StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Comparison of the novel by Robert Penn Warren and the film Adaptation - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The novel was not only commended for its powerful and gripping storyline, but it also shed interesting light on human behavior and…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.3% of users find it useful
Comparison of the novel by Robert Penn Warren and the film Adaptation
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Comparison of the novel by Robert Penn Warren and the film Adaptation"

s All the Kings Men: Book vs. Movie “All the King’s Men” was a breakthroughin Robert Penn Warren’s literary career that helped him establish his niche as a talented writer. The novel was not only commended for its powerful and gripping storyline, but it also shed interesting light on human behavior and the pathology of power. The book’s brilliance attracted the attention of filmmakers and was made twice for the silver-screen; once in 1949 and then in 2006. Although, the main premise of both movies was the same but compared to the 1949 adaptation, the 2006 version was far more faithful to the book with only slight deviations from the author’s depiction of events.

However, the substance of the prose will highlight how successful was the screenplay in projecting the character’s emotion and their conflicts.One of the turning points in the entire story was how the relationship between Judge Irwin and Jack Burden was affected by the on-going power struggle of Willie Stark. Jack’s character is torn between the man, who had always been a father figure to him throughout his life and the man, who was everything he had wanted to be. In the book, Jack confronts Judge Irwin about the only scandal in his otherwise sterling career and personal life.

The Judge admits to his sin as Jack openly blackmails him. The judge seems resolute and does not give in to his blackmail and later on Jack discovers through his mother that not only did Judge Irwin commit suicide, but he was also his biological father. (Warren, 2002) The book clearly elaborates upon the irony of their conflict, as the Judge bequeathed him the same dirty money that Jack was blackmailing him over. The conflict between Judge Irwin and Jack is depicted in a completely different light in the 1949 adaptation; as Judge Irwin’s character was replaced by Judge Stanton and the dramatic discovery of Jack’s paternity was completely omitted.

The 2006 version did include this part and besides the dramatic finding, the movie shows a compelling exchange between the two characters; Judge Irwin hints at a dark secret but doesn’t reveal it that prepares the audience for what is to come and emboldens the element of suspense in the novel. (Zaillian, 2006) The movie depiction of this scenario somehow makes more sense than the book’s description. It wasn’t any flaw on part of the author but the actors and their respective involvement in their roles successfully projected the intensity of the emotion and the conflict they were embroiled in.

The climax of the story is reached with Stark’s assassination at the hands of Adam Stanton. Though its depiction remains the same in the film and the novel, the film ends with newspaper headlines that show the fate of the remaining characters. Whereas, the book delves deep into the lives of the characters from the perspective of the story’s narrator, Jack Burden. It is true that the book provides a descriptive account of the closure achieved by all the characters, but a movie has a timing restriction that filmmakers need to abide by.

Unlike the novel, the movie simply ends highlighting where all the remaining characters ended up with Stark out of the picture, without going into much detail. Despite the fact that the end was quite dissimilar to that of the book, it somehow managed to have a greater dramatic impact than that in the novel. The film maintained the element of drama in a coherent manner and further upheld its visual appeal by providing an immediate closure after Stark’s death. Delving too much in the lives of the people after such a conclusive and dramatic point would only make the film a drag resulting in a failure to grab the viewer’s attention.

A novel is an entirely different medium than a film, but the film adaptation had a much powerful impact than the book. Works Cited Warren, Robert P. “All the King’s men”. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2002“All the King’s men”. Dir. Steven Zaillian. Perf. Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. Columbia Pictures. DVD. 2006“All the King’s men”. Dir. Robert Rossen. Perf. Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru and Shepperd Strudwick. Columbia Pictures. DVD. 1949

