Lecture 15:Lecture 15:AdaptationAdaptation

Professor Aaron Baker

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Previous Lecture Previous Lecture • Art-Film Narration

-Objectivity

-Subjectivity

-Authorial Commentary

• The Edge of Heaven (2007) and Central Station (1998)

• History of the Art Film

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This LectureThis Lecture

• Approaches to

Adaptation

• Selling Adaptations

• The Problem of

Adaptation

• Away From Her

(2007)

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Part I: Approaches to AdaptationPart I: Approaches to Adaptation

Throne of Blood (1957) Directed by Akira Kurosawa

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Drawing on SourcesDrawing on Sources

“Although one of the reasons we admire film artists is their unique vision of the

world, far more story films have been made from literary and dramatic sources than have been made from stories originally

conceived for films.” – Vivian Sobchack and Thomas Sobchack, “Film and Literature: The

Problem of Adaptation”

AdaptationAdaptation

• translates a story from one medium to another.

• Cinema gets story material from:– Novels and Short Stories– Plays and Musicals– Television Shows– Comic Books– Graphic Novels– Real life biographies– Video games

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HistoryHistory• Adaptation is as old as

narrative cinema.• For example, Georges

Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon (1902) was loosely based on two novels: From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne and The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells.

Famous AdaptationsFamous Adaptations

• Some of the most famous films in the history of cinema have been adaptations:

-Gone with the Wind (1939)

-The Godfather (1972)

-Jaws (1975)

-The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) 8

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Remaining Faithful to the SourceRemaining Faithful to the Source• Some adaptations

are extremely faithful to the source material, such as the Harry Potter films or Merchant/Ivory productions such as Howards End (1992) or The Remains of the Day (1993).

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Radical Re-ImaginingRadical Re-Imagining• Other films use the source

as a starting point for a radical “re-imagining” that tries to convey the “essence” of the source.

• An example of a film that re-imagines its source is Where the Wild Things Are (2009).

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Where the Wild Things AreWhere the Wild Things Are

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Changing the ContextChanging the Context• Some adaptations

change or update the time/place/context of a story, while keeping the basic plot, themes and characters.

• For example, Amy Heckerling’s Clueless (1995) was an update of Emma by Jane Austen.

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Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness

• The 1902 novella by Joseph Conrad was set in the African Congo.

Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now, 1975 , 1975

• Francis Ford Coppola adapted Conrad’s novel, but placed the story in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

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Updating ShakespeareUpdating Shakespeare• Many Shakespeare plays have

been “updated” including: – Throne of Blood (1957):

Macbeth– Ran (1985): King Lear– Ten Things I Hate About You

(1999): The Taming of the Shrew

– O (2001): Othello

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Section SummarySection Summary• Original screenplays are only one source of

narrative in the movies. Narrative cinema draws on many different story sources.

• Adaptation is as old as cinema and some of the most famous and successful films in history are adaptations.

• Some adaptations are extremely faithful to the source material, while others use the source as a starting point for a radical “re-imagining.”

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Part II: Selling AdaptationsPart II: Selling Adaptations

The Producers (2005) Directed by Susan Stroman

The “Presold” FilmThe “Presold” Film• Hollywood has often

turned to the presold picture, a movie adapted from an already successful novel, comic book, fairy tale, TV series, Broadway play, Biblical legend, etc.

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Generating InterestGenerating Interest• Though Hollywood has always looked to

existing source material for story ideas, some cinematic eras have seen more adaptations than others.

• For example, the studios turned to the pre-sold picture as a way of generating audience interest in the 1950s when movies began to compete with television.

• Movies from the era included The King and I, Cinderella, Peter Pan and Ben Hur.

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Selling InternationallySelling Internationally• Because of increasing

costs, global cinema is currently relying heavily on the appeal of the pre-sold picture.

• Presold movies are easier to market and sell worldwide than films based on original stories because of pre-existing global brand recognition. •20

Global AppealGlobal Appeal• Franchises based on

adaptations such as James Bond, Harry Potter, Spiderman and The Lord of the Rings have historically been among the most globally successful films.

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High ConceptHigh Concept• Pre-sold adaptations often fall into the

category of high concept films.• According to Justin Wyatt, a high concept film

features “a striking, easily reducible [understood] narrative which also offers a high degree of marketability. . . and, consequently, the economic potential at the box office.”

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Robin HoodRobin Hood, , 20102010

• Is another good example of a recent high-concept adaptation.

