Учебно-методическое пособие по работе с видеофильмом "Casablanca". Дворжец О.С. - 14 стр.

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A When a novel or play is adapted
for the screen it reaches a huge
new audience. Surely the main
point of story-telling is communi-
cation, so if more people can enjoy
a story by seeing it in a visual
form, what's wrong with that?
B A successful screen adaptation helps
to promote the original book and
increase its sales. Often, in fact,
recently filmed or televised books
(even nineteenth-century classics)
can become bestsellers all over
again. Two recent examples of this
in Britain were Stendhal's Le Rouge
et le Noir (Scarlet and Black) and
George Eliot's Middlemarch. After
being filmed by the BBC, both nov-
els entered the bestseller list.
C Pictures make stories more vivid
and lifelike every five-year-old
child knows that. So, why should
adult literature be any different?
The simple fact is that screen adap-
tations give books a whole new
realistic dimension. They also make
stories where the language is com-
plex and old-fashioned much easier
for modern readers to understand.
D Without screen adaptations to
boost sales, the publishing industry
would be far less healthy than it is.
After all, we live in a visual culture
where relatively few people actu-
ally buy books. To put it bluntly,
literature needs TV and films far
more than TV and films need lit-
erature.
A Reading a book and watching a
screen are two completely dif-
ferent experiences. Reading is
active your mind has to work
and create images. Watching is
passive you just sit there and
all the work is done for you.
It's less satisfying.
B When you're reading a book
you're able to stop and start
whenever you like. The book
can become a part of your life
for a week two weeks how-
ever long it takes to read. With
a film or TV series, though, the
pace is dictated you don't
have the freedom to stop and
think for five minutes before
you carry on.
C Screen adaptations are never as
subtle and complex as the
books or plays they're based
on. Characters are cut out,
scenes removed that's be-
cause time is always a key is-
sue, especially for film-makers.
Producers, directors and
screen-writers constantly have
to ask themselves, 'How can
we fit the story into two hours?'
Is that any way to treat an au-
thor's work?
D Books can tell you what char-
acters are thinking. Films and
TV serials can't. They have to
use dialogue instead.
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11.2 In an exclusive interview to Cinescape, the magazine of movies, televi-
sion and new media on the edge, best-selling author Dean Koontz lambastes
Tristar's film version of his supernatural thriller Hideaway.
Read the beginning of Dean Lamanna's critical review Hide and go seethe
and find the reasons for Dean Koontz' scolding.
What's your interpretation of the title of the review?
Can you find another example when an author is in favour of a film ver-
sion of his/her book?
Adapting books for the screen can be treacherous. For every tome that has
made the transition successfully in the last 20 years (see Jaws, Carrie, The
Silence of the Lambs), there have been at least a dozen others that have fallen
flat on their fiber spines. Too often, as any disgruntled reader or writer
will attest, novels lose their atmosphere and their very essence as they bump
and scrape the constricting walls of that endless tunnel called "development"
en route to the screen.
Dean Koontz, for one, no longer will enter that tunnel blindly. The criti-
cally acclaimed creator of such best-selling genre titles as Dragon Tears,
Watchers and the current Dark Rivers of the Heart has become so frustrated
with the film industry's arrogance that he's now asking for both screenwriter
and director approval when selling screen rights.
"I have been involved in a campaign to get my name off the movie from
the day it started shooting last spring," says Koontz, who, unlike Stephen
King, generally has avoided public discussion of how Hollywood treats and
mistreats his work. "I've had bad pictures made before, but this isn't just, in
my estimation, a bad picture: It's sort of demeaning, dehumanizing It takes
everything my work is about everything I believe as a human being and
turns it 180 degrees on its head."
The story of Hideaway, the movie, begins more than three years ago, when
Koontz sold the rights to the novel to TriStar's parent company, Sony pictures,
just prior to its January 1992 publication date.
"I was appalled", says the author, who found no less than 14 major holes in
the story. "I said [to TriStar], 'Aside from the fact that the tone of this is just
not at all what I do, there are all these incoherent elements in the storyline.'
