高中英语课件7开课名师-郭贝老师From Page to Screen文本.pdfVIP

FromPagetoScreen

byJamesHope(Artsjournalist)

Readingabookandwatchingafilmaretwoverydifferentexperiences,butit’snormalto

havehighexpectationswhenafilmofafavouritebookismade.TherearemanytimesIhavebeen

pessimisticorevendisappointedbyafilmofabookIlove.Althoughhighlyregardedbooksdo

notalwaysmakegoodfilms,itissafetosaythatgreatfilmsmaybemadefromnotparticularly

goodbooks.(TheGodfatherimmediatelyspringstomind.)

Thesourcematerialforafilmmaybetakenfromclassicnovels,shortstories,comicbooks

andstageplays,aswellasnon-fictionsuchasbiographiesandautobiographies,eventhosewritten

byghostwriters.Allcanworkwell,butwhydomanyadaptationsandindeedremakesfailwith

bothcinemaaudiencesandcritics?Andwhydosomeadaptationsgetlowerratingsthanothers?

Akeyquestionisobviouslyhowclosetotheoriginalthefilmis.Sinceatypicalfilmisonly

aroundtwohourslong,itbecomesaquestionforscreenwriterstodecidewhatisappropriatefor

thescreenandwhattoleaveout.Screenwriterstakecreativelibertyandsometimestheremaybe

changestotheplot,additions,andevendifferentendingstopleaseproducers,directorsandtest

audiences.I,likemanypeople,haveoftenleftthecinemafeeling“thefilmisnotlikethebook”.

Anotherproblemareaisthecast.Findingactorsacceptabletofilmaudiencescanmeanthe

differencebetweensuccessandfailure.Readersofthebookusetheirimaginationstovisualise

charactersandhaveverydefiniteideasabouthowcharactersshouldlookandsound.Thisiswhere

Ithinkmanyfilmadaptationsfalldown.

Somebooksarejusttoodifficulttobeadaptedfortechnicalreasons,althoughfilmslikeThe

LifeofPiarechangingthisidea.CGI(ComputerGeneratedImage)technologyhashadahuge

impactonthefilmindustry.Itallowedthepre