• The producers hired Ridley Scott to direct and Russell Crowe to star to exploit the built-in publicity of the duo’s successful Gladiator.

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High Concept ComboHigh Concept Combo

• Then they plugged in these well-known names into a story and characters familiar to millions of people around the world.

• High Concept: “Gladiator in Sherwood Forrest.”

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Section SummarySection Summary• Hollywood has always turned to the pre-sold

picture, especially in down financial times.• Global cinema is currently relying heavily on

the appeal of the pre-sold picture.• Presold movies are easier to market and sell

overseas than films based on original stories because of pre-existing global brand recognition.

• Pre-sold adaptations often can be thought of as high concept films.

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Part III: The Problem Part III: The Problem of Adaptationof Adaptation

Catch-22 (1970) Directed by Mike Nichols

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Aesthetic ProblemsAesthetic Problems“Granted that adaptations from previously

successful sources are economically sound . . . many serious aesthetic problems arise in translating a story effectively from one medium to another. Sometimes what works wonderfully well on the stage or on

the page disappoints on the screen.” – Vivian Sobchack and Thomas Sobchack, “Film and Literature: The

Problem of Adaptation”

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Alfred Hitchcock’s Joke:Alfred Hitchcock’s Joke:

“Two goats are eating film cans and one says to the other: ‘I liked the book better.’”

ReductionReduction

• A film adaptation may abridge and omit parts of a complex work of literature.

• Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick is over 800 pages long.

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Problems in Adapting NovelsProblems in Adapting Novels• A novel often depends for

its power on its lengthiness and expansive plot, while movie plots are typically linear and economical.

• Therefore, filmmakers must invariably cut favorite characters and scenes and simplify complex structures.

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Contrasting MediumsContrasting Mediums• Film is a primarily

visual medium while literature and drama derive their effects primarily from language.

• Therefore, fans of a novel, play, or musical are often disappointed or confused by a film adaptation. •31

Contrasts Between Film and Contrasts Between Film and TheaterTheater

• Stage space is limited while film has unlimited space and vantage points.

• In theater, language is more weighted to carry meaning and emotion; in film, visuals – especially close-ups – can convey meaning and emotion without using language. •32

Conveying Mood and ToneConveying Mood and Tone

• Language is often better than visuals at conveying certain points of view, moods and tones – such as irony, black humor, and the internal life of characters.

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NovelsNovels• Are easier to adapt into film than plays

because dialogue in a play is important, whereas it may expect more action in a film

• Novels are more about description and action, less about what characters say.

• Novels “can be more easily translated into concrete and representational cinematic equivalents” Sobchack and Sobchack, p. 319.

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Section SummarySection Summary• Good adaptations, whatever the source

material, generally become more movie-like: faster moving, more action-packed, thrilling, sexy, suspenseful, visually oriented.

• This invariable changes the source material.• Different media have different strengths:

-Theater: evocative language

-Novels: description, character, story development

-Films: power of imagery, energy, action•35

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Lesson IV: Away From HerLesson IV: Away From Her

Away From Her (2007) Directed by Sarah Polley

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““A Bear Came Over the A Bear Came Over the Mountain”Mountain”

• Short story by Alice Munro

• Appeared in 1999 in The New Yorker magazine

• Basis for Away From Her• Reread scene when

Grant visits Fiona in retirement home after initial month of not seeing her. Alice MunroAlice Munro

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Clip # 1Clip # 1

Now watch how the movie shows that scene.

Old Age or Revenge? Old Age or Revenge?

• Grant and Fiona married 44 years

• Grant was unfaithful when younger

• Fiona losing memory . . . or a subtle form of retribution?

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Away from Her Away from Her Director Sarah PolleyDirector Sarah Polley

”’The Bear Came Over the Mountain’ was the most interesting portrait of a marriage, of memory and guilt, . . . . it was really interesting to me to look at what a marriage looks like after 44 years, what you do with everything you've done with each other, and to each other.”

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What’s Been Changed?What’s Been Changed?

• Dialogue with nurse, Kristy, at end of scene omitted.

• Instead we see shot of Grant leaving,

• Film relies on ability to visualize Grant’s emotions rather than their verbal expression.

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SummarySummary

• Approaches to

Adaptation

• Selling Adaptations

• The Problem of

Adaptation

• Away From Her

(2007)

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End of Lecture FifteenEnd of Lecture Fifteen

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