Unusual Film Adaptations of Literature

Movies have always taken inspiration from novels. Most film adaptations try to stay true to the book while making necessary adjustments for the film medium. These writers turned the stories inside-out and upside-down. Taking themes, characters, and sometimes basic structure from the original literature, they rewrote the stories to make unusual movies.

Adaptation (2002)
Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich") writes strange and witty screenplays. Susan Orlean, staff writer for "The New Yorker" wrote an introspective, meandering book exploring obsession, The Orchid Thief. It started as interviews with a man who searches for and collects rare orchids. Kaufman accepted the challenge to write the film adaptation of this non-linear, non-narrative literature. He started by adding himself in as a character along with his invented twin brother as an alter ego. The result is a surprising philosophical comedy. It is uneven and perhaps looses its way in the end. Even so, it is a fascinating and unusual film.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990)
Writer Tom Stoppard ("Brazil", "Shakespeare in Love") decided to retell Shakespeare's "Hamlet" through the eyes of the least significant characters. This film adaptation is the result. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Hamlet's friends from school. The king summons them to come and talk to Hamlet and find out what is bothering him. He uses them as pawns to get information and to unknowingly deliver a message ordering Hamlet's execution. This movie is an absurdist, dreamlike reinvention of Shakespeare's tragedy. Very black comedy indeed. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth play the bumbling pair perfectly as they try to grasp the rules of the game they find themselves in. Watch as the childlike and inquisitive Rosencrantz (Gary Oldman) discovers gravity, displacement of mass and other physical laws without quite understanding what they mean. This movie is easier to follow and more enjoyable if you know the plot of the original play well. If it has been a while, read a synopsis of the story of the melancholy Danish prince.

Bride and Prejudice (2004)
Jane Austen goes to Bollywood. This unusual film adaptation of her novel Pride and Prejudice adds color as well as the twist of interracial romance to the Victorian comedy of manners. Paul Mayeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha wrote the screenplay. Set in present-day India, there are several musical production numbers which are a signature of Bollywood movies. Aishwarya Rai is pretty and charming as Lalita Bakshi, the main character. Martin Henderson is blah as Mr. Darcy. Naveen Andrews from the TV show "Lost" is Balraj Bingley, one of Lalita's sister's suitors. Nitin Ganatra is hilarious as Mr. Kohli, the ridiculous cousin who is searching for a wife and seeks to make an arrangement with Lalita. Most plot elements of the book transfer seamlessly in this exuberant movie.

Carmen Jones (1954)
This is a film adaptation of Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen", a tale of tragic jealousy based on the book of the same name by Prosper Merimee. Instead of Spain, this movie is set in the African American community and updated to the 50's. Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the book of lyrics. Harry Kleiner wrote the screenplay. Harry Belafonte plays Joe, a soldier that Carmen Jones (Dorothy Dandridge) seduces into running away together to Chicago. Of course we know things won't go well. The arias have the same melodies and the music has an operatic flavor. Pearl Bailey sings "Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum" based on "Gypsy Song" from the original. This Chicago night club scene is a highlight of the film. Beautiful Dorothy Dandridge is a spirited Carmen and dances well. The story is universal and nothing is lost in translation to a different culture and time.

Old stories become new again. Each of these movies takes an unusual approach to the source material and succeeds. There will always be a link between books and movies. They can compliment each other. Film adaptations can broaden our understanding and enjoyment of familiar literature.