By Saima Naveed
http://splus.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Silver-Screen/11-Jul-2010/The-adaptation-obsession
Adapted screenplays are plays which adapts its story from another source like a novel or another short play. Many of Hollywood screen writers get their inspiration from such sources. Infact some of the most acknowledged movies are adapted. The recent trend in Hollywood has been of adapted screenplays and they are widely acclaimed and gain widespread fame. The Oscars have a separate nomination for adapted screenplays with Precious (adapted from a novel Push) winning the Best Screenplay Award in the 82nd Academy Awards.
A wide majority of movies that won awards in 2009, in different categories, have been adapted screen plays: Mo’Nique won the best supporting actress for the movie Precious (adapted from a novel “Push” by Sapphire) in Golden Globe and the 82nd Academy Awards, Up in the Air ( adapted from a movie with the same name by Walter Kim) won the Best Screenplay in Golden Globe Awards and Jeff Bridges won the best actor award for his role in the film Crazy Heart (adapted from a novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb) in Golden Globe and the 82nd Academy Awards.
The past years have been full of popular adapted screenplays: The Reader, Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Revolutionary Road in 2008; Atonement, No Country for old men and Sweeney Todd in 2007 and The Departed, The Last King of Scotland and Dream girls in 2006. This is just a few of a long list of movies which have adapted its story from different sources.
Certain adapted screenplay movies are very different from the original stories; the popular book Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, disappointed its readers when the movie came out in May 2006. Not just the movie it self but the change in the story at certain stages, perturbed the viewers who loved Da Vinci Code as a book. Its sequel Angels and Demons did a far better job at the box office, majorly because of the improved acting of Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, but it was still no match with the Book itself.
The directors and producers, of such movies, justify themselves regarding viewer’s criticism about changes in certain important aspects of the movie, by saying that ‘film making is a business, and in a business you produce material that sells’. Therefore one never gets to see a movie which is, from start to end, an exact replica of the novel.
Not all adapted screenplays fail to impress its viewers, those which have read the novel and those which haven’t. Lord of the Rings is an example of such a successful screenplay. Many of the fans, who appreciated the book, declared the movie as one of the best adaptations. Some scholars went as far as to claim the movie as a ‘Masterpiece’. Hollywood is full of popular adapted screen plays like Star Trek, , Shrek, and the very recent Harry Potter, which surpassed all the previously listed movies’ popularity
The Twilight series is yet another example of successful adapted screenplays. It is a fantasy, romance thriller with majority of the fans lying in the age group 16-25 years, making it the number#1 movie in America in 2008. Its sequel New Moon, released in November 2009, has the sixth highest worldwide opening weekend title and Eclipse, the third in the twilight saga, is one of the most awaited film of 2010.
The main essence of the adapted screenplays lies in the main story of the novel. Fans prefer movies which stick to the main plot of the story. A film succeeds by staying close to the original writers’ tale. Compressing and cutting a few scenes is adequate but editing (changing or adding) without good reason is unacceptable. Writers of Books have no constraint of time or budget as movie producers’ face. Writer’s have the space to extend their imaginations beyond the approach of practicality. But a movie producer faces all these constraints. With these constraints along with the restriction of converting the writer’s imagination to its best on screen, is an achievement in itself!
Adapted screenplays are viewers’ top choice now days. The majority of the viewers lie between the age group of 13-30, and these people enjoy fantasies and bookish thrillers more than an original script. Ask a 18 year old girl whether she prefers Hurt Locker, which is an original screenplay, or New Moon, which is an adapted screenplay; she will vote for New Moon.
People enjoy watching what they have read; it gives a new direction to their imagination and sketches a fine picture of their imaginings in their mind. For those who don’t read much, a simple tag of ‘adapted from a bestselling novel’ is enough to attract them towards the movie. So, for all the directors out there go for a screenplay that adopts its story from a novel or any other similar source, it’s not only cheap but also the viewers’ top choice nowadays!
http://splus.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Silver-Screen/11-Jul-2010/The-adaptation-obsession
Adapted screenplays are plays which adapts its story from another source like a novel or another short play. Many of Hollywood screen writers get their inspiration from such sources. Infact some of the most acknowledged movies are adapted. The recent trend in Hollywood has been of adapted screenplays and they are widely acclaimed and gain widespread fame. The Oscars have a separate nomination for adapted screenplays with Precious (adapted from a novel Push) winning the Best Screenplay Award in the 82nd Academy Awards.
