Thursday, June 17, 2010
#EPICFAIL – why you never win when adapting a beloved book into a movie
The internets are abuzz about the Eclipse clips and one of them in particular, the now infamous parking lot scene where Jacob spills the beans to Bella about Victoria’s return. HEA wrote a great post yesterday for the blog, in which she outlined the major concerns a lot of fans share regarding how the main protagonists, particularly Edward, are portrayed in that clip. I never quite got that vibe from the clip, so I wanted to write this counterpoint from the perspective of how hard it can be to adapt a book into a movie and meet the expectations of people regarding the key scenes of the book, the characters, and the treatment of the storyline.
So, why is it impossible for the director, screenwriter, and studio to win when adapting a book that has a massive following? In my opinion it has to do with the friction between making a movie that stands alone as an independent piece, a retelling of the original story, and a movie that religiously transfers the book to screen verbatim. Fans expect to see the interpretation and visualization that they have in their heads, or what is agreed upon to be the “True Version” of The Story within the fandom. Anything else is unacceptable.
Let’s take an example outside of Twilight. I had one of those ‘wtfbbq’ moments when I first saw Arwen come to Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring instead of Glorfindel, and cringed at Gimli the comic relief and fucking elves at Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers, and no Battle of Bywater in The Return of the King. The bastards — they completely destroyed the story! In retrospect, I just need to chuckle at my initial reaction. Sure, they changed things, some major things, but in the end they were fine movies that delivered the overall story. Maybe Denethor was a boor and not a noble guy like he was supposed to be, and so what if Saruman died at Orthanc and not in Hobbiton. Or that freakin’ Elrond brought Aragorn his sword instead of him shipping out with Andúril when leaving Rivendell. I predict that in 5 years people will look back at Eclipse and comment on how touchingly it told the E/B love story and the awesome fight scenes, and maybe grumble in passing about the OOC parking lot scene.
Personally, I understand what they’re going for with the parking lot scene, and I think it’s not as horrific a change considering the story and what the end result will be. The main arguments I see are that Bella and Edward are so out of character that it’s completely changing the dynamics of their relationship, and that Edward would never have allowed it.
A common conception of the ‘book Bella’ is that she is very considerate of others’ feelings and would never do anything to hurt Edward, accommodates others to a fault, and would never have left with Jacob in such a fashion in front of Edward. Well, let’s not forget that she tried once to run off to La Push after Edward quite possessively forbade it (and subsequently did the same to Alice) to go meet with Jacob.
I also personally find it refreshing how the character of Bella has been changed to make her more independent and assertive — a true role model for modern girls that is more independent and opinionated than her book counterpart. In my opinion, what she’s doing here is a variation of that defiance we see in the books and a desire to re-connect with her friend, and when she implores Edward to trust her [judgement], it’s not done out of malice or inconsideration, but rather as a sign that she needs time alone with Jacob to work through the issues that are disrupting their friendship.
Does it make Edward a pussy that he’s not forcibly holding her back at the parking lot? Maybe, for some. Undoubtedly a domineering Edward would have been a titillating sight for many, but I take it as a way for the filmmakers to show he is learning human qualities, such as trust, patience, and humility.The notion that Edward would never have allowed something like this to happen is due to his somewhat obsessively territorial tendencies regarding Bella we’re all familiar with from the books. Perhaps, and I’m guessing here, the moviemakers intended for him to already have had the epiphany that he has in the books where he ‘allows’ the visitations with Jacob. You know, the one where he figures out that Bella should have a say in how the relationship works, too, even with the undying love in the equation. That he needs to let her make decisions for herself that may not always align with what he wishes. Yet, as David Slade said in a recent interview, his intention in Eclipse was also to show the potential of Edward’s ‘vampiristic killer’ nature. I hope this is realized especially in the fight scenes where he needs to protect Bella from real threats.
