Stardust Book Vs Movie Analysis

In the book Stardust, by Neil Gailman, Tristran travels outside of wall to find a star that had fallen from the sky to give to his Heart’s Desire. In addition, the book was recreated in a movie format for the enjoyment of the general public. However, there are several differences between the book version of Stardust and the movie version of Stardust. It is clear that the movie version of Stardust does not exactly depict the book version of Stardust.

One of the main differences involves the main character, Tristran. In the movie, Tristran’s name is changed to “Tristan”. This appears to have been done for simplicity reasons, as one could easily mistake “Tristan” for “Tristran”. It may have also been changed so that the actors don’t mispronounce

their lines as much, causing delay in the production of the movie, which ultimately results in wasted time. The changing of the character name does detract from the book it simplifies the character so that it is easier for the viewer to identify Tristran.
Another change involves the candle that Tristran’s mother left with him when his mother gave him up. In the movie, his father is seen giving the candle to Tristran and lighting it, at which point the candle “teleports” Tristran away. Moments later, he is seen standing in the ravine in which the star landed. However, in the book, “the candlelight illuminated the world…with Tristran’s next step he was standing beside a lake…then he was walking through the mountains” (Gailman 101). Again, the movie deviates from the book, however this was strictly for comedy purposes, not to make information for the viewer clearer.
Other points include the addition of a new character to the movie, Captain Shakespeare (who is apparently gay, evident in the fight scene on the air-ship), an in-depth visualization of Tristran’s and the Star’s time on the ship (which includes Tristran faked being thrown off the air-ship by the captain), the Star speaking with Tristran in a romantic way after he is turned into a dormouse, and Tristran’s encounter with the Wall guard. In the book, Captain Johannes Alberic is the captain of the ship, who rescues Tristran and the Star from the clouds, while Captain Shakespeare ties them up in the ship’s hold and questions them on why they are in the clouds in the first place. The journey on the air-ship was dramatized from the book, where Tristran and the star are treated with luxury and Tristran receives lessons from the Captain on fighting. In the book, however, none of this takes place, and while the Captain in the book is more friendly than Shakespeare, he still provides them a ride towards Wall and treatment for their injuries.
A movie doesn’t have to be an exact recreation of a novel. If the writer of the movie tries to replicate what the book mentions word-for-word, it could potentially make the movie boring for the average viewer. Some changes are necessary in order to create a more dramatic and entertaining movie. However, on the flipside, some changes may upset viewers that like book-to-movie recreations to be as accurate as possible. Overall, the creators of the movie version of Stardust did an excellent job at creating a movie that, while slightly differing from the original version of the book, still portrays the book in a entertaining way to the viewer.