A good deal of consternation is expressed by the way that Agatha Christie's novels are brought to the small and silver screens. For some, only a faithful and exact replication is acceptable, while for others even the shadow of the published novel is sufficient.
Here, we make distinctions between three forms:
The Dramatization. This is a completely faithful rendering of the characters, events, settings, and themes present in the book. For some, this is the only worthy exercise and all others are mere shadows.
The challenge here is that in order to meet the constraints of a 90 minute film, not everything can be included that was present in a 300 page novel. Certain compromises are always required, including dropping certain characters, or at least the backstory of those characters. Often, entire scenes must be left out for the sake of time. At heart, however, the fundamental story is present and left unchanged.
The Adaptation. This gives the screenwriter far more opportunities to alter the basic components of the story. While the outline of the story may remain intact, the film can entirely change characters, and merge several into one. It may modify names, motivations, and may even go so far as to change the identity of the murderer.
This approach offers a distinct advantage: adaptations are often better told than a faithful dramatization of the same story. The dramatization may become bogged down in including every detail, while the adaptation maintains a brisk pace. At the same time, the adaptation may add complexity to the narrative, providing a more direct connection between the murderer and victim, or between the murderer and the past.
An adaptation can bring with it the possibility of a surprise for the viewer, who may already be familiar with the book. It can highlight elements or connections that transforms the nature of the characters and their interactions. For example, what if two functionally similar characters were actually the same character? What if the two rivals knew each other from before during their time in the army? What if this young man and that older woman were actually mother and son? Once the writer establishes that connection, all other relationships can also be re-examined.
The argument is that rather than improving upon Christie's story, this version offers a different interpretation. Again, it is not aimed at improving the original, but rather at presenting a slightly different twist, a different version, of the story on the screen. The work is not replacing the original, but adding to the existing library.
The Homage. Some stories diverge so significantly from their nominal source material that they are functionally entirely new works. While they may share similar characters or even use the same names, their motivations, themes, and plot may be completely original, even extending to the title itself.
For example, the setting might shift dramatically from a lonely house on the moor to a high-rise apartment on the 30th floor with a broken elevator. Such transformations are familiar to any theatergoer watching a modern adaptation of Shakespeare.
When comparing an original Agatha Christie novel to a modern film adaptation, one might find only the faintest similarities, yet the new work should still adhere to Christie's conventions and assumptions. When this happens in the context of Sherlock Holmes stories, it is referred to as a pastiche. The benefit of this approach is that it allows the possibility for new Agatha Christie-inspired stories to enter the library, if not the canon, of golden age mysteries. Being guided by the master storyteller that Christie was can bring a satisfying structure to works that might otherwise be unremarkable.
No comments:
Post a Comment