This all com
es with a huge mountain of salt, since I’m basing some parts of my argument on guesses as to how the plot has proceeded prior to this event in the film and what will happen afterwards. I think it stays true enough to the spirit of the story as portrayed in the books, even though the scene amalgamates together various aspects of the ‘love triangle’. If Edward and Bella end up snuggling at the meadow at the end of the movie, we get the leg hitch, and some fabulous werewolf on newborn fight action, I can overlook artistic license taken in other scenes to make the movie more approachable to the general audience.
es with a huge mountain of salt, since I’m basing some parts of my argument on guesses as to how the plot has proceeded prior to this event in the film and what will happen afterwards. I think it stays true enough to the spirit of the story as portrayed in the books, even though the scene amalgamates together various aspects of the ‘love triangle’. If Edward and Bella end up snuggling at the meadow at the end of the movie, we get the leg hitch, and some fabulous werewolf on newborn fight action, I can overlook artistic license taken in other scenes to make the movie more approachable to the general audience.
i agree the leg hitch,tent scene and proposal are all that matters too me. the battle was lame in the book anyway.
There's no way to compare our own imagination of the story (when we read a book) to an adapted movie. There's always gonna be good or bad expectations and these are just our opinions. And everybody has different opinions. That's why I don't take the Twilight films seriously. I'm quite satisfied that RK are starring in them.
As much as I am all for seeing the other side of things, I will have to disagree. Yes if Bella and Edward are together in the end it will make me happy, but not if they cheapen their love in the process. If they hype up Jacob so much that it seems like she made the wrong choice or that she still is on the fence by the end of the movie then yes it is an epic fail to the tenth power. There is more to the book than just a leg hitch, tent scene, and proposal, and that is where opinions will always vary.
For me I loved seeing the Cullens actually getting character depth and detail. I loved that Bella had to explore her options but did it without completely compromising her love for Edward and that needs to be shown in the movie. At no point while reading did I ever think, oh Bella will leave Edward for Jacob. I never got that. I got her trying to find a balance where she could keep her friend and love of her life without hurting one. I also got her weighing her option about Jacob in a "fleeting moment" when they kissed. She didnt stay up at night thinking of being with Jacob or their babies. For one moment in time during a kiss she was manipulated into, she realized she had feelings for him, but it would never amount to what she had with Edward. If they change that up to where she was way more on the fence than she was in the book, yes I will be livid because it takes away from what Bella and Edward have. By BD, she is completely 100 percent sure that she needs Edward forever and as someone who knows the film making process and respects it, I still believe they could have captured the essence of the scene a lot better.
The scene made it look like she left with Jacob to spite Edward. She questioned him about his lying and then left with Jacob with not much to say to Edward about it as if she were punishing him. She seemed to be playing with fire and in the book she did that as well but not when it came to Edward. She snuck off to see Jacob because she wanted to see her friend, not after being upset with Edward or hearing about the lie. Plus they completely changed Bella's reaction to hearing about Victoria. She was so scared and completely out of it for a moment, horrified at the fact that Victoria was coming for her. In this clip she just shrugs it off and cares more about Edward trying to protect her by lying than what the lie was about. In the book, they even joke about it and go to class. The small things can make a big difference in a book and movie and they are changing the meaning of why Bella went with Jacob, what her reaction was, and how Edward reacted. The main characters should not change in personality because that does change up the meaning.
PS: Sorry for the long post, didnt mean to write a whole essay, just wanted to get my point across. Like all the others, I do hope for the sake of the movie and to do the book justice that when the movie is released we get to see what we have all been waiting for.
I personally think the movie will still be great. So many people are judging the movie from the previews and it's not even out yet. I would rather go see the entire movie and then make comments on it. What people need to understand is each of the twilight movies has a different director each director has their own vision and they bring something different to the movie so with that being said you cant just expect each movie to be like the one before nor can you expect the book to be exactly like the movie otherwise we would be sitting in the theater for three and four hours instead of just two. As long as the key scenes are left in there then it's fine with me.
my initial reaction to this particular scene – and when I read the script too is – WTF! I'm team edward all the way! but I get and understand that there will never be a FULL LENGTH BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION that will please EVERYBODY and the FANDOM of that piece =P After all these movies, I've learned to separate my appreciation of the books and my appreciation of the movies – coz if I struggle to find a complete parallelism with how I imagined the book-to-movies and how the production crew/director and scriptwriter! sees the movie and what sells! then I expect to be always disappointed but still entertained! – I'm optimistic that way… as long as the central plot is still there – I go for poetic license too!
(It's a good thing Bella says "trust me" to Edward before she left with Jacob or I would really be up in arms! LOL!)
I can't help but wonder if that clip was edited. I just keep feeling like there is important dialogue missing that will hopefully turn up in the finished product.
