The Orchid Thief Essay

1181 Words3 Pages

Being loyal is a trait to be coveted in nearly every instance except when adapting a book to film. In the case of film adaptations, remaining faithful and loyal to the original work is a burden and not something that should be revered. Remaining completely faithful to an original source defeats the purpose of a film adaptation entirely. Doing so only inhibits the screenwriters own sense of credible artistic interpretation. Merely recreating a book in the form of a film is not something that should be put on a pedestal and should be considered an artistic cop out. Quality adaptation rests in the screenwriter molding parts of the original work to fit their own interpretation on what has taken place in the book. However, while I believe …show more content…

While it may be true that one could derive some sense of pleasure from the ordinary storyline and obscure themes in The Orchid Thief, when it is all said and done, the book leaves you feeling deprived of entertainment. I know that I found myself asking ‘What was that for?’ upon finishing the text. I did not dislike what I had just read; I just didn’t know why it was written in the first place. The movie, on the other hand, left me rather satisfied in terms of being entertained. One scene in particular that galvanized entertainment in the film was the ending. I would have never guessed that Laroche ends up being alligator supper or that Donald dies in a car crash. Both of these events were unexpected and shocking, and tremendously influenced how I thought about the film. Kaufman took a leap of faith with these ‘wow factor’ death scenes and I think it paid off, as it left me satisfied. I appreciate that he had the guts to incorporate these scenes in order to surprise the audience. Also, the fact that Charlie ends up dating Amelia was another aspect of the ending which contributed to the robust entertainment when compared to the book. In a sense, the entertainment factor is what Kaufman gained by taking liberties with the adaptation of The Orchid Thief. He changed what he deemed necessary and the result was a work that, in terms of entertainment, completely surpassed the

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