Chekhov's Mistress
Update on the Book-to Film Post
Just ran across this Pen America member’s forum where writers were asked:
What is your favorite movie adaptation of a work of literature? Why? If you want, briefly consider the generic imperatives of each medium and the meaning of such terms as “faithful translation” and “true to the original.”
There are bunch there from writers you’re probably familiar with and others you’re not. All the responses are thoughtful. Here’s one to sample that I liked:
JOHN S. MAJOR: My favorite film adaptation of a literary work is Throne of Blood (1957), Akira Kurosawa’s version of Macbeth. Never have the weird sisters been so spooky or Lady Macbeth so coldly malevolent; never has Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane with such spine-chilling menace. The scene that everyone remembers, of course, is the film’s ending, with Toshiro Mifune’s Macbeth riddled with arrows, looking like a puzzled, defiant porcupine.
Kurosawa’s genius here was in recognizing not only how well the action scenes of Macbeth would work within the conventions of the popular “historical epic” genre of Japanese film but also how perfectly the moral dilemmas of the play mesh with the real historical circumstances of Japan’s sixteenth-century Warring States Era. At a time when samurai and daimyo struggled constantly with issues of loyalty and treachery, Macbeth and his court would have fit right in. At the same time, Kurosawa was right, I think, to make Throne of Blood as a free adaptation of Macbeth rather than as a simple transcription of the play into Japanese. He thus gave himself the artistic freedom to use the conventions of Japanese “historical epic” film with new depth and psychological insight.
Kurosawa returned to Shakespeare with Ran (1985), his dazzling take on King Lear—one of the most visually stunning films ever made. Yet, in the end I prefer Throne of Blood, perhaps because in that film Kurosawa’s notorious perfectionism, married to a tight budget and minimalist sets, resulted in a work that remains close to its roots in the stage.
comments
There have been a couple of very good books dealing with novel-to-film adaptation in the last couple of years.
Elliott, Kamilla. “Rethinking the Novel/Film Debate.” Cambridge UP, 2003.
Stam, Robert. “Literature through Film: Realism, Magic, and the Art of Adaptation.” Blackwell, 2005.
Both books look at the the overall discussion of adaptation over the last century and offer very original attempts to move it forward in new critical directions.
– Ostro (12/22 at 09:44 PM)
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About this Post
- Posted by: Bud Parr
- Date: December 22, 2005
- Filed Under:
Wise Men Fish Here: Literature
- Comments:1
- Links to this Post: Technorati
