In the past century, many classic books, short stories, and novella have been adapted into on-screen versions. This is because some people may find that watching a story unfold in front of their eyes more enticing than reading from a book. Others enjoy being able to see and compare a story they may have read come to life on screen. Since there are so many aspects that have to be altered in order to make the movie appeal to the audience, the faithfulness, or lack of, to the original work can cause readers to dislike the cinematic version. However, a true work of fidelity is unreachable because “it sets up an unreliable standard for evaluation” (pg. Naremore). Films and the stories they are derived from cannot be compared because of how different …show more content…
the two works are. Furthermore, sometimes the changes implemented can make the film adaptation more riveting than its original story counterpart. The main change that can usually cause controversy with the audience is a change in a character and their disposition. One short story that has been adapted numerous times is A Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This short story focuses on a lanky school-master named Ichabod Crane who is currently residing in a village called Sleepy Hollow in the 18th century. This somnolent village is known to have a bewitching effect on all of its inhabitants, causing all of them, especially Ichabod, to be more inclined to believe in the supernatural. Ichabod disappears one night and was supposedly captured by one of the apprations called the Headless Horseman who roamed the town. The cinematic complement of this short story was adapted by gothic movie director Tim Burton. There are similar distinctions in each of the works such as in the characters’ names and the setting, but each story unfolds diversely. In the movie version, Ichabod needs to investigate the various murders orchestrated by “The Headless Horseman.” The changes were mainly made in order to make the original plot align with Tim Burton’s style of gothic romanticism, his preferred genre. He once said “monster movies are my form of myth, of fairy tail,” so he is partial to having supernatural elements be the main focus in his films, as seen in Sleepy Hollow. (Tim burton.COVER STORY) The main alteration that was made by Burton was in the character of Ichabod Crane and his development throughout the story. The most obvious and significant change in Ichabod is the difference in the occupations. Irving’s version of this character was the renowned schoolmaster of the town of Sleepy Hollow, and he was oftentimes fawned over for being an intellectual for he was “a man of letters” (pg. 11). Since he was the only schoolteacher in the town, he was given a large amount of respect. In the 1999 adaptation, Ichabod Crane was a constable for the New York City Police Department. Since he was a police officer who was greatly influenced by science, the world in 1799 didn’t give him the respect he deserved. In that time, science was not as crucial a subject compared to literature. This impacted Crane’s story because he was then regarded as foolish by the both the townspeople and the officer who had deployed him, thus leaving him by himself, to solve the mystery. Another discrepancy this causes is that it alters the way Ichabod views the world. As a schoolteacher, he is more controlled by emotion, which can be shown when he wholeheartedly believes the tales told to him. Although a schoolteacher needs to believe in reason, they can also choose to believe in the supernatural since their job doesn’t restrict them from doing so. However, Constable Crane needed to be more logical and reasonable, using his knowledge in science to approach his problems. Being a police officer predominantly relies on to the person’s ability to distinguish between the truth and the fake, or reality and the supernatural. When he first hears of the murders, he believes that there “There are no witches, or galloping ghosts either” (pg. IDK) since it does not make sense scientifically. As a result, his skepticism in the supernatural causes Crane to later go through a character development where he has to overcome his inner turmoil, one that the original Crane did not go through. This makes his character have more of a personality, which allows the audience to relate with him more. The change in Ichabod's occupation may have been because reason for the change in occupations was due to the difference in styles and views of the short story by the creators of the novel version and the movie version. Ichabod being a schoolteacher fit the story Irving was attempting to tell, whereas in Burton’s gothic movie, he needed a character who would have a reason to investigate the murders being orchestrated by The Headless Horseman. Sleepy Hollow shows that it strays from the short story again with the character Ichabod and his personality.
