UNIT 12. Session 3

 

FROM PAPER TO SCREEN

Look very quickly at the following summaries from famous novels and match them to the picture that represents its movie adaptation. Why have you chosen it. 

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Read the following article about 'The best and worst paper-to-screen adaptations'. Complete questions and write a personal example for each of them. 

The best and the worst movies to be adapted from books

"The Godfather" (1972) is considered an iconic film by many critics.

"The Godfather" is directed by Francis Ford Coppola. 

 Score of adaptation: 98%

Summary: Based on a series of crime novels by Mario Puzo — notably "The Godfather" and "The Sicilian" — the 1972 drama "The Godfather" centers around the powerful Corleone family and their involvement in a mafia battle in the heart of New York City during the aftermath of World War II. 

Often heralded as one of the best dramas of all time, "The Godfather" received praise for the acting prowess of the cast, the direction of Francis Ford Coppola, and the depth of the story. 

"Sense and Sensibility" (1995) smoothly transitioned Jane Austen's words to the silver screen.

Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson appeared in 1995's "Sense and Sensibility." 

Columbia Pictures

 Score of adaptation: 98%

Summary: Based on the novel by Jane Austen, Ang Lee's cinematic adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility" focuses on Elinor (Emma Thompson) and Marianne Dashwood (Kate Winslet) and their attempts to find love and secure wealth for their family following their father's untimely death. 

Film critics praised the 1995 adaptation for retaining the warmth and wit of the original source material while bringing the words to life. 

"To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) was heralded as a coming-of-age classic.

The film has many layers. 

Score of adaptation: 92%

Summary: Robert Mulligan's 1962 adaptation of the Harper Lee novel centers around a racially-charged court case that shakes a community to its core. It's also a coming-of-age tale as it is told through the eyes of a young girl named Scout (Mary Badham). 

Critics celebrated the work for capturing the spirit of Lee's novel while transforming it into a cinematic spectacle that has endured through the decades. 

Critics said the dark humor of "Running With Scissors" (2006) was lost in translation.

Kristin Chenoweth in "Playing With Scissors." 

Score: 31%

Summary: Based on the memoir by Augusten Burroughs, Ryan Murphy's adaptation tracks a fictionalized version of Augusten (Joseph Cross) and his life as he's sent away from his dysfunctional mother to live with her psychiatrist. 

Critics who loved the original novel were let down by the film adaptation, which they felt wholly misunderstood the underlying humor of the book. 

Some critics felt "Gulliver's Travels" (2010) lacked humor and sense.

Jack Black in "Gulliver's Travels." 

Score: 20%

Summary: Based on the beloved early novel by Jonathan Swift, Rob Letterman's "Gulliver's Travels" focuses on a mail clerk named Gulliver (Jack Black) who is sent to the Bermuda Triangle and finds himself washed ashore on an island of minuscule people. 

Derided as lazy in script and execution by a number of critics, the big-screen adaptation of "Gulliver's Travels" failed to capture the charm of the original story. 

Article from newspaper

Graded version of the article here

Why are the adaptations presented so good? Give your opinion on an adaptation you have watched. 

What made that two last adaptations did not succeed? 

Have you ever watch a movie after reading the book and you felt disappointed? Explain.

Now read the following book review and watch its trailer. What could they have changed in the adaptation. Start as follows: IF they had changed....

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 

Gulliver's Travels is the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon who takes to the seas. He completes many voyages without incident, but his final four journeys take him to some of the strangest lands on the planet, where he discovers the virtues and flaws in his own culture by comparing it with others.

If they had changed......., it would have .....

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TIME TO WORK ON THE TASK

Go to: FINAL TASK 12

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RECALLING 

 Look at the grammar chart of the 3rd conditional and the structures with either, neither and both and start a story chain.

 

Start the chain story with the following sentence: 

If the director had not changed the main character, the story would have been different......

Create 3 sentences using the words: both, either and neither. 

1. 

2. 

3.