Every time I see a new movie trailer which includes the words “based on the critically acclaimed novel”, my eyes light up; I’ve always enjoyed comparing movies to their literary sources. Looking back, the common consensus tends to favour literary works over movie adaptations but that doesn’t come as a shock to anyone. In fact, you’d have to give it some serious thought to find the last movie that outdid its literary counterpart. So let’s take a look at what it takes to successfully retell a story in a whole new medium.
The Story
Literary pieces win this category hands down. A movie adaptation, no matter how much it pulls from its source, can only be 2-3 hours long. That means that while a literary source will have more robust back-stories, character developments and subplots, a movie will only focus on events that are vital to the major plot line. This is by far the reason why most people enjoy a novel over its movie adaptation. Key moments that build towards a climactic point are sometimes completely taken out in movies; often in favour of longer action sequences. Some movies attempt to overcome the editing of content by altering or adding new characters or sub plots but this again is a fine line to walk along, because subplots can be time-consuming and less engaging but make the final chapter all the more engrossing and it is rare to find a movie-maker that can gracefully strike a balance.
The Storyteller
This is the part that I love the most about comparing a movie to its literary source. Nursery rhymes are not told the same way as poems and comics aren’t read the same way as novels. A true storyteller knows how to pull in an audience using the available tools of their medium. This is a point that I feel a lot of film directors tend to miss (I for one, am not a huge fan of shot-for-shot remakes). They would rather tell a story in the same mold as its source because they do not want to alienate any existing fans of the story. However, if you are going to delve into a new medium, you have to embrace it whole-heartedly. The silver-screen can offer many effects that cannot be replicated by any literary medium (which doesn’t necessarily mean more explosions or computer generated effects). A great example of this is in the movie adaptation of Fight Club by director David Fincher (The Social Network, Curious Case of Benjamin Button) who used single frame flashes to foreshadow a character’s descent into madness. A minor visual effect, but its impact on the storytelling was anything but minor. As a storyteller, you should never be afraid to creatively use the tools that are available simply because they weren’t used in the source work.
The Comparison
For the most part, novels offer more information and can pace a story unlike any cinematic production, which is why it takes a special talent and directorial vision to be able to retell a cherished story in a whole new medium. I’ve read a book before watching its movie adaptation and vice versa and by far, my overall experience of a story has been greater when I watched the movie first because the experience ends on a higher note. This is an expected outcome as movies tend to fall short of the expectations created by their literary sources. With than in mind, it’s fair to say that this is more the result of movie-makers failing to evolve a story onto film than presenting a film that was not meant for the silver-screen.
The Link to Literacy
Literacy spans a plethora of mediums, but much like movie adaptations, the message can be the same but the method in which it’s told has to adapt to the current medium. We cannot constrict literacy into one single mold nor can we dismiss any new mediums that have the potential to retell a story in a completely new way. Embrace the spirit of the story, but ultimately, utilize the advantages of your medium, and your audience will walk away with a memorable experience.
Rita
xoxox
So what’s your favourite movie adaptation/literary source combo? Let me know in the comments below.
Bonus: How often are movies based on literary materials?
Tags: adaptation, comic, David Fincher, film, graphic novel, literacy, literary, movie, novel, oscar, reading, story, storytelling
Can we PLEASE stop trying to compare a film with its book?
They will never be the same. Film makers do not set out to make the book.
Comparing and contrasting them is a waste of time and energy.
I agree that they will never be the same because they are two different mediums, however, comparing 2 separate story tellers’ take on a single story can be an entertaining and rewarding experience. You wouldn’t disregard comparing a musician’s cover of a song to the original because everyone has their own style, techniques and signatures but in the grand scheme of things, you have to be innovative when delving into a new medium.