Into Film Language

19th Century Novels on Film1: Adaptation

Useful vocabulary

19th century novels Adaptation

• Audience/purpose

• Adaptation

• Abridge

• Compression

• Elision

• Novel

• Commercial

What do you think happens to a book when it is adapted for film?

Adaptation

19th century novels Adaptation

Behind the Scenes

19th century novels Adaptation

1. Do these two covers promise the same characters?

2. The same story?

3. The same experience?

4. How will they be different and why?

19th century novels Adaptation

Research task:

Think of a book that has been adapted into a film.

Find the book covers and the DVD cover online.

Agree or disagree?

19th century novels Adaptation

You don’t have to use your imagination at all when watching a film.

Reading is harder work than watching a film.

Films of books should always follow the book as closely as possible.

It’s impossible to compress a long book into a two-hour film.

You should always read the book first, before you watch the film.

Films of books are not for the same audiences.

Watching the film spoils the book.

19th century novels Adaptation

A Christmas Carol related images

These stills are provided under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 for the purpose of criticism and review only.

19th century novels Adaptation

1. Can you put the images in date order of when they were produced? Please give a reason for your selection.

2. What do the images from the different adaptation of ACC say about the book and its importance?

3. What might they say about story and character?

4. Why do you think this particular novel has been adapted so many times?

Image task

19th century novels Adaptation

EitherWrite about a book you have read which has been turned into a film. Which did you read/see first? How were they different? Which did you find more satisfying? Why?

OrChoose two or three of the statements and write in detail about why you agree/disagree/aren't sure about them.

Writing tasks

19th century novels Adaptation

Scrooge or Marley’s Ghost

© BFI Cultural Archive, All rights reserved

19th century novels Adaptation

‘Scrooge/A Christmas Carol,’ 1951/Renown Pictures Corporation/Renown Film Productions/Brian Desmond Hurst

‘Scrooge,’ 1970/Paramount Home Entertainment/Waterbury Films/Ronald Neame

‘Scrooged,’ 1988/Paramount Home Entertainment/Paramount Pictures/Richard Donner

‘A Christmas Carol,’ 1984/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment/Entertainment Partners Ltd/Clive Donner

Credits