[1]
CHAPTER 1
[2]
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Emergence of this trend
?In 2010, there will hardly be any new movie adaptations of novels. However, this may
become a trend in the years to come. Most Bollywood movies follow a simple path —
boy meets girl, misunderstandings follow, a few special effects maybe and a happy
ending — with the end product sauced up with some songs. While recent Bollywood
movie adaptations have made profits thanks to a marketing splurge before their release,
trade analysts believe that the lack of a filmic Indian literary tradition makes it difficult to
adapt books to the big screen.
Officials at the Satyajit Ray Film Institute reason that bestselling authors are celebrities in
their own right and there is always the danger that they may disagree with the film
interpretation and plunge the project into uncertainty or controversy. Minor writers
employed by the studio (script-writers) do not pose any such dangers.
?Legal agreements between authors and Bollywood producers should be more elaborate
with credits properly spelt out. Hollywood is more mature with copyright issues,? says
Thakkar.
A Mumbai-based trade analyst opines that bestsellers written on themes that are relevant
to the youth would find audiences, although the movie may need major alterations so that
audiences can relate to it. Movies dealing with basic human emotions like love and
jealousy have found popularity, like with Omkara, a Vishal Bharadwaj adaptation of
Shakespeare‘s masterpiece Othello.
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FROM THE PAGE TO THE SCREEN
Movie
Made
with
budget
(in
Rs/cr)
Box office
collections
(in Rs/cr)
Adapted
from
Author
3 Idiots 45.00 300 *
Five
Point
Someone
Chetan Bhagat
Dev D 6.00 Over 25 Devdas
Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay
Devdas 40.00 96.00 Devdas
Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay
Omkara 26.00 53.00 Othello
William
Shakespeare
Parineeta 25.00 41.00 Parineeta
Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay
Hello 8.00 15.00
One
night
@ call
Centre
Chetan Bhagat
*in two weeks and counting Source: Industry
estimates
[4]
In Hollywood, the journey of some movie adaptations of bestselling novels started as
early as the 1940s, with Victor Fleming‘s classic adaptation of Margaret Mitchell‘s
bestseller Gone with the Wind. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has been the
highest grosser at $1.129 billion, according to trade and distributors‘ estimates.
The year 2006 saw the hugely anticipated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, the
bestseller by Dan Brown. In its opening weekend, the film earned over $224 million
worldwide.
In Bollywood Chetan Bhagat is on a roll, with his third book, The 3 Mistakes of My Life,
becoming the foundation of a movie by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel
Entertainment. The budget and the release date of the movie have not yet been
announced.
The advantage of using a bestseller with a strong story line is that it appeals to all
audiences, urban and rural, which is more than can be said about the typical Bollywood
potboiler.
Numerous films are adaptations of literary works. The process of adaptation actually
amalgamates the interpretation of the spectators and the art of film itself. Most
adaptations are films based on novels as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation
includes the use of non-fiction works such as journalistic material, autobio
graphies, comic books, scripts, plays, historical sources, and even other previous films.
Adaptation has proven to be one of the most widespread practices in the evolution of
fundamental ideas and scripts ever since (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_adaptation).
Literature provides filmmakers with a rich source of materials for movies.
According to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Encyclopedia of Philippine
Art, "film is a voracious medium that feeds on material from traditional literary forms
and recent media products to create narratives with which to mesmerize its audience".
[5]
Dudley Andrews, a film critic and theorist, states that literary works are the basis of more
than half of all commercial films (Phillips, 1999).
Frequent sources of Filipino films are the different genres of literature (plays,
novels, poems, folk tales, legends) "capitalizing on the presumed familiarity of the public
with the events, characters and themes of these traditional/popular narrative genres"
(CCP Encyclopedia, 1994). Some of the influential elements that contribute to Philippine
cinema are historical events in the country, significant figures in the past and present
generation, types of theatre that like the komedya, sinakulo, sarswela, drama, and
bodabil; oral literature, dance, music and the visual arts; literary tradition as exemplified
by the awit and korido, novels and short stories in various languages; melodramas,
feature stories, radio dramas, television, with its drama anthology, comedies, musical
contests, and numerous shows, and films, which initiate trends and fads that the local
industry follows.
In the Philippines, film adaptation of novels dates back to the early years of
filmmaking. During the 19
th
century, Jose Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, were turned into films which gave "narratives and distinctive character
types" (CCP Encyclopedia, 1994) to movies. In 1930s, novels published in Liwayway
Magazine such as Punyal Na Ginto (Golden Dagger) by Antonio Sempio, Sa Paanan ng
Krus (At the Foot of the Cross) of Lazaro Francisco, Sampaguitang Walang Bango
(Jasmine without Fragrance) of Iñigo Ed Regalado, and others were adapted to films. One
of the novelists who gave significant contributions to film is Edgardo M. Reyes whose
novels, for instance, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag was transformed into the movie and was
celebrated among the audiences and the critics.
In spite of the difficulties in adapting a novel to a film, there is still a proliferation
of movies with this kind in the international screen. Among these are the film adaptations
of Da Vinci Code, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, Harry
Potter and others. Although at present, the Filipino film production centers its attention
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on original screenplays, there are still movies adapted from novels such as those written
by Lualhati Bautista namely Bata, Bata Pa'no Ka Ginawa and Dekada '70. Hence, these
critically-acclaimed films not only reflect the Filipino talent with regard to film
production but also acquire adulation for the original literary works on which such films
are based.
"Both for the serious student of film and the conscientious practitioner of the art, it
is instructive to know how film as art and entertainment has related to literature, theatre
and popular culture in exerting its own brand of witchery on Filipinos it has captivated"
(CCP Encyclopedia,1994).
There is a perception on some people that the enjoyment of a person in watching a
film will be hindered by his/her knowledge in the film concepts and process. However,
there are film enthusiasts who stressed that ?studying films increases their enjoyment …
and appreciation of the effort and creativity involved in making them.? (Phillips, 1999).
Therefore, having background knowledge in film will add to the viewers‘ comprehension
on why a film is produced the way it is and in the case of adapted films, why the
filmmaker came up with such adaptation knowing each medium‘s limitations and
strengths. Instead of dealing with the tedious process of film adaptation, the researchers
decided to focus on the fundamental considerations in adapting a novel into a film and
prepare instructional materials on film adaptation of novels.
Bollywood has scripted major success stories with novels. Very often, sequels follow.
The Harry Potter fantasy movies based on J K Rowling‘s bestsellers are cases in point. In
Bollywood, though, this is not the case. And going by the recent spat between Chetan
Bhagat, author of the bestseller Five Point Someone, and the producer of 3 Idiots, the
movie based on the novel, the situation is unlikely to change soon.
?Around 200-250 new films are released every year in India of which maybe one or two
are adaptations of bestsellers. Clearly, there are not enough takers,? says Vishal Kapur,
chief operating officer, Fun Multiplex.
[7]
?In 2010, there will hardly be any new movie adaptations of novels. However, this may
become a trend in the years to come. Compared to Hollywood, Bollywood has a long
way to go in terms of movie and script selection. It also depends on audiences‘ tastes,?
says Jehil Thakkar, head of media and entertainment.
English movies based on Indian culture
1 Gandhi (1982): This Internationally acclaimed movie needs no introduction. The film
stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, a brilliant actor by any measure. Amongst much
recognition home and abroad, the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture,
winning eight Academy Awards in total.
2. City of Joy (1992): The social drama is based on the life of a farmer who moves to
Kolkata with his family and finds out that life is nothing but simple in the city. Patrick
Swayze, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and Art Malik lead the brilliant cast. This is one of best
movies that use talents from India and Hollywood.
3. Monsoon Wedding (2001): Directed by Mira Nair, this is romance, comedy and
drama – all together – depicting the lives of NRIs and the NRI weddings. An extravagant
Punjabi wedding and the family traditions are beautifully depicted throughout this movie.
Naseeruddin Shah‘s acting is solid once more, and plays a father who is organizing an
enormous, chaotic, and very expensive wedding that involves NRI families and joint
families coming together from different parts of the world.
4. A Passage to India (1984): This classic is one of the most memorable English films
based on the Indo-British relationship and their impacts on the day-to-day life during
English Rule in India. Written and directed by David Lean, the screenplay is based on the
1924 novel by E.M. Forster. The acting, the direction and the beautifully landscaped
scenes equally contribute to this masterpiece. The film has won various awards included
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Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. The brilliant acting comes from Judy
Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft and James Fox in the key roles.
5. Being Cyrus (2006): This is one of the best Indian films in English. It is a
psychological drama revolving around a dysfunctional family. The brilliant acting is led
by Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia; the well told story is narrated by none other
but Saif Ali Khan in the role of Cyrus Mistry.
6. Pride and Prejudice (2004): This is a Bollywood style adaptation of the novel ?Pride
and Prejudice‘ by Jane Austen. It is filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and
Punjabi dialogue. The lead cast of Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Nadira Babbar,
Anupam Kher and Naveen Andrews plays well in the desi adaptation of an old classic
story from west. The wedding and party scenes, the complicated feelings of love, the
dance numbers and culture depiction….are all nicely integrated.
7. East is East (1999): This is a very comic and funny movie with a dark side of an NRI
story based out of England. Om Puri delivers one of the best acting of a conflicted father
with double standards. Married to a white woman, the father forces his kids to live the
traditional and strict desi lifestyle. The children, born and grown up in UK, see
themselves as British and reject their father‘s rules on dress, food, religion and arranged
marriage.
8. Bend it like Beckham (2002): Starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, the title
comes from the soccer player David Beckham‘s skill at scoring from free kicks by
?bending? (curving) the ball past a wall of defenders. It is a beautiful depiction of a
Punjabi family‘s life in England. The film explores the lives of Indians abroad and how
NRIs ?bend‘ the social and traditional rules to adapt to the local culture. It has a lively
music, with a touch of folk genre.
[9]
9. Parzania (2007): Translated – Heaven and hell on earth, this is an Indian drama film
catering to the extreme human emotions. It is a terrific story of the struggles of a family
after they lose their 10 year old son during the racial riot.
Turning of filmdom into literary world
Today, the Filmdom is turning to literary world to establish a standing in international
cinema. Over the decades filmmakers have been turning to the literary world to churn out
successful films. But the recent controversy surrounding ?3 Idiots‘ one of the top grosser
of 2009 has brought to the fore the issue as to how much credit should the original writer
be given or how much creative inputs should be added before a story can be called an
adaptation or can be mentioned as ?inspired from‘.
Novelty and originality are a rare if not impossible occurrence in today‘s Bollywood
films. If it‘s not legal or otherwise imitation of a Hollywood film, it‘s a copy of a
hummable music score. Legal or otherwise, ?Creative Inspirations‘ have become a part
and parcel of the Bollywood we know today. Of course apart from the blatant plagiarism,
there have been quite a few good adaptations of the written word. But adapting the
necessary literature of hundreds of pages onto a 3 hour movie is no easy task. While a
book takes a couple of words to express a particular message, a movie will require a
combination of the precise sound, script, setting and a hoard of other essentials.
The ?successful‘ adaptation of Chetan Bhagat‘s novels into movies comes as no surprise
as his fashion of writing, the present-day concerns handled and their youth-centric
subjects have struck a chord with the youth.
Turning of literature into filmdom
Literature and film, movies and books, compare like apples and giraffes, said
contemporary American writer Dennis Lehane, But they do compare. They do interbreed.
As do history and film. But the question is: How and why do history, literature and
[10]
movies fruitfully nourish one another? When apples, giraffes, and other exotica
interbreed what results?
Many thousands of movies are adaptations from historical or literary sources. Hence the
recent internet vernacular of ?lit flicks?—literature adapted into flicks the flickering
medium of the motion pictures. History is generically dealt with by cinema in the epic,
period, or historical film. Film historians generally distinguish the epic group from the
strict historical group by its sheer size, expense, and the sumptuousness of the movie‘s
costumes and sets. The period film is distinguished by the production fact that it can be
set in the far distant past or the immediate present, as in the Jazz Age, 1926 version
of The Great Gatsby or with the achingly Sixties, 1969 film Zabriskie Point.
Adaptation
Although literature, history, and movies are distinct forms of communication thousands
of solutions and accommodations have been found so they can get along and have fruitful
relationships. The first key is the nature and tradition of adaptation itself. Tales evolve
and one generation adjusts the stories of the past to the present time and to its modern
needs and ways of storytelling. ?My dramas are but slices cut off from the great banquet
of Homer‘s poems,? wrote the Greek dramatist Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.).But
Aeschylus‘ dramas were leaner and meaner, in search of a higher truth which synthesized
moral opposites, profoundly simpler than anything all-embracing Homer ever wrote. For
it is the singer, not the song, that makes the splendor of communication successful. And a
story retold, as Aeschylus retold Homer, continues. What is beneath the surface of the
story that has been told before and will be told again—a story that has been alive among
humans for centuries or millennia?
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Types of Adaptation
When adapting from literature to film, one begins with the raw stuff, the subject matter of
a short story, novella, or novel, of a play, history, biography, or with a poem, song, or
folk tale. It is all good because it is ready-made and market-tested. The characters and
stories are already popular. Now they have to be mass-produced. Three types of
adaptation follow: loose, faithful, or literal. Adaptation is by nature a translation into a
different medium which expresses itself by using a different group of techniques,
essential materials, and rules of creative harmony.
Loose
The loose adaptation takes the raw stuff and reweaves it into a movie as the director,
producer, or studio wishes and as the movie needs. Contemporary cultural norms are
often a determining factor. The various adaptations of James Cain‘s all-American
novel The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) became more overtly sexual as the
times—and countries of adaptation—changed. One could easily imagine an effective and
even momentarily pornographic adaptation of this steamy, laconic crime thriller at some
point in the future. In The Postman Always Rings Twice libidinal action is the narrative‘s
existential pumping force. Its Eros and Thanatos are deliciously extreme and invite loose
play.
One should wonder about action. Overall, are Americans and American cinema prone to
loose adaptations because of an emphasis on action as an end in itself within the
civilization? ?I need a little less talk and a lot more action,? is a common State-side
saying. And as Anglo-American actor Michael Caine claimed in his autobiography: ?The
British make ?talking pictures;‘ Americans make ?moving pictures.‘ This is not
universally true, but good enough to be a rule of thumb. In American national tradition, a
movie is a mover and a shaker; it tries to provide emotional satisfaction for it audience.
[12]
Example: The 1935 film version of Jack London‘s excellent Call of the Wild—starring
Clark Gable, Jack Oakie and Loretta Young, was a fine film in its own way (billed with
the tagline: ?An Epic Novel . . . An Epic Picture!?)—but it typically lacked the level of
thoughtful backstory present in the novel. Plus, the very popular buddy character in the
movie, Short Hoolihan, was played by Jack Oakie (1903–1978). Oakie was the inveterate
scene stealer with the charm of a big, friendly, flappy, hairy dog. He was the nation‘s
loveable, pudgy, all-American, good time ?Okie? character of the era. ?No matter how
hard I worked all day, I could always find a party to go to,? he wrote in his
autobiography Jack Oakie’s Double Takes. Just as the actors Richard Round tree
in Shaft (1971) and Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop (1984) provided audience interest
because they integrated a new kind of American into the mainstream—a back-talking,
thoroughly male, self-confident, Black protagonist—so did Jack Oakie in his time and
place blend in a hearty contemporary figure: a working-class, funny and eventually
successful White guy from Oklahoma or the Red River Valley country.
Jack Oakie‘s popularity was more important than the integrity of Jack London‘s original
text. After Hoolihan-Oakie was shown to die in Call of the Wild‘s world premiere held at
the Cathay Circle Theater in Los Angeles (an action true to the novel), the audience was
so upset that a new ending was provided for the movie in which Oakie lived, so the
public (and MGM‘s box office) would not be disappointed. And would Jack London,
champion of the rough and tumble working class (who wrote: ?affluence means
influence?), have been upset? Why not let Hoolihan-Oakie live? A traditional condition
of action rather than reflection in American cinema was especially true through the 1950s
and 1960s. Then something changed. By that time over five hundred art house or art
theater halls flourished in the U.S.A. showing foreign films: in the Boston, Massachusetts
area, for example, the well-known Brattle Street Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, or the Paris Cinema on Boylston Street in
Boston. There was both an artistic and a market message here.
[13]
The new generation of Baby Boomer U.S. audience and film makers were subsequently
receptive to and incorporated into U.S. films the serious aesthetic and social intentions of
non-U.S. movies. At one level, this distinction gradually dissolved between the
reflective-artistic qualities of U.S. and non-U.S. films, and consequently the number of
art theaters rapidly dwindled. At another level, the American need for action, star power,
and contemporaneity which could justify loose adaptation remained. Examples of loose
adaptation in American cinema would be: The Best Years of Our Lives (1945, directed by
William Wyler—adapted from the prose poem Glory for Me by MacKinlay
Kantor), King Creole (1958, directed by Michael Curtiz, loosely adapted from A Stone
for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins), or Disney‘s Pinocchio (1940, loosely based on the
original Italian version). The loose adaptation may add additional subplots and
characters, change situation or setting. Some of the original, in spirit or in fact, still
remains. Loose adaptation can also mean expanding only a few lines from an original
text. The original Biblical story of David and Bathsheba—the approximately one
thousand words of II Samuel 11: 2–27, 12: 1–24—is part of one of the oldest pieces of
historiography in the Western world, II Samuel 9–20 and I Kings 11–22. It became the
movie David and Bathsheba (1951, tag lined: ?For this woman. . . he broke God‘s own
commandment!?).This loose adaptation of a Biblical text was earnest, austere and
languid.
As often happens with folklore or Biblical texts, star power and storyline changes
heightened the interest and drama of the plot. In the original Biblical version King David
spies Bathsheba by chance: ?And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose
from his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king‘s house: and from the roof he saw a
woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.? (II Samuel
11.2) But in the adaptation directed by Henry King and written by Philip Dunne (which
received the Academy Award nomination for Best Writing: Story and Screenplay),
Bathsheba exposed herself on purpose in order to seduce David. Their subsequent
betrayal was an expression of mutual complicity. The vicarious interest of the 1950s
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American women in the movie audience was heightened. Bathsheba was an agent, not
just a victim. Like popular music and folk song, texts from the Bible, legends, or folklore
have the nature of common property. Like popular song, the original text is anonymous
or invented by an individual or group who yields it to the community. The story or song
is then modified or taken apart in performance.
Arguably the most adapted source works are legends. Some film historians count the
vampire legend as the single most adapted tale of all time. Could a legend be that
tantalizing end point for history and beginning place for myth where all is possible?
