07-30-2008, 03:59 PM
Novels may be altered significantly in adaptation to film without making a bad film. Most people are not aware how austere a film script is compared to narrative prose. Consider these films compared with the novels upon which they were based:
The Godfather
L.A. Confidential
Each was based on a sprawling novel from which vast sequences were excised to create a screenplay. Each film was a masterpiece.
Incidentally, I'm now adapting Flaubert's "Salammbo" for a screenplay. It's a brutal exercise in cutting away extraneous verbiage while keeping the basic story and the stunning visual imagery. That's the art of film adaptation.
The Godfather
L.A. Confidential
Each was based on a sprawling novel from which vast sequences were excised to create a screenplay. Each film was a masterpiece.
Incidentally, I'm now adapting Flaubert's "Salammbo" for a screenplay. It's a brutal exercise in cutting away extraneous verbiage while keeping the basic story and the stunning visual imagery. That's the art of film adaptation.
Pecunia non olet
