Unit Content
“Film cannot reproduce many of the pleasures of reading novels, but it can produce other experiences of parallel value." - Seymour Chatman1
What is an Adaptation?
Have you ever wondered what distinguishes a remake from an adaptation? Or wondered where the inspiration for certain films originated with regard to society and the times in which they were created? During the Yale National Initiative seminar Adaptations: Literature, Film and Society under the leadership and guidance of Yale University’s Professor of Film Studies Brigitte Peucker, we explored several pieces of literature and analyzed various adaptations of the text in film. In doing this I discovered how meticulous and deliberate filmmakers are when creating their work of art. They find a way to make their films unique, or in other words put their stamp on them. Through unpacking each sequence, chapter, act and scene, I gained a new found appreciation for literature and film that I have never really had before.
So what exactly is an adaptation with regard to literature and film? An adaptation is a common practice in the exchange between literature and film, describing the transposition of a novel, play, or other literary source to film2. In other words, an adaptation is simply a story that travels from one medium to another; starting with one form such as a novel and then taking that novel and transferring it into another form such as a film.
Fidelity to the Source
In most discussions about adaptations, a key term is fidelity, meaning how faithful or true an adaptation is to the original text. This goes into further detail by looking into the settings and plots, how the ideas of the original source is communicated in the adaptation, if a historical or cultural context has been changed, and whether the change in the material changed the meaning of its work to the reader or viewer. When analyzing an adaptation it is important to look at what’s omitted, what’s added, the pace of editing (how long the scenes are), if the timeline is slowed down or sped up, the difference between black & white and color, and the music used just to name a few.
Types of Adaptations
There are three types of adaptations: literal, loose, and faithful. If the source text is a play, a literal film adaptation follows the text as if the camera was set up at the theater and filmed it. A loose adaptation will not strictly follow the guidelines of the source material, often straying from the material completely. A faithful adaptation follows the source material as faithfully as possible. For example, in Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist 1837 vs. David Lean’s film Oliver Twist(1947) we found that Lean created a faithful adaptation of the novel. Lean’s film in black and white was very pictorial. The opening scene starts with a shot of storm clouds, rain, and a branch of thorns, which sets the mood and tone of the film for the audience in a very cinematic way. It then shows Oliver’s mother walking outside in the rain, clearly distraught, in labor and in unbearable pain. Lean uses a montage, which is a series of shots edited together, to show her struggling to reach her destination, while in Dickens’ novel, chapter one begins with Oliver’s mother already at the workhouse after giving birth to Oliver, where she dies shortly thereafter.
Adaptations sometimes tend to exclude “extra” characters from the original text, but occasionally the opposite happens, like in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. In the play there was no “holy man” character originally, however in Orson Welles film Macbeth, the holy man character was added. In the case of Shakespeare’s Macbeth you can analyze theatrical vs. cinematic. Welles’ Macbeth was very theatrical because it featured the speeches by Welles, but it was also cinematic, as it featured many low angle shots where the camera is low looking up. Characters can also be subtly changed. Welles’ Macbeth is an example of a faithful adaptation as well. The dialogue among the characters uses the original Shakespearean language and most of the key lines from the play are used in his film.
Film adaptations can also add events. These additions can have any number of motivations: to take advantage of a brilliant actor, to suggest contemporary relevance, or to “correct” the novel for aesthetic reasons3. Michael Fassbender’s film Macbeth(2015), is a cinematic and faithful adaptation. In the opening scene it shows an arrangement of actors in a mise-en-scene of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth at a funeral for their young son, while in the original Shakespeare play they did not have any children. Fassbender’s Macbeth has many scenes in which the witches and other characters are arranged in tableau form where they are looking out at the spectators in an almost confrontational manner. It also includes many graphic and detailed scenes of the gory murders Macbeth commits in order to maintain power. In the original play, Shakespeare only mentions that the deeds were done, but does not go into detail about how Macbeth did them.
Film can bean immersive medium. It has a narrative and tells this story through images. You have to look at both to get an accurate feel of the mood and tone the filmmaker is trying to convey. Western cinema often features facial close ups. There is beauty in the expressiveness of the human face. It is a major subject of the camera. Facial close ups are often used to draw you in. You are made to feel empathetic towards the characters in Fassbender’s adaptation because of the many close ups. There are instances when there is a reverse shot for dialogue, the camera angle shifts. One of the reasons that Fassbender’s Macbeth is considered to be very cinematic is because of the fascinating high angle shots where the camera is above looking down.