Faithful
The faithful adaptation takes the literary or historical experience and tries to translate it as
close as possible into the filmic experience. Sometimes there are equivalents in film to
the original way of saying or doing what happens in literature and history, and sometimes
not. And ?faithful? depends on the movie makers‘ knack to be true to the original spirit of
the raw stuff, the primary source. Faithful works from the inside out; loose works from
the outside in. Loose has no problem with dismantling and reassembling, breaking up and
remaking totally anew. Faithful wants to stay loyal to the intention of the original, to
convey the heart and soul. So in a faithful adaptation, even if the movie went so far as to
change the original story‘s ending, the movie makers would want to make sure that they
did not betray the core meaning.
Some outstanding twentieth century examples of faithful cinematic renditions of an
original literary or historical text are: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943, directed by William
Wellman; novel: 1940), The Grapes of Wrath (1940, directed by John Ford; novel:
1939), The Godfather (1972, directed by Francis Ford Coppola; novel:1969),The Man
Who Would Be King (1975, directed by John Huston, from Rudyard Kipling‘s short story
of the same name 1888), The Dead (1987, directed by John Huston, from the story in
Joyce‘s Dubliners, 1914), Dances With Wolves (1990, directed by Kevin Costner,
adapted from Michael Blake‘s novel of the same name, 1986–1988.)
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The faithful adaptation has the thorny problem of the narrator and the general
commentary. The narrator is the good shepherd who guides the flock of meanings in the
original, word-based text. How do you replace such an important figure without losing
direction? In Steinbeck‘s Grapes of Wrath, for example, seventeen percent of the novel
was general commentary. In the movie‘s faithful adaptation by John Ford and Twentieth
Century Fox there was no voice-over narrator in the filmic space. But each medium
worked perfectly well on its own terms. The movie Grapes of Wrath maintained a serious
narrative tone. It had mature quality of cinematic sound, coloring, photography and
casting which helped to replace and even enhance the historical novel‘s original voice.
Dorothea Lange‘s 1930s pitch-perfect photographic style was incorporated by the film‘s
Director of Photography Gregg Toland. Alfred Newman‘s musical score achieved superb
shading. The casting of the Joad family was done with vigor and depth: Jane Darwell as
Ma Joad, solid as oak, yet vulnerable in her strength; Henry Fonda,—as Steinbeck
himself said: ?A lean, stringy, dark-faced piece of electricity walked out on the screen
and he had me. I believed my own story again.? The public relations department at
Twentieth Century Fox possibly pushed this maturity too far. They emphasized the
serious nature of the movie‘s subject when it was released by stressing that Grapes of
Wrath was only for an adult audience. It was tag lined: ?The thousands who have read the
book will know why WE WILL NOT SELL ANY CHILDREN TICKETS to see this
picture!?
The social conventions of 1940 also did not allow John Ford to end Grapes of Wrath with
the novel‘s last scene of young Rose of Sharon baring her breast and suckling the
starving man who ?was about fifty, his whiskery face gaunt, and his open eyes . . .vague
and staring? and who hadn‘t eaten for about six days. But Ford did manage to end his
version with the book‘s characteristic note of spreading the milk of human kindness. The
movie draws to a conclusion with a concise version of the novel‘s chapter twenty-eight
farewell scene between Tom Joad and his mother.
[16]
Literal
A strong expression of a literal adaptation is often a play performed as a movie. This
includes movies filmed on stage and in performance (as in the Broadway Theater Archive
series). Or it could be a play such as Arthur Miller‘s Death of A Salesman (1949) which
has been faithfully transmuted at least three times into cinema: in 1951 (directed by
László Benedek, starring Frederic March as Willy Loman), in 1966 (directed by Alex
Segal, starring Lee J. Cobb, who had already appeared in Miller‘s original 1949
production), and then in 1985 (directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring Dustin Hoffman).
A good example of an outstanding historical play literally adapted to film is Sunrise at
Campobello, 1960, adapted from the 1958 stage drama about Franklin Delano Roosevelt
written by the politically engaged Dore Schary.
What happens to the play transferred to film? Well, a film has incredibly more space than
a stage. A movie can literally take the scenic arrangement outside and the medium offers
the director all sorts of tempting forms of physical and psychological expansion. Franklin
Roosevelt‘s dramatic walk without crutches on his crippled legs to the podium, with one
hand on a cane and the other hand clutching his son‘s arm, to deliver the 1924
Presidential nominating speech for Al Smith before thousands of spectators at the
Democratic Party Convention within the huge dome of Madison Square Garden is
suitably heightened in the movie version.
Film offers a variety of focused and sustained camera angles. It expands or contracts our
experience by virtue of the absence of the space-time continuum. Shots in separate spaces
are edited together. Different times can be spliced, joined, or blended. The everyday
sequential chain of experience is removed, intensified, or rearranged. The environment—
the viewing filter of a dark theater or a quiet room—enhances the experience. This can
make the literal adaptation of a visually contained text, like the rooms in Death of a
Salesman, claustrophobic. Yet, by doing so, it heightens the play‘s inherent tone of
[17]
psychological oppression and impending doom. Each version of Death of a Salesman is
enhanced by cinematic techniques of expressionism.
A movie can accordion a play up or down, enlarge it or reduce it. Although the
phenomenon of live performance—the smell of grease paint, the timber of the actors‘ and
actresses‘ uneven voices, the emotions of the crowd, and even the creak of the theater‘s
seats, all of which are at the heart and soul of theater—are rarely there in a movie. The
1981 film Zoot Suit, the faithful adaptation of a play based on the historical incident of
L.A.‘s World War II 1940s ?Zoot Suit Riots,? is an exception. A Hollywood feature film
needs a celebrity actor to pull in a big box office. And the star of the day may be a Brad
Pitt or an Angelina Jolie or a Tom Cruise who may or may not be appropriate for the play
itself. But they have the pull to secure the part. A case in point was the original film
adaptation of Tennessee Williams‘ The Glass Menagerie. Williams said it was ?the most
awful travesty of the play I‘ve ever seen. . . horribly mangled by the people who did the
film script.? Williams particularly disliked the choice of casting, with actress Gertrude
Lawrence playing the mother Amanda Wingfield and Jane Wyman playing Laura
Wingfield. But he thought the opposite way about Elia Kazan‘s darkly brilliant
adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire with fleshy, brutal Marlon Brando as Stanley
Kowalski and a tremulous Vivien Leigh as pale Blanche Du Bois.
A play as a play on stage, in contrast, concentrates and frames audience focus. On stage
characters adapt to the same words and action at the same time and on the same plain.
The stage space is a limited horizontal plain as opposed to the immense vertical plain of
the movie screen. The stage has three dimensions and a movie two. But the absence of
the space-time continuum in a movie provides oneiric depth. This is partly created by the
sensation of inevitable flow. With a theatrical stage, each member of the audience
individually chooses where to look, who to listen to, or who or what to hold on to most
attentively. In a movie, the camera keeps making that choice and providing the small,
medium, and big picture. The camera decides what you see and where you look and even
[18]
who your ears perk up to the most. The camera is your eyes, it is inevitable flow. As the
exuberant Russian director Dziga Vertov (1896–1954) declared, for a film perception of
the world the most fundamental point is the ?use of the camera as a cinema eye more
perfect than the human eye for exploring the chaos of visual phenomena filling the
universe. . . . We cannot improve our eyes, but we can always improve the camera.? Yet
faithful types of adaptation tend to impose self-destructive limitations, to sacrifice power
for loyalty, risk for reassurance. When Tom Stoppard wrote the screenplay, Robert
Benton directed, and Dustin Hoffman starred in the faithful 1991 movie adaptation of E.
L. Doctorow‘s brilliant novel Billy Bathgate, the film was a flop. ?We have seen this
world before, in every gangster movie set in the 1920s or 1930s,? wrote Chicago Sun-
Times critic Roger Ebert, ?but never has it had less juice, been more dry and exhausted.?
Art is risk. Art is: ?always pushing. . . always wanting to explore. . . you wants to get
yourself into trouble and see how well you can fight your way out of it.? Whether it is a
loose, faithful, or literal adaptation, at the end of the day, the final result of success or
failure is not a matter of formula but finesse. How well you fight your way out of it. ?It is
not enough to show bits of truth on the screen, separate frames of truth? wrote Vertov.
?These frames must be thematically organized so that the whole is also a truth.?
Documentary and Literal Adaptation
Documentary films seek a form of literal adaptation to be historically sound. But the
nature of historical truth achieved by documentary is debatable. Documentary is not a
verbatim representation. As noted earlier, conventional wisdom defines documentary as
?relating to or found in documents: aiming at presentation of reality. . . broadly factual,
objective.? Objective? As historian Erik Barnouw maintained, a documentary film
director makes endless choices of topic, people, vistas, angles, lenses, juxtapositions,
sounds words. Each selection is an expression of a point of view [thus] of course a
propagandistic role is involved. One can hardly imagine a documentary that
[19]
is not propaganda—in the sense of trying to present evidence that may enlarge
understanding and change ideas. A documentary cannot be ?the truth‘. It is evidence,
testimony—which announces its topic, alerts our critical faculties, and at its best is part of
the diverse testimony which is at the very heart of a democratic process.
A documentary is not fiction but faith. As propaganda itself—from its original Latin
use: de propaganda fide, ?concerning the faith to be propagated? [Vatican, 1622]—
documentary takes a stand, holds a cause. A documentary provides objective reality
filtered. As a case in point, consider Ken Burns‘ The Civil War (1990). It began literally
as a time of war film. It was initially screened in the U.S.A. on PBS television in a
national environment of intensifying patriotism as the Persian Gulf War developed in the
fall of 1990. Episode One: The Cause–1861 ended with a very moving letter from a
soldier to his wife, written July 14, 1861, which stressed his undying love and
commitment to his wife, family, principles, and government. ?I have no misgivings
about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does
not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of
the Government. . . . And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in
this life, to help maintain this Government.? That soldier died fighting for his American
cause shortly thereafter. The launch of Burns‘ The Civil War was propitious.
Next, The Civil War was a movie made for TV. Television has a ?bardic function? in
most modern cultures. It is a social ritual which overrides individual distinctions and in
which people freely engage in order to communicate with the collective, cultural
self. This has particularly been true in the U.S.A for open-access network TV and for
Public Broadcasting Service TV. PBS programs a common, national schedule. Yet PBS
is locally based in a non-profit organization (a university, state agency, or community
organization). It receives almost 25 percent of its total revenue from viewer donations
(?Viewers like you!? as most PBS programs begin by declaring.) And it is watched by
about one third of the U.S. population each week. The Civil War‘s success—the program
[20]
amassed in the U.S.A. the largest audience for any series in public TV history, more than
14 million viewers watched each evening, while 39 million Americans tuned into at least
one episode of the telecast—was reinforced by its TV channel context. At its best, PBS
TV is the community talking to itself. Its programs are not flashy frames for ads, as
network TV can easily be. It seeks to accommodate itself to the actual community.
Burns‘ Civil War clicked with current U.S. mass media reality.
Third, among the viewers who saw The Civil War enthusiastically it was common to find
this documentary called the best history lesson they ever had. As one person wrote: ?. . .
Burns, in a very real way, is that special teacher most of us have who convinces us for a
while that there is, indeed, interest to be plumbed where there was never interest
before.? Though he is aware of its shortcomings as history, Burns has stressed the timely
need for his documentary: ?I don‘t think the story of the Civil War can be told too often. I
think it surely ought to be retold for every generation.? It is a movie that adapts by
updating historical reality.
Fourth, The Civil War had also been received by some Americans as ?history with
honey? and over weighted with ?. . . visual rhetoric, maudlin music and lugubrious
readings.? Burns resurrects the gloomy Victorian sentimentality characteristic of the
1800s. But this is a spirit true to the realism of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain and the
Civil War itself. Burns‘ literal version of that event is a deeply moral and emotional
reading. One can hear a Civil War tone of awe, pain and lucid innocence from the voice
of Mark Twain‘s Huckleberry Finn when he reflects on the mob action he witnesses at
the end of Chapter 33 in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)—when two old men
are stripped down, smeared with hot tar, stuck with feathers, each made to sit astraddle
and crotch raw on a splintery wooden rail upon which they were jounced and bounced
out of town. ?Well, it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals,
it seemed like I couldn‘t ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world,?
[21]
thought Huck. ?It was a dreadful thing to see. Human beings can be awful cruel to one
another.?
Lastly, Burns takes his reading of the Civil War beyond maudlin grief and woe. The
documentary updates the event by an integrated synthesis which involves the deep
witness of the popular, ordinary viewpoint given by common soldiers, farmers, workers,
immigrants, tradesmen and women of all minorities. The traditional occupation of
transcendent ideals, the strategies and statistics of battles, the doings of great men and
women is subdued—but not omitted. He makes of the event a story of tragic
reconciliation. ?Between 1861 and 1865, Americans made war on each other and killed
each other in order to become the kind of country that could no longer conceive how that
was possible? (Civil War, Episode One: The Cause–1861). It was a sublimely satisfying
sacrifice. The documentary‘s driving principle is separation followed by reconciliation
and union.
A few points about Lincoln‘s presentation in most U.S. documentaries and fiction films:
Why have U.S. movies and TV found Lincoln so attractive? There have been about six
hundred significant film and TV productions which have incorporated Abraham Lincoln,
not counting his use in everything from TV variety to new programs. Lincoln was a
distinctly memorable subject for still visuals and later became a natural subject for
moving pictures. He was a main dish of that meal which fed the public‘s ongoing appetite
for Civil War stories as the event which defined modern America. Lincoln was ready-
made, market-tested, already popular and in the public domain—waiting to be mass-
produced. He had also been a very entertaining man. Thus Lincoln the humorist became a
great source of ongoing public entertainment. And he was far and away the most
beguiling and diverting of early U.S. Presidents.
Finally, the subject matter of Lincoln, the Civil War, and slavery in fiction, film, or
historical renditions has been a way Americans have tried to come to terms with tragedy.
Abraham Lincoln‘s monumental nature has served as a common, contested ground for
[22]
coming to terms with American identity by Americans themselves; collective
representation. (As the U.S.A. has become globally less self-confident over the past few
decades, notice how Lincoln‘s own heroic, legendary stature has diminished in the United
States.) He is a figure Americans can publicly turn to in times of trial. Martin Luther
King‘s ?I Have a Dream Speech? of August, 1963 is inconceivable without the
background of Washington, D.C.‘s Lincoln Memorial. It is striking how Lincoln was
quoted or noted on U.S. TV around the time of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. But
Lincoln can also be dismissed, rejected, neglected, readjusted. Just like tragedy itself in
the U.S.A.?
Literature, History, and Movies
Consider how information exists and knowledge is distilled. How a story is told is as
important as its subject matter. Thus, three fundamental points about how the nature of
literature and history effect their relation to movies:
First, legend precedes historical fact. Did Nestor and Ajax in the Iliad ever actually exist
and do what Homer claims they did? Until factual, textual proof is found these remains,
at the least, an open question. The Iliad remains legend rather than history, literature
rather than history, superstition rather than science. Hence, human culture as we know it
shows that literature precedes history as a practice of inquiry, as a creative record of
human events.
Second, a fundamental distinction exists between history and memory. History is then,
memory is now. A judicious, critical management of documentary evidence allows
history to get as close as possible to the facts of the past; then as it was then. Memory is
the past remembered and reconstructed through the lens of the present and its building
blocks. Movies flourish in a popular, contemporary market place. They must entertain the
sensibilities of the present. Anachronism is their delight and pleasure. Memory is their
[23]
very breath. So history inevitably gets short-changed in movies—with some notable
exceptions.
Third, with regard to the history of ideas, one distinguishes between an older meaning of
literature as literacy and the cultivation of reading (dominant through the eighteenth
century) and a newer reality and reference to literature as a body of writing which
contrasts with erudition and which emphasizes wit, talent, and taste (which begins to
dominate the older meaning by the end of the eighteenth century)
Story-telling movies
that are not straight documentary or raw, live footage have a much stronger generic
affinity to literature than to history. Thus the movie-history relation is more a connection
rather than a similarity, an association rather than nearness. The difference is subtle but
meaningful. The viewer can expect a movie to be like literature. But can you expect a
movie to be history?
Two exceptions of note which prove the rule with regard to movies and history are
documentary cinema and raw footage. Documentary cinema has a closer relation to
history. Documentary can function like journalism or on-the-spot news, though news is
?only the rough draft of history?—as publisher Phil Graham of The Washington
Post once said. Conventional wisdom defines documentary as ?relating to or found in
documents: aiming at presentation of reality,? ?broadly: factual, objective.?
But look deeper and one often finds that the non-fiction film or photo which is about
?real life? was treated subjectively and sometimes doctored just as much as a piece of
fiction. Though documentary is relied upon as objective fact, as proven support for
something, it can easily be a constructed, subjective artifact and be synonymous with
social persuasion or propaganda. This is not a problem, but an asset for documentary, and
a point to which this essay shall return. Raw footage is also known as ?stock shot? and is
film footage of actual, ordinary or exceptional events which is stocked away and then
used as movie filler, a means to intensify mimesis in a fiction film or documentary, a way
[24]
to cut production costs, or kept for historical record. One outstanding case of stock shot
would be the Zap ruder Film. This was the only live movie made of the John F. Kennedy
assassination of November 22, 1963 by amateur cameraman and garment manufacturer
Abraham Zap ruder of Dallas, Texas. This film has been used or referenced in about forty
movies to date, including Oliver Stone‘s 1991, bullying but engrossing movie JFK, a
1999, HBO Sopranos‘ episode, and conspiracy theory documentaries of the last few
years.
Film or Book?
The student, film buff, or movie connoisseur should give up the naive claim that a film
should be faithful to the book. That is not the point of successful adaptation. Too many
hands each play their part in moulding and shaping the completed movie. Adaptation
requires originality. And it is a process of accretion, of leveling and tiers of the one story
being built upon other tiers and each enriched by the ongoing telling. Recall Homer and
Aeschylus, mentioned at the beginning of this essay. Is there one story of Achilles, one
story of Odysseus? Each telling narrates, explains, reveals. F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s The
Great Gatsby was a U.S. best seller in 1926, but it was told again in movie form in 1926,
1949, 1974, and 2000.Gatsby is one story among many that stays alive for Americans by
virtue of its cinematic renewal enriched with each telling. It is one story among many that
helps to create community, gives life itself the form it lacks, and helps to insulate people
from the tragedy of others.
