The film stars nicolas cage as kaufman and his fictional twin brother donald, meryl streep as susan orlean, and chris cooper as john laroche, with cara seymour, brian cox, tilda swinton, ron livingston, and maggie gyllenhaal in supporting roles. But the theory of adaptation is a large question in academia. In his book, theory of film he says that the redemption of physical reality is the only true purpose of cinema an examination of the. An adaptation of a book or play is a film or a television program that is based on it. Once one fully comprehends the relationship between book, film, and adaptation, one can see that adaptations should be treated as a literary art form of their own. Narrative theory and adaptation offers a concise introduction to narrative theory in jargonfree language and shows how this theory can be deployed to interpret spike jonzes critically acclaimed 2002 film adaptation.
This includes the use of fiction, nonfiction, journalism, autobiography, comic book, graphic novel, scripture or plays. The purpose of this paper is to approach film adaptation as a modality of translation and to provide a systematic analysis of the changes occurring in the adaptation of a novel for the big screen. Even though jenkinss statement is in accordance with the theory of adaptation but a definite theory does not exist. Adaptation definition and meaning collins english dictionary. A number of details are lost or changed to make the story fit within the film medium. Exploring modern hollywoods leading genre, by liam burke, is a scholarly look at the comic book movie genre, examining why these movies became so popular since the turn of the new century as well as the various elements than can be said to constitute the genre. Traditional critics of film adaptation generally assumed a that the written text is better than the film adaptation because the plot is more intricate and the language richer when pictorial images do not intrude. Exploring modern hollywoods leading genre, by liam burke, is a scholarly look at the comic book movie genre, examining why these movies became so popular since the turn of the new century as well as the various elements than. Academic theorizing on the subject of film adaptation splits the practice into three categories. From gone with the wind to the passion of the christ. In some cases, musical lyrics have been used as a template for a cinematic premise. Dec 06, 2012 laymen are predomianantly concerned with whether a film has been successful in preserving its fidelity to the book whereas critics would dispel the notion that fidelity is of any importance at all and would seek to evaluate an adaptation by a different system of judgemental factors. Charlie wants to adapt the script into a faithful adaptation of the orchid thief, hoping to impress susan.
Hutcheonis theory on film adaptation, desmond and hawkesis input on the matter, stam and raengo and others. Providing the reader with informative background on theories of film adaptation as well as carefully articulated postmodern methodology and issues, gordon slethaug includes several case studies of major hollywood productions and small studio films, some of which have been discussed before age of innocence, gangs of new york, and do the right thing and some that have received lesser consideration six degrees of separation, smoke, smoke signals, broken flowers, and various snow white. One that recognises the possibility and capability of film and extolling these virtues, does so to create an individual response with little consideration to individual readings. Linda hutcheon develops a theory of adaptation through a range of media, from film and opera, to video games, pop music and theme parks, analysing the breadth. Stam and film adaptations march 6, 2015 christine shanahan leave a comment for me, if i hadnt been told that maqbool was an adaptation of macbeth before watching the film, i would never have realized. A theory of adaptation by linda hutcheon goodreads. Linda hutcheon develops a theory of adaptation through a range of media, from film and opera, to video games, pop music and theme parks, analysing the breadth, scope and creative possibilities within. Owen mcintosh is a grade 9 student who is a student of great books and great movies. Adaptation theory 151 editions of the oxford anthology film theory and criticism of seymour chatmans accurately but fallaciously entitled essay, what novels can do that films cant and vice versa. Aug 21, 2012 a theory of adaptation explores the continuous development of creative adaptation, and argues that the practice of adapting is central to the storytelling imagination. It has been accepted for inclusion in scripps senior theses by an authorized administrator of scholarship. Publications the association of adaptation studies. View film adaptation theory research papers on academia.
May 26, 2016 owen mcintosh is a grade 9 student who is a student of great books and great movies. The most famous film admittedly, it may also be the only film directly concerned with the translation of literature into cinema must be charlie kaufmans adaptation. As movie adaptations of books go, the film adaptation is very faithful to the novel. And if this is one way of understanding the nature of adaptation and the relationship of any given film to the book that inspired it, its also a way of understanding what may bring such a film into being in the first place. The coen brothers pay homage to the book by retaining much of the story. Linda hutcheon develops a theory of adaptation through a range of media, from film and opera, to video games, pop music and theme parks, analysing the breadth, scope and creative possibilities within each. From gone with the wind to the passion of the christ leitch, thomas on. A guide to the theory and practice of film adaptation. I think this speaks to a certain tension in film adaptations that stam suggested but did not explicitly state. If you count other literary forms, such as drama or short stories, that estimate might well be 65 percent or more. In short, the process of adapting one text into a new text is a wideranging and complex process. Literary adaptation is the adapting of a literary source e. Marco abel contemporary adaptation studiestheories have tended to focus singularly on the movement from the novelshort story to film largely ignoring mediums such as the theater, music, visual art, video games, and the comic book.
Others, familiar with the 2003 source novel, assessed its merits as an. List of books and articles about film adaptation online. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as robert stam as a dialogic process. The first, from a pair of screenwriters, revolves around a t. A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film. Literature and film is a superb collection of vibrant essays that chart the history and confluence of literature and film. Exploring modern hollywoods leading genre, by liam burke up of mississippi, 2016, is a book devoted entirely to comic books adapted into film. Linda hutcheon develops a theory of adaptation through a range of media, from film and opera, to video games, pop music and theme parks, analysing the breadth, scope and. How to make a great booktofilm adaptation owen mcintosh. Adaptation studies underwent a profound transformation from the late 1990s to the mid2000s.