This scene comes early on in the movie, so I agree K that Edward is learning to control his vampiric nature and allow Bella to make her own choices. Don't forget everyone that we also got a clip of bad-ass Edward confronting Jacob after he kisses Bella. I've never been happy with the way Summit pushes the 'love triangle'. I'm waiting to see the entire movie before passing judgement because I've learned that little snippets out of the whole can be misleading.
What i love about this blog is that everyone respects each others views – whether or not its the same. Of course we should also remember that the movie is not only intended for the fandom but also have those who arent fans of the book so i guess they have to take into consideration that the movie still needs to sell (despite the fandom being enough hehe) plus they have to condense the story to just 2 hours so i guess they tried to find a way to summarize it.
Nonetheless i still cringe that they changed the parking lot scene — at least possessive Edward was transformed to a really really pda-induced edward!! Lol
Clip never bothered me to be honest lol.
Great post K…while it is very thought provoking..i still must disagree a little bit..lol
..I did feel the scene was way out of character for Bella. She is very considerate of others feelings in the book, and though maybe that shows a "weaker" Bella, it's the way it was written. My biggest fear with this saga, is that they don’t adequately convey B&E;'s absolute and unending love for each other. I worry that people who have not read the books will walk away feeling as though Bella made the wrong choice, which as we see in BD, is clearly wrong. Bella was meant to be with Edward and was meant to become a vampire…and Jacob was meant to be with Renesmee. But with that, I will agree with you that I need to see where this scene lies in context with the rest of the story. I agree that Bella was defiant in the book and did sneak away to see Jacob, I just never felt she would have done it in his face and leave him standing there alone. If the rest of the movie adequately conveys their love…and at the end of the movie there is no question of her choice and why it is the right choice..then I'll be happy. We will have to wait and see. As always great job on the post K!
It would be great if all of this was just Summit hyping the love triangle but in the movie it wasnt that over the top so all of this worrying and debating was for nothing. I do agree with jspicci though about them watering down Bella and Edward's love. The one thing that needs to be made clear is that this is an epic love story between Edward and Bella….movies can show that and have before….but I dont get that from Summit. I guess I just have to accept that while I never expected the movies to be just like the books, I still expected too much from them. I expected them to capture the essence of the books even if they have to cut back scenes, they proved me wrong in NM and could easily do that in Eclipse. It is my favorite book so I hope not but I guess we will all just have to wait and see. Another clip I didnt like, Edward's reaction to Jacob kissing Bella was completely different in the book. Since when does Edward grab up on Jacob? The whole point was that Edward was dark and menacing, not a ticking time bomb.
Independent does not translate to inconsiderate; I think I've already said this to you. I love what Kristen Stewart brings to Bella, she is a much stronger character than SM's Bella. But, her key characteristics are still the same: Bella is selfless and would not intentionally hurt Edward. Leaving him there shows her reacting, and perhaps thinking of her decision, but not caring how Edward will feel about it.
Yes, some creative licensing needs to be taken when transfering a book onto film, including key EVENTS, but changing the heart and nature of the key characters is the pussy way of going about it. They could have done this better. I'm sure it was just a matter of wanting to combine key scenes, but that does not give them liberty to alter the characters' attributes to accomplish their agenda.
MR has said before that she knows what the audience wants and will do her best to deliver with BD. She's a little late.
@Rachelle: right on the money…couldn't agree more, and couldn't have said it better! Bravo!
You already know my views on the clip. We had a half-hearted rumble about it last night. But of course I respect your opinion very much or I wouldn't let you publish it on our blog
And I actually do agree with a lot if not most of what you said in this post. But I cannot agree about Edward. They did not do right by Edward in that clip.
I completely agree that most book to movie translations fail. Due to my Twilight *cough*obsession*cough* this failure is a bit tough to swallow, especially when they aren't doing justice to the main characters relationship. I'm still hopefully Eclipse will be great, but that clip…it kinda tries to squash it for me.
now that you guys mentioned it – we did hooked up on the saga bec of the epic love story between E and B… maybe its too epic for non-twilight fans to believe it is real so they had to put more drama to the love triangle? wait… vampires here sparkle – im getting confused now! LOL!
but like i said before… PDA-induced Edward is my consolation for this movie!! And im excited about the fight scene!! whooo!