I think Dennis Lehane was wrong when he said that movies and books compare like
apples and giraffes. If one can understand literature and film as a continuum, as one story,
then a person may delight in one vision retold and refreshed. Many filmmakers know
this. ?Because the ancient wisdom,? as David Mamet said, ?is you get to write it three
times: when you write it, when you direct it, when you edit it?. You keep telling and
retelling the story.
[25]
And, finally, it takes so many fingers to get the one job done: the original work of
literature, the screenwriter and his screenplay, the film director (?Who makes decisions
about choices already made by the film crew?), the producer who holds the money bags;
the give, take, quirks and charisma of the main actors and actresses; the props, scenes and
settings; the cameraman (director of photography), the lighting man, the movie editor, the
music director, the art director, and the audience. Yes, you—a public audience who may
even view various versions of the movie before it is finally released in order to determine
the viability of a last cut. The audience is a public made up of individuals and a mass.
And in all likelihood people will see the film because of word of mouth, chance,
convenience or escapism, or fundamental hunger for entertainment—and maybe a touch
of education, too. You are not dumb. You are the audience. The audience is a maker and
an adaptor. The audience will finally decide whether the whole process succeeded or not.
You buy the tickets.
Books written by Indian writers
Books by Indian writers in Indian languages have always proved appealing for Indian
filmmakers, it is only in recent times that there has been an increase in number of
adaptations of Indian authors writing in English. The unforgettable, brilliant
film Guide was possibly one of the first cinematic adaptations of an English novel by an
Indian author. Though the film was widely successful, the author R.K. Narayan thought
the film to be unnecessarily mushy and theatrical. In recent times, S Hussain
Zaidi‘s Black Friday and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri have also been critically
acclaimed.
As far as cinematic adaptation of novels in Indian languages goes, special mention must
be made of the repeatedly remade and at times wildly successful Devdas based on a
[26]
famous novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. In fact, there are
some five films with the same name, based on this novel alone. And each of them in the
eponymic role has some of the leading names at that era- K.L.Sehgal, Dilip Kumar,
Shahrukh Khan- to name a few. In fact it even got adapted to fit today‘s youth by
changing the tragic ending and not killing the protagonist but instead making him realize
his folly in the critically acclaimed Dev D.
Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam is another eternal gem produced by the immensely gifted Guru
Dutt. The movie which was a huge critical as well as commercial success was adapted
from the Bengali novel ?Shaheb Bibi Golam‘ by Bimal Mitra. The movie portrays the
debauched world of the Bengali noblemen at the time when they were losing their
ascendancy in the British Raj. Stunning performances by all the actors, with special
mention to the role of Meena Kumari as the Chhoti Bahu, ensured the success of the film.
Looking over the years, many Hindi films based on Bengali novels have proved to be
huge commercial successes. The prior mentioned Devdas, or the gripping Parineeta,
again based on a novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay or the critically
acclaimed Choker Bali – the tale of love, lust and family ties based on a novel by
Rabindranath Tagore or Govind Nihilani‘s Hazaar Chaurasia ki Maa based on the
Bengali novel ?Hajar Chaurashir Maa‘ by Mahasweta Devi to name a few. The coming
year will bring yet another film based on an award winning Bengali novel titled ?Ashima‘
to be directed by Shishir Mishra and starring Gracy Singh and Aseem Merchant in pivotal
roles. As far as Bengali writers go, as many as 15 Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
novels have been adapted into films.
Gulshan Nanda‘s books have provided fodder for commercial hits like Kati Patang, Neel
Kamal, Khilona, Jheel Ke Us Paar, Sharmilee, etc. These movies proved to be big
commercial hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gulshan Nanda was probably the only
[27]
Hindi author whose books which were later made into films achieved such vast
commercial and critical success.
Munshi Premchand‘s novels ?Gaban‘, ?Godaan‘, ?Heera Moti‘, ?Mazdoor‘, ?Sadgati‘ and
?Shatranj Ke Khiladi‘ (adapted by the renowned Satyajit Ray) also did have some
commercial success.
One of the most prolific directors from Bollywood, Shyam Benegal, has adapted many
novels over the course of his film making career. Notable among them are Suraj ka
Saatvaan Ghoda (a novel of the same name by Dharamvir Bharti), Junoon (A Flight of
Pigeons by Ruskin Bond), Mandi (Anandi – Urdu short story by Pakistani writer Ghulam
Abbas), The Making of the Mahatma (The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma by Fatima
Meer) and more recently Well Done Abba (Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi by Jeelani Bano and
Phulwa Ka Pul by Sanjeev Kadam).
Another film maker belonging to the ?non-commercial‘ bandwagon, Govind Nihalani,
made The Last Don by Mario Puzo into Thakshak, and also adapted Marathi short story –
Surya by S.D. Panvalkar into Ardh Satya and the well-known play Ghashiram Kotwal by
Vijay Tendulkar into a movie of the same name.
Success however has evaded some adaptations like Pinjar starring Urmila Matondkar is
based on the novel of the same name by Amrita Pritam (which was later translated into
English by Khushwant Singh), Raincoat based on a short story titled ?The Gift of Magi‘
by O.Henry or the Rani Mukerjee- Shahrukh Khan starrer Paheli based on Vijayadhan
Dehta‘s ?Folktale‘.
In recent years Vishal Bharadwaj has adapted many of Shakespeare‘s plays to make quite
successful films, like Omkara adapted from ?Othello‘ and Maqbool adapted from
?Macbeth‘. He also adapted quite efficiently the Ruskin Bond novel, ?The Blue
Umbrella‘.
[28]
Shakespeare‘s ?Romeo and Juliet‘ must receive a special mention as the most widely
used play for cinematic adaptation either as a whole or in part. The most famous being
the cult hit Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in India and West Side Story in Hollywood, which
was remade as Josh by Mansoor Khan (who had directed Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak),
starring Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai.
The National award winning film Rudaali directed by Kalpana Lajmi was adapted from
the novel of the same name by Mahashweta Devi in which the title role was played by
Dimple Kapadia. One of the legends of Bollywood, Raj Kapoor, very early in his career,
had acted in the adaptation of Night Bus by Samuel Hopkins Adams which was Chori
Chori, which decades later was remade as Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin by Mahesh Bhatt.
The latest to join the ever-growing list of cinematic adaptations is Jane Austen‘s ?Emma‘,
which will be made into Aisha to be directed by Rajshree Ojha and starring Sonam
Kapoor in the lead role. Jane Austen‘s ?Pride and Prejudice‘ and ?Sense and Sensibility‘
have already been made into Pride and Prejudice (a Hinglish movie by Gurinder
Chadda) and Kandukondain Kandukondain (a bilingual by Rajiv Menon) respectively.
A couple of novels by A.J. Cronin have also been made into films like Kala Pani starring
Madhubala and Dev Anand based on ?Beyond this place‘ and Vijay Anand‘s Tere Mere
Sapne based on ?The Citadel‘. Another movie named Tere Mere Sapne (starring Arshad
Warsi and Chandrachud Singh) was also an adaptation, this time of the Mark Twain
novel ?The Prince and the Pauper‘.
A few other less applauded efforts are Gustave Flaubert‘s ?Madame Bovary‘ adapted by
Ketan Mehta into Maya Memsaab, Kyun Kii starring Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan
based on the novel ?One Flew Over The Cuckoo‘s Nest‘ by Ken Kesey, the Dilip Kumar
starrer Dil Diya Dard Liya and Oonche Log starring Rajesh Khanna both based on
?Wuthering Heights‘ by Emily Bronte and the more recent Saawariya based on Fyodor
Dostoevsky‘s short story ?White Nights‘.
[29]
Bollywood has also seen the 2 great epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha serving as story
lines for films such as Hum Saath Saath Hain (Sooraj Barjatya) and Rajneeti (Prakash
Jha), Dalapati (Mani Ratnam), Kalyug (Shyam Benegal) respectively.
The written word and movies are two entirely dissimilar intermediates and it would be
extremely unjust to appraise a script solely on the foundation of its flexibility for the film
standard. In a novel, the writer is ubiquitous and is constantly communicating with his
readers, this luxury is not afforded to the director. A good novel by itself is not enough,
but a director has to lean on the crutches of good dialogues and script to create the
desired impact on his audience.
The lack of good quality screenplays together with the viewers‘ elevated hopes is the
most basic cause for the inclination to go back to the literary word. Cinematic adaptations
have their followers. Classics are made to order because if correctly handled, then they
have an innate quality to suit any era. One should, however understand that adaptation of
a novel for a film is also an art. Ted Tally had converted the novel ?The Silence of the
Lambs‘ by Thomas Harris brilliantly into the film by the same name. Roberto Rodriguez
made ?Sin City‘ from Frank Miller‘s graphic novel and both are successful. However,
most of the times, it has been seen that the audience prefers books to the films based on
them. It shows that people prefer to visualize themselves rather than depending on
someone else‘s imagination.
[30]
Famous movies based on novels
s.no.
Year Movie Novel
1 2011 Chatur singh tnco star Chalaak jasoos by R.K Narayan
2 2011 7Khoon maff Susanna’s 7 husbands by Ruskin bond
3 2010 Aisha Emma by Jane Austin
4 2009 3 idiots 5 point someone by Chetan Bhagat
5 2009 What’s your raashee Kimball Raveuswood by Madhu Rye
6 2008 Hello One night at call centre by Chetan
Bhagat
7 2007 The blue umbrella (hindi-
chatri chor)
Blue umbrella by Ruskin Bond
8 2006 Omkara Othello by W.Shakespeare
9 2006 The Namesake The Newyoker by Jumpa Lahiri
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s.no. Year Movies Novel
10 2005 Parineeta Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
11 2005 ` The mistress of spices The mistress of spices by Chita Banerjee
Divakurni
12 2005 Pride and prejudice Pride n prejudice by Jane Austen
13 2004 Maqbool Macbeth by W.Shakespeare
14 2004 Raincoat The Gift of The Magi by O.Henry
15 2003 Pinjar Pinjar by Amrita Pritam
16 2002 Devdaas Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
17 1963 Godaan Godaan by Munshi Premchand
18 1979 Heera moti Do bailon ki katha by Premchand
19 1966 Gaban Gaban by Premchand
[32]
These are famous movies based on novels and get huge success all over
? 3 Idiots - The nation went berserk with the "All Izz Well" motto and loved the
naughty, funny characters in this record-breaking movie. It struck a chord with the
younger generation, made them laugh, cry and identify with the issues, situations
in the movie. Equal credit goes to Chetan Bhagat's novel "Five Point Someone",
which is an interesting, comic and thoughtful story of three IITians Hari, Alok,
Ryan trying to keep up with the pressurizing system, assignments and rat race of
the premier institute,. The characters of 3 Idiots plays by Aamir, Sherman and
Madhavan are based on the characters of this fun, fast-paced and hugely
successful book "Five Point Someone". While the book digs deeper into what goes
wrong with bright students in such hi-profile, "brainy" institutes and discusses
drugs, alcohol, but the movie chooses to gloss over the murky side by showcasing
few select issues from the book.
? Pride and Prejudice - Based on the British classic "Pride and Prejudice" written
by Jane Austen, Gurinder Chaddha turned this austere book which was set in the
rigid, prim & proper society of England into a full-blown romantic, musical story
set in the hearty, wholesome Punjab and modern day London. While Mrs. Bakshi
brings the movie alive with her moving concerns and hilarious attempts to find
suitable matches for her daughters, Aishwarya and the British actor bring a flavor
of modern-day romance with their fights, arguments and finally understanding
each other. Added to the melee, is an overdose of Indian cultural delights,
decorations, Broadway style melodies, lots of Punjabi melodrama, glitz and glam,
all thrown in to turn a memorable classic into an enjoyable Indian film.
[33]
? Guide - One of the greatest hits ever, this movie with its brilliant star cast of Dev
Anand and Waheeda Rehman became a huge favourite and remains so even after 4
decades. This movie is an adaptation of the book "Guide" written by the famous
Indian author R.K. Narayan, who won the heart of the reader with his simple but
heartfelt stories of the common man. The movie turned out to draw the audience
continuously with its melancholic story that gives out the message how one can
overcome the ties of materialistic world and walk on the path of spirituality.
However, R.K Narayan was not pleased with the outcome of the movie "Guide"
and wrote an article about it in "Life Magazine" where he criticized the movie.
? Parineeta - Parineeta was a classic tale written by an eminent Bengali novelist
from the early 20 the century. Completely awe-struck and fascinated by this story,
many filmmakers have created films which are based on this evergreen classic.
The first film was a simple, memorable take on "Parineeta" which was made by
the genius director Bimal Roy, in which the main lead were Ashok Kumar and
Meena Kumari. In the recent times, Parineeta was remade which was a lavish
affair with pretty sets, peppered with dances and the movie had Vidya Balan, Saif
Ali Khan in the lead role. Comparing both the films, the older movie seemed
closer to the book with its simplicity and deep portrayal rather than an
exaggerated, modern version which lacks the pathos & emotions that contribute in
making the story beautiful.
? HELLO is directed by Atul Agnihotri and the star cast includes Salman Khan,
Katrina Kaif, Gul Panag, Sharman Joshi, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Amrita
Arora and others. The 132 minutes feature film was released in theaters on Oct 5,
2008. HELLO is a complete Bollywood thriller based on Chetan Bhagat's
International best seller One Night at the Call Center.
[34]
? 7 Khoon Maff is a 2011 Hindi black comedy drama thriller film directed
by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Priyanka Chopra in the lead role. The film, based
on Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands, features seven male
leads with Naseeruddin Shah who plays the oldest husband, Neil Nitin Mukesh as
the youngest husband, as well as John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Annu Kapoor and
Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko
? The Namesake is a 2006 film which was released in the United States on March 9,
2007, following screenings at film festivals in Toronto and New York City. It was
directed by Mira Nairand is based upon the novel of the same name by Jhumpa
Lahiri, who appeared in the movie.Sooni Taraporevala adapted the novel to a
screenplay.
? The Omkara is a 2006 Indian film adaptation of Shakespeare‘s Othello, co-written
and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. It starred Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, and
Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, supported by Vivek Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah,
and Konkona Sen Sharma with a cameo role from Bipasha Basu. The
director Vishal Bhardwaj himself composed the entire music for the film,
including the background score, with lyrics by Gulzar.
The film was showcased at
the 2006 Cannes Film Festival along with a book on the making of Omkara. It was
also selected to be screened at the Cairo International Film Festival, where
Bhardwaj was awarded for Best Artistic Contribution in Cinema of a Director. The
film also won three awards at the Kara Film Festival, an award at the Asian
Festival of First Films, three National Film Awards, and seven Filmfare Awards
film received positive reviews from American critics.
[35]
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of research are to find the answer to certain questions through the
application of scientific procedures. There are 5 general objectives that research - in
general and more specifically about processes - may attempt to achieve. They are
1. description
2. explanation
3. forecasting
4. control
5. modeling
These objectives are not completely independent from each other, for the explanation of a
phenomenon relies in part on its description; its forecast requires a detailed explanation,
and so on. But researchers may concentrate on one or the other aspect. Most important,
the objective pursued will affect the tools and techniques employed for the analyses.
The two most frequent objectives are description and explanation. Description is most
often an exploratory phase undertaken using graphical representations and statistical
measures that are not inferential, while explanation involves precise hypotheses to be
confronted and employs inferential statistical tests.
Modeling is the latest, broadest objective. It requires that the descriptive and explanatory
phases brought sufficient information and knowledge about the system, so to build a
model that synthetically gathers the various variables in a coherent and parsimonious
way.
Control is an objective rarely set in psychological research (for it brings important ethical
considerations), and forecasting is just a little more frequent. We will not address these
two objectives in this work.
[36]
Objectives of my research are:-
1. To know do people find any changes in the movies as compared to novels on
which it is based.
2. To find out do people really wants the movies inspired by novels.
3. To know that people think that it will decline film script writer‘s creativity to take
idea from novels.
[37]
HYPOTHESES
A hypotheses is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypotheses to be
a scientific hypotheses, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists
generally base scientific hypotheses on previous observations that cannot satisfactorily be
explained with the available scientific theories. Even though the words "hypothesis" and
"theory" are often used synonymously, a scientific hypotheses is not the same as
a scientific theory. A working hypotheses is a provisionally accepted hypotheses
proposed for further research.
A different meaning of the term hypotheses is used in formal logic, to denote
the antecedent of a proposition. The adjective hypothetical, meaning "having the nature
of a hypotheses", or "being assumed to exist as an immediate consequence of a
hypotheses", can refer to any of these meanings of the term "hypotheses".
The research hypotheses are a pairing down of the problem into something testable.
Scientists must generate realistic and testable hypotheses around which they can build the
experiment.
Hypotheses of my research:-
1. My assumption is that around 50% people find changes in the movies as compared
to the concerning novel but inspiration can easily be noticeable for them.
2. 60% people want new ideas, interesting storyline with good execution of the ideas
in the movies. They can even accept movies inspired by novel if the movie, its
story and execution is good.
3. Although 50% people have no problem with these kind of movies if it is executed
good but it is somewhat depends on director‘s, editor‘s and cameramen‘s part but
scriptwriter‘s creativity will decline if they use novel‘s stories they should use
their own innovative ideas to serve something new to the audience.
[38]
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY BASED ON THE MOVIES
INSPIRED BY NOVELS
College students of communication and broadcast journalism courses
This research paper would be able to help students in college who are taking up
courses such as communication and broadcast journalism because adaptation of film
is within the bracket of their specialization. Moreover‘ the researchers hope that in
giving more emphasis to the local production of films adapted from novels, more
students in college, especially in the aforesaid fields, would be interested to make
similar studies with such an objective as to make positive contributions in the local
film setting.
Teachers and professors of film
Teachers and professors of film would benefit from this study because they would be
able to make use of the information integrated within the research in preparing lesson
plans and similar instructional activities for interested students. Since this paper
delves in the preparation of seminar materials for more intensive discussion of the
film adaptations process, the more film teachers and professors would be able to make
effective lectures for the learning audiences.
Film makers
Knowledge of this study would help film makers facilitate understanding within their
production committees on the various trends of film adaptation within the local
setting. The researchers believe that in furnishing data on how the process of adopting
a film from a novel is in the local setting, film makers would be able to make good
use of such information in making exquisite films through a more focused and learned
effort along with their work group or production board.
[39]
Future researchers
This study is crucial for future researchers to make similar studies on especially since
there still seems to be a need for film studies in the local setting in order for the
locally-produced films to be augmented to the local level of foreign motion pictures.
The Filipino talent lies in wait to be celebrated for this depth and the researchers
believe that if future studies would be made, utilizing this paper as a source of
valuable data, there might be an improvement in the process of adopting films from
local novels and catapult the Filipinos to the international market as a success in their
own right.
