Novel to Film: An Introduction to the Theory of Adaptation

by Brian McFarlane

"It wasn't as good as the book"; this is the response to many a film adaptation, and even the starting point of many film reviews. This book offers the first systematic theoretical account of the process by which the great (and not so great) works of literature are transformed into the good, bad (sometimes ugly), but always distinctive medium of cinema. Drawing on recent literary and film theory, Mcfarlane provides careful analysis of the theory and practice of metamorphosis. The Scarlet Letter, Random Harvest, Great Expectations, Daisy Miller, and Cape Fear provide case studies for a range of fictional and cinematic practices.

Genres: Film, Writing, Theory, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 1996

About the author

1934-

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, McFarlane. Talk about opening a can of worms.

First of all, I mostly agree with him. He gives a very succinct and thorough grounding in the major problems with adaptation theory, lays out what everyone's been fighting over (and really pushes his own stance), and then does a nice little (ok, long) segment that has case studies on the adaptations of various films.

That said, I do have some quibbles with McFarlane. I don't totally buy into all of his ideas, I'm not quite in line with his theories on essence, but I do really like his (quoted from Terrence Hawkes, if I recall correctly) distinction between plot and story.

[Richard Wilcocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1996 text has, apparently, become essential reading for anyone interested in the theory of adaptation. I am in that category, and have found it really useful, providing models for a variety of novels and films. His case studies are The Scarlet Letter (1926), Random Harvest (1942), Great Expectations (1946), Daisy Miller (1974) and Cape Fear (1991).

Although semioticians like Roland Barthes and film theorists like Christian Metz were not primarily concerned with adaptation, Brian McFarlane finds that they suggest original and productive ways of addressing some of the main issues raised by comparing the two media of novel and film. I am currently concerned with adaptations of Brontë novels since the Second World War, and found that his chapter on the David Lean adaptation of Great Expectations was very relevant to Jane Eyre because both are narratives by adult versions of child protagonists - Pip and Jane.

[Matthew Ogborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book might cast its light more on older films rather than ones in my own lifetime, however the breakdown of each adaptation was put over in such a stimulating way that I took away several great pieces of advice for when tackling my own screen adaptations. As a big fan of Scorsese’s Cape Fear, the book ended on a high especially when compared to the original Mitchum movie.