priceless).

And that movie hardly stands alone in re-casting the Count. The first rendition I saw, a TV movie with Richard Chamberlain, has the advantage of nostalgia (yay, we get to watch a movie in History class!) but lacks a domestic DVD release and has its own quirks. The worst is certainly the 1998 French mini-series, despite having those twin merits of being natively French and having the time of a mini-series, which is the only realistic way to do even some of the many subplots properly. But nothing about Gerard Depardieu’s portrayal rings true: despite being in prison for 18 years, he remains overweight (such fattening gruel!) and clean-shaven (such kind guards to provide a razor!), and then once he escapes, acts both bumbling and uncertain compared to the Count’s superhuman acumen and steely resolve. Casting Ornella Muti, clearly Italian, as the Marseilles fishwife Mercédès is another curiosity as France surely does not lack for capable and attractive actresses, which the supporting cast amply demonstrates. Adding a pointless romantic subplot, discarding several other key plot elements, and abruptly changing the ending further diminish its appeal. Perversely, its reviews on IMDB generally range from complimentary to hyperbolic (“True to the book!”, “Best version ever!”).

The great surprise, however, is that the most faithful is arguably Gankutsuou (literally “The Ruler of the Cave”), an anime series that transplants the story into a future where Paris is a walled city amidst a wasteland, duels are fought with giant mecha, and fortunes are made by trading with alien cultures. Yet by changing the protagonist from Edmond to Albert de Morcerf, the menace and mystery of the Count are emphasized, albeit at the cost of having to deal extensively with Albert himself, played here as a generic whining brat. The Count’s full retinue appear, including Bertuccio, Baptistin, Ali (a floppy-eared alien, suitably mute), and a radiant Haydée. Each of the revenge plots end properly, with Fernand disgraced, Danglars ruined, and Villefort driven mad. Contemporaries of Albert’s like Eugénie Danglars, Valentine de Villefort, Maximilien Morrel, Franz d’Epinay, Lucien Debray, and Beauchamp all have their correct roles, although Eugénie and Franz are expanded and somewhat altered, playing up a love triangle between them and Albert (with a twist). The whole soirée at the house in Auteuil is included, as are Héloïse de Villefort’s poisonings and her relationship with Édouard. Finally, while the ending itself is altered (why can no version ever include Edmond and Haydée together?), the redemption of Edmond after falling prey to the hubris of playing God’s avenger is achieved. One major disappointment, however, is how little of the life of Edmond before meeting Albert at the carnival on Luna is shown – his time as a sailor, capture, imprisonment, escape, and discovery of the treasure are only briefly treated in the final episodes through flashbacks.

So how will Stardust fare in its (initial) translation? The first glimpse was the trailer, which boded ill. Absent was any of the critical interplay of Tristran and Yvaine upon first meeting in the crater. Captain Alberic – now called Captain Shakespeare and played by Robert De Niro – seems to have an expanded role as a comical sky pirate(?). Pfeiffer vamps in a mirror as the Witch-Queen regains her youth. Tristran swordfights, swordfights some more, and does an Errol Flynn with a chandelier. The world behind the wall is never identified as Faerie, none of the characters seem other than human, and most worrisome of all, no hint is given that this is a romance and not a fantasy quest action/adventure. Are the set and costume designs even mindful of Charles Vess’ accompanying illustrations?

So it was a great comfort to come across a post on Neil’s journal specifically about the trailer. For example, he notes that “the current trailer…is aimed at people who have never heard of Stardust, and it gives you the set-up (he’s going to cross the wall to bring back a fallen star for the girl he’s in love with) and what happens next (the star is actually a girl) and a sense that After That Lots of Stuff Happens.” And as for the change in focus from the actual story, “that they went with the sword-fightingy bits and a lot of running around rather than the love story for the Stuff Happens is fair enough — you only have two minutes, after all.” He also includes a link to the UK version of the trailer, which includes a few more scenes such as the ghost princes and the Old Guard, and finally, a moment of Tristan leading Yvaine by the chain which suggests that the critical arc of their relationship is at least partially intact.

The next reassurance is an interview with Gaiman and Vess about the origins of the book, and how the movie came about. After seeing a falling star in the clarity of the Tucson desert, Gaiman had one of his what-if inspirations, “What if it wasn’t a star, it was a girl. And what if she had a broken leg and a foul-temper and had no desire to be dragged halfway across the world and presented to anybody’s would-be fiancée?” After some anecdotes about his experiment with writing longhand with a new fountain pen while staying at Tori Amos’ house, and the collaborative process with Vess for scenes like the fairy market, Gaiman tells about seeing the first footage from the film, after which “I wound up with a grin on my face that you couldn’t have removed with an ax.” The highlight is the background on how Jane Goldman came to write the script, after deciding that the director Matthew Vaughn is a “boys’ director” and would need help capturing the romance, otherwise “it is going to be Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Fairies.”

Finally we have the curious few who have already seen preview screenings and seem delighted. One particularly welcome summary: “What I love about this film is that the very essence; the very SPIRIT of the book remains firmly intact.” Additional comfort is provided via the official movie site, which includes some TV spots and other short clips that confirm that both Ditchwater Sal and her slave (Una) will have their proper roles. One addition seems to be Humphrey, a token rival for Victoria’s attention, so clearly the movie will be its own thing, as it must. But now I can return to looking forward to the August 10th release with anticipation and renewed hope that the story will indeed remain intact in spirit, rather than dread and foreboding.