SCOPE AND DELIMINATION
This research will mainly focus on film adaptation of novels. It aims primarily to
come up with instructional materials about the said subject.
In this study, the researchers will also include the factors to be considered in adapting
the film and the problems encountered in film adaptation.
Due to time constraints, this study will no longer discuss other genres of literature
such as comics, plays and short stories as sources of film adaptation. This is also to
give emphasis to novel as being primarily the main source of literary from being
adapted into film. Moreover, the researchers believe that novels have been the main
focus of the local scene over the years therefore this study would be most relevant to
the continuing trend. Aside from time constraint, the researchers also consider the
dearth of resources as one of the primary elements of limitation in this study. This is
due to the approximate number of resources regarding local novels being adapted into
film.
[40]
CHAPTER 2
[41]
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
? INTODUCTION
?http://www.asjournal.org/168.html
?In 2010, there will hardly be any new movie adaptations of novels. However, this may
become a trend in the years to come. Most Bollywood movies follow a simple path —
boy meets girl, misunderstandings follow, a few special effects maybe and a happy
ending — with the end product sauced up with some songs. While recent Bollywood
movie adaptations have made profits thanks to a marketing splurge before their release,
trade analysts believe that the lack of a filmic Indian literary tradition makes it difficult to
adapt books to the big screen.
Officials at the Satyajit Ray Film Institute reason that bestselling authors are celebrities in
their own right and there is always the danger that they may disagree with the film
interpretation and plunge the project into uncertainty or controversy. Minor writers
employed by the studio (script-writers) do not pose any such dangers.
?Legal agreements between authors and Bollywood producers should be more elaborate
with credits properly spelt out. Hollywood is more mature with copyright issues,? says
Thakkar.
A Mumbai-based trade analyst opines that bestsellers written on themes that are relevant
to the youth would find audiences, although the movie may need major alterations so that
audiences can relate to it. Movies dealing with basic human emotions like love and
jealousy have found popularity, like with Omkara, a Vishal Bharadwaj adaptation of
Shakespeare‘s masterpiece Othello.
?http://www.scribd.com/doc/94511347/Seminar-Materials-on-Film-Adaptation
[42]
Numerous films are adaptations of literary works. The process of adaptation actually
amalgamates the interpretation of the spectators and the art of film itself. Most
adaptations are films based on novels but also make use of non-fiction works such as
journalistic materials, comics, scripts, autobiographies, stage plays and previous films.
Adaptation has proven to be one of the most widespread practices in the evolution of
fundamental ideas and scripts ever since (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_adaptation).
Literature provides filmmakers with a rich source of materials for movies.
According to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Encyclopedia of Philippine
Art, "film is a voracious medium that feeds on material from traditional literary forms
and recent media products to create narratives with which to mesmerize its audience".
Dudley Andrews, a film critic and theorist, states that literary works are the basis of more
than half of all commercial films (Phillips, 1999).
Frequent sources of Filipino films are the different genres of literature (plays,
novels, poems, folk tales, legends) "capitalizing on the presumed familiarity of the public
with the events, characters and themes of these traditional/popular narrative genres"
(CCP Encyclopedia, 1994). Some of the influential elements that contribute to Philippine
cinema are historical events in the country, significant figures in the past and present
generation, types of theatre that like the komedya, sinakulo, sarswela, drama, and
bodabil; oral literature, dance, music and the visual arts; literary tradition as exemplified
by the awit and korido, novels and short stories in various languages; melodramas,
feature stories, radio dramas, television, with its drama anthology, comedies, musical
contests, and numerous shows, and films, which initiate trends and fads that the local
industry follows.
In the Philippines, film adaptation of novels dates back to the early years of
filmmaking. During the 19
th
century, Jose Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, were turned into films which gave "narratives and distinctive character
types" (CCP Encyclopedia, 1994) to movies. In 1930s, novels published in Liwayway
[43]
Magazine such as Punyal Na Ginto (Golden Dagger) by Antonio Sempio, Sa Paanan ng
Krus (At the Foot of the Cross) of Lazaro Francisco, Sampaguitang Walang Bango
(Jasmine without Fragrance) of Iñigo Ed Regalado, and others were adapted to films. One
of the novelists who gave significant contributions to film is Edgardo M. Reyes whose
novels, for instance, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag was transformed into the movie and was
celebrated among the audiences and the critics.
In spite of the difficulties in adapting a novel to a film, there is still a proliferation
of movies with this kind in the international screen. Among these are the film adaptations
of Da Vinci Code, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, Harry
Potter and others. Although at present, the Filipino film production centers its attention
on original screenplays, there are still movies adapted from novels such as those written
by Lualhati Bautista namely Bata, Bata Pa'no Ka Ginawa and Dekada '70. Hence, these
critically-acclaimed films not only reflect the Filipino talent with regard to film
production but also acquire adulation for the original literary works on which such films
are based.
"Both for the serious student of film and the conscientious practitioner of the art, it
is instructive to know how film as art and entertainment has related to literature, theatre
and popular culture in exerting its own brand of witchery on Filipinos it has captivated"
(CCP Encyclopedia,1994).
There is a perception on some people that the enjoyment of a person in watching a
film will be hindered by his/her knowledge in the film concepts and process. However,
there are film enthusiasts who stressed that ?studying films increases their enjoyment …
and appreciation of the effort and creativity involved in making them.? (Phillips,1999).
Therefore, having background knowledge in film will add to the viewers‘ comprehension
on why a film is produced the way it is and in the case of adapted films, why the
filmmaker came up with such adaptation knowing each medium‘s limitations and
strengths. Instead of dealing with the tedious process of film adaptation, the researchers
[44]
decided to focus on the fundamental considerations in adapting a novel into a film and
prepare instructional materials on film adaptation of novels.
? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
?http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_leedy_practical_8/0,9599,1569572-,00.html
Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase
our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher to
contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that
understanding to others.
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodology
A methodology is usually a guideline system for solving a problem, with specific
components such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools. It can be defined also
as follows:
1. "The analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a
discipline";
2. "The systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a
discipline";
3. "The study or description of methods".
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other
prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents.
?http://gulnazahmad.hubpages.com/hub/-Primary-and-Secondary-Data
Data can be defined as the quantitative or qualitative values of a variable. Data is plural
of Datum which literally means to give or something given. Data is thought to be the
lowest unit of information from which other measurements and analysis can be done.
[45]
Data can be numbers, images, words, figures, facts or ideas. Data in itself cannot be
understood and to get information from the data one must interpret it into meaningful
information. There are various methods of interpreting data. Data sources are broadly
classified into primary and secondary data.
Primary Data:
Data that has been collected from first-hand-experience is known as primary data.
Primary data has not been published yet and is more reliable, authentic and objective.
Primary data has not been changed or altered by human beings, therefore its validity is
greater than secondary data.
Secondary Data:
Data collected from a source that has already been published in any form is called as
secondary data. The review of literature in nay research is based on secondary data.
Mostly from books, journals and periodicals.
[46]
CHAPTER 3
[47]
RESEARCH DESIGN
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH: Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing
information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the
function of the researcher to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and
to communicate that understanding to others.
Research is undertaken within most professions. More than a set of skills, it is a way
of thinking: examining critically the various aspects of your professional work. It is a
habit of questioning what you do, and a systematic examination of the observed
information to find answers with a view to instituting appropriate changes for more
effective professional service.
METHODOLOGY: A methodology is usually a guideline system for solving a
problem, with specific components such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and
tools. It can be defined also as follows:
4. "The analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a
discipline";
5. "The systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a
discipline";
6. "The study or description of methods".
A methodology can be considered to include multiple methods, each as applied to various
facets of the whole scope of the methodology. The research can be divided between two
parts; they are qualitative research and quantitative research.
This research employs an analytical method descriptive methodology i.e. survey
method through questionnaires.
[48]
DESCRIPTIVE METHOD: - This research employs a descriptive method since the
researchers aim to describe and to discuss the process of film adaptation from a novel
which is a topic of modern concern in the field of film production. This method is
defined as ?a process of gathering. Analyzing, classifying and tabulating about
prevailing conditions, trends, processes… and then making adequate and accurate
interpretation about such data…? (Calderon and Sanchez, 1995). Information relevant
to the study was gathered from various reference materials such as books.
The instructional materials will contain the following:
? Factors influencing film adaptations of novels,
? Fundamental considerations in film adaptation of novel.
DATA COLLECTION: Data can be defined as the quantitative or qualitative values
of a variable. Data is plural of Datum which literally means to give or something
given. Data is thought to be the lowest unit of information from which other
measurements and analysis can be done. Data can be numbers, images, words,
figures, facts or ideas. Data in itself cannot be understood and to to get information
from the data one must interpret it into meaningful information. There are various
methods of interpreting data. Data sources are broadly classified into primary
and secondary data.
Importance of Data and Data Collection: Data is one of the most important and vital
aspect of any research studies. Researches conducted in different fields of study can be
different in methodology but every research is based on data which is analyzed and
interpreted to get information.
Data is the basic unit in statistical studies. Statistical information like census, population
variables, health statistics, and road accidents records are all developed from data.
Data is important in computer science. Numbers, images and figures in computer are all
data.
[49]
Types of Data
1. Primary Data: Data that has been collected from first-hand-experience is known as
primary data. Primary data has not been published yet and is more reliable,
authentic and objective. Primary data has not been changed or altered by human
beings; therefore its validity is greater than secondary data.
2. Secondary Data: Data collected from a source that has already been published in
any form is called as secondary data. The review of literature in nay research is
based on secondary data. Mostly from books, journals and periodicals.
THE QUESTIONNAIRE:
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other
prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents.
Structured surveys/ interviews employ the use of a questionnaire. A questionnaire
consists of a set of questions presented to a respondent for answers. The respondents
read the questions, interpret what is expected and then write down the answers
themselves. It is called an Interview Schedule when the researcher asks the questions
and records the respondent‘s reply on the interview schedule because there are many
ways to ask questions, the questionnaire is very flexible. Questionnaire should be
developed and tested carefully before being used on a large scale.
There are three basic types of questionnaire:
? Closed-ended questionnaire: closed ended questions include all possible
answers/prewritten response categories, and respondents are asked to choose
among them.
E.g. multiple choice questions, scale questions
? Type of questions used to generate statistics in quantitative research.
[50]
? As these follows a set format and most responses can be entered easily into a
computer for ease of analysis, greater number can be distributed.
? Open-ended questionnaire: open-ended questions allow respondents to
answer in their own words.
? Questionnaire does not contain boxes to tick but instead leaves a blank
section.
? As there are no standard answers to these questions, data analysis is more
complex.
? Combination of both: this way it is possible to find out how many people use
a service and what they think of the service in the same form.
? Begins with a series of closed-ended questions, with boxes to tick or scales to
rank, and then finish with a section of open-ended questions or more detailed
response.
[51]
QUESTIONNAIRE
Age:
Sex:
Q.1 Do you like to read books or novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) SOMETIMES ( )
Q.2 Did you watch movies inspired by novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) MAYBE ( )
Q.3 Do you find any differences in the story or ideas in these movies?
YES ( ) NO ( ) SOMETIMES ( )
Q.4 Do you like to watch these kinds of movies that have made on the basis of
bestsellers?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.5 Do you find these movies boring or useless after reading a novel on which it is
based?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.6 You prefer to watch movies based on novels or concerning novels itself?
MOVIES ( ) NOVELS ( )
Q.7 Do you find these movies more interesting as compared to concerning novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) SOMETIMES ( )
Q.8 Is it right in your accordance to make movies from novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.9 Do you think film makers should use their creativity in films rather than take help
from novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.10 Do you think it will decline the creativity of scriptwriters in film industry?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
[52]
CHAPTER 4
[53]
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
According to the research 78% people say “YES” they like to read books or novels,
13% people say “NO” they have no such fond of reading books or novels and 9%
people say “MAYBE” they like to read books or novels.
Q.1 Do you like to read books or novels?
YES
NO
MAYBE
[54]
According to the research 72% says “YES” they watch these kinds of
movies, 14% says “NO” they didn‘t watch such films and 14% says they
“MAYBE” watch.
Q.2 Did you watch movies inspired by novels?
YES
NO
MAYBE
[55]
According to the research 36% people says “YES” they find differences in
the story or ideas in these movies, 8% says “NO” they doesn‘t find any
differences and 56% people says they “SOMETIMES” find any differences.
Q.3 Do you find any differences in the story or ideas
in these movies?
YES
NO
SOMETIMES
[56]
According to the research 50% people says “YES” they like to watch these
kinds of movies, 13% says “NO” they doesn‘t like to watch these kinds of
movies and 37% says “DEPENDS” upon the story and overall execution of
the movies.
Q.4 Do you like to watch these kinds of movies that
have made on the basis of bestseller?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[57]
According to the research 15% people says “YES” they find these movies
boring after reading a novel on which it is based, 26% people says “NO”
they doesn‘t find these movies boring after reading a novel on which it is
based and 59% people‘s thinking “DEPENDS” on the quality of the movie
in terms of storyline and good execution.
Q.5 Do you find these movies boring or useless after
reading a novel on which it is based?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[58]
According to the research 65% people like to watch “MOVIES” rather than
concerning novels and 35% people like to read “NOVELS”.
Q.6 You prefer to watch movies based on novels or
concerning novels itself?
MOVIES
NOVELS
[59]
According to the research 30% people says “YES” they find these movies
more interesting, 19% people says “NO” they doesn‘t find novels more
interesting and 51% people says they “SOMETIMES” find movies more
interesting.
Q.7 Do you find these movies more interesting as
compared to concerning novels?
YES
NO
SOMETIMES
[60]
According to the research 51% people says “YES” they think it‘s right to
make movies from novels, 10% people says “NO” they think it‘s not right to
make movies from novels and 39% people think it‘s “DEPENDS” on the
movies.
Q.8 Is it right in your accordance to make movies
from novels?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[61]
According to the research 62% people says ?YES” filmmakers should use
their creativity, 9% people says “NO” they do not think that filmmakers
should use their creativity and 29% people think it “DEPENDS” on films
and it‘s production.
Q.9 Do you think filmakers should use their
creativity in films rather than take help from novels?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[62]
According to the research 55% people says “YES” it will decline the
creativity of scriptwriter‘s, 17% people says “NO” that it will decline
scriptwriter‘s creativity in movies and 28% people think it “DEPENDS” on
the movies and it‘s stories.
Q.10 Do you think it will decline the creativity of
scrpitwriters in the film industry?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[63]
CHAPTER 5
[64]
HYPOTHESES TESTING
HYPOTHESES 1
50% people find changes in the movies as compared to the concerning novel but
inspiration can easily be noticeable for them.
RESULT
? The researcher thought that 50% people would find changes in the movies as
compared to the concerning novel but inspiration can easily be noticeable for
them.
? The first hypotheses was proved partially right as not all person find changes in
the movies as compared to the concerning novel.
? Only 36% people could find changes in the movies as compared to the concerning
novel but inspiration can easily be noticeable for them.
YES
NO
SOMETIMES
[65]
HYPOTHESES 2
60% people want new ideas, interesting storyline with good execution of the ideas in the
movies. They can even accept movies inspired by novel if the movie, its story and
execution is good.
RESULT
? The researcher thought that the 60% people would want new ideas, interesting
storyline with good execution of the ideas in the movies. They can even accept
movies inspired by novel if the movie, its story and execution is good.
? The second hypotheses were proved completely right.
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[66]
HYPOTHESES 3
Although 50% people have no problem with these kind of movies if it is executed good
but it is somewhat depends on director‘s, editor‘s and cameramen‘s part but scriptwriter‘s
creativity will decline if they use novel‘s stories they should use their own innovative
ideas to serve something new to the audience.
RESULT
? The researcher thought 50% people would have no problem with these kind of
movies if it is executed good but it is somewhat depends on director‘s, editor‘s and
cameramen‘s part but scriptwriter‘s creativity will decline if they use novel‘s
stories they should use their own innovative ideas to serve something new to the
audience.
? The third hypotheses were proved completely right.
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[67]
CHAPTER 6
[68]
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
In this study entitled ?Critical analysis of movies inspired by novels? the researchers
aimed to prepare instructional materials regarding the fundamental considerations on
adapting a novel to a film. Specifically, the researchers intended to achieve the following
objectives:
? To know do people find any changes in the movies as compared to novels on
which it is based.
? To find do people really wants the movies inspired by novels.
? To know do people think that it will decline film scriptwriter‘s creativity to take
ideas from novels.
The research design that was used in this study is the descriptive research method
wherein the questionnaire method has used. The research findings are the following:
1. Not all novels are adaptable to films, which is affected by the commercial
considerations of the filmmaker/producer and the cinematic potential of the novel
or the writing style of the novelist.
2. The audience creates problems in their own enjoyment of watching an adapted
movie due to their preconceived images and expectations from what they read in
the original novel. And sometimes they enjoy these movies too if they get new
idea and good execution of the stories.
3. Changes occur in transforming a novel to a film due to changes in creative talents
(novelist, screenwriter, director, and producer) or changes in medium (novel and
film).
4. A screenwriter takes several things into consideration in adapting a novel to a film
such as length, depth, point of view, time, and use of inner view of the characters
in the novel.
5. It is difficult to adapt a novel to a film since there are many things to consider in
the process of adaptation.
[69]
6. In adapting a novel to film, the screenwriter must not aim to duplicate literally the
original novel because it is impossible, instead of doing that the screenwriter
should focus on getting the ?spirit? of the novel as the basis of the new story in
the film version.
7. Knowledge in the film adaptation is not only necessary on films professional and
film student, but also to film enthusiasts since it will help them to understand and
appreciate the adapted movie.
[70]
CHAPTER 7
[71]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
?http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/05/jun/13novel.asp
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_(film)
?http://mubi.com/lists/literature-in-indian-cinema
?http://entertainment.oneindia.in/topic/bollywood-movies-based-on-books
?http://www.asjournal.org/168.html
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_based_on_books
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_based_on_Indian_novels
?http://themovieblog.com/2008/the-movie-blogs-top-100-movies-based-on-books/
?http://www.yreach.com/hyderabad/news/entertainment/gallery/indian-movies-
based-on-famous-books.html
?http://www.asjournal.org/168.html
?http://www.scribd.com/doc/94511347/Seminar-Materials-on-Film-Adaptation
?http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_leedy_practical_8/0,9599,1569572-,00.html
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodology
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questionnaire
?http://gulnazahmad.hubpages.com/hub/-Primary-and-Secondary-Data
[72]
ANNEXURES
doc_839464048.docx
CHAPTER 1
[2]
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Emergence of this trend
?In 2010, there will hardly be any new movie adaptations of novels. However, this may
become a trend in the years to come. Most Bollywood movies follow a simple path —
boy meets girl, misunderstandings follow, a few special effects maybe and a happy
ending — with the end product sauced up with some songs. While recent Bollywood
movie adaptations have made profits thanks to a marketing splurge before their release,
trade analysts believe that the lack of a filmic Indian literary tradition makes it difficult to
adapt books to the big screen.
