✶ PRE-READING ✶
I love a good adaptation discussion. There is something endlessly entertaining about comparing a book with the film or television version and deciding exactly where the adaptation went brilliantly right - and where it has committed an unforgivable crime against literature.
So I was very happy to pick up Louise Wilder's Book to Screen.
I was also reassured to discover that this isn't presented as the definitive answer to the question. Wilder is very open about the fact that her judgements are subjective, which makes the whole thing feel much more like sitting down with a very knowledgeable friend and arguing about films than being handed a lecture on cinematic history.
✶ POST-READING ✶
As I thought... this is a lot of fun.
Wilder has clearly put an enormous amount of research into the book, but she never lets that turn it into hard work for the reader. She writes conversationally and enthusiastically, and there's a real sense that she enjoys talking about these films as much as she enjoys analysing them.
And there are some wonderfully useful reminders that “better adaptation” doesn't necessarily mean “more faithful adaptation.”
Jaws and The Godfather are particularly good examples of books becoming films that are arguably stronger than their source material. Sometimes the things that work on the page simply don't work on screen, and sometimes an adaptation has to make ruthless choices in order to become a good film in its own right.
It surprised me by... how much I enjoyed discovering where my opinions matched - or didn't match - Wilder's.
There's something inherently entertaining about having a “professional” opinion sitting alongside your own. You can nod enthusiastically and think yes, exactly, or stare at the page thinking well, you're completely wrong about that.
And because Wilder mostly avoids disappearing into a list of impossibly obscure films that only three film critics and the author's university supervisor have ever seen, I could actually join in the conversation. I knew many of the films she was discussing, and even when I didn't, I was interested enough in the argument to want to know more.
The result is a book that manages to be both well researched and genuinely accessible.
It's also made me want to rewatch several films, which is perhaps the greatest danger a book about adaptations can pose.
✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦
Book Recommendation: Blurb Your Enthusiasm by Louise Wilder, if you enjoy her particular combination of publishing knowledge, humour and a very conversational approach to analysing books.
TV or Movie Recommendation: The Princess Bride. It's a particularly lovely example of an adaptation that understands what makes its source work while also becoming its own thing - and frankly, we could all do with more opportunities to watch Cary Elwes fence.
✧ VIBE CHECK ✧
A colour palette: cinema-screen black, projector white and the warm gold of old film.
A soundtrack: the quiet hum of a cinema before the lights go down, followed by a sweeping film score.
A season: autumn, when the evenings are dark enough for an early trip to the cinema.
A mood: opinionated, curious, amused and ready to argue.
A scent: cinema popcorn, old books and the faintly dusty smell of a DVD collection.
Final Thoughts
Book to Screen publishes on the 17th of October. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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