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Learn it your way
A short class with Sarah and her students. The other ways are under More.
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Why do we read the novel before watching the film?
So we form our own picture of the characters before the director gives us theirs.
Good. What should you annotate as you read?
Key events, the characters, the themes, and who is telling the story.
Why does the narrator matter so much?
Because a film has to find another way to show what the narrator thinks, like a voice-over.
Exactly. The narrative voice is often the hardest thing to adapt.
In the 2013 film of The Great Gatsby, Nick tells the story from a psychiatric hospital. That frame is not in the novel. Is that a mistake?
Not necessarily. It gives the film a reason for Nick to narrate.
Good. What effect does it have on how we see Nick?
It makes him seem damaged by what happened, so his story feels like a memory he can't escape.
Now you are analysing, not just spotting differences. Does it fit the novel's themes?
I think it fits the idea that the past keeps its hold on people, but some readers might feel it changes Nick too much.
Your introduction needs a thesis. What does a weak thesis look like?
'The book was better than the film.' It doesn't say why.
Try a stronger one.
'By turning the narrator's thoughts into a voice-over and adding a framing story, the film keeps the novel's sense of looking back, even though it cuts several key scenes.'
Excellent. It makes a judgement and points to the evidence you will discuss.
And each body paragraph then takes one of those points.
read and annotate the novel before watching the film.
sort every change into kept, cut, changed or added.
running time, showing rather than telling, and the director's interpretation.
judge whether changes strengthen or weaken the story, not only whether they match the book.
quotations and events from the novel, scenes and techniques from the film.
a thesis, focused body paragraphs and a reasoned verdict.
The 1962 film of To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by Robert Mulligan, uses an adult Scout as a voice-over, keeping the novel's sense of a grown woman looking back on her childhood.
Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film of The Great Gatsby adds a framing story in which Nick writes the story at his doctor's suggestion while being treated at a psychiatric hospital.
The 2001 film of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone cuts Peeves the poltergeist, simplifying the world of the school for a film of limited length.
A weak thesis says "The book was better"; a strong thesis explains which choices worked, which did not, and why.
Read the book, then watch the screen; weigh each change and what it means.
Daniel's first draft said the film "ruined" the novel because it left out his favourite scene. His teacher asked what the film gained by the cut. He realised it gave more time to the friendship at the heart of the story, and his final review argued that the change made the theme clearer.
Kept, Cut, Changed, Added: the four boxes every change goes into.
R.E.A.D. - Read the novel, Examine the film, Analyse each change, Decide your verdict.
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What should you do before watching the film adaptation?
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What are the four kinds of change to record in a comparison grid?
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Give three reasons a director might change a novel.
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How does the 1962 film of To Kill a Mockingbird keep the novel's narrator?
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Why is fidelity alone a weak way to judge an adaptation?
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A work, such as a film, based on a story from another medium, such as a novel.
How closely an adaptation follows its source text.
A director's particular reading of a text, shown through the choices made in the film.
Narration heard on a film's soundtrack, spoken by someone not seen speaking on screen.
A story placed around the main story, such as a character recalling events from a later time.
A table used to record how each element of a novel appears in its film adaptation.
A clear statement of the main argument or judgement of a piece of writing.
The ability to understand and evaluate how media such as films create meaning.
This lesson describes the Book-to-Film Adaptation Review step by step: reading a novel, watching its film adaptation, comparing the two, and writing a review that evaluates how the director has interpreted the book.
In this project you read a novel, watch its film adaptation and write a comparative review that judges the director's interpretation. This lesson explains the process from start to finish: reading and annotating the novel first, watching the film with a comparison grid, sorting changes into what was kept, cut, altered or added, and analysing why a director might make those choices. It then shows how to evaluate the adaptation on its own terms rather than simply asking whether it is faithful, and how to structure a review with a clear thesis, evidence from both texts and a reasoned verdict.
The task in one sentence Read a novel, watch its film adaptation, and write a comparative review evaluating how the director has interpreted the book.
Step by step
How films solve the problems of adaptation
Structuring the review
Useful film vocabulary Close-up, voice-over, soundtrack, lighting, editing, framing device, casting.
Pitfalls to avoid
What is assessed The project focuses on your analysis of both texts and on how effectively you use language to argue your view, as set out in the Assessment Criteria lesson.