While most of the films are in English, and most of the books are orginally in English, I am not sure what language the events will be hosted in. (This is Romania, so I assume Romanian.)
Okay, what’s this event? Cinema Arta is trying a new experiment in film viewing. There will be events that link books to their movie adaptations.
Most of this information is gathered from Făclia de Cluj. We then checked the website of the event at Cinema ARTA to verify some of the details.
So what, you say. I heard half of all movies in Hollywood and Britain in the 20th century were based on novels. Most of the other half are sequels or reboots. The only thing that changed this century is the novels became comic books.
Cynicism aside, even screenwriting agents in Britain suggest authors try their hand at adaptation, because adaptations are half of all films that Brits make. So, they have a lot of choices. Did they make good ones?
Tue, 15 September, 15:30, Printre Rânduri – (no idea what to expect)
reading club at Octavian Goga. This is in the adolescents section. I hardly ever see anyone over ten (or over five) read anything at Octavian Goga, so this should be a treat. Maybe if children see adolescents read something, reading will be cool. (Maybe if adults are allowed to read, you know, by the books, then adolescents won’t see it as a baby toy.)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s. (two stars)
Some people find this offensive, for its Asian character. I don’t remember him much, but he’s meant to be a comic relief. It insults us in this century, when most of us aren’t even familiar with the old stereotype. The worst part of Tintin, but that was understandable, Japanese were the enemies of Tintin’s friends in World War II. Breakfast at Tiffany’s happens later.
But the sets are so clean, it is so Hollywood, and although Audrey Hepburn’s character seems at times to be an idiot, she plays it well. I think there was another actor in that film, but he’s utterly forgettable. I never read the book, and if it’s anything like the film, I’m not interested. I mean, the film has excellent costumes, set designs, and cinematography, but how do you read costumes, set designs, and cinematography?
Wed. 16 September. 8 pm – Breakfast at Tiffany’s at Cinema Arta.
Thur. 17 September. 7 pm – book club for Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the ARTA cafe. *
(Does it read better when you’re high on sugar and coffee? no idea.)
To Kill a Mockingbird (five stars)
By far my favorite book on this list. I read it in high school, for class, and we watched at least parts of the movie. I think it was the fastest I ever read an assigned book, not because other books were difficult, but because it was a “page turner” you cared enough about the characters to want to know what happened next. I wouldn’t call the film itself a classic in cinematography or set design, but the story it grabs from the book makes it more than watchable. It was a good adaptation, and while I wouldn’t require it for cinematographers studying filmmaking, I would recommend it for ordinary cinema goers.
While the main narrator is a child, the text reading age is more like 14 to 18. Themes mentioned include racial violence and sexual violence. (The narrator’s father defends a man who is presumed guilty until proven innocent, because of the nature of the crime and because of some prejudice in the community.)
I recommend it for the same audience who enjoys the play, “12 Angry Men.”
Wed. 23 September. Text workshop at the Octavian Goga library. *
(Probably in Romanian, but then, why don’t they translate the title?) I do not know what ages are welcome to attend, but read the next bit. Is this by school invitation only? What part of the library? When?
Sat. 27 September. 4.30 pm. To Kill a Mockingbird projection for “young audiences” at Cinema Arta.
Even though the film has the same trial, which alludes to the same mature themes as the book, the visual demonstration of whether the accused is innocent or guilty, and other parts of the directing, means this film should be accessible to young audiences. Children might ask you what certain words mean, so, I would read the book first so you can think of a way to answer it in a way they understand.
The projection will be followed by a discussion at the cinema, most likely in Romanian, led by Selma Dragoș (“Young ARTA” coordinator) and Ana Radu (a student of directing at the university? I think I translated that correctly. Or maybe it should be “director of student films.” No, I’m pretty sure regie means director like film director.)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (two and a half stars)
(age rating, 16+. I must have seen the film when I was much younger than that, but anyway.)
This is an interesting one to compare text and film. There were elements of Nicholson’s character in the book that didn’t make it to the screen. At least, that’s what I heard.
One of the stars is for Jack Nicholson, and the other star and a half are for the rest of the cast.
