As I’ve mentioned before, I teach high school drama. And as part of my Drama classes, I cover classic films. I figure if someone is going to claim to be a “student of the theatre”, then they should at the very least be familiar with the actors and directors and movies that came before. If for no other reason than so they recognize a re-make when they see one and have a frame of reference for it.
Last week we watched the John Huston/Humphrey Bogart classic “The Maltese Falcon”, the film that almost single-handedly invented the private eye movie, based on the book that almost single-handedly invented the mystery novel. The kids enjoyed it (interesting to note that high school students like Bogart-go figure) and we had a good time breaking it down and discussing it. But that’s not what I’m really here to talk about…not really.
You see coincidentally, just as we were beginning our discussion of the film, my next door neighbor gave me a box of old books, one of which was an omnibus edition of old Dashiell Hammett novels, including “The Maltese Falcon”. Since I’d never read the book, I thought it would be fun to read it while we were watching the movie. The amazing thing I discovered as I read and watched almost simultaneously, is that the dialogue in the book and the dialogue in the film are almost exactly the same. They didn’t change anything! These days almost the minute a book gets optioned they start trying to figure out how to expand the story beyond the book, to make it more visual, more of an eye-candy feast for the generation that grew up on MTV and video games. They say the book is always better than the movie…I say this is mainly because the book is a different story than the movie, one with words and depth and complexity, not comic book visuals and change for the sake of change.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are a few changes in “The Maltese Falcon”. A few scenes get flipped around or tacked onto one another to cut down on sets or additional shooting, but the scenes are still there, and that’s truly refreshing, especially for someone who almost never sees the movie without having read the book first.
Now that’s not to say that back in the forties they never changed anything. Another of my favorite Bogey movies is “Key Largo”, which is based on an award-winning play. I ordered a copy of the play once with the intention of producing it on-stage, only to discover once it arrived that the only similarities between the movie and the play were the title, the location, the main character’s first name and not much else. And it’s one of those rare cases where I like the movie better! It’s not only that it’s a different story, it’s a better story. But unfortunately, that’s what seldom happens.
Sometimes changes are a good thing when switching mediums. One of the reasons I believe most films based on Stephen King books don’t turn out very well is that most of what makes them great is the descriptive power of King’s prose; he brings you into his character’s thoughts and motivations in a way that doesn’t translate to the screen. Film-makers like Rob Reiner (Misery, Stand By Me) and Frank Darabont (The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption) understand this about King’s work and have a talent for working around these issues. Others, like the poor fools who made “Lawnmower Man” just rip off King’s title and go off on their own. The one time someone tried to be faithful to a King book, 1984’s “Firestarter” directed by Mark Lester, it turned out poorly; an absolute yawn fest, despite an outstanding cast that included George C. Scott and Martin Sheen and a bravura performance by a young Drew Barrymore. Ironically, the one place they did change from the book, when they changed the newspaper Charlie goes to from Rolling Stone to the New York Times, doesn’t work for precisely the reasons King gave in the book for picking Rolling Stone in the first place.
So what’s the answer? Well, there’s not a blanket answer that will work in every situation, that’s part of the problem. King’s books need to be adjusted for the reasons mentioned above, Neil Gaiman is currently defending the changes in the movie “Coraline” from his original story because so much of the early parts of the book are spent in Coraline’s head and won’t translate visually unless she has the new character of Wybie to talk to. Zack Snyder, on the other hand is working very hard to make his version of “Watchmen” into a visual comic book because the original material is just so perfect the way Alan Moore wrote it and Dave Gibbons drew it.
The truth of it is, movie people change books. It’s a fact of the industry. It’s one of the ways a screenwriter proves that he’s an actual storyteller and not just someone who turns prose into dialogue. And sometimes, like with “The Fellowship of the Ring”, the book is just too damn long! The secret is to change only what is necessary and not just for the sake of change, like they do in many TV adaptations, from “The Dresden Files” to the newly-minted “Legend of the Seeker”, currently running syndication, where I sometimes swear they make changes from the books just to piss fans off. Make sure that you adapt, not re-write and keep in the spirit of what made the book worth making a film of in the first place.
Change is good and should be embraced. Change simply for the sake of change is creative masturbation and will make you go blind (trust me, there have been studies!). I guess the message to Hollywood is to make sure that “your” change doesn’t make “me” change…the channel.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
NOT QUITE 25 OTHER THINGS ABOUT ME...
Are you on Facebook? I am. And one of the things that’s been going around over there for the last couple of weeks now is a chain letter called “25 Things About Me” in which you jot down 25 little known facts about yourself for people to read to get to know you better.
Now when my buddy Earl Newton tagged me with his note, I spent several days agonizing what I’d write and what I’d reveal. I put it down carefully, re-writing some things and rearranging the order until it satisfied my sense of honesty as well as my sense of the dramatic. I posted the thing the other day (feel free to check it out on my Facebook page if you’re able) and immediately began to get notes and comments from friends and acquaintances. Most of them were quite nice and well-intentioned, but I was alarmed at how many folks thought my list was a thinly veiled cry for help. Like I’d ever “thinly veil” anything! What really knocked me off my pins, however, was when my friend Dave Chancellor banged his own list out two hours later (two hours!)…and I liked his list better than mine! Not that I like Dave’s life better than mine, but mainly because Dave’s list was funny and touching whereas I did what I usually do when presented with a opportunity for self-examination, I jumped into the deep end of the navel-gazing pool and got as introspective as was humanly possible.