Officials at the Satyajit Ray Film Institute reason that bestselling authors are celebrities in
their own right and there is always the danger that they may disagree with the film
interpretation and plunge the project into uncertainty or controversy. Minor writers
employed by the studio (script-writers) do not pose any such dangers.
?Legal agreements between authors and Bollywood producers should be more elaborate
with credits properly spelt out. Hollywood is more mature with copyright issues,? says
Thakkar.
A Mumbai-based trade analyst opines that bestsellers written on themes that are relevant
to the youth would find audiences, although the movie may need major alterations so that
audiences can relate to it. Movies dealing with basic human emotions like love and
jealousy have found popularity, like with Omkara, a Vishal Bharadwaj adaptation of
Shakespeare‘s masterpiece Othello.
[3]
FROM THE PAGE TO THE SCREEN
Movie
Made
with
budget
(in
Rs/cr)
Box office
collections
(in Rs/cr)
Adapted
from
Author
3 Idiots 45.00 300 *
Five
Point
Someone
Chetan Bhagat
Dev D 6.00 Over 25 Devdas
Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay
Devdas 40.00 96.00 Devdas
Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay
Omkara 26.00 53.00 Othello
William
Shakespeare
Parineeta 25.00 41.00 Parineeta
Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay
Hello 8.00 15.00
One
night
@ call
Centre
Chetan Bhagat
*in two weeks and counting Source: Industry
estimates
[4]
In Hollywood, the journey of some movie adaptations of bestselling novels started as
early as the 1940s, with Victor Fleming‘s classic adaptation of Margaret Mitchell‘s
bestseller Gone with the Wind. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has been the
highest grosser at $1.129 billion, according to trade and distributors‘ estimates.
The year 2006 saw the hugely anticipated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, the
bestseller by Dan Brown. In its opening weekend, the film earned over $224 million
worldwide.
In Bollywood Chetan Bhagat is on a roll, with his third book, The 3 Mistakes of My Life,
becoming the foundation of a movie by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel
Entertainment. The budget and the release date of the movie have not yet been
announced.
The advantage of using a bestseller with a strong story line is that it appeals to all
audiences, urban and rural, which is more than can be said about the typical Bollywood
potboiler.
Numerous films are adaptations of literary works. The process of adaptation actually
amalgamates the interpretation of the spectators and the art of film itself. Most
adaptations are films based on novels as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation
includes the use of non-fiction works such as journalistic material, autobio
graphies, comic books, scripts, plays, historical sources, and even other previous films.
Adaptation has proven to be one of the most widespread practices in the evolution of
fundamental ideas and scripts ever since (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_adaptation).
Literature provides filmmakers with a rich source of materials for movies.
According to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Encyclopedia of Philippine
Art, "film is a voracious medium that feeds on material from traditional literary forms
and recent media products to create narratives with which to mesmerize its audience".
[5]
Dudley Andrews, a film critic and theorist, states that literary works are the basis of more
than half of all commercial films (Phillips, 1999).
Frequent sources of Filipino films are the different genres of literature (plays,
novels, poems, folk tales, legends) "capitalizing on the presumed familiarity of the public
with the events, characters and themes of these traditional/popular narrative genres"
(CCP Encyclopedia, 1994). Some of the influential elements that contribute to Philippine
cinema are historical events in the country, significant figures in the past and present
generation, types of theatre that like the komedya, sinakulo, sarswela, drama, and
bodabil; oral literature, dance, music and the visual arts; literary tradition as exemplified
by the awit and korido, novels and short stories in various languages; melodramas,
feature stories, radio dramas, television, with its drama anthology, comedies, musical
contests, and numerous shows, and films, which initiate trends and fads that the local
industry follows.
In the Philippines, film adaptation of novels dates back to the early years of
filmmaking. During the 19
th
century, Jose Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, were turned into films which gave "narratives and distinctive character
types" (CCP Encyclopedia, 1994) to movies. In 1930s, novels published in Liwayway
Magazine such as Punyal Na Ginto (Golden Dagger) by Antonio Sempio, Sa Paanan ng
Krus (At the Foot of the Cross) of Lazaro Francisco, Sampaguitang Walang Bango
(Jasmine without Fragrance) of Iñigo Ed Regalado, and others were adapted to films. One
of the novelists who gave significant contributions to film is Edgardo M. Reyes whose
novels, for instance, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag was transformed into the movie and was
celebrated among the audiences and the critics.
In spite of the difficulties in adapting a novel to a film, there is still a proliferation
of movies with this kind in the international screen. Among these are the film adaptations
of Da Vinci Code, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, Harry
Potter and others. Although at present, the Filipino film production centers its attention
[6]
on original screenplays, there are still movies adapted from novels such as those written
by Lualhati Bautista namely Bata, Bata Pa'no Ka Ginawa and Dekada '70. Hence, these
critically-acclaimed films not only reflect the Filipino talent with regard to film
production but also acquire adulation for the original literary works on which such films
are based.
"Both for the serious student of film and the conscientious practitioner of the art, it
is instructive to know how film as art and entertainment has related to literature, theatre
and popular culture in exerting its own brand of witchery on Filipinos it has captivated"
(CCP Encyclopedia,1994).
There is a perception on some people that the enjoyment of a person in watching a
film will be hindered by his/her knowledge in the film concepts and process. However,
there are film enthusiasts who stressed that ?studying films increases their enjoyment …
and appreciation of the effort and creativity involved in making them.? (Phillips, 1999).
Therefore, having background knowledge in film will add to the viewers‘ comprehension
on why a film is produced the way it is and in the case of adapted films, why the
filmmaker came up with such adaptation knowing each medium‘s limitations and
strengths. Instead of dealing with the tedious process of film adaptation, the researchers
decided to focus on the fundamental considerations in adapting a novel into a film and
prepare instructional materials on film adaptation of novels.
Bollywood has scripted major success stories with novels. Very often, sequels follow.
The Harry Potter fantasy movies based on J K Rowling‘s bestsellers are cases in point. In
Bollywood, though, this is not the case. And going by the recent spat between Chetan
Bhagat, author of the bestseller Five Point Someone, and the producer of 3 Idiots, the
movie based on the novel, the situation is unlikely to change soon.
?Around 200-250 new films are released every year in India of which maybe one or two
are adaptations of bestsellers. Clearly, there are not enough takers,? says Vishal Kapur,
chief operating officer, Fun Multiplex.
[7]
?In 2010, there will hardly be any new movie adaptations of novels. However, this may
become a trend in the years to come. Compared to Hollywood, Bollywood has a long
way to go in terms of movie and script selection. It also depends on audiences‘ tastes,?
says Jehil Thakkar, head of media and entertainment.
English movies based on Indian culture
1 Gandhi (1982): This Internationally acclaimed movie needs no introduction. The film
stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, a brilliant actor by any measure. Amongst much
recognition home and abroad, the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture,
winning eight Academy Awards in total.
2. City of Joy (1992): The social drama is based on the life of a farmer who moves to
Kolkata with his family and finds out that life is nothing but simple in the city. Patrick
Swayze, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and Art Malik lead the brilliant cast. This is one of best
movies that use talents from India and Hollywood.
3. Monsoon Wedding (2001): Directed by Mira Nair, this is romance, comedy and
drama – all together – depicting the lives of NRIs and the NRI weddings. An extravagant
Punjabi wedding and the family traditions are beautifully depicted throughout this movie.
Naseeruddin Shah‘s acting is solid once more, and plays a father who is organizing an
enormous, chaotic, and very expensive wedding that involves NRI families and joint
families coming together from different parts of the world.
4. A Passage to India (1984): This classic is one of the most memorable English films
based on the Indo-British relationship and their impacts on the day-to-day life during
English Rule in India. Written and directed by David Lean, the screenplay is based on the
1924 novel by E.M. Forster. The acting, the direction and the beautifully landscaped
scenes equally contribute to this masterpiece. The film has won various awards included
[8]
Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. The brilliant acting comes from Judy
Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft and James Fox in the key roles.
5. Being Cyrus (2006): This is one of the best Indian films in English. It is a
psychological drama revolving around a dysfunctional family. The brilliant acting is led
by Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia; the well told story is narrated by none other
but Saif Ali Khan in the role of Cyrus Mistry.
6. Pride and Prejudice (2004): This is a Bollywood style adaptation of the novel ?Pride
and Prejudice‘ by Jane Austen. It is filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and
Punjabi dialogue. The lead cast of Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Nadira Babbar,
Anupam Kher and Naveen Andrews plays well in the desi adaptation of an old classic
story from west. The wedding and party scenes, the complicated feelings of love, the
dance numbers and culture depiction….are all nicely integrated.
7. East is East (1999): This is a very comic and funny movie with a dark side of an NRI
story based out of England. Om Puri delivers one of the best acting of a conflicted father
with double standards. Married to a white woman, the father forces his kids to live the
traditional and strict desi lifestyle. The children, born and grown up in UK, see
themselves as British and reject their father‘s rules on dress, food, religion and arranged
marriage.
8. Bend it like Beckham (2002): Starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, the title
comes from the soccer player David Beckham‘s skill at scoring from free kicks by
?bending? (curving) the ball past a wall of defenders. It is a beautiful depiction of a
Punjabi family‘s life in England. The film explores the lives of Indians abroad and how
NRIs ?bend‘ the social and traditional rules to adapt to the local culture. It has a lively
music, with a touch of folk genre.
[9]
9. Parzania (2007): Translated – Heaven and hell on earth, this is an Indian drama film
catering to the extreme human emotions. It is a terrific story of the struggles of a family
after they lose their 10 year old son during the racial riot.
Turning of filmdom into literary world
Today, the Filmdom is turning to literary world to establish a standing in international
cinema. Over the decades filmmakers have been turning to the literary world to churn out
successful films. But the recent controversy surrounding ?3 Idiots‘ one of the top grosser
of 2009 has brought to the fore the issue as to how much credit should the original writer
be given or how much creative inputs should be added before a story can be called an
adaptation or can be mentioned as ?inspired from‘.
Novelty and originality are a rare if not impossible occurrence in today‘s Bollywood
films. If it‘s not legal or otherwise imitation of a Hollywood film, it‘s a copy of a
hummable music score. Legal or otherwise, ?Creative Inspirations‘ have become a part
and parcel of the Bollywood we know today. Of course apart from the blatant plagiarism,
there have been quite a few good adaptations of the written word. But adapting the
necessary literature of hundreds of pages onto a 3 hour movie is no easy task. While a
book takes a couple of words to express a particular message, a movie will require a
combination of the precise sound, script, setting and a hoard of other essentials.
The ?successful‘ adaptation of Chetan Bhagat‘s novels into movies comes as no surprise
as his fashion of writing, the present-day concerns handled and their youth-centric
subjects have struck a chord with the youth.
Turning of literature into filmdom
Literature and film, movies and books, compare like apples and giraffes, said
contemporary American writer Dennis Lehane, But they do compare. They do interbreed.
As do history and film. But the question is: How and why do history, literature and
[10]
movies fruitfully nourish one another? When apples, giraffes, and other exotica
interbreed what results?
Many thousands of movies are adaptations from historical or literary sources. Hence the
recent internet vernacular of ?lit flicks?—literature adapted into flicks the flickering
medium of the motion pictures. History is generically dealt with by cinema in the epic,
period, or historical film. Film historians generally distinguish the epic group from the
strict historical group by its sheer size, expense, and the sumptuousness of the movie‘s
costumes and sets. The period film is distinguished by the production fact that it can be
set in the far distant past or the immediate present, as in the Jazz Age, 1926 version
of The Great Gatsby or with the achingly Sixties, 1969 film Zabriskie Point.
Adaptation
Although literature, history, and movies are distinct forms of communication thousands
of solutions and accommodations have been found so they can get along and have fruitful
relationships. The first key is the nature and tradition of adaptation itself. Tales evolve
and one generation adjusts the stories of the past to the present time and to its modern
needs and ways of storytelling. ?My dramas are but slices cut off from the great banquet
of Homer‘s poems,? wrote the Greek dramatist Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.).But
Aeschylus‘ dramas were leaner and meaner, in search of a higher truth which synthesized
moral opposites, profoundly simpler than anything all-embracing Homer ever wrote. For
it is the singer, not the song, that makes the splendor of communication successful. And a
story retold, as Aeschylus retold Homer, continues. What is beneath the surface of the
story that has been told before and will be told again—a story that has been alive among
humans for centuries or millennia?
[11]
Types of Adaptation
When adapting from literature to film, one begins with the raw stuff, the subject matter of
a short story, novella, or novel, of a play, history, biography, or with a poem, song, or
folk tale. It is all good because it is ready-made and market-tested. The characters and
stories are already popular. Now they have to be mass-produced. Three types of
adaptation follow: loose, faithful, or literal. Adaptation is by nature a translation into a
different medium which expresses itself by using a different group of techniques,
essential materials, and rules of creative harmony.
Loose
The loose adaptation takes the raw stuff and reweaves it into a movie as the director,
producer, or studio wishes and as the movie needs. Contemporary cultural norms are
often a determining factor. The various adaptations of James Cain‘s all-American
novel The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) became more overtly sexual as the
times—and countries of adaptation—changed. One could easily imagine an effective and
even momentarily pornographic adaptation of this steamy, laconic crime thriller at some
point in the future. In The Postman Always Rings Twice libidinal action is the narrative‘s
existential pumping force. Its Eros and Thanatos are deliciously extreme and invite loose
play.
One should wonder about action. Overall, are Americans and American cinema prone to
loose adaptations because of an emphasis on action as an end in itself within the
civilization? ?I need a little less talk and a lot more action,? is a common State-side
saying. And as Anglo-American actor Michael Caine claimed in his autobiography: ?The
British make ?talking pictures;‘ Americans make ?moving pictures.‘ This is not
universally true, but good enough to be a rule of thumb. In American national tradition, a
movie is a mover and a shaker; it tries to provide emotional satisfaction for it audience.
[12]
Example: The 1935 film version of Jack London‘s excellent Call of the Wild—starring
Clark Gable, Jack Oakie and Loretta Young, was a fine film in its own way (billed with
the tagline: ?An Epic Novel . . . An Epic Picture!?)—but it typically lacked the level of
thoughtful backstory present in the novel. Plus, the very popular buddy character in the
movie, Short Hoolihan, was played by Jack Oakie (1903–1978). Oakie was the inveterate
scene stealer with the charm of a big, friendly, flappy, hairy dog. He was the nation‘s
loveable, pudgy, all-American, good time ?Okie? character of the era. ?No matter how
hard I worked all day, I could always find a party to go to,? he wrote in his
autobiography Jack Oakie’s Double Takes. Just as the actors Richard Round tree
in Shaft (1971) and Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop (1984) provided audience interest
because they integrated a new kind of American into the mainstream—a back-talking,
thoroughly male, self-confident, Black protagonist—so did Jack Oakie in his time and
place blend in a hearty contemporary figure: a working-class, funny and eventually
successful White guy from Oklahoma or the Red River Valley country.
Jack Oakie‘s popularity was more important than the integrity of Jack London‘s original
text. After Hoolihan-Oakie was shown to die in Call of the Wild‘s world premiere held at
the Cathay Circle Theater in Los Angeles (an action true to the novel), the audience was
so upset that a new ending was provided for the movie in which Oakie lived, so the
public (and MGM‘s box office) would not be disappointed. And would Jack London,
champion of the rough and tumble working class (who wrote: ?affluence means
influence?), have been upset? Why not let Hoolihan-Oakie live? A traditional condition
of action rather than reflection in American cinema was especially true through the 1950s
and 1960s. Then something changed. By that time over five hundred art house or art
theater halls flourished in the U.S.A. showing foreign films: in the Boston, Massachusetts
area, for example, the well-known Brattle Street Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, or the Paris Cinema on Boylston Street in
Boston. There was both an artistic and a market message here.
[13]
The new generation of Baby Boomer U.S. audience and film makers were subsequently
receptive to and incorporated into U.S. films the serious aesthetic and social intentions of
non-U.S. movies. At one level, this distinction gradually dissolved between the
reflective-artistic qualities of U.S. and non-U.S. films, and consequently the number of
art theaters rapidly dwindled. At another level, the American need for action, star power,
and contemporaneity which could justify loose adaptation remained. Examples of loose
adaptation in American cinema would be: The Best Years of Our Lives (1945, directed by
William Wyler—adapted from the prose poem Glory for Me by MacKinlay
Kantor), King Creole (1958, directed by Michael Curtiz, loosely adapted from A Stone
for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins), or Disney‘s Pinocchio (1940, loosely based on the
original Italian version). The loose adaptation may add additional subplots and
characters, change situation or setting. Some of the original, in spirit or in fact, still
remains. Loose adaptation can also mean expanding only a few lines from an original
text. The original Biblical story of David and Bathsheba—the approximately one
thousand words of II Samuel 11: 2–27, 12: 1–24—is part of one of the oldest pieces of
historiography in the Western world, II Samuel 9–20 and I Kings 11–22. It became the
movie David and Bathsheba (1951, tag lined: ?For this woman. . . he broke God‘s own
commandment!?).This loose adaptation of a Biblical text was earnest, austere and
languid.
As often happens with folklore or Biblical texts, star power and storyline changes
heightened the interest and drama of the plot. In the original Biblical version King David
spies Bathsheba by chance: ?And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose
from his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king‘s house: and from the roof he saw a
woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.? (II Samuel
11.2) But in the adaptation directed by Henry King and written by Philip Dunne (which
received the Academy Award nomination for Best Writing: Story and Screenplay),
Bathsheba exposed herself on purpose in order to seduce David. Their subsequent
betrayal was an expression of mutual complicity. The vicarious interest of the 1950s
[14]
American women in the movie audience was heightened. Bathsheba was an agent, not
just a victim. Like popular music and folk song, texts from the Bible, legends, or folklore
have the nature of common property. Like popular song, the original text is anonymous
or invented by an individual or group who yields it to the community. The story or song
is then modified or taken apart in performance.
Arguably the most adapted source works are legends. Some film historians count the
vampire legend as the single most adapted tale of all time. Could a legend be that
tantalizing end point for history and beginning place for myth where all is possible?