Irving’s version of Ichabod depicts him as a stereotypical archetype similar to that of “the city slicker.” (pg. Greg slickre.) He is both self-assured and educated, which causes him to feel like he is superior to the townspeople. It is also shown that his main goal in life is only self-advancement. His greediness and discontent in his social position causes him to pursue a spot in a more upper class family, the Van Tassels. Additionally, Ichabod can be considered suggestible because of his steadfast belief in the supernatural and ghosts. However, by the end of the story, the main character is not considered the hero since the Headless Horseman got him. In the movie, Ichabod is almost the complete opposite. Although he is intellectually superior to the townspeople with his aptitude in science, he doesn’t consider himself worthier than the others. His belief in the supernatural also differs since he shows that he believes more in what can be proven. This is due to the fact that his backstory and his mother’s murder goes into more depth, whereas the original character has no story or personality. Furthermore, Ichabod in the cinematic version goes through a character development when he goes through a self-exploration. Originally, Ichabod does not believe in the supernatural, but as the story goes in his view of the world changes. Moreover, Ichabod Crane can be …show more content…
considered the true hero of this version because even though he thought he doesn't exhibit traits of a traditional masculine hero, he is the one saves the town. All of these differences allow the audience to connect with his character more. As said by ..., “Burton’s real rebellion lies in perceiving Ichabod Crane not as an awkward weirdo but as an identification figure.” Ultimately, Ichabod in the movie is more intriguing to the audience because he has an established history and a more intricate personality. Ichabod’s relationship in the film can also be contrasted.
In both the screenplay and the short story, Ichabod Crane’s main love interest is Katrina Van Tassel. However, how they met and chose to pursue the damsel differed. In the novel, Ichabod was spurred to pursue Katrina because of her family’s high social standing and immense wealth. The thought that he could rise up in high place in the world entices him. As ..... said, “Romantic desire for him is inextricable from economic desire.” Despite his longing for Katrina, she chooses another man, Brom Jones, over him. Ichabod in film slowly begins to fall in love with her as a person and not because of how wealthy he could become if he married her. By the end of the movie, Katrina has fallen in love with him too, and after solving the mystery that haunted Sleepy Hollow, the pair presumably got married. They went through a lot tonight, and despite her original disinterest, she stays by his side the rest of the movie. In this version, Ichabod’s love for her is built on true attraction and compassion, whereas Ichabod in Irving’s version wants her only for her affluence and prosperity in society. Morver, his relationship with Katrina spurs him to delve more into his emotions and begin believing in the things science can’t explain. He is able to discover more of himself with the help of someone who understands him, so he becomes more alert and in tune with the world. This change in the relationship dynamic with him and Katrina
gives Ichabod more feelings, ones that the Ichabod in the story didn’t have. This fits Burton’s style because he is Drawn to "characters who are going through something" and able to perceive the humor embedded in tragic situations” and he “ avoids the stale predictability of many Hollywood productions”, thus making the characters more relatable and engrossing. Ultimately, he is able to see what really matters in the world and is not materialistic or snobby like the short story version.
Many novels are transcribed from their original texts to films. Some of the movies are similar to the original plots, others do not follow the authors work. Alice Hoffman’s novel Practical Magic is altered when it is made into a movie; and Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible which was also made into a movie, was extremely similar to his original writing. There are multiple variables that account for how a movie is made some of them include; the amount of income, how much can be changed, and the author’s approval. The two recreations previously mentioned, have two completely different outcomes, the results all depend on the amount of creative licensing the movie company has.
In the story, Irving used characterization to create the backstory, characters, and character’s personalities. Irving used direct characterization, so he could describe each character in the beginning of the story. The main character is Ichabod Crane was pictured as a school teacher, love interest of Katherina Van Tassel, and newcomer of Sleepy Hollow. Few people did not like the fact Crane wanted Van Tassel’s hand in marriage because of his position in society. In the story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Crane was described as a simple person with no beautiful features and not the type of man that a woman like Katherina
Many time in our lives, we have seen the transformation of novels into movies. Some of them are equal to the novel, few are superior, and most are inferior. Why is this? Why is it that a story that was surely to be one of the best written stories ever, could turn out to be Hollywood flops? One reason is that in many transformations, the main characters are changed, some the way they look, others the way they act. On top of this, scenes are cut out and plot is even changed. In this essay, I will discuss some of the changes made to the characters of the Maltese Falcon as they make their transformation to the ?big screen.?
