Embers: the Film

Embers was set to start filming in 2004 with legendary director Milos Forman (Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) at the helm, but Sean Connery pulled out of negotiations to star as The General and the project is currently adrift. Forman is directing other projects, and it's unclear whether the film will ever get made.

It was set to star some fine actors: Winona Ryder as Krisztina and veteran Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer as aged Konrad. What would a film of Embers be like? I wonder whether a film would focus on the love triangle while losing sight of Marai's observations on history and life.

Patrick Stewart's Embers

BBC Radio 3 created a 90 minute radio drama adaptation of Marai's Embers starring Patrick Stewart as the General. It aired on British radio in 2004 and earlier this year, but there's currently no place to purchase a copy. It was adapted by playwright Lou Stein with music composed by Deirdre Gribbin (although I'm unsure how much music figures into the radio play).