Jack Nicholson is a fine actor, so the film is worth watching. The book? I never finished it. I might read a Romanian translation, but there are thousands of other books above it on my reading list. But not to worry, there doesn’t appear to be any book session to compare it to the film. Maybe it got on the list on accident?
The 1966 French movie “King of Hearts” covers the same general subject (inmates taking over the asylum) and is better. It’s funnier. Cuckoo’s nest is kind of a cheap American imitation. Okay, so the French movie came after the English book, but the plot is more interesting. Crazy people take over the assylum, but with a purpose.
Another film on the same line, 12 Monkeys. If you liked King of Hearts and Twelve Monkeys, and you lost your DVDs to those movies, then maybe One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is worth seeing.
But hey, other people liked it. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest got great reviews, and made a lot of money at the box office. Nicholson has some great lines, he delivers them extremely well.
Tue, 29 Sep 8 pm – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest film. Cinema ARTA
Il Gattopardo (?)
Italian film, obviously. And Italian book. The English translation is the Leopard, or the Leopard-Cat. Apparently, there will be English subtitles for the film.
Placeholder paragraph: I can’t remember reading these, maybe I’ll update a review in time before the screening. It stars Burt Lancaster, he’s pretty famous.
Reading online reviews, it was set in the Risogimento, 19th century Italy, and looks at the last generation of a noble family. The writer read a lot, but didn’t publish anything until he was relatively old… Age is relative, but it’s much more than a number. I better stop there before I misspell something.
An advantage of seeing this film, if you want to discuss it with me, you probably will know more about it than I do. Hey, it has a showing and a book session!
wed, 14 Oct 7pm – Il Gattopardo film, Cinema ARTA
Thu, 15 Oct 7pm – Il Gattopardo book club at ARTA cafe *
(somehow linked in Cărturești, the book store.)
The Tin Drum (?)
This is a German film, if I understand correctly, based on the German book. And this is Romania. Why did I find the English title?
For that reason, I will not review it. I am not sure if I understand which movie is showing. Why don’t we see the German title? Is it some other book-film combo? Will it be discussed in English? Will there be English subtitles? I doubt it, I am just confused. If it’s the film I am thinking of, it is very famous and I have heard people recommend it. I haven’t seen it yet, but I know more about it than the Italian Leopard-Cat film mentioned above. Rather than nothing, I currently know next-to-nothing about it. Set in World War II…
Fri, 30 October, 7 pm, at Cinema arta. “The Tin Drum” film
And we’re guessing the book will be in November sometime.
Future films
Străinul, The Virgin Suicides, and Smilla’s sense of snow.
I think Străinul is the 1964 Romanian film. The other two, I never ended up watching the full movies. They’re from the late nineties, when films got more pretentious and less interesting (and screenwriters became, generally less talented). Maybe they are an exception to the rule, but I am not blocking out my calendar for those two.
Suggestions for future editions:
Charley and the Chocolate factory (especially the older one, with 1971 edition of the film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.)
The way Roald Dahl books are adopted is fascinating. The changes made for the sympathies of a film audience make sense. A lot of Charlie and the Chocolate factory is kept the same, but many things were changed to make the character’s family more “likable.”
Fram, Urs Polar.
Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thomson edition)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone (why not?)
The Wizard of Oz.
Asterix and Obelix Contre Ceasar.
Horror ideas.
Dracula, Dead and Loving it. (Or Young Frankenstein, vs Mary Shelley’s book.) Or maybe one of the Alvin and The Chipmunks or Abbot and Costello films where they encounter Frankenstein, the invisible man, the Wolf man, and so on.
Let’s not forget sci-fi. Perhaps sci-fi book adaptations could be its own thing. Half of Jules Verne, George Orwell, H.G. Wells… then there are dime novels that led to films like “Total Recall…” maybe something could be linked here with Steampunk museum?
And… did you know that Clueless, Legally Blonde, and many other films are adaptations that change the title? Clueless was based on a Jane Austin novel.
Why were so many Hollywood films, from Bambi to Scent of a Woman, based on novels? No ideas.
Lots of Romanian films are also based on books. (And many famous Romanian books have been adapted into films.)