Another adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth we studied was Akira Kurosawa’s film Throne of Blood 1961. Kurosawa’s film is an example of a loose adaptation. This film was a Japanese adaptation spoken entirely in Japanese, with English subtitles. Throne of Blood used many medium long shots in which there were not very many close ups. However, the characters still portrayed strong emotional facial expressions and spoke in an almost aggressive manner, which had its way of drawing you in. This film was in black and white and reminded you of the popular pen and ink drawings of Japan, which values the white spaces on the paper. Sometimes film can give you the feeling of being an animated painting. Here the beauty and artistic methods of the filmmaker are very deliberately inserted into scenes, costumes, and sets. There were many tracking shots in this film as well where the camera moved with the fog or scenes with lots of motion like when the characters were traveling through the forest on horseback.
Most adaptations reflect their time. Like biological organisms, some texts need to change their characteristics in order to survive in a new environment. Sometimes elements such as scene locations, dialogue (including slang and cultural references), the look and demeanor of the characters, and even the storylines, are all changed to meet the sensibilities of the intended audience.
Literature, Graphic Novels, and Comics in the Classroom
Aerospace engineering, also known as rocket science, is universally considered to be an extremely difficult area of study that requires much training and a significant amount of intelligence and skill. And to be compensated for the way that they have to pay very close attention to detail in their work, rocket scientists earn a pretty hefty six-figure salary. You often hear people jokingly say when referring to tasks that should be fairly simple “It’s not rocket science!” indicating that rocket science is in fact a difficult job. There’s a saying that “teaching reading is rocket science” and as a teacher of young children, I have seen first-hand up close and personal that this is true!
As teachers we stress the idea that our students are reading every single day. But I think we fail to encourage them to have the freedom to select material that fits their own definition of fun or that meets their desire to read. Unfortunately, we are always assigning them material that we want them to read and not allowing them to choose what draws them in, what interests them. We also tend to push them to achieve certain reading levels to make sure they are progressing and getting enough of a challenge. To grow and encourage the true lifelong readers that we strive to create in them, we must find ways to motivate reading to apply the skills we work like rocket scientist to teach.
I have found that my students take a great interest in comic books and graphic novels. And I can certainly understand why. In 3rd grade we are transitioning from picture books to chapter books, in an effort to build stamina and reading comprehension, so it can sometimes be intimidating to a transitional reader when you put a book with nothing but words and few to no pictures in front of them. “Graphic novels are books written and illustrated in the style of a comic book. To be considered a graphic novel, rather than a picture book or illustrated novel, the story is told using a combination of words and pictures in a sequence across the page. Graphic novels can be any genre, and tell any kind of story, just like their prose counterparts. The format is what makes the story a graphic novel, and it usually includes text, images, word balloons, sound effects, and panels.”4 “Comics offers tremendous resources to all writers and artists: faithfulness, control, a chance to be heard far and wide without fear of compromise...it offers range and versatility with all the potential imagery of film and painting plus the intimacy of the written word. And all that's needed is the desire to be heard--the will to learn--and the ability to see.”5
We should not keep our students from choosing comic books and graphic novels. They are a great bridge between picture books and picture free novels. As they use a combination of both words and pictures to tell the story. Comic books and graphic novels offer a scaffold to a struggling reader who may need support with comprehension or is just more of a visual learner. They also help support skills like sequencing, stamina, and vocabulary. My students love to check out graphic novels such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney and Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey from the school library and they often choose to use the unique format of comic strips to write in their journals in class.
This basic way of storytelling has been used in various forms for centuries—early cave drawings, hieroglyphics, and medieval tapestries like the famous Bayeux Tapestry can be thought of as stories told in pictures. The term “graphic novel” is generally used to describe any book in a comic format that resembles a novel in length and narrative development. Graphic novels are a subgenre of “comics,” which is a word you may also hear people use when referring to this style of book6. Graphic novels have been found to be popular with reluctant readers, especially boys. At the same time, graphic novels with rich, complex plots and narrative structures can also be satisfying to advanced readers as well. They are flexible enough that often the same titles can be equally appealing to both reluctant and advanced readers.
Black Panther: The Comic Book
The character Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966, making his debut in the comic book Fantastic Four #52. Black Panther predated the Black Panther Party by only a few months; to avoid any political controversy, Marvel unsuccessfully attempted to change the name to Black Leopard. Lee and Kirby introduced this character during the Civil Rights Movement, which took a lot of guts! Here you have this African American character who is smarter than any other hero, stronger than most heroes, and comes from a place that is more advanced than anywhere else in the world. His prominence in the greater Marvel Universe immediately became a symbol of pride for the African American community. This was never more evident than in the reception that his first solo film received when it was released in February 2017.
