Wings to Intellectual Cinema with a Mix of Excitement and Special Effects - Essay Example

Assignment Wings to Intellectual Cinema with a Mix of Excitement and Special Effects Introduction After buying a well known studio in Hollywood, I am planning to develop a feature length film from the famous short story of Gabriel Garcia Marquez ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ (originally written in Spanish ‘Un Senor Muy Viejo Con Unas Alas Enormes’). The text has an exquisite presentation of fiction and magic realism. This paper is aimed to review the short story, discuss its feasibility as a film, and explain the potential target audience. I feel that both the text and its cinematic adoption will have similar target audience. Review The text ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ can be primarily classified under the category of magic realism. It is one of Marquez’s famous short stories written in 1955 that we find in the book Leaf Storm. The backdrop of the plot is set in a rural area. Pelayo and Elisenda is an impoverished couple who lived in a sorrowful state of extreme poverty. Their little son is badly sick. On a stormy afternoon one day, the couple finds a very old man who has huge wings attached to his body in their courtyard. When the couple tries to communicate with him, they find his language they do not understand. Pelayo locks the man in his chicken coop. From this point, the game of magic and reality begins. Magic being the arrival of the old man with wings, the reality is the manifestation of curiosity entrenched human minds. Hundreds of villagers now begin to visit the couple’s house to see the strange old man. Pelayo and Elisenda inform Father Gonzega about the man. Father Gonzega arrives and tries to communicate with the old man but fails. Marquez brings marvelous satire at this stage. Father Gonzega informs the Vatican about the old man, who in turn asks the priest to examine that whether the old man could be an angel or not. Father Gonzega acts accordingly and examines him. He finds that the old man does not know Latin, or Aramaic, is very frail, and has too many mortal features to be an angel. Father’s feedback to the Vatican leaves the Catholic Church a strange conclusion … The old man is a Norwegian sailor! This satire shows that how unquestionable faith may create so much confusion that not even the basic elements of anomaly or wonder are distinguished. The intellectual content of the story increases along with its innovative unusualness when a young woman with human head and a body of a spider is introduced in the village. She says she had disobeyed her parents and hence she was punished by the means of such a strange transformation. In the meanwhile, Pelayo and Elisenda have become rich as they have been charging a fee from the visitors who come to see the old man in large numbers. However, with the appearance of the strange woman, visitors shift their attention to her. This is how the short lived excitement and inconsistency of human askance from one topic to another is exhibited. At the end of the story, the old man simply flies away. He had brought much fortune to the impoverished couple, but he faced unnecessary cruelty, and ultimately, negligence. Interpretation The overall message is mixed. There is religious satire that involves the Catholic Church and the power mechanisms of this institution. There are the inconsistencies of human mind and perceptions. There is a subplot of an interesting woman, who has the body of a spider. There is emotional tug of war at the end. So, the story has lots of intellectual substance. The tone is fluctuating from humor to fiction and satire to emotion. Marquez has not given any clear indication that for whom has he written this story. However, it appears to be appealing to a varied spectrum of audience. The characteristics of the story suggest that it is thought provoking, exciting, and sometimes, rather comic. Despite these qualities, it seems that too many ideas sometimes infest the plot and the developments in the text with absurdity. It is not good to find so many questions unanswered and puzzling. Who is the old man? How did he develop wings? Why the young lady faced such unusual consequences of her act of disobeying parents? Yet, at the end, these unsolved questions create a feeling of mystery, which is a typical taste of magic realism. Feasibility as a Film When Marquez wrote this story, he certainly did not know what wonders the computer technology was going to do to the making of cinema within fifty years from then. Unaware of his cinematographic genius, Marquez actually created a wonderful plot where graphic designers and animation specialists have lots of things to do. The character of the old man is a mixture of human and superhuman features. A capable artist given this role can do wonders with different emotions and expressions at different instances. His body language would be greatly regulated by the special effects technicians, particularly when his wings are shown. The human headed spider is also an interesting creature to be created on screen. There is so much scope for high quality special effects in the script that we can undoubtedly create an exciting film. Moreover, the rural setting of Latin America can easily be created in the studio. The indirect satire is less likely to draw censorship or violent criticism. Yet it provides lots of intellectual substance. When visitors slowly loose interest in the old man and begin to visit the human headed spider, the cruel nature of public eagerness is understood. Thus, the artists get lots of chances to do best acting and outperform each other. There are moral messages in the text, and hence in the script, which suggest us not to be cruel, sympathize the weak, and take logical actions. These moral messages further enrich the intellectual content of the script. Target Audience If utilized properly, this text with the help of special effects and an emotional tone can help to produce a film that will not only be interesting but also be delighting for children in the age group of five to fifteen years. They can learn interesting lessons about compassion and love, especially because the old man featured in the film is extremely tolerant and harmless in spite of his unique features. Further, there are instances of comic relief in the film and several special effects sequences. Astonishingly, it can also be assumed that a certain segment of intellectuals will like this film. First of all, the film would be based on a text written by a world famous writer from Latin America. The plot is thought provoking. The story has an urgency for liberal values and it further questions the rigidity of social hierarchy. It explores human nature unveiling various inconsistencies of mind and the mass psychology as a whole. Hence a film based on this text will engage and satisfy the inquisitive individuals from the fields of literature, art, psychology, etc. Those who have interest in the Latin American culture along with magical reality and fiction will also enjoy the thought provoking presentation. However, in contemporary cinema, plots that are based on sex and violence play a major role. Those who are looking for an action thriller or love story should keep away from this text and the film. Probably, most of the young adults would find this text boring. However, the text is an ideal literary work if the audience looks for soberness, smoothness, and elegance of thought. A film based on the story can be very suitable for family viewing and intellectual scrutiny. Professors of language, literature, or performing arts can see the film along with their students for practically demonstrating the language strength of serious cinema and learn more about the legendary writer. On the other hand, parents can sit together with their children and enjoy the simple humors and special effects. They can openly and comfortably discuss the plot among themselves. Conclusion Gabriel Garcia Marquez has been a highly celebrated writer of the twentieth century. By selecting his literary work, I want to assure that I wish to turn out a classic with the help of the implementation of the most modern computer technologies and action techniques coupled with innovative acting. The film based on the short story will be loved by the audiences, who have a decent taste and understanding of human nature. Since the film is going to be ideal for family viewing, it can be assumed that it will satisfy a large audience consisting of children and their parents. Also, it is likely to draw attention of the intelligentsia. Reflection In writing this paper, I had a big problem as I asked the question to myself that is it possible to completely adopt a textual work in celluloid? Suppose we have a story before us, which is least descriptive. In such cases, the film maker would be left with only two options. First, he or she must wonder that what a visual development of the story would look like. Second, he or she would have to adventure to introduce his or her own views and visual perceptions from a cinematic angle. In the first case, the film maker may get completely confused, distracted, and finally, frustrated. In the second case, he or she would be using only an idea, not a story and also would be laboring to experiment with new ideas that are not tested enough. When I chose to write on the topic of making a film and choosing a short story for the purpose, I kept two things in my mind. Number one, my imagination power is not so great, which is my limitation. Number two, I have tremendous interest in serious cinema. Hence, I selected Marquez’s short story ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’. It was suited for serious reflection, had lots of descriptions, and in the form of a cinema, provided the technicians to have some fun with the stuff of special effects. Marquez’s writing genius created pictures in my mind, and I was delighted to think that when I develop my briefing, I would have lots of pictures and visual impressions ready. Finally, I found this task a bit difficult, but my innate liking for serious cinema helped me a lot. Works Cited Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” Leaf Storm. New York: Perennial Classics, 2005. Print. Read More