I was reviewing some earlier posts of mine in other newgroups when I
came across this one. It thought it was appropriate to the
conversations floating around this NG about "faithfulness to source
material." (so-and-so butchered the story. That adaptation was a flop,
etc.)
dragunr2.TakeThisOut@aol.combination (Sydney Assbasket) wrote:
> How important do you think sticking to the book is when filming an adaptation
> of a novel? Frankly, as long as the story makes sense and the movie is
> entertaining, I am not bothered if the film does not stick to the film to the
> letter. Making a good movie should be the first priority.
I wrote:
> I think it's very important. If only for continuuity between both
> stories. I could never understand why some movies (ex. bond flicks)
> borrow the book's title, characters and some situations then throw the
> rest away. If you're not going to tell the story shown in the book,
> why bother to option the rights?
I later wrote:
> ...If you're going to change the story so
> much that it bear little resemblance to the original story, why not
> just create a new story to begin with. One could use the existing
> characters but write a new story. One could also create new characters
> based on the ones from the novel (changing them enough to avoid
> lawsuits) and put them in a new story.
> An example of where the second option would have worked was in "Conan
> the Barbarian." I enjoyed the movie. But as an avid R.E. Howard fan I
> kept saying throughout the film "Conan wouldn't have done that." Had
> they named him "Conrad" (tongue planted firmly in cheek) and kept the
> story the same, I might not have minded. But then I might have said
> "what a Conan wannabe!" I guess there's no pleasing some folks.
>
> Option 1 is easier. Just create a new Conan story.
I suppose the unlying question is how much can something change and
still be considered to be a faithful representation. Because like it
or not if the two works have the same title, they will be compared to
each other.
BTW, while the messages above mention movies specifically, this
discussion should include other media as well.
MNB
---
"Sic hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes." ---Anonymous
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