I was a kid who read credits. I remember asking my Dad about the letters after people’s names. Happily, since he worked in radio and avidly read Broadcasting, he knew arcane facts, like ACE stands for American Cinema Editors.
But all by myself, I figured out what “based on” meant. It meant the show would have a good story. Most of the time. Eventually, I figured out the film or TV show came from another medium — a short story, a magazine article, a Broadway play, or a novel.
I leaned in when I saw those words in the credits, and, usually, the promise was fulfilled. Adaptations suggest the story has already proven itself and it’s being given a second chance. Consider these films:
Casablanca (from the play Everybody Comes to Rick’s)
Gone With the Wind (novel)
The Wizard of Oz (novel)
Lawrence of Arabia (biography Seven Pillars of Wisdom)
The Godfather (novel)
Dr. Strangelove (the novel Red Alert)
Apocalypse Now (the novella Heart of Darkness)
or, more recently…
There Will Be Blood (the novel Oil!)
Lord of the Rings (novel)
Brokeback Mountain (short story)
It’s worth remembering Star Trek films came from TV and James Bond films come from novels. Along with many, many comic books.
Traditionally, TV has grabbed ideas from films and even been created based on films. Fargo, Fame, Alice, Bates Motel. Game of Thrones (from the novels) and, again, untold adaptations of comic books, are worth mentioning.
I bring this up because a flood of material has come out of copyright recently . It used to be that every year provided material, but changes in the law created a huge store of titles in film, books, articles, songs, and more. In sheer numbers, the works released into the public domain in 2019 exceeded any past year in my life. 2020 created another haul, and the river won’t run dry for decades. (Duke University has posted 2019 and 2020 Public Domain Day pages with lots of examples.)
I hope you find this exciting. Celebrate, but proceed with caution. Probably the most familiar adage (regarding film adaptation) is, “It wasn’t as good as the book.” Adaptation isn’t easy.
The safest bet is probably simply to remake an old movie close to what already succeeded (but with new technology and today’s actors), but that’s not really adaptation. And it is unlikely to benefit from a fresh perspective. The social reason for the public domain is to invite a new generation to reinterpret great works and bring them new life. Look at what artists have done over the years to provide new perspectives on Shakespeare. Aim high. Think West Side Story.
Faced with the riches of the past, it might be hard to choose which projects to explore. My advice is to find the ones that were meant for you:
• your truth - authentic observations you recognize
• your questions - exciting you to dig deeper
• your themes - what they reveal about the human condition that feels honest and important
Or, they might have pieces missing that you can provide by:
• interrogating them through today’s lens
• excavating the text and identifying the undercurrents
• identifying something you want to push against and challenge
• recognizing scenes that call for new techniques or technologies
• reacting to contrasts and tensions between our times and theirs
Once you make it personal, do you keep it in the same medium? Or take it somewhere else?
That will be the subject of next week’s post.
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