Faithful
The faithful adaptation takes the literary or historical experience and tries to translate it as
close as possible into the filmic experience. Sometimes there are equivalents in film to
the original way of saying or doing what happens in literature and history, and sometimes
not. And ?faithful? depends on the movie makers‘ knack to be true to the original spirit of
the raw stuff, the primary source. Faithful works from the inside out; loose works from
the outside in. Loose has no problem with dismantling and reassembling, breaking up and
remaking totally anew. Faithful wants to stay loyal to the intention of the original, to
convey the heart and soul. So in a faithful adaptation, even if the movie went so far as to
change the original story‘s ending, the movie makers would want to make sure that they
did not betray the core meaning.
Some outstanding twentieth century examples of faithful cinematic renditions of an
original literary or historical text are: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943, directed by William
Wellman; novel: 1940), The Grapes of Wrath (1940, directed by John Ford; novel:
1939), The Godfather (1972, directed by Francis Ford Coppola; novel:1969),The Man
Who Would Be King (1975, directed by John Huston, from Rudyard Kipling‘s short story
of the same name 1888), The Dead (1987, directed by John Huston, from the story in
Joyce‘s Dubliners, 1914), Dances With Wolves (1990, directed by Kevin Costner,
adapted from Michael Blake‘s novel of the same name, 1986–1988.)
[15]
The faithful adaptation has the thorny problem of the narrator and the general
commentary. The narrator is the good shepherd who guides the flock of meanings in the
original, word-based text. How do you replace such an important figure without losing
direction? In Steinbeck‘s Grapes of Wrath, for example, seventeen percent of the novel
was general commentary. In the movie‘s faithful adaptation by John Ford and Twentieth
Century Fox there was no voice-over narrator in the filmic space. But each medium
worked perfectly well on its own terms. The movie Grapes of Wrath maintained a serious
narrative tone. It had mature quality of cinematic sound, coloring, photography and
casting which helped to replace and even enhance the historical novel‘s original voice.
Dorothea Lange‘s 1930s pitch-perfect photographic style was incorporated by the film‘s
Director of Photography Gregg Toland. Alfred Newman‘s musical score achieved superb
shading. The casting of the Joad family was done with vigor and depth: Jane Darwell as
Ma Joad, solid as oak, yet vulnerable in her strength; Henry Fonda,—as Steinbeck
himself said: ?A lean, stringy, dark-faced piece of electricity walked out on the screen
and he had me. I believed my own story again.? The public relations department at
Twentieth Century Fox possibly pushed this maturity too far. They emphasized the
serious nature of the movie‘s subject when it was released by stressing that Grapes of
Wrath was only for an adult audience. It was tag lined: ?The thousands who have read the
book will know why WE WILL NOT SELL ANY CHILDREN TICKETS to see this
picture!?
The social conventions of 1940 also did not allow John Ford to end Grapes of Wrath with
the novel‘s last scene of young Rose of Sharon baring her breast and suckling the
starving man who ?was about fifty, his whiskery face gaunt, and his open eyes . . .vague
and staring? and who hadn‘t eaten for about six days. But Ford did manage to end his
version with the book‘s characteristic note of spreading the milk of human kindness. The
movie draws to a conclusion with a concise version of the novel‘s chapter twenty-eight
farewell scene between Tom Joad and his mother.
[16]
Literal
A strong expression of a literal adaptation is often a play performed as a movie. This
includes movies filmed on stage and in performance (as in the Broadway Theater Archive
series). Or it could be a play such as Arthur Miller‘s Death of A Salesman (1949) which
has been faithfully transmuted at least three times into cinema: in 1951 (directed by
László Benedek, starring Frederic March as Willy Loman), in 1966 (directed by Alex
Segal, starring Lee J. Cobb, who had already appeared in Miller‘s original 1949
production), and then in 1985 (directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring Dustin Hoffman).
A good example of an outstanding historical play literally adapted to film is Sunrise at
Campobello, 1960, adapted from the 1958 stage drama about Franklin Delano Roosevelt
written by the politically engaged Dore Schary.
What happens to the play transferred to film? Well, a film has incredibly more space than
a stage. A movie can literally take the scenic arrangement outside and the medium offers
the director all sorts of tempting forms of physical and psychological expansion. Franklin
Roosevelt‘s dramatic walk without crutches on his crippled legs to the podium, with one
hand on a cane and the other hand clutching his son‘s arm, to deliver the 1924
Presidential nominating speech for Al Smith before thousands of spectators at the
Democratic Party Convention within the huge dome of Madison Square Garden is
suitably heightened in the movie version.
Film offers a variety of focused and sustained camera angles. It expands or contracts our
experience by virtue of the absence of the space-time continuum. Shots in separate spaces
are edited together. Different times can be spliced, joined, or blended. The everyday
sequential chain of experience is removed, intensified, or rearranged. The environment—
the viewing filter of a dark theater or a quiet room—enhances the experience. This can
make the literal adaptation of a visually contained text, like the rooms in Death of a
Salesman, claustrophobic. Yet, by doing so, it heightens the play‘s inherent tone of
[17]
psychological oppression and impending doom. Each version of Death of a Salesman is
enhanced by cinematic techniques of expressionism.
A movie can accordion a play up or down, enlarge it or reduce it. Although the
phenomenon of live performance—the smell of grease paint, the timber of the actors‘ and
actresses‘ uneven voices, the emotions of the crowd, and even the creak of the theater‘s
seats, all of which are at the heart and soul of theater—are rarely there in a movie. The
1981 film Zoot Suit, the faithful adaptation of a play based on the historical incident of
L.A.‘s World War II 1940s ?Zoot Suit Riots,? is an exception. A Hollywood feature film
needs a celebrity actor to pull in a big box office. And the star of the day may be a Brad
Pitt or an Angelina Jolie or a Tom Cruise who may or may not be appropriate for the play
itself. But they have the pull to secure the part. A case in point was the original film
adaptation of Tennessee Williams‘ The Glass Menagerie. Williams said it was ?the most
awful travesty of the play I‘ve ever seen. . . horribly mangled by the people who did the
film script.? Williams particularly disliked the choice of casting, with actress Gertrude
Lawrence playing the mother Amanda Wingfield and Jane Wyman playing Laura
Wingfield. But he thought the opposite way about Elia Kazan‘s darkly brilliant
adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire with fleshy, brutal Marlon Brando as Stanley
Kowalski and a tremulous Vivien Leigh as pale Blanche Du Bois.
A play as a play on stage, in contrast, concentrates and frames audience focus. On stage
characters adapt to the same words and action at the same time and on the same plain.
The stage space is a limited horizontal plain as opposed to the immense vertical plain of
the movie screen. The stage has three dimensions and a movie two. But the absence of
the space-time continuum in a movie provides oneiric depth. This is partly created by the
sensation of inevitable flow. With a theatrical stage, each member of the audience
individually chooses where to look, who to listen to, or who or what to hold on to most
attentively. In a movie, the camera keeps making that choice and providing the small,
medium, and big picture. The camera decides what you see and where you look and even
[18]
who your ears perk up to the most. The camera is your eyes, it is inevitable flow. As the
exuberant Russian director Dziga Vertov (1896–1954) declared, for a film perception of
the world the most fundamental point is the ?use of the camera as a cinema eye more
perfect than the human eye for exploring the chaos of visual phenomena filling the
universe. . . . We cannot improve our eyes, but we can always improve the camera.? Yet
faithful types of adaptation tend to impose self-destructive limitations, to sacrifice power
for loyalty, risk for reassurance. When Tom Stoppard wrote the screenplay, Robert
Benton directed, and Dustin Hoffman starred in the faithful 1991 movie adaptation of E.
L. Doctorow‘s brilliant novel Billy Bathgate, the film was a flop. ?We have seen this
world before, in every gangster movie set in the 1920s or 1930s,? wrote Chicago Sun-
Times critic Roger Ebert, ?but never has it had less juice, been more dry and exhausted.?
Art is risk. Art is: ?always pushing. . . always wanting to explore. . . you wants to get
yourself into trouble and see how well you can fight your way out of it.? Whether it is a
loose, faithful, or literal adaptation, at the end of the day, the final result of success or
failure is not a matter of formula but finesse. How well you fight your way out of it. ?It is
not enough to show bits of truth on the screen, separate frames of truth? wrote Vertov.
?These frames must be thematically organized so that the whole is also a truth.?
Documentary and Literal Adaptation
Documentary films seek a form of literal adaptation to be historically sound. But the
nature of historical truth achieved by documentary is debatable. Documentary is not a
verbatim representation. As noted earlier, conventional wisdom defines documentary as
?relating to or found in documents: aiming at presentation of reality. . . broadly factual,
objective.? Objective? As historian Erik Barnouw maintained, a documentary film
director makes endless choices of topic, people, vistas, angles, lenses, juxtapositions,
sounds words. Each selection is an expression of a point of view [thus] of course a
propagandistic role is involved. One can hardly imagine a documentary that
[19]
is not propaganda—in the sense of trying to present evidence that may enlarge
understanding and change ideas. A documentary cannot be ?the truth‘. It is evidence,
testimony—which announces its topic, alerts our critical faculties, and at its best is part of
the diverse testimony which is at the very heart of a democratic process.
A documentary is not fiction but faith. As propaganda itself—from its original Latin
use: de propaganda fide, ?concerning the faith to be propagated? [Vatican, 1622]—
documentary takes a stand, holds a cause. A documentary provides objective reality
filtered. As a case in point, consider Ken Burns‘ The Civil War (1990). It began literally
as a time of war film. It was initially screened in the U.S.A. on PBS television in a
national environment of intensifying patriotism as the Persian Gulf War developed in the
fall of 1990. Episode One: The Cause–1861 ended with a very moving letter from a
soldier to his wife, written July 14, 1861, which stressed his undying love and
commitment to his wife, family, principles, and government. ?I have no misgivings
about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does
not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of
the Government. . . . And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in
this life, to help maintain this Government.? That soldier died fighting for his American
cause shortly thereafter. The launch of Burns‘ The Civil War was propitious.
Next, The Civil War was a movie made for TV. Television has a ?bardic function? in
most modern cultures. It is a social ritual which overrides individual distinctions and in
which people freely engage in order to communicate with the collective, cultural
self. This has particularly been true in the U.S.A for open-access network TV and for
Public Broadcasting Service TV. PBS programs a common, national schedule. Yet PBS
is locally based in a non-profit organization (a university, state agency, or community
organization). It receives almost 25 percent of its total revenue from viewer donations
(?Viewers like you!? as most PBS programs begin by declaring.) And it is watched by
about one third of the U.S. population each week. The Civil War‘s success—the program
[20]
amassed in the U.S.A. the largest audience for any series in public TV history, more than
14 million viewers watched each evening, while 39 million Americans tuned into at least
one episode of the telecast—was reinforced by its TV channel context. At its best, PBS
TV is the community talking to itself. Its programs are not flashy frames for ads, as
network TV can easily be. It seeks to accommodate itself to the actual community.
Burns‘ Civil War clicked with current U.S. mass media reality.
Third, among the viewers who saw The Civil War enthusiastically it was common to find
this documentary called the best history lesson they ever had. As one person wrote: ?. . .
Burns, in a very real way, is that special teacher most of us have who convinces us for a
while that there is, indeed, interest to be plumbed where there was never interest
before.? Though he is aware of its shortcomings as history, Burns has stressed the timely
need for his documentary: ?I don‘t think the story of the Civil War can be told too often. I
think it surely ought to be retold for every generation.? It is a movie that adapts by
updating historical reality.
Fourth, The Civil War had also been received by some Americans as ?history with
honey? and over weighted with ?. . . visual rhetoric, maudlin music and lugubrious
readings.? Burns resurrects the gloomy Victorian sentimentality characteristic of the
1800s. But this is a spirit true to the realism of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain and the
Civil War itself. Burns‘ literal version of that event is a deeply moral and emotional
reading. One can hear a Civil War tone of awe, pain and lucid innocence from the voice
of Mark Twain‘s Huckleberry Finn when he reflects on the mob action he witnesses at
the end of Chapter 33 in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)—when two old men
are stripped down, smeared with hot tar, stuck with feathers, each made to sit astraddle
and crotch raw on a splintery wooden rail upon which they were jounced and bounced
out of town. ?Well, it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals,
it seemed like I couldn‘t ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world,?
[21]
thought Huck. ?It was a dreadful thing to see. Human beings can be awful cruel to one
another.?
Lastly, Burns takes his reading of the Civil War beyond maudlin grief and woe. The
documentary updates the event by an integrated synthesis which involves the deep
witness of the popular, ordinary viewpoint given by common soldiers, farmers, workers,
immigrants, tradesmen and women of all minorities. The traditional occupation of
transcendent ideals, the strategies and statistics of battles, the doings of great men and
women is subdued—but not omitted. He makes of the event a story of tragic
reconciliation. ?Between 1861 and 1865, Americans made war on each other and killed
each other in order to become the kind of country that could no longer conceive how that
was possible? (Civil War, Episode One: The Cause–1861). It was a sublimely satisfying
sacrifice. The documentary‘s driving principle is separation followed by reconciliation
and union.
A few points about Lincoln‘s presentation in most U.S. documentaries and fiction films:
Why have U.S. movies and TV found Lincoln so attractive? There have been about six
hundred significant film and TV productions which have incorporated Abraham Lincoln,
not counting his use in everything from TV variety to new programs. Lincoln was a
distinctly memorable subject for still visuals and later became a natural subject for
moving pictures. He was a main dish of that meal which fed the public‘s ongoing appetite
for Civil War stories as the event which defined modern America. Lincoln was ready-
made, market-tested, already popular and in the public domain—waiting to be mass-
produced. He had also been a very entertaining man. Thus Lincoln the humorist became a
great source of ongoing public entertainment. And he was far and away the most
beguiling and diverting of early U.S. Presidents.
Finally, the subject matter of Lincoln, the Civil War, and slavery in fiction, film, or
historical renditions has been a way Americans have tried to come to terms with tragedy.
Abraham Lincoln‘s monumental nature has served as a common, contested ground for
[22]
coming to terms with American identity by Americans themselves; collective
representation. (As the U.S.A. has become globally less self-confident over the past few
decades, notice how Lincoln‘s own heroic, legendary stature has diminished in the United
States.) He is a figure Americans can publicly turn to in times of trial. Martin Luther
King‘s ?I Have a Dream Speech? of August, 1963 is inconceivable without the
background of Washington, D.C.‘s Lincoln Memorial. It is striking how Lincoln was
quoted or noted on U.S. TV around the time of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. But
Lincoln can also be dismissed, rejected, neglected, readjusted. Just like tragedy itself in
the U.S.A.?
Literature, History, and Movies
Consider how information exists and knowledge is distilled. How a story is told is as
important as its subject matter. Thus, three fundamental points about how the nature of
literature and history effect their relation to movies:
First, legend precedes historical fact. Did Nestor and Ajax in the Iliad ever actually exist
and do what Homer claims they did? Until factual, textual proof is found these remains,
at the least, an open question. The Iliad remains legend rather than history, literature
rather than history, superstition rather than science. Hence, human culture as we know it
shows that literature precedes history as a practice of inquiry, as a creative record of
human events.
Second, a fundamental distinction exists between history and memory. History is then,
memory is now. A judicious, critical management of documentary evidence allows
history to get as close as possible to the facts of the past; then as it was then. Memory is
the past remembered and reconstructed through the lens of the present and its building
blocks. Movies flourish in a popular, contemporary market place. They must entertain the
sensibilities of the present. Anachronism is their delight and pleasure. Memory is their
[23]
very breath. So history inevitably gets short-changed in movies—with some notable
exceptions.
Third, with regard to the history of ideas, one distinguishes between an older meaning of
literature as literacy and the cultivation of reading (dominant through the eighteenth
century) and a newer reality and reference to literature as a body of writing which
contrasts with erudition and which emphasizes wit, talent, and taste (which begins to
dominate the older meaning by the end of the eighteenth century)
Story-telling movies
that are not straight documentary or raw, live footage have a much stronger generic
affinity to literature than to history. Thus the movie-history relation is more a connection
rather than a similarity, an association rather than nearness. The difference is subtle but
meaningful. The viewer can expect a movie to be like literature. But can you expect a
movie to be history?
Two exceptions of note which prove the rule with regard to movies and history are
documentary cinema and raw footage. Documentary cinema has a closer relation to
history. Documentary can function like journalism or on-the-spot news, though news is
?only the rough draft of history?—as publisher Phil Graham of The Washington
Post once said. Conventional wisdom defines documentary as ?relating to or found in
documents: aiming at presentation of reality,? ?broadly: factual, objective.?
But look deeper and one often finds that the non-fiction film or photo which is about
?real life? was treated subjectively and sometimes doctored just as much as a piece of
fiction. Though documentary is relied upon as objective fact, as proven support for
something, it can easily be a constructed, subjective artifact and be synonymous with
social persuasion or propaganda. This is not a problem, but an asset for documentary, and
a point to which this essay shall return. Raw footage is also known as ?stock shot? and is
film footage of actual, ordinary or exceptional events which is stocked away and then
used as movie filler, a means to intensify mimesis in a fiction film or documentary, a way
[24]
to cut production costs, or kept for historical record. One outstanding case of stock shot
would be the Zap ruder Film. This was the only live movie made of the John F. Kennedy
assassination of November 22, 1963 by amateur cameraman and garment manufacturer
Abraham Zap ruder of Dallas, Texas. This film has been used or referenced in about forty
movies to date, including Oliver Stone‘s 1991, bullying but engrossing movie JFK, a
1999, HBO Sopranos‘ episode, and conspiracy theory documentaries of the last few
years.
Film or Book?
The student, film buff, or movie connoisseur should give up the naive claim that a film
should be faithful to the book. That is not the point of successful adaptation. Too many
hands each play their part in moulding and shaping the completed movie. Adaptation
requires originality. And it is a process of accretion, of leveling and tiers of the one story
being built upon other tiers and each enriched by the ongoing telling. Recall Homer and
Aeschylus, mentioned at the beginning of this essay. Is there one story of Achilles, one
story of Odysseus? Each telling narrates, explains, reveals. F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s The
Great Gatsby was a U.S. best seller in 1926, but it was told again in movie form in 1926,
1949, 1974, and 2000.Gatsby is one story among many that stays alive for Americans by
virtue of its cinematic renewal enriched with each telling. It is one story among many that
helps to create community, gives life itself the form it lacks, and helps to insulate people
from the tragedy of others.
I think Dennis Lehane was wrong when he said that movies and books compare like
apples and giraffes. If one can understand literature and film as a continuum, as one story,
then a person may delight in one vision retold and refreshed. Many filmmakers know
this. ?Because the ancient wisdom,? as David Mamet said, ?is you get to write it three
times: when you write it, when you direct it, when you edit it?. You keep telling and
retelling the story.
