Theater vs film, suspending disbelief - Essay Example

Film vs. Theatrical Interpretations of Written Masterpiece Novels whether it may have been written by Shakespeare or by Christie, these masterpieces have been given life either through motion pictures or theater plays. There is that air of disbelief though as the novels are interpreted using different mediums. Would written masterpieces be better portrayed through motion pictures or theatrical plays? The term “suspension of disbelief” is the way a writer or a director would put in very fictional situations more believable to readers or audiences.

In layman’s terms, it can just be said that it is when audiences believe what was presented to them even if it is too impossible to actually happen in real life. This is where the magic of writer or director works into play. Suspension of disbelief is where the fictional things seem so real and it can make the audience believe that it can actually happen in the real world (Martin, 2009). Shakespeare’s works are made for the theater. There is an intimacy between the theater and the words of Shakespeare that makes the audience more willing to suspend disbelief.

In theatre, one should give his full attention to details to fully understand what the play is all about. In movies, when one failed to catch a line or a scene, that person can simply rewind the film and try to catch it the next time. That situation alone removes the intimacy of Shakespeare’s masterpieces with its audience and lessens the ability for one to suspend disbelief. In a blink of an eye, with the stop, rewind and play motion in movies, doubt tends to arise in one’s consciousness therefore thinking of the “impossibility” instead of the “it could be.

” Same effects could be said for Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Stage plays may not have the same glitz and glamour as motion films but the said genre has the capability to fully capture the attention of the audience through the closeness, an important element in plays. It is a little strange to feel that way towards stage plays when it is now the era being dominated by film. In the world of stage plays, there is a very little room for doubt and a lot of room for suspending one’s disbelief as every action happens on real time, no pauses and rewinds.

Attentiveness is the key. In theater, audience need to be very attentive to be able to comprehend what is happening. In films, one can still have a chat with another since they have the luxury to just rewind the movie and get the grasp of it eventually. This is why stage is still a better medium than movies for Shakespeare’s masterpieces specifically in relation to the suspension of disbelief.ReferencesMartin, Greg. Notes on Willing Suspension of Disbelief. Retrieved November 7, 2011. Dyce, Alexander.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare (2nd Edition). Bernhard Tauchnitz: Leipzig. 1868.