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Comparison of the novel by Robert Penn Warren and the film Adaptation Essay - 2”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/english/1609217-comparison-of-the-novel-by-robert-penn-warren-and-the-film-adaptation
(Comparison of the Novel by Robert Penn Warren and the Film Adaptation Essay - 2)
https://studentshare.org/english/1609217-comparison-of-the-novel-by-robert-penn-warren-and-the-film-adaptation.
“Comparison of the Novel by Robert Penn Warren and the Film Adaptation Essay - 2”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/english/1609217-comparison-of-the-novel-by-robert-penn-warren-and-the-film-adaptation.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Comparison of the novel by Robert Penn Warren and the film Adaptation

Middle Earth-from the novel to the silver screen

On the other hand, there are viewers who will indicate that the movie enhanced their understanding of the novel.... In this regard, some readers of the novel might be disappointed after watching the movies.... However, movie directors and producers are always at hand to explain to the viewers that the movies are adaptations, which may delete, add, or change some aspects of the novel in order to make the movie.... Movie adaptations from novels always come with many changes, which might make the movie more or less interesting than the novel....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Comparison of Shakespearean Adaptations

This makes the film look and sound very Elizabethan.... the film presents the performers having long and boring conversations that viewers really have to listen intently for them to be able to follow and understand the story.... There is a lot of editing made which makes the film more interesting and there is also a modification of the story to match modern settings for it to be more believable, considering the modern culture in America.... … comparison of Shakespearean Adaptations Full name University name Shakespearean stories are always considered intelligently crafted so that consequently, they are immortal and are even more preserved through the adaptations of the narrations in modern movies....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Literature Adaptations

It was the last year f the 20th century when Erica Sheen turned a momentous eye to the institutional aspect in film adaptations, with an explanation to genuflection before an originary printed text as the result f academic film programs' previously official indenture to literature departments. … The timeless old tale f a little girl meeting a wolf on her way to granny's house has been passed down through oral tradition from one generation to the next....
5 Pages (1250 words) Movie Review

Film Adaptations of Andrei Platonov's Prose: Visualizing Matter

Platonov presents a comparison of the sun to blindness implying imagery.... The prose of the film Platonov by Andrie features matters of visualization.... The manner in which the feelings are visualized in the film has drawn attention of many film analysts and translators like Robert Chandler.... Throughout the novel, Chevengur, Dvanov rejects the teleology of Faustian regarding communist immortality to favour infinite death's comfort....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Proposal

Film Kal Penn

Additionally, the film industry and the media seem to be highly practicing racial profiling.... Again, in his romantic film; American Desi, which explored race and identity of young ethnic group, shows his efforts to explore in the field of racial profiling.... This film illustrates racism practices by the young people.... This essay will analyze the Kal penn, born in New Jersey in the year 1977, grew up in traditional Indian family....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Discussion of To Kills a Mockingbird

Often movie adaptations of a novel are met with a strong sense of anticipation before the release of the movie but viewers are left with a sense of being robbed of the novel's essence when they watch the movie.... The movie has been able to catch the essence of the novel and is considered to be one of the best movies of modern American cinema.... This movie was directed by robert Mulligan.... It is often taxing for the directors to adapt the novel into a movie....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Superiority of films after adaptation from literature

The directors and the producers of the film who are Joe Johnston and Kevin Feige are an American filmmaker who is known for making effect-driven movies and an American film producer who is also the president of Marvel productions respectively.... adaptation of literature into film involves the production of a film or a motion picture presentation of a literary work that was initially found in writing.... ccording to the directors, the main aim for the adaptation of the literature into film was to set the scenery of the Second World War into the modern day world....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Watchmen by Zack Snyder - Comparison of the Novel and Its Film Adaptation

The essay "Watchmen by Zack Snyder - comparison of the novel and Its Film Adaptation" exposes the similarities in theme, characters, and plot structure of the graphic novel and its film adaptation.... Regarding the film adaptation of Watchmen, one can see that the director has endeavored his best to justify the real story and has succeeded in sketching the characters as exactly as illustrated in the novel.... The story of the novel focuses on the character of Manhattan, the god-like figure....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us