He is on a mission to ensure that his favorite books never end up as terrible film adaptations. A comparitive analysis on the film adaptation of life of pi. Anderson, us, 2002 and comic book graphic novel ghost world terry zwigoff, us, 2001 adaptations are increasingly common and a certain level of selfreflexivity regarding the process of adaptation itself can be seen in films such as adaptation spike jonze, us, 2002. However, he realizes that there is no narrative involved and finds it impossible to turn the book into a film, going through a serious case of writers block. Instead, the filmmaker has to refashion the spirit of the story with his or her own vision and tools. Oct 27, 2010 the most famous film admittedly, it may also be the only film directly concerned with the translation of literature into cinema must be charlie kaufmans adaptation. A theory of adaptation linda hutcheon, siobhan oflynn. Coppola recognises that her adaptation is, once projected onscreen, an artwork in its own right.
The godfather by mario puzo the shining by stephen king no country. I n the opening scene of robert altmans the player 1992adapted from the 1988 michael tolkin novel of the same namestudio executive griffin mill tim robbins hears two pitches. In 2006, the namesake was adapted into a film directed by mira nair by the same title. The case for booktofilm adaptations signature views mini. In his book, theory of film he says that the redemption of physical reality is the only true purpose of cinema an examination of the psychological state of emma bovary has no. The film adaptation to harry potter english literature essay. Book adaptations and the fidelity argument film inquiry.
The adaptation can therefore be classified as one which borrows i. Per murray, adaptation is a calculation that depends on any number of variables. Mar 06, 2015 stam and film adaptations march 6, 2015 christine shanahan leave a comment for me, if i hadnt been told that maqbool was an adaptation of macbeth before watching the film, i would never have realized. Featuring an ambitious introductory essay tracing the theory and practice of adaptation, the volume explores in detail a wide and international spectrum of novels and adaptations. If the book is always better than the movie, why bother adapting a book. A guide to the theory and practice of film adaptation, edited by robert stam and alessandra raengo, 4 th edn, 152.
But there is more to the balance between a book and its film adaptation. A theory of adaptation explores the continuous development of creative adaptation, and argues that the practice of adapting is central to the storytelling imagination. Like so many adaptations before it, the time travelers wife has neatly divided the critics. Persuasive and illuminating, a theory of adaptation is a daring rethinking of how adaptation works throughout all media and genres which will put an finish to the ageprevious query of whether or not the book was higher than the film, or the opera, or the theme park.
The first adaptation of charles portiss novel starred john wayne and while noted for its excellence as a film, it certainly toned down the violent imagery and brutality in the book. The theory and practice of adaptation, in literature and film. Aug 17, 2009 like so many adaptations before it, the time travelers wife has neatly divided the critics. Is the book really better than thetelevision series. Although courses on film studies are taught throughout the world, the pedagogy of adaptation makes a strong case for treating adaptation studies as a separate discipline. Three novels, three films considers adaptation as a presence that is woven into the very fabric of film culture jenkins, nabokov and king. Critics who adopt the translation paradigm when judging the success of a film adaptation, may concede that a feature film adaptation limited usually to two hours run time must select and condense the original novel, e. In reading the movies, william costanzo notes that it has been estimated that a third of all films ever made were adapted from novels.
However, recent trends in adaptation theory have moved away from the dichotomy of film and literature and toward a focus on multidirectional flows across a transmedia model, concentrating less on what has been lost by a text during the process of adaptation, and more on what the text has gained by taking on a new form or variation. Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. Of course, watching the movie is not a substitute for reading the book. Jun 07, 2017 if the book is always better than the movie, why bother adapting a book.
Literature and film adaptation theory maria tirbe a. Adaptation theory and criticism download ebook pdf, epub. Differences between a novel and its filmic adaptations. Thinkers like bluestone agree that a literal translation of a book is often foolish even, some have said, a betrayal of the original work. A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. The book explicates, in clear prose for beginners, four key facets important to the. Novel to film the critical writings of film theorists like andre bazin, bela balazs, george bluestone and sergei eisenstein thoroughly survey the nature and method of the adaptation as an inter relative thing between literature and film. Laymen are predomianantly concerned with whether a film has been successful in preserving its fidelity to the book whereas critics would dispel the notion that fidelity is of any importance at all and would seek to evaluate an adaptation by a different system of judgemental factors. The film adaptation while borrowing characters and material, its primary focus is on the theme of survival and focuses less on the importance of story telling and the nature of religious beliefs which are central to theme of the book. This book offers the first systematic theoretical account of the process by which the great and not so great works of literature are transformed into the good, bad sometimes ugly, but always distinctive medium of cinema. Novels are verbal and use words to tell a story, while films are visual and rely on images to do the telling.
The greatest movie adaptations of books classic fm. Jun 18, 20 and if this is one way of understanding the nature of adaptation and the relationship of any given film to the book that inspired it, its also a way of understanding what may bring such a film into being in the first place. Understanding narrative theory is crucial to make sense of the awardwinning film adaptation. Information and translations of film adaptation in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Adaptation is a strategy deployed by book and film industries, or a set of strategies that converges in the adaptation industry, an industry unto itself, a subject with will and power. According to kracauer, if an adaptation fails, the fault lies not in the film but in their sources, which are considered either cinematic or uncinematic. A theory of adaptation audiences literaturefilm quarterly.