The studio pretended to make some effort to be concerned, but it became
A When a novel or play is adapted          A Reading a book and watching a
  for the screen it reaches a huge           screen are two completely dif-      11.2 In an exclusive interview to Cinescape, the magazine of movies, televi-
  new audience. Surely the main              ferent experiences. Reading is      sion and new media on the edge, best-selling author Dean Koontz lambastes
  point of story-telling is communi-         active… your mind has to work       Tristar's film version of his supernatural thriller Hideaway.
  cation, so if more people can enjoy        and create images. Watching is
  a story by seeing it in a visual           passive… you just sit there and
                                                                                 • Read the beginning of Dean Lamanna's critical review Hide and go seethe
  form, what's wrong with that?              all the work is done for you.           and find the reasons for Dean Koontz' scolding.
                                             It's less satisfying.               • What's your interpretation of the title of the review?
                                                                                 • Can you find another example when an author is in favour of a film ver-
B A successful screen adaptation helps     B When you're reading a book
  to promote the original book and           you're able to stop and start           sion of his/her book?
  increase its sales. Often, in fact,        whenever you like. The book
  recently filmed or televised books         can become a part of your life          Adapting books for the screen can be treacherous. For every tome that has
  (even nineteenth-century classics)         for a week – two weeks – how-       made the transition successfully in the last 20 years (see Jaws, Carrie, The
  can become bestsellers all over            ever long it takes to read. With
  again. Two recent examples of this         a film or TV series, though, the
                                                                                 Silence of the Lambs), there have been at least a dozen others that have fallen
  in Britain were Stendhal's Le Rouge        pace is dictated… you don't         flat on their fiber spines. Too often, as any disgruntled reader – or writer –
  et le Noir (Scarlet and Black) and         have the freedom to stop and        will attest, novels lose their atmosphere and their very essence as they bump
  George Eliot's Middlemarch. After          think for five minutes before       and scrape the constricting walls of that endless tunnel called "development"
  being filmed by the BBC, both nov-         you carry on.
  els entered the bestseller list.
                                                                                 en route to the screen.
                                                                                     Dean Koontz, for one, no longer will enter that tunnel blindly. The criti-
C Pictures make stories more vivid         C Screen adaptations are never as     cally acclaimed creator of such best-selling genre titles as Dragon Tears,
  and lifelike – every five-year-old         subtle and complex as the           Watchers and the current Dark Rivers of the Heart has become so frustrated
  child knows that. So, why should           books or plays they're based
                                                                                 with the film industry's arrogance that he's now asking for both screenwriter
  adult literature be any different?         on. Characters are cut out,
  The simple fact is that screen adap-       scenes removed… that's be-          and director approval when selling screen rights.
  tations give books a whole new             cause time is always a key is-          "I have been involved in a campaign to get my name off the movie from
  realistic dimension. They also make        sue, especially for film-makers.    the day it started shooting last spring," says Koontz, who, unlike Stephen
  stories where the language is com-         Producers,      directors    and
                                                                                 King, generally has avoided public discussion of how Hollywood treats – and
  plex and old-fashioned much easier         screen-writers constantly have
  for modern readers to understand.          to ask themselves, 'How can         mistreats – his work. "I've had bad pictures made before, but this isn't just, in
                                             we fit the story into two hours?'   my estimation, a bad picture: It's sort of demeaning, dehumanizing… It takes
                                             Is that any way to treat an au-     everything my work is about – everything I believe as a human being – and
                                             thor's work?                        turns it 180 degrees on its head."
D Without screen adaptations to
 boost sales, the publishing industry      D Books can tell you what char-
                                                                                     The story of Hideaway, the movie, begins more than three years ago, when
 would be far less healthy than it is.       acters are thinking. Films and      Koontz sold the rights to the novel to TriStar's parent company, Sony pictures,
 After all, we live in a visual culture      TV serials can't. They have to      just prior to its January 1992 publication date.
 where relatively few people actu-           use dialogue instead.                   "I was appalled", says the author, who found no less than 14 major holes in
 ally buy books. To put it bluntly,
 literature needs TV and films far
                                                                                 the story. "I said [to TriStar], 'Aside from the fact that the tone of this is just
 more than TV and films need lit-                                                not at all what I do, there are all these incoherent elements in the storyline.'
 erature.                                                                        The studio pretended to make some effort to be concerned, but it became
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