A wide majority of movies that won awards in 2009, in different categories, have been adapted screen plays: Mo’Nique won the best supporting actress for the movie Precious (adapted from a novel “Push” by Sapphire) in Golden Globe and the 82nd Academy Awards, Up in the Air ( adapted from a movie with the same name by Walter Kim) won the Best Screenplay in Golden Globe Awards and Jeff Bridges won the best actor award for his role in the film Crazy Heart (adapted from a novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb) in Golden Globe and the 82nd Academy Awards.
The past years have been full of popular adapted screenplays: The Reader, Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Revolutionary Road in 2008; Atonement, No Country for old men and Sweeney Todd in 2007 and The Departed, The Last King of Scotland and Dream girls in 2006. This is just a few of a long list of movies which have adapted its story from different sources.
Certain adapted screenplay movies are very different from the original stories; the popular book Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, disappointed its readers when the movie came out in May 2006. Not just the movie it self but the change in the story at certain stages, perturbed the viewers who loved Da Vinci Code as a book. Its sequel Angels and Demons did a far better job at the box office, majorly because of the improved acting of Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, but it was still no match with the Book itself.
The directors and producers, of such movies, justify themselves regarding viewer’s criticism about changes in certain important aspects of the movie, by saying that ‘film making is a business, and in a business you produce material that sells’. Therefore one never gets to see a movie which is, from start to end, an exact replica of the novel.
Not all adapted screenplays fail to impress its viewers, those which have read the novel and those which haven’t. Lord of the Rings is an example of such a successful screenplay. Many of the fans, who appreciated the book, declared the movie as one of the best adaptations. Some scholars went as far as to claim the movie as a ‘Masterpiece’. Hollywood is full of popular adapted screen plays like Star Trek, , Shrek, and the very recent Harry Potter, which surpassed all the previously listed movies’ popularity
The Twilight series is yet another example of successful adapted screenplays. It is a fantasy, romance thriller with majority of the fans lying in the age group 16-25 years, making it the number#1 movie in America in 2008. Its sequel New Moon, released in November 2009, has the sixth highest worldwide opening weekend title and Eclipse, the third in the twilight saga, is one of the most awaited film of 2010.
The main essence of the adapted screenplays lies in the main story of the novel. Fans prefer movies which stick to the main plot of the story. A film succeeds by staying close to the original writers’ tale. Compressing and cutting a few scenes is adequate but editing (changing or adding) without good reason is unacceptable. Writers of Books have no constraint of time or budget as movie producers’ face. Writer’s have the space to extend their imaginations beyond the approach of practicality. But a movie producer faces all these constraints. With these constraints along with the restriction of converting the writer’s imagination to its best on screen, is an achievement in itself!
Adapted screenplays are viewers’ top choice now days. The majority of the viewers lie between the age group of 13-30, and these people enjoy fantasies and bookish thrillers more than an original script. Ask a 18 year old girl whether she prefers Hurt Locker, which is an original screenplay, or New Moon, which is an adapted screenplay; she will vote for New Moon.
People enjoy watching what they have read; it gives a new direction to their imagination and sketches a fine picture of their imaginings in their mind. For those who don’t read much, a simple tag of ‘adapted from a bestselling novel’ is enough to attract them towards the movie. So, for all the directors out there go for a screenplay that adopts its story from a novel or any other similar source, it’s not only cheap but also the viewers’ top choice nowadays!
"For those who don’t read much, a simple tag of ‘adapted from a bestselling novel’ is enough to attract them towards the movie."
ReplyDeleteProbably this is the sole reason for which writers are allowing the film makes to let them adapt the books. very well written article. though i`ll like to add two memorable mentions. First is the The Godfather Series which was based on a novel and its really difficult to compare those because both are one of the very best in their fields. the dialogues and environment was same as book plus the superb acting by Al Pacino, De Niro and Marlon Brando took it to another extreme.
Another recent adaption is of Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho and in my view the movie was a little slow but so was the novel then if you fan of his work (i am) so Sarah Michelle did a good job in that too.
and its good to see HP series last novel divided into two parts to bring out best!