Atonement

[intertext]

I don't think the adaptation of an overtly metafictional novel is ever completely successful, at least in the eyes of those familiar with the original. A movie that I personally consider to be one of the best adaptations of a novel, The English Patient, succeeds as a movie because it had the courage to BE a movie, to abandon any attempt to capture

Comments

[wordweaverlynn]

Have you seen and read The French Lieutenant's Woman? Harold Pinter's screenplay uses completely different techniques to recreate the doubleness of the narrative. It does work, but it's a long way from footnotes.

[lidocafe]

[intertext]

I've done both, and in fact the movie is gorgeous and captures the book well (another in a short list of extremely successful adaptations). It's Alan Bates (when young and very attractive) and Julie Christie, and Dominic Guard as the boy - what's not to like! I saw the movie first, though, which tends to make you more lenient towards the movie.

And although the movie of The French Lieutenant's Woman failed for other reasons, Pinter did quite a good job of attempting to capture the metafictional aspects of the book. We missed having John Fowles sitting in the railway carriage with Charles and Sarah, though :)

[lidocafe]

[intertext]

Yes! That would be a very interesting comparison...