[25]
And, finally, it takes so many fingers to get the one job done: the original work of
literature, the screenwriter and his screenplay, the film director (?Who makes decisions
about choices already made by the film crew?), the producer who holds the money bags;
the give, take, quirks and charisma of the main actors and actresses; the props, scenes and
settings; the cameraman (director of photography), the lighting man, the movie editor, the
music director, the art director, and the audience. Yes, you—a public audience who may
even view various versions of the movie before it is finally released in order to determine
the viability of a last cut. The audience is a public made up of individuals and a mass.
And in all likelihood people will see the film because of word of mouth, chance,
convenience or escapism, or fundamental hunger for entertainment—and maybe a touch
of education, too. You are not dumb. You are the audience. The audience is a maker and
an adaptor. The audience will finally decide whether the whole process succeeded or not.
You buy the tickets.
Books written by Indian writers
Books by Indian writers in Indian languages have always proved appealing for Indian
filmmakers, it is only in recent times that there has been an increase in number of
adaptations of Indian authors writing in English. The unforgettable, brilliant
film Guide was possibly one of the first cinematic adaptations of an English novel by an
Indian author. Though the film was widely successful, the author R.K. Narayan thought
the film to be unnecessarily mushy and theatrical. In recent times, S Hussain
Zaidi‘s Black Friday and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri have also been critically
acclaimed.
As far as cinematic adaptation of novels in Indian languages goes, special mention must
be made of the repeatedly remade and at times wildly successful Devdas based on a
[26]
famous novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. In fact, there are
some five films with the same name, based on this novel alone. And each of them in the
eponymic role has some of the leading names at that era- K.L.Sehgal, Dilip Kumar,
Shahrukh Khan- to name a few. In fact it even got adapted to fit today‘s youth by
changing the tragic ending and not killing the protagonist but instead making him realize
his folly in the critically acclaimed Dev D.
Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam is another eternal gem produced by the immensely gifted Guru
Dutt. The movie which was a huge critical as well as commercial success was adapted
from the Bengali novel ?Shaheb Bibi Golam‘ by Bimal Mitra. The movie portrays the
debauched world of the Bengali noblemen at the time when they were losing their
ascendancy in the British Raj. Stunning performances by all the actors, with special
mention to the role of Meena Kumari as the Chhoti Bahu, ensured the success of the film.
Looking over the years, many Hindi films based on Bengali novels have proved to be
huge commercial successes. The prior mentioned Devdas, or the gripping Parineeta,
again based on a novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay or the critically
acclaimed Choker Bali – the tale of love, lust and family ties based on a novel by
Rabindranath Tagore or Govind Nihilani‘s Hazaar Chaurasia ki Maa based on the
Bengali novel ?Hajar Chaurashir Maa‘ by Mahasweta Devi to name a few. The coming
year will bring yet another film based on an award winning Bengali novel titled ?Ashima‘
to be directed by Shishir Mishra and starring Gracy Singh and Aseem Merchant in pivotal
roles. As far as Bengali writers go, as many as 15 Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
novels have been adapted into films.
Gulshan Nanda‘s books have provided fodder for commercial hits like Kati Patang, Neel
Kamal, Khilona, Jheel Ke Us Paar, Sharmilee, etc. These movies proved to be big
commercial hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gulshan Nanda was probably the only
[27]
Hindi author whose books which were later made into films achieved such vast
commercial and critical success.
Munshi Premchand‘s novels ?Gaban‘, ?Godaan‘, ?Heera Moti‘, ?Mazdoor‘, ?Sadgati‘ and
?Shatranj Ke Khiladi‘ (adapted by the renowned Satyajit Ray) also did have some
commercial success.
One of the most prolific directors from Bollywood, Shyam Benegal, has adapted many
novels over the course of his film making career. Notable among them are Suraj ka
Saatvaan Ghoda (a novel of the same name by Dharamvir Bharti), Junoon (A Flight of
Pigeons by Ruskin Bond), Mandi (Anandi – Urdu short story by Pakistani writer Ghulam
Abbas), The Making of the Mahatma (The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma by Fatima
Meer) and more recently Well Done Abba (Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi by Jeelani Bano and
Phulwa Ka Pul by Sanjeev Kadam).
Another film maker belonging to the ?non-commercial‘ bandwagon, Govind Nihalani,
made The Last Don by Mario Puzo into Thakshak, and also adapted Marathi short story –
Surya by S.D. Panvalkar into Ardh Satya and the well-known play Ghashiram Kotwal by
Vijay Tendulkar into a movie of the same name.
Success however has evaded some adaptations like Pinjar starring Urmila Matondkar is
based on the novel of the same name by Amrita Pritam (which was later translated into
English by Khushwant Singh), Raincoat based on a short story titled ?The Gift of Magi‘
by O.Henry or the Rani Mukerjee- Shahrukh Khan starrer Paheli based on Vijayadhan
Dehta‘s ?Folktale‘.
In recent years Vishal Bharadwaj has adapted many of Shakespeare‘s plays to make quite
successful films, like Omkara adapted from ?Othello‘ and Maqbool adapted from
?Macbeth‘. He also adapted quite efficiently the Ruskin Bond novel, ?The Blue
Umbrella‘.
[28]
Shakespeare‘s ?Romeo and Juliet‘ must receive a special mention as the most widely
used play for cinematic adaptation either as a whole or in part. The most famous being
the cult hit Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in India and West Side Story in Hollywood, which
was remade as Josh by Mansoor Khan (who had directed Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak),
starring Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai.
The National award winning film Rudaali directed by Kalpana Lajmi was adapted from
the novel of the same name by Mahashweta Devi in which the title role was played by
Dimple Kapadia. One of the legends of Bollywood, Raj Kapoor, very early in his career,
had acted in the adaptation of Night Bus by Samuel Hopkins Adams which was Chori
Chori, which decades later was remade as Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin by Mahesh Bhatt.
The latest to join the ever-growing list of cinematic adaptations is Jane Austen‘s ?Emma‘,
which will be made into Aisha to be directed by Rajshree Ojha and starring Sonam
Kapoor in the lead role. Jane Austen‘s ?Pride and Prejudice‘ and ?Sense and Sensibility‘
have already been made into Pride and Prejudice (a Hinglish movie by Gurinder
Chadda) and Kandukondain Kandukondain (a bilingual by Rajiv Menon) respectively.
A couple of novels by A.J. Cronin have also been made into films like Kala Pani starring
Madhubala and Dev Anand based on ?Beyond this place‘ and Vijay Anand‘s Tere Mere
Sapne based on ?The Citadel‘. Another movie named Tere Mere Sapne (starring Arshad
Warsi and Chandrachud Singh) was also an adaptation, this time of the Mark Twain
novel ?The Prince and the Pauper‘.
A few other less applauded efforts are Gustave Flaubert‘s ?Madame Bovary‘ adapted by
Ketan Mehta into Maya Memsaab, Kyun Kii starring Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan
based on the novel ?One Flew Over The Cuckoo‘s Nest‘ by Ken Kesey, the Dilip Kumar
starrer Dil Diya Dard Liya and Oonche Log starring Rajesh Khanna both based on
?Wuthering Heights‘ by Emily Bronte and the more recent Saawariya based on Fyodor
Dostoevsky‘s short story ?White Nights‘.
[29]
Bollywood has also seen the 2 great epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha serving as story
lines for films such as Hum Saath Saath Hain (Sooraj Barjatya) and Rajneeti (Prakash
Jha), Dalapati (Mani Ratnam), Kalyug (Shyam Benegal) respectively.
The written word and movies are two entirely dissimilar intermediates and it would be
extremely unjust to appraise a script solely on the foundation of its flexibility for the film
standard. In a novel, the writer is ubiquitous and is constantly communicating with his
readers, this luxury is not afforded to the director. A good novel by itself is not enough,
but a director has to lean on the crutches of good dialogues and script to create the
desired impact on his audience.
The lack of good quality screenplays together with the viewers‘ elevated hopes is the
most basic cause for the inclination to go back to the literary word. Cinematic adaptations
have their followers. Classics are made to order because if correctly handled, then they
have an innate quality to suit any era. One should, however understand that adaptation of
a novel for a film is also an art. Ted Tally had converted the novel ?The Silence of the
Lambs‘ by Thomas Harris brilliantly into the film by the same name. Roberto Rodriguez
made ?Sin City‘ from Frank Miller‘s graphic novel and both are successful. However,
most of the times, it has been seen that the audience prefers books to the films based on
them. It shows that people prefer to visualize themselves rather than depending on
someone else‘s imagination.
[30]
Famous movies based on novels
s.no.
Year Movie Novel
1 2011 Chatur singh tnco star Chalaak jasoos by R.K Narayan
2 2011 7Khoon maff Susanna’s 7 husbands by Ruskin bond
3 2010 Aisha Emma by Jane Austin
4 2009 3 idiots 5 point someone by Chetan Bhagat
5 2009 What’s your raashee Kimball Raveuswood by Madhu Rye
6 2008 Hello One night at call centre by Chetan
Bhagat
7 2007 The blue umbrella (hindi-
chatri chor)
Blue umbrella by Ruskin Bond
8 2006 Omkara Othello by W.Shakespeare
9 2006 The Namesake The Newyoker by Jumpa Lahiri
[31]
s.no. Year Movies Novel
10 2005 Parineeta Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
11 2005 ` The mistress of spices The mistress of spices by Chita Banerjee
Divakurni
12 2005 Pride and prejudice Pride n prejudice by Jane Austen
13 2004 Maqbool Macbeth by W.Shakespeare
14 2004 Raincoat The Gift of The Magi by O.Henry
15 2003 Pinjar Pinjar by Amrita Pritam
16 2002 Devdaas Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
17 1963 Godaan Godaan by Munshi Premchand
18 1979 Heera moti Do bailon ki katha by Premchand
19 1966 Gaban Gaban by Premchand
[32]
These are famous movies based on novels and get huge success all over
? 3 Idiots - The nation went berserk with the "All Izz Well" motto and loved the
naughty, funny characters in this record-breaking movie. It struck a chord with the
younger generation, made them laugh, cry and identify with the issues, situations
in the movie. Equal credit goes to Chetan Bhagat's novel "Five Point Someone",
which is an interesting, comic and thoughtful story of three IITians Hari, Alok,
Ryan trying to keep up with the pressurizing system, assignments and rat race of
the premier institute,. The characters of 3 Idiots plays by Aamir, Sherman and
Madhavan are based on the characters of this fun, fast-paced and hugely
successful book "Five Point Someone". While the book digs deeper into what goes
wrong with bright students in such hi-profile, "brainy" institutes and discusses
drugs, alcohol, but the movie chooses to gloss over the murky side by showcasing
few select issues from the book.
? Pride and Prejudice - Based on the British classic "Pride and Prejudice" written
by Jane Austen, Gurinder Chaddha turned this austere book which was set in the
rigid, prim & proper society of England into a full-blown romantic, musical story
set in the hearty, wholesome Punjab and modern day London. While Mrs. Bakshi
brings the movie alive with her moving concerns and hilarious attempts to find
suitable matches for her daughters, Aishwarya and the British actor bring a flavor
of modern-day romance with their fights, arguments and finally understanding
each other. Added to the melee, is an overdose of Indian cultural delights,
decorations, Broadway style melodies, lots of Punjabi melodrama, glitz and glam,
all thrown in to turn a memorable classic into an enjoyable Indian film.
[33]
? Guide - One of the greatest hits ever, this movie with its brilliant star cast of Dev
Anand and Waheeda Rehman became a huge favourite and remains so even after 4
decades. This movie is an adaptation of the book "Guide" written by the famous
Indian author R.K. Narayan, who won the heart of the reader with his simple but
heartfelt stories of the common man. The movie turned out to draw the audience
continuously with its melancholic story that gives out the message how one can
overcome the ties of materialistic world and walk on the path of spirituality.
However, R.K Narayan was not pleased with the outcome of the movie "Guide"
and wrote an article about it in "Life Magazine" where he criticized the movie.
? Parineeta - Parineeta was a classic tale written by an eminent Bengali novelist
from the early 20 the century. Completely awe-struck and fascinated by this story,
many filmmakers have created films which are based on this evergreen classic.
The first film was a simple, memorable take on "Parineeta" which was made by
the genius director Bimal Roy, in which the main lead were Ashok Kumar and
Meena Kumari. In the recent times, Parineeta was remade which was a lavish
affair with pretty sets, peppered with dances and the movie had Vidya Balan, Saif
Ali Khan in the lead role. Comparing both the films, the older movie seemed
closer to the book with its simplicity and deep portrayal rather than an
exaggerated, modern version which lacks the pathos & emotions that contribute in
making the story beautiful.
? HELLO is directed by Atul Agnihotri and the star cast includes Salman Khan,
Katrina Kaif, Gul Panag, Sharman Joshi, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Amrita
Arora and others. The 132 minutes feature film was released in theaters on Oct 5,
2008. HELLO is a complete Bollywood thriller based on Chetan Bhagat's
International best seller One Night at the Call Center.
[34]
? 7 Khoon Maff is a 2011 Hindi black comedy drama thriller film directed
by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Priyanka Chopra in the lead role. The film, based
on Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands, features seven male
leads with Naseeruddin Shah who plays the oldest husband, Neil Nitin Mukesh as
the youngest husband, as well as John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Annu Kapoor and
Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko
? The Namesake is a 2006 film which was released in the United States on March 9,
2007, following screenings at film festivals in Toronto and New York City. It was
directed by Mira Nairand is based upon the novel of the same name by Jhumpa
Lahiri, who appeared in the movie.Sooni Taraporevala adapted the novel to a
screenplay.
? The Omkara is a 2006 Indian film adaptation of Shakespeare‘s Othello, co-written
and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. It starred Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, and
Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, supported by Vivek Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah,
and Konkona Sen Sharma with a cameo role from Bipasha Basu. The
director Vishal Bhardwaj himself composed the entire music for the film,
including the background score, with lyrics by Gulzar.
The film was showcased at
the 2006 Cannes Film Festival along with a book on the making of Omkara. It was
also selected to be screened at the Cairo International Film Festival, where
Bhardwaj was awarded for Best Artistic Contribution in Cinema of a Director. The
film also won three awards at the Kara Film Festival, an award at the Asian
Festival of First Films, three National Film Awards, and seven Filmfare Awards
film received positive reviews from American critics.
[35]
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of research are to find the answer to certain questions through the
application of scientific procedures. There are 5 general objectives that research - in
general and more specifically about processes - may attempt to achieve. They are
1. description
2. explanation
3. forecasting
4. control
5. modeling
These objectives are not completely independent from each other, for the explanation of a
phenomenon relies in part on its description; its forecast requires a detailed explanation,
and so on. But researchers may concentrate on one or the other aspect. Most important,
the objective pursued will affect the tools and techniques employed for the analyses.
The two most frequent objectives are description and explanation. Description is most
often an exploratory phase undertaken using graphical representations and statistical
measures that are not inferential, while explanation involves precise hypotheses to be
confronted and employs inferential statistical tests.
Modeling is the latest, broadest objective. It requires that the descriptive and explanatory
phases brought sufficient information and knowledge about the system, so to build a
model that synthetically gathers the various variables in a coherent and parsimonious
way.
Control is an objective rarely set in psychological research (for it brings important ethical
considerations), and forecasting is just a little more frequent. We will not address these
two objectives in this work.
[36]
Objectives of my research are:-
1. To know do people find any changes in the movies as compared to novels on
which it is based.
2. To find out do people really wants the movies inspired by novels.
3. To know that people think that it will decline film script writer‘s creativity to take
idea from novels.
[37]
HYPOTHESES
A hypotheses is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypotheses to be
a scientific hypotheses, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists
generally base scientific hypotheses on previous observations that cannot satisfactorily be
explained with the available scientific theories. Even though the words "hypothesis" and
"theory" are often used synonymously, a scientific hypotheses is not the same as
a scientific theory. A working hypotheses is a provisionally accepted hypotheses
proposed for further research.
A different meaning of the term hypotheses is used in formal logic, to denote
the antecedent of a proposition. The adjective hypothetical, meaning "having the nature
of a hypotheses", or "being assumed to exist as an immediate consequence of a
hypotheses", can refer to any of these meanings of the term "hypotheses".
The research hypotheses are a pairing down of the problem into something testable.
Scientists must generate realistic and testable hypotheses around which they can build the
experiment.
Hypotheses of my research:-
1. My assumption is that around 50% people find changes in the movies as compared
to the concerning novel but inspiration can easily be noticeable for them.
2. 60% people want new ideas, interesting storyline with good execution of the ideas
in the movies. They can even accept movies inspired by novel if the movie, its
story and execution is good.
3. Although 50% people have no problem with these kind of movies if it is executed
good but it is somewhat depends on director‘s, editor‘s and cameramen‘s part but
scriptwriter‘s creativity will decline if they use novel‘s stories they should use
their own innovative ideas to serve something new to the audience.
[38]
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY BASED ON THE MOVIES
INSPIRED BY NOVELS
College students of communication and broadcast journalism courses
This research paper would be able to help students in college who are taking up
courses such as communication and broadcast journalism because adaptation of film
is within the bracket of their specialization. Moreover‘ the researchers hope that in
giving more emphasis to the local production of films adapted from novels, more
students in college, especially in the aforesaid fields, would be interested to make
similar studies with such an objective as to make positive contributions in the local
film setting.
Teachers and professors of film
Teachers and professors of film would benefit from this study because they would be
able to make use of the information integrated within the research in preparing lesson
plans and similar instructional activities for interested students. Since this paper
delves in the preparation of seminar materials for more intensive discussion of the
film adaptations process, the more film teachers and professors would be able to make
effective lectures for the learning audiences.
Film makers
Knowledge of this study would help film makers facilitate understanding within their
production committees on the various trends of film adaptation within the local
setting. The researchers believe that in furnishing data on how the process of adopting
a film from a novel is in the local setting, film makers would be able to make good
use of such information in making exquisite films through a more focused and learned
effort along with their work group or production board.
[39]
Future researchers
This study is crucial for future researchers to make similar studies on especially since
there still seems to be a need for film studies in the local setting in order for the
locally-produced films to be augmented to the local level of foreign motion pictures.
The Filipino talent lies in wait to be celebrated for this depth and the researchers
believe that if future studies would be made, utilizing this paper as a source of
valuable data, there might be an improvement in the process of adopting films from
local novels and catapult the Filipinos to the international market as a success in their
own right.
