The Art of Adaptation: From Book to Film
The definition of what is a ‘good’ adaptation or a ‘bad’
adaptation can be considered subjective. People read books for
several reasons and one of them being to entertain and enjoy
the creation of another imaginary world, but, at the same time
disagree with each other over a single visual adaptation. This
must be understood when defining adaptations.
The definition of beauty is
defined as being subjective by Virginia Woolf.
The English writer, Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) once wrote an
essay titled The Cinema 1, in which she argued that the cinema
has limitations of accurately displaying descriptive images that
parallel the original words on the page of a book. The strength
of words on paper is highly emphasised as making the most
impact upon a reader, without the need or addition of a
cinematic portrayal;
‘Even the simplest image such as “My luve’s like a red, red rose,
that’s newly sprung in June” presents us with moisture and
, warmth and the glow of crimson and the softness of petals
inextricably mixed and strung upon the lilt of a rhythm which
suggests the emotional tenderness of love. All this which is
accessible to words and to words alone, the cinema must avoid.’
This imagery of the ‘red rose’ is Woolf’s version of beauty.
This rich imagery of a warm rose differs from person to
person, yet, the only person in control of this portrayal in the
cinematic world is the director of the film. Audiences are
shown a portrayal of the director’s ideal depiction of this
warm rose, leading to the directors version of ‘beauty’, hence,
possibly slipping under what fans call a ‘bad adaptation’. Does
this then suggest that there is a limitation to what cinema and
film can do in relation to producing an ideal, parallel
adaptation to what the fans imagine?
Aesthetics of film production include animation, speed,
technology and other mechanical elements, which are used to
enhance the words on a page. Therefore, credibility must be
given to the director’s choice of generating scenes, whilst
agreeing on cast members, style of music and other aesthetics
used to produce an adaptation. Just as much as books are
viewed in their own entirety, film adaptations are also a piece
of art on their own. For instance, The Twilight saga had been
a hit between 2008 and 2012. The teen drama focuses around a
young, teenage romance, which of course, may be favoured by
some and disliked by others. This can be seen in the general
reviews the film received from the public. However, the key
importance is noticing the parallelism between the books
narrative and the way this has been illustrated in the film. The
narrative in the book had been elevated by the editorial
The definition of what is a ‘good’ adaptation or a ‘bad’
adaptation can be considered subjective. People read books for
several reasons and one of them being to entertain and enjoy
the creation of another imaginary world, but, at the same time
disagree with each other over a single visual adaptation. This
must be understood when defining adaptations.
The definition of beauty is
defined as being subjective by Virginia Woolf.
The English writer, Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) once wrote an
essay titled The Cinema 1, in which she argued that the cinema
has limitations of accurately displaying descriptive images that
parallel the original words on the page of a book. The strength
of words on paper is highly emphasised as making the most
impact upon a reader, without the need or addition of a
cinematic portrayal;
‘Even the simplest image such as “My luve’s like a red, red rose,
that’s newly sprung in June” presents us with moisture and
, warmth and the glow of crimson and the softness of petals
inextricably mixed and strung upon the lilt of a rhythm which
suggests the emotional tenderness of love. All this which is
accessible to words and to words alone, the cinema must avoid.’
This imagery of the ‘red rose’ is Woolf’s version of beauty.
This rich imagery of a warm rose differs from person to
person, yet, the only person in control of this portrayal in the
cinematic world is the director of the film. Audiences are
shown a portrayal of the director’s ideal depiction of this
warm rose, leading to the directors version of ‘beauty’, hence,
possibly slipping under what fans call a ‘bad adaptation’. Does
this then suggest that there is a limitation to what cinema and
film can do in relation to producing an ideal, parallel
adaptation to what the fans imagine?
Aesthetics of film production include animation, speed,
technology and other mechanical elements, which are used to
enhance the words on a page. Therefore, credibility must be
given to the director’s choice of generating scenes, whilst
agreeing on cast members, style of music and other aesthetics
used to produce an adaptation. Just as much as books are
viewed in their own entirety, film adaptations are also a piece
of art on their own. For instance, The Twilight saga had been
a hit between 2008 and 2012. The teen drama focuses around a
young, teenage romance, which of course, may be favoured by
some and disliked by others. This can be seen in the general
reviews the film received from the public. However, the key
importance is noticing the parallelism between the books
narrative and the way this has been illustrated in the film. The
narrative in the book had been elevated by the editorial