Have you ever watched a movie and been dissatisfied, because it was not similar to its book? There are multiple movies that seem as if they are their own story, for they don't resemble their book at all. For example, “The Pit and the Pendulum.” by Edgar Allen Poe. He, himself would not approve of the film that follows his story. For one thing, the storyline was no where near to being like his book. Another reasoning is that he wrote based of one man not multiple people. And finally, he wouldn’t of approved of the art on the walls in the room with the pit and pendulum. These are the reasonings of why Poe would not appreciate the film.
The original story by Washington Irving starts out in a small town of Sleepy Hollow. Irving paints an image of bountiful crops, beautiful scenery, and prosperous landowners. Ichabod Crane was a local pedagogue, who taught at the local schoolhouse. He was known for his strict ways and yet he was very popular amongst the families of his students- especially the ones who had ?pretty sisters.? Ichabod enjoyed spending fall evenings with the old widows as they sat by a fire and told stories of ghosts and demons and other supernatural beings. One story that was always told was one of the legendary Headless Horsemen. The tale tells of a soldier who had his head shot off with a cannon ball. His ghost now roamed Sleepy Hollow on his horse, looking for his lost head. In place of his head, sits a jack-o-lantern, which had a fiery glow.
A noticeable difference in the way movies have changed over the years is evident when comparing and contrasting two films of different eras which belong to the same genre and contain the same subject matter. Two vampire movies, Dracula and Bram Stoker's Dracula, present an interesting example of this type of study.
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
Whenever books are adapted for film, changes inevitably have to be made. The medium of film offers several advantages and disadvantages over the book: it is not as adept at exploring the inner workings of people - it cannot explore their minds so easily; however, the added visual and audio capabilities of film open whole new areas of the imagination which, in the hands of a competent writer-director, can more than compensate.
Films of this era are criticized for substituting violence and special effects for "substance". Many believe that creating a movie script is a juvenile form of writing, a shrub to the oak of a novel. Upon reading both the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and viewing the film produced by Roland Joffe, one notices the tremendous effort put into both. This essay will explore the many differences and similarities between the book and movie.
At this point, the readers create their own movie in a way. They will determine important aspects of how the character speaks, looks like, and reacts. Whereas, in the movie, the reader has no choice but to follow the plot laid out in front of them. No longer can they picture the characters in their own way or come up with their different portrayals. The fate of the story, while still unpredictable, was highly influenced by the way the characters looked, spoke, and presented themselves on screen.
Although at times it is easy to get carried away with the adventure of a story, noticing the elements a writer has put into his work is very important. In reading “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” you can see both similarities as well as differences of how both Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving chose to illuminate their romantic writing styles. The writers both use a mystical woodsy setting with supernatural twists to draw in readers. Underlying you will find the differing romantic themes each writer used, as well as how each writer chose to end their work.
Although the titles of the two works are relatively similar, the plot of each is different. If the film does not include the character, Ichabod Crane, and the reference to a Headless Horseman, the film would have no resemblance to Irving’s story. The difference in structure of plot in the two works changes the entire story. Every facet of the story is different between the two. The exposition offers the audience different stories because Ichabod has a new profession in the movie. The conflict in the two w...
As humans, we make up stories to entertain ourselves. For hundreds of years these stories were written down in books, but with the advent of new technologies, these stories can now be expressed with film. Books and films both tell a story, but a movie can express the story in a very different way. With camera movements, lighting, and score, filmmakers have a wider range of tools to use than authors. When a book is made into a film, it keeps some elements from the original and undergoes changes, in addition to being expressed further with film techniques.
Have you ever compared a movie to a story and found that there are many similarities and differences? Short story writers such as Washington Irving, Katherine Anne Potter, and Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote modern and contemporary pieces of literature that have many examples of literary components that are similar and different. When analyzing the literary components of the short stories, you are able to compare and contrast the setting, plot, and characters from the movie and the story.
Adaptation of any kind has been a debate for many years. The debate on cinematic adaptations of literary works was for many years dominated by the questions of fidelity to the source and by the tendencies to prioritize the literary originals over their film versions (Whelehan, 2006). In the transference of a story from one form to another, there is the basic question of adherence to the source, of what can be lost (Stibetiu, 2001). There is also the question of what the filmmakers are being faithful to or is it the novel’s plot in every detail or the spirit of the original (Smith, 2016). These are only few query on the issue of fidelity in the film adaptation.