Four Fiction Into Film

If one had a nickel for every time one heard the expression "I liked the book better than the movie," he or she would be a rich individual. Part of the reason for this is that the adaptation of a print work into film must be done without losing the voice and tone of the original work. David O. Selznick, legendary film producer of countless successful adaptations like Gone With The Wind, Rebecca, David Copperfield, and A Tale of Two Cities, was working on adapting Gone With The Wind for the screen when one of the many writers associated with the adaptation proposed he add material that was not in the original source. The book of Gone With The Wind had successfully captured the public imagination more than most novels ever have and bringing it to the screen was no insignificant task. Selznick explained to his writers that while he thought the public would forgive them anything they had to delete from the book, he was sure they would not forgive them adding things of their own invention in their stead. The film went on to capture the public imagination on a level comparable with the book, including standing as the highest box office grossing film for decades. One of the biggest reasons for the success of the screen version of Gone With The Wind was Selznick's skill at faithfully keeping the voice and tone of the 800+ page novel in the film, albeit one that ran three hours plu

n the larger room to you, but, I happen to know it was the young man's. In my own small way I am a woman of the world, and I know where things can lead to" (Ivory). The camera work and set design help contrast the passion of Italy and the repression of Victorian society. When in the pensione lobby the décor is plush, chock so full of Victorian furniture, paintings, lamps, bric-a-brac and draperies that it is overwhelming to the senses. However, in Charlotte's room the lighting is low, the décor is sparse and it seems cold and diminished in comparison, much like the repressed emotions of Lucy in comparison to George. However, at this point Ivory has Lucy fling open the windows and in a long-shot panorama of Italy we get all the color, architecture, sunshine and passion missing in Lucy's view from the other room and her own soul. The natural settings in Italy, including various public sculptures, palazzos, and cathedrals really bring the tone and mood of the novel alive. It is a Renaissance Italy to which we are treated and the camera shots suggest at once the magnificent scale and scope of Italian architecture while close-ups of artwork, flowing shots of flowing architecture, and other unique camera shots reaffirm the in