film theory and criticism - Concepts in film theory by dudley Andrew

Film Theory and Criticism
Edited by Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen

Reference-Oxford University press:

“Since publication of the first edition in 1974, Film Theory and Criticism has been the most widely used and cited anthology of critical writings about film. Extensively revised and updated, this sixth edition highlights both classic texts and cutting edge essays from more than a century of thought and writing about the movies. Editors Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen have reformulated the book's sections and their introductions in order to lead students into a rich understanding of what the movies have accomplished, both as individual works and as contributions to what has been called "the art form of the twentieth [and now twenty-first] century." Building upon the wide range of selections and the extensive historical coverage that marked previous editions, this new compilation stretches from the earliest attempts to define the cinema to the most recent efforts to place film in the contexts of psychology, sociology, and philosophy, and to explore issues of gender and race. The sixth edition features several new essays that discuss the impact of digital technology on the traditional conceptions of what films do and how they manage to do it. Additional selections from the important works of Gilles Deleuze round out sections dealing with the theories of such writers as Sergei Eisenstein, Andre Bazin, and Christian Metz, among others. New essays also strengthen sections dealing with the idea of "excess" in film, film spectatorship, the horror genre, and feminist criticism. Film Theory and Criticism, 6/e, is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in film theory and criticism.”

Chapter on Adaptation by Dudley Andrew from his book Concepts in Film Theory
Published by Oxford University Press US, 1984
239 pages

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“Concepts in Film Theory concentrates on the major areas of debate rather than on individual figures. Andrew provides lucid explanations of theories which involve perceptual psychology and structuralism; semiotics and psychoanalysis; hermeneutics and genre study.”

Adaptation

As the word itself says, film making is all about the process of making a film from a story that you have, or a story borrowed by somebody else. A film maker is in charge of the screenplay, shooting, editing and distribution and even direction of the work.
Andrew explains that it's rare for a book-to-film adaptation to actually be a clone of the original work, let alone better. The adaptation process involves a relationship between the original work and the adapted version. “Various artistic signs with a given shape and value contribute to the finished meaning of the work.”
By the time other issues come into effect such special-effects, budgets, actors, the editor afraid of deviating from formula, and film making teams eager to put their own imprints on a project have all had their way with a story, the qualities that made the original work unique have often been leeched out.

Borrowing, Intersecting and Transforming

Andrews explains that Borrowing, Intersecting and Transforming Sources all play a role in the adaptation.

‘Borrowing’ he describes as the “most frequent but vast and airy mode” of adaptation and seeks to gain a respectability and or “aesthetic value” by replicating an already recognized piece of work for example Strauss’s Don Quixote or an adaptation of piece by Shakespeare or a film about Beethoven for example.

‘Intersecting’ Andrews describes as a mode that intentionally leaves the original work “unassimilated” in adaptation and the viewer is presented with a “refraction” of the original. This form of adaption allows the film to be “the novel as seen by cinema”. Examples given include Bresson’s Joan of Arc and Straub’s film Corneille’s Othon and the Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach. Intersecting is described as a mode that “refutes the commonplace” that adaptations support only conservative film aesthetics.

‘Transformation’ is described as the “most frequent and tiresome discussion of adaptation as it concerns fidelity”. The “letter” and “spirit” of the text render an interpretation. Tone, values, imagery and rhythm are used to maintain fidelity to the original piece of work. For example using a blues/sad song to create atmosphere in a scene and stir the viewer’s emotions. Similarly color psychology can be used to stimulate emotion and adding to the viewers experience in an attempt to maintain fidelity.

Dudly Andrews concludes in this chapter that “it is time for adaptation studies to take a social turn”. He questions the conditions that exist in film style and culture “to warrant the use of literary prototypes”. “Stylistic strategies and dynamics of exchange” are discussed as issues that need to be addressed. He suggests “we need to study the films themselves as acts of disclosure and be sensitive to that disclosure and the forces that motivate it.”

Maybe one way to go about making a film that more than lives up to its inspiration: would be to start with a book that isn't all that great to begin with, like Mario Puzo's pulpy, florid novel The Godfather. One of Hollywood’s greatest critical and commercial successes. Then add evocative direction, iconic performances, and memorable music. People will still read the book, but the film version is the one they'll remember.