I guess that’s just me (number 26!). I find it extremely easy to cannibalize my own soul and present it for entertainment purposes, usually with fries and a drink. We’re not going to examine the rationale for that behavior (I’ve gazed at my navel long enough, thanks). Instead, using the Dave Chancellor model, I’ve rewritten my list and since I can’t replace the list I’ve already put out into the world, let’s call this one: Not Quite 25 Other Things About Me. Read on, if you dare:
1. I collected comic books from the time I was 5 until I was thirty and still own over 600 of them.
2. I took piano lessons for two years and the only thing I can play is “Lean On Me”.
3. My first role on-stage was The King of the Calendar in second grade.
4. My imaginary friend is Benjamin Franklin. For years when I had a particularly difficult problem, I would work it out by talking to “Ben”.
5. The original version of the movie “The Omen” scared the living beejeezus out of me.
6. I enjoy reading about American Revolution and Civil War history.
7. My favorite literary character is Robin Hood.
8. I would rather be Batman than Superman.
9. In thirty-five years of being on-stage and almost 100 plays, I have only had two on-stage kisses.
10. I cry at Hallmark commercials.
11. My personal heroes are my dad, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Pretty much in that order.
12. I would vote for Bill Clinton again (watch-THIS is the one I’ll get comments on!)
13. I would rather be Han Solo than James T. Kirk.
14. The only regret I have in life is marrying my third wife.
15. I was once the Vice President of my high school’s Young Republican chapter.
16. I have never smoked a cigarette of ANY KIND in my life.
17. My dad gave me my first beer.
18. Reading “The Lord of the Rings” for the first time when I was fourteen changed my life.
19. I was a Grand National Champion Public Speaker for DECA when I was 17.
20. I saw Elvis in concert the year before he died.
21. I would rather be with Maryann than Ginger, Betty than Veronica and Janet rather than Chrissy (and if you don’t know who those people are, you aren’t old enough to be reading my blog anyway!)
Well, if nothing else I think this list is more fun than the first one. Both lists are true and are 100% affected by the mood I was in when I wrote them. Which I guess illustrates not only how little we know one another and how much less we know ourselves. That’s good to know, but if Dave writes another list and it’s better than mine, I’m liable to get all maudlin and introspective again and you know how painful that can be.
Now when my buddy Earl Newton tagged me with his note, I spent several days agonizing what I’d write and what I’d reveal. I put it down carefully, re-writing some things and rearranging the order until it satisfied my sense of honesty as well as my sense of the dramatic. I posted the thing the other day (feel free to check it out on my Facebook page if you’re able) and immediately began to get notes and comments from friends and acquaintances. Most of them were quite nice and well-intentioned, but I was alarmed at how many folks thought my list was a thinly veiled cry for help. Like I’d ever “thinly veil” anything! What really knocked me off my pins, however, was when my friend Dave Chancellor banged his own list out two hours later (two hours!)…and I liked his list better than mine! Not that I like Dave’s life better than mine, but mainly because Dave’s list was funny and touching whereas I did what I usually do when presented with a opportunity for self-examination, I jumped into the deep end of the navel-gazing pool and got as introspective as was humanly possible.
I guess that’s just me (number 26!). I find it extremely easy to cannibalize my own soul and present it for entertainment purposes, usually with fries and a drink. We’re not going to examine the rationale for that behavior (I’ve gazed at my navel long enough, thanks). Instead, using the Dave Chancellor model, I’ve rewritten my list and since I can’t replace the list I’ve already put out into the world, let’s call this one: Not Quite 25 Other Things About Me. Read on, if you dare:
1. I collected comic books from the time I was 5 until I was thirty and still own over 600 of them.
2. I took piano lessons for two years and the only thing I can play is “Lean On Me”.
3. My first role on-stage was The King of the Calendar in second grade.
4. My imaginary friend is Benjamin Franklin. For years when I had a particularly difficult problem, I would work it out by talking to “Ben”.
5. The original version of the movie “The Omen” scared the living beejeezus out of me.
6. I enjoy reading about American Revolution and Civil War history.
7. My favorite literary character is Robin Hood.
8. I would rather be Batman than Superman.
9. In thirty-five years of being on-stage and almost 100 plays, I have only had two on-stage kisses.
10. I cry at Hallmark commercials.
11. My personal heroes are my dad, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Pretty much in that order.
12. I would vote for Bill Clinton again (watch-THIS is the one I’ll get comments on!)
13. I would rather be Han Solo than James T. Kirk.
14. The only regret I have in life is marrying my third wife.
15. I was once the Vice President of my high school’s Young Republican chapter.
16. I have never smoked a cigarette of ANY KIND in my life.
17. My dad gave me my first beer.
18. Reading “The Lord of the Rings” for the first time when I was fourteen changed my life.
19. I was a Grand National Champion Public Speaker for DECA when I was 17.
20. I saw Elvis in concert the year before he died.
21. I would rather be with Maryann than Ginger, Betty than Veronica and Janet rather than Chrissy (and if you don’t know who those people are, you aren’t old enough to be reading my blog anyway!)
Well, if nothing else I think this list is more fun than the first one. Both lists are true and are 100% affected by the mood I was in when I wrote them. Which I guess illustrates not only how little we know one another and how much less we know ourselves. That’s good to know, but if Dave writes another list and it’s better than mine, I’m liable to get all maudlin and introspective again and you know how painful that can be.
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