T’Challa is the prince of the wealthy African nation of Wakanda. He also has inherited the role of Black Panther, which was passed down to him from his father King T’Chaka. Black Panther is the protector of their home, as he possesses a very powerful gift. Wakanda has been a secret for centuries, a hidden kingdom that's incredibly beautiful and almost magical. It was built on a mound of an alien metal called Vibranium that crashed into the continent of Africa hundreds of years ago. It is the most valuable metal to man, known as “The Gift” to the people of Wakanda as it is the source of their livelihood, everything they have is made of it. It is sewn into their clothes, it powers their weapons, and heals their people. The most prominent benefit of Vibranium is that it makes Wakanda a technological marvel, and it is a best kept secret from the world. When the king dies, T’Challa must step up and be king, carrying the responsibility of keeping Wakanda and its most prized possession, Vibranium, a secret.
In the unit, I will introduce my students to T’Challa’s character in the original Marvel comic book Black Panther. We will discuss the original design of the Black Panther and identify similarities and differences from the current adaptation of him that is portrayed today.
Black Panther: The Children’s Novel
The children’s novel Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald Smith, tells the story of twelve- year- old T’Challa. When there is a war brewing in his home of Wakanda, his father King T’Chaka sends him and his best friend M’Baku away to America in an effort to keep them safe. They are enrolled in Southside Middle School in Chicago and have to assume new identities. For the first time they are introduced to the outside world where they have to adapt to a new way of life. T’Challa faces many challenges in the novel as he is dealing with the pressures to assimilate to American culture. Both of the boys have to learn how to be regular kids and find a way to remain true to themselves.
T’Challa is troubled when M’Baku ends up making friends with a classmate named Gemini Jones. Gemini was bad news and he was also rumored to be involved with dark magic. It was bad enough that T’Challa and M’Baku’s friendship had changed, but soon afterwards weird things started happening at school. T’Challa has to step up and be brave to figure out what is going on. He uses a Vibranium ring and a high tech suit that he was given before he left Wakanda and which he was told to use only for emergency purposes. T’Challa has to find the courage to save his friends while using his cleverness and skills in the process. All of these are traits that he possesses and will eventually make him a great king, and the Black Panther.
In the unit I will have students identify some examples in different chapters of the novel where T’Challa is displaying various character traits. For example, in Chapter One the boys encounter a strange man who is wounded in the forest. T’Challa shows that he is fearless and compassionate when he is compelled to help the stranger.
Black Panther: The Film
Comic book characters, particularly superheroes, have long been adapted into film, beginning in the 1940s with Saturday movie serials aimed at children. Superman (1978) and Batman (1989) are two later successful movie adaptations of famous comic book characters. In the early 2000s, blockbusters such as X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002) have led to dozens of superhero films.7 Black Panther is the first major superhero of African descent to be in mainstream media, which is why I believe it was such a hit at the box office.
It is the third top grossing film of all time at the North American box office, earning approximately 699 million dollars. It is the tenth top grossing film of all time globally, earning 1.3 billion dollars at the box office.8 The numbers alone speak volumes as to what a huge achievement this film was, reaching all ethnicities and capturing audiences all over the world with its fascinating technology and action-packed storyline. Ryan Coogler, a young successful African American man, was the director. In many interviews he talked about how he put his heart and soul into this film, as he too grew up wishing there were heroes that looked like him. Something that makes this film so unique is that it has a cast of almost entirely African American actors, which is something that's been unheard of in Hollywood until now.
Just like the original comic storyline, the film tells the story of Prince T’Challa who becomes the newly crowned king of Wakanda upon the death of his father, King T’Chaka. T’Challa must keep his home of Wakanda safe and make sure its very valuable gift of Vibranium remains hidden from the rest of the world. As the plot progresses, T’Challa will find himself questioning whether or not the decisions of his father and past kings were the right ones. He is faced with the task of correcting their mistakes and determining how Wakanda should be positioned in the world and how its resources and knowledge should be shared for the first time in their deep history. In the film he says: “We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe.”
For the unit I have pre-selected a few key scenes from the film that have major events to show students. They speak to the type of person King T’Challa evolves into. Students will identify character traits of T’Challa from each scene. From this they should be able to Compare and Contrast T’Challa the prince in the novel to T’Challa the king in the film. I will be using the Blu-Ray disk of Black Panther. In the disk menu are scene selections that I will choose from. The scenes I have chosen are 3. Time to be King; 4. “Let the Challenge Begin”; 6. Extradition; 8. Busan Car Chase, 11. Blood Rights; 14. Jabariland; 16. The Battle for Wakanda; and 17. A New Wakanda. In each of these scenes I will have students choose character traits that T’Challa depicts and justify their reasoning with specific examples. This will help them to see the development of his character, and also help them to compare and contrast.
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