SCOPE AND DELIMINATION
This research will mainly focus on film adaptation of novels. It aims primarily to
come up with instructional materials about the said subject.
In this study, the researchers will also include the factors to be considered in adapting
the film and the problems encountered in film adaptation.
Due to time constraints, this study will no longer discuss other genres of literature
such as comics, plays and short stories as sources of film adaptation. This is also to
give emphasis to novel as being primarily the main source of literary from being
adapted into film. Moreover, the researchers believe that novels have been the main
focus of the local scene over the years therefore this study would be most relevant to
the continuing trend. Aside from time constraint, the researchers also consider the
dearth of resources as one of the primary elements of limitation in this study. This is
due to the approximate number of resources regarding local novels being adapted into
film.
[40]
CHAPTER 2
[41]
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
? INTODUCTION
?http://www.asjournal.org/168.html
?In 2010, there will hardly be any new movie adaptations of novels. However, this may
become a trend in the years to come. Most Bollywood movies follow a simple path —
boy meets girl, misunderstandings follow, a few special effects maybe and a happy
ending — with the end product sauced up with some songs. While recent Bollywood
movie adaptations have made profits thanks to a marketing splurge before their release,
trade analysts believe that the lack of a filmic Indian literary tradition makes it difficult to
adapt books to the big screen.
Officials at the Satyajit Ray Film Institute reason that bestselling authors are celebrities in
their own right and there is always the danger that they may disagree with the film
interpretation and plunge the project into uncertainty or controversy. Minor writers
employed by the studio (script-writers) do not pose any such dangers.
?Legal agreements between authors and Bollywood producers should be more elaborate
with credits properly spelt out. Hollywood is more mature with copyright issues,? says
Thakkar.
A Mumbai-based trade analyst opines that bestsellers written on themes that are relevant
to the youth would find audiences, although the movie may need major alterations so that
audiences can relate to it. Movies dealing with basic human emotions like love and
jealousy have found popularity, like with Omkara, a Vishal Bharadwaj adaptation of
Shakespeare‘s masterpiece Othello.
?http://www.scribd.com/doc/94511347/Seminar-Materials-on-Film-Adaptation
[42]
Numerous films are adaptations of literary works. The process of adaptation actually
amalgamates the interpretation of the spectators and the art of film itself. Most
adaptations are films based on novels but also make use of non-fiction works such as
journalistic materials, comics, scripts, autobiographies, stage plays and previous films.
Adaptation has proven to be one of the most widespread practices in the evolution of
fundamental ideas and scripts ever since (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_adaptation).
Literature provides filmmakers with a rich source of materials for movies.
According to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Encyclopedia of Philippine
Art, "film is a voracious medium that feeds on material from traditional literary forms
and recent media products to create narratives with which to mesmerize its audience".
Dudley Andrews, a film critic and theorist, states that literary works are the basis of more
than half of all commercial films (Phillips, 1999).
Frequent sources of Filipino films are the different genres of literature (plays,
novels, poems, folk tales, legends) "capitalizing on the presumed familiarity of the public
with the events, characters and themes of these traditional/popular narrative genres"
(CCP Encyclopedia, 1994). Some of the influential elements that contribute to Philippine
cinema are historical events in the country, significant figures in the past and present
generation, types of theatre that like the komedya, sinakulo, sarswela, drama, and
bodabil; oral literature, dance, music and the visual arts; literary tradition as exemplified
by the awit and korido, novels and short stories in various languages; melodramas,
feature stories, radio dramas, television, with its drama anthology, comedies, musical
contests, and numerous shows, and films, which initiate trends and fads that the local
industry follows.
In the Philippines, film adaptation of novels dates back to the early years of
filmmaking. During the 19
th
century, Jose Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, were turned into films which gave "narratives and distinctive character
types" (CCP Encyclopedia, 1994) to movies. In 1930s, novels published in Liwayway
[43]
Magazine such as Punyal Na Ginto (Golden Dagger) by Antonio Sempio, Sa Paanan ng
Krus (At the Foot of the Cross) of Lazaro Francisco, Sampaguitang Walang Bango
(Jasmine without Fragrance) of Iñigo Ed Regalado, and others were adapted to films. One
of the novelists who gave significant contributions to film is Edgardo M. Reyes whose
novels, for instance, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag was transformed into the movie and was
celebrated among the audiences and the critics.
In spite of the difficulties in adapting a novel to a film, there is still a proliferation
of movies with this kind in the international screen. Among these are the film adaptations
of Da Vinci Code, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, Harry
Potter and others. Although at present, the Filipino film production centers its attention
on original screenplays, there are still movies adapted from novels such as those written
by Lualhati Bautista namely Bata, Bata Pa'no Ka Ginawa and Dekada '70. Hence, these
critically-acclaimed films not only reflect the Filipino talent with regard to film
production but also acquire adulation for the original literary works on which such films
are based.
"Both for the serious student of film and the conscientious practitioner of the art, it
is instructive to know how film as art and entertainment has related to literature, theatre
and popular culture in exerting its own brand of witchery on Filipinos it has captivated"
(CCP Encyclopedia,1994).
There is a perception on some people that the enjoyment of a person in watching a
film will be hindered by his/her knowledge in the film concepts and process. However,
there are film enthusiasts who stressed that ?studying films increases their enjoyment …
and appreciation of the effort and creativity involved in making them.? (Phillips,1999).
Therefore, having background knowledge in film will add to the viewers‘ comprehension
on why a film is produced the way it is and in the case of adapted films, why the
filmmaker came up with such adaptation knowing each medium‘s limitations and
strengths. Instead of dealing with the tedious process of film adaptation, the researchers
[44]
decided to focus on the fundamental considerations in adapting a novel into a film and
prepare instructional materials on film adaptation of novels.
? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
?http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_leedy_practical_8/0,9599,1569572-,00.html
Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase
our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher to
contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that
understanding to others.
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodology
A methodology is usually a guideline system for solving a problem, with specific
components such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools. It can be defined also
as follows:
1. "The analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a
discipline";
2. "The systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a
discipline";
3. "The study or description of methods".
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other
prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents.
?http://gulnazahmad.hubpages.com/hub/-Primary-and-Secondary-Data
Data can be defined as the quantitative or qualitative values of a variable. Data is plural
of Datum which literally means to give or something given. Data is thought to be the
lowest unit of information from which other measurements and analysis can be done.
[45]
Data can be numbers, images, words, figures, facts or ideas. Data in itself cannot be
understood and to get information from the data one must interpret it into meaningful
information. There are various methods of interpreting data. Data sources are broadly
classified into primary and secondary data.
Primary Data:
Data that has been collected from first-hand-experience is known as primary data.
Primary data has not been published yet and is more reliable, authentic and objective.
Primary data has not been changed or altered by human beings, therefore its validity is
greater than secondary data.
Secondary Data:
Data collected from a source that has already been published in any form is called as
secondary data. The review of literature in nay research is based on secondary data.
Mostly from books, journals and periodicals.
[46]
CHAPTER 3
[47]
RESEARCH DESIGN
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH: Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing
information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the
function of the researcher to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and
to communicate that understanding to others.
Research is undertaken within most professions. More than a set of skills, it is a way
of thinking: examining critically the various aspects of your professional work. It is a
habit of questioning what you do, and a systematic examination of the observed
information to find answers with a view to instituting appropriate changes for more
effective professional service.
METHODOLOGY: A methodology is usually a guideline system for solving a
problem, with specific components such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and
tools. It can be defined also as follows:
4. "The analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a
discipline";
5. "The systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a
discipline";
6. "The study or description of methods".
A methodology can be considered to include multiple methods, each as applied to various
facets of the whole scope of the methodology. The research can be divided between two
parts; they are qualitative research and quantitative research.
This research employs an analytical method descriptive methodology i.e. survey
method through questionnaires.
[48]
DESCRIPTIVE METHOD: - This research employs a descriptive method since the
researchers aim to describe and to discuss the process of film adaptation from a novel
which is a topic of modern concern in the field of film production. This method is
defined as ?a process of gathering. Analyzing, classifying and tabulating about
prevailing conditions, trends, processes… and then making adequate and accurate
interpretation about such data…? (Calderon and Sanchez, 1995). Information relevant
to the study was gathered from various reference materials such as books.
The instructional materials will contain the following:
? Factors influencing film adaptations of novels,
? Fundamental considerations in film adaptation of novel.
DATA COLLECTION: Data can be defined as the quantitative or qualitative values
of a variable. Data is plural of Datum which literally means to give or something
given. Data is thought to be the lowest unit of information from which other
measurements and analysis can be done. Data can be numbers, images, words,
figures, facts or ideas. Data in itself cannot be understood and to to get information
from the data one must interpret it into meaningful information. There are various
methods of interpreting data. Data sources are broadly classified into primary
and secondary data.
Importance of Data and Data Collection: Data is one of the most important and vital
aspect of any research studies. Researches conducted in different fields of study can be
different in methodology but every research is based on data which is analyzed and
interpreted to get information.
Data is the basic unit in statistical studies. Statistical information like census, population
variables, health statistics, and road accidents records are all developed from data.
Data is important in computer science. Numbers, images and figures in computer are all
data.
[49]
Types of Data
1. Primary Data: Data that has been collected from first-hand-experience is known as
primary data. Primary data has not been published yet and is more reliable,
authentic and objective. Primary data has not been changed or altered by human
beings; therefore its validity is greater than secondary data.
2. Secondary Data: Data collected from a source that has already been published in
any form is called as secondary data. The review of literature in nay research is
based on secondary data. Mostly from books, journals and periodicals.
THE QUESTIONNAIRE:
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other
prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents.
Structured surveys/ interviews employ the use of a questionnaire. A questionnaire
consists of a set of questions presented to a respondent for answers. The respondents
read the questions, interpret what is expected and then write down the answers
themselves. It is called an Interview Schedule when the researcher asks the questions
and records the respondent‘s reply on the interview schedule because there are many
ways to ask questions, the questionnaire is very flexible. Questionnaire should be
developed and tested carefully before being used on a large scale.
There are three basic types of questionnaire:
? Closed-ended questionnaire: closed ended questions include all possible
answers/prewritten response categories, and respondents are asked to choose
among them.
E.g. multiple choice questions, scale questions
? Type of questions used to generate statistics in quantitative research.
[50]
? As these follows a set format and most responses can be entered easily into a
computer for ease of analysis, greater number can be distributed.
? Open-ended questionnaire: open-ended questions allow respondents to
answer in their own words.
? Questionnaire does not contain boxes to tick but instead leaves a blank
section.
? As there are no standard answers to these questions, data analysis is more
complex.
? Combination of both: this way it is possible to find out how many people use
a service and what they think of the service in the same form.
? Begins with a series of closed-ended questions, with boxes to tick or scales to
rank, and then finish with a section of open-ended questions or more detailed
response.
[51]
QUESTIONNAIRE
Age:
Sex:
Q.1 Do you like to read books or novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) SOMETIMES ( )
Q.2 Did you watch movies inspired by novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) MAYBE ( )
Q.3 Do you find any differences in the story or ideas in these movies?
YES ( ) NO ( ) SOMETIMES ( )
Q.4 Do you like to watch these kinds of movies that have made on the basis of
bestsellers?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.5 Do you find these movies boring or useless after reading a novel on which it is
based?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.6 You prefer to watch movies based on novels or concerning novels itself?
MOVIES ( ) NOVELS ( )
Q.7 Do you find these movies more interesting as compared to concerning novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) SOMETIMES ( )
Q.8 Is it right in your accordance to make movies from novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.9 Do you think film makers should use their creativity in films rather than take help
from novels?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
Q.10 Do you think it will decline the creativity of scriptwriters in film industry?
YES ( ) NO ( ) DEPENDS ( )
[52]
CHAPTER 4
[53]
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
According to the research 78% people say “YES” they like to read books or novels,
13% people say “NO” they have no such fond of reading books or novels and 9%
people say “MAYBE” they like to read books or novels.
Q.1 Do you like to read books or novels?
YES
NO
MAYBE
[54]
According to the research 72% says “YES” they watch these kinds of
movies, 14% says “NO” they didn‘t watch such films and 14% says they
“MAYBE” watch.
Q.2 Did you watch movies inspired by novels?
YES
NO
MAYBE
[55]
According to the research 36% people says “YES” they find differences in
the story or ideas in these movies, 8% says “NO” they doesn‘t find any
differences and 56% people says they “SOMETIMES” find any differences.
Q.3 Do you find any differences in the story or ideas
in these movies?
YES
NO
SOMETIMES
[56]
According to the research 50% people says “YES” they like to watch these
kinds of movies, 13% says “NO” they doesn‘t like to watch these kinds of
movies and 37% says “DEPENDS” upon the story and overall execution of
the movies.
Q.4 Do you like to watch these kinds of movies that
have made on the basis of bestseller?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[57]
According to the research 15% people says “YES” they find these movies
boring after reading a novel on which it is based, 26% people says “NO”
they doesn‘t find these movies boring after reading a novel on which it is
based and 59% people‘s thinking “DEPENDS” on the quality of the movie
in terms of storyline and good execution.
Q.5 Do you find these movies boring or useless after
reading a novel on which it is based?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[58]
According to the research 65% people like to watch “MOVIES” rather than
concerning novels and 35% people like to read “NOVELS”.
Q.6 You prefer to watch movies based on novels or
concerning novels itself?
MOVIES
NOVELS
[59]
According to the research 30% people says “YES” they find these movies
more interesting, 19% people says “NO” they doesn‘t find novels more
interesting and 51% people says they “SOMETIMES” find movies more
interesting.
Q.7 Do you find these movies more interesting as
compared to concerning novels?
YES
NO
SOMETIMES
[60]
According to the research 51% people says “YES” they think it‘s right to
make movies from novels, 10% people says “NO” they think it‘s not right to
make movies from novels and 39% people think it‘s “DEPENDS” on the
movies.
Q.8 Is it right in your accordance to make movies
from novels?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[61]
According to the research 62% people says ?YES” filmmakers should use
their creativity, 9% people says “NO” they do not think that filmmakers
should use their creativity and 29% people think it “DEPENDS” on films
and it‘s production.
Q.9 Do you think filmakers should use their
creativity in films rather than take help from novels?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[62]
According to the research 55% people says “YES” it will decline the
creativity of scriptwriter‘s, 17% people says “NO” that it will decline
scriptwriter‘s creativity in movies and 28% people think it “DEPENDS” on
the movies and it‘s stories.
Q.10 Do you think it will decline the creativity of
scrpitwriters in the film industry?
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[63]
CHAPTER 5
[64]
HYPOTHESES TESTING
HYPOTHESES 1
50% people find changes in the movies as compared to the concerning novel but
inspiration can easily be noticeable for them.
RESULT
? The researcher thought that 50% people would find changes in the movies as
compared to the concerning novel but inspiration can easily be noticeable for
them.
? The first hypotheses was proved partially right as not all person find changes in
the movies as compared to the concerning novel.
? Only 36% people could find changes in the movies as compared to the concerning
novel but inspiration can easily be noticeable for them.
YES
NO
SOMETIMES
[65]
HYPOTHESES 2
60% people want new ideas, interesting storyline with good execution of the ideas in the
movies. They can even accept movies inspired by novel if the movie, its story and
execution is good.
RESULT
? The researcher thought that the 60% people would want new ideas, interesting
storyline with good execution of the ideas in the movies. They can even accept
movies inspired by novel if the movie, its story and execution is good.
? The second hypotheses were proved completely right.
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[66]
HYPOTHESES 3
Although 50% people have no problem with these kind of movies if it is executed good
but it is somewhat depends on director‘s, editor‘s and cameramen‘s part but scriptwriter‘s
creativity will decline if they use novel‘s stories they should use their own innovative
ideas to serve something new to the audience.
RESULT
? The researcher thought 50% people would have no problem with these kind of
movies if it is executed good but it is somewhat depends on director‘s, editor‘s and
cameramen‘s part but scriptwriter‘s creativity will decline if they use novel‘s
stories they should use their own innovative ideas to serve something new to the
audience.
? The third hypotheses were proved completely right.
YES
NO
DEPENDS
[67]
CHAPTER 6
[68]
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
In this study entitled ?Critical analysis of movies inspired by novels? the researchers
aimed to prepare instructional materials regarding the fundamental considerations on
adapting a novel to a film. Specifically, the researchers intended to achieve the following
objectives:
? To know do people find any changes in the movies as compared to novels on
which it is based.
? To find do people really wants the movies inspired by novels.
? To know do people think that it will decline film scriptwriter‘s creativity to take
ideas from novels.
The research design that was used in this study is the descriptive research method
wherein the questionnaire method has used. The research findings are the following:
1. Not all novels are adaptable to films, which is affected by the commercial
considerations of the filmmaker/producer and the cinematic potential of the novel
or the writing style of the novelist.
2. The audience creates problems in their own enjoyment of watching an adapted
movie due to their preconceived images and expectations from what they read in
the original novel. And sometimes they enjoy these movies too if they get new
idea and good execution of the stories.
3. Changes occur in transforming a novel to a film due to changes in creative talents
(novelist, screenwriter, director, and producer) or changes in medium (novel and
film).
4. A screenwriter takes several things into consideration in adapting a novel to a film
such as length, depth, point of view, time, and use of inner view of the characters
in the novel.
5. It is difficult to adapt a novel to a film since there are many things to consider in
the process of adaptation.
[69]
6. In adapting a novel to film, the screenwriter must not aim to duplicate literally the
original novel because it is impossible, instead of doing that the screenwriter
should focus on getting the ?spirit? of the novel as the basis of the new story in
the film version.
7. Knowledge in the film adaptation is not only necessary on films professional and
film student, but also to film enthusiasts since it will help them to understand and
appreciate the adapted movie.
[70]
CHAPTER 7
[71]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
?http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/05/jun/13novel.asp
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_(film)
?http://mubi.com/lists/literature-in-indian-cinema
?http://entertainment.oneindia.in/topic/bollywood-movies-based-on-books
?http://www.asjournal.org/168.html
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_based_on_books
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_based_on_Indian_novels
?http://themovieblog.com/2008/the-movie-blogs-top-100-movies-based-on-books/
?http://www.yreach.com/hyderabad/news/entertainment/gallery/indian-movies-
based-on-famous-books.html
?http://www.asjournal.org/168.html
?http://www.scribd.com/doc/94511347/Seminar-Materials-on-Film-Adaptation
?http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_leedy_practical_8/0,9599,1569572-,00.html
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodology
?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questionnaire
?http://gulnazahmad.hubpages.com/hub/-Primary-and-Secondary-Data
[72]
ANNEXURES
doc_839464048.docx