Comparative adaptation: Forrest Gump

Forrest gump – comparative revies

How does the film differ from the book, and how does it succeed or fail in the metapmorphisis?

In most cases, novels get adapted into films only after they become extremely popular – think of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, just to name a few. It is also very likely for the film to be criticized by avid book lovers if they fail to follow precisely the original book version. Nevertheless, this was clearly not the case for Forrest Gump. Although Winston Grump ambitious in writing the novel, expecting it to become a best-seller, it was only after the book was adapted into a movie that it started to get attention from them public. Furthermore, the movie apparently made visible changes in the film – changes that satisfied the readers, the viewers, and even Winston Grump himself.

One of the most visible changes made in the movie is Forrest’s physique. While Forrest is described as a giant man – well over six and half foot – in the book, Tom Hanks, the one who plays Forrest in the film, is Forrest Gump in the book who plays wrestling and football, Forrest Gump in the film instead plays ping pong – a sport that is definitely more suitable for a person with not a very big stature. Although Forrest do play football in the movie, the focus not in how well he plays the game, but in the fact that Forrest loves to run. Considering the fact that Forrest is a naïve man with a mind as soft as that of a child’s, the changes made in the movie fits much better with Forrest’s image as a whole, making the film come closer to the viewer’s minds.

            

Furthermore, many of the experiences that Forrest goes through in the novel are not shown in the film. In the original book version, Forrest saves Mao-Tse-Tung from drowning, and runs for the United States Senate. However, instead of spotlighting Forrest as a hero who saves a celebrity’s life, the movie focuses in the part where Forrest risks his own life in the battlefield to save his comrade. Although saving Mao from drowning may be a much bigger issue, Forrest’s behavior during the Vietnam war does much more effective job in showing the humane and warm characteristic of Forrest. Also, by erasing the part  where Forrest runs for the United States senate, which seems a bit too overwhelming and lacking appropriate connection, the film successfully maintains consistency throughout the story, increasing the viewers’ sympathy toward Forrest.

In addition to the changes made in the story of Forrest, the role Jenny plays within the story also differs significantly from the novel. Originally, Jenny’s story does not play a major role in the story; instead of working as an independent story, it is more of an additional detail that accompanies that of Forrest’s. However, in the film, Jenny’s story plays a role that is almost parallel to Forrest’s, leaving the audiences some light touch deep in the heart.

Overall, the changes made in the movie were more than successful. The story became must more consistent and touching, which made it even more appealing to the audiences. Winston Grump, by providing the basic theme and story line, certainly had a role in this movie. Nevertheless, the movie obviously trimmed the story so well that, even though it has been more than a decade since the film was released, it is still deemed as one of the best adapted movie so far.

Journal 4

FORREST GUMP

Because I first encountered “Forrest Gump” as a movie a couple of years ago, the book version of Forrest Gump was quite new. As I was reading the story, I could match the narration with the scenes I remembered from the screen, and could compare the image I saw now and then. Although general traits of Forrest was not that different – low IQ, football player, etc – the atmosphere I could grasp were quite different. The image that popped up in my head while I was reading the book was a big, strong guy who does not seem feeble at all at first glance. Because ‘Forrest Gump’ in the movie is a bit more fragile and naïve, Forest’s adventure feels a bit more touching and dramatic.

As I read through the story, a question arose: what is the definition of ‘stupid’? Can it really be determined from a simple IQ test; do those two-to-three digits numbers really determine our intelligence? Although Forrest’s IQ is 75 – well below average for sure – he achieved so much more than those people who live their lives without much meaning endowed in them. Yes, Forest is stupid if we look from a very calculated point of view. However, in real world – where things much more complex than simple numbers and calculation exist – Forest is never stupid. He is a  genius, and a true hero.

As some of the classmates have already mentioned, the narrative style of the novel does not contain much emotion. Instead, the author [or, Forrest himself] relates the story objectively, or to put it more bluntly, dryly. However, perhaps because I’ve seen the movie, I still could get the scene that the author tries to relate: a heartwarming story of a mentally challenged man who learns about the world as he goes through hardships. To add on, I liked Winston Grump’s use of slangs and spelling mistakes, for it made the story much more lively and realistic.

LIFE IS A BOX OF CHOCOLATE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHICH ONE YOU’RE GONNA GET.

Movie Review - Everything must go

“Everything must go”

At first glance, it is hard to believe that “Everything must go” is a movie based on a short story “Why don’t you dance?” Whilst the movie gives out a full story of an extremely unlucky man whose wife got out of house with all his belongings thrown out in the lawn and the door lock changed on the day he got fired from his work, the story itself is only a page long, capturing only a very short scene of the movie. However surprisingly, nothing seems awkward or overwhelming. The movie harmonizes with the novel smoothly – the scenes match naturally with the kind of feeling and atmosphere I could gain while reading the story. I’d say that the movie is practically the story itself with a bit of heart-warming stories and wits added to it.

The part I liked the most about the movie was how the movie is comedic, light-hearted, and at the same time, heart-warming. Though the situation itself is definitely gloomy, it never depresses the viewers. Rather, we feel impressed as the black boy, the newly-moved women next door, and the man character himself helps and sympathizes each other, getting over their own hardships and at the same time help others heal as well. Ferrell’s comedic nature definitely shows in the movie and provides occasional laughter to the viewers, but it is never too overwhelming to spoil the essence of the film.

Not too disturbing, not too gloomy, not too light – I thought this movie is exactly the kind to grab and enjoy in Friday night with family!

Journal 3

Journal 3

-thoughts after reading halfway through the “Cuckoo’s Nest”

Bromden – the Narrator

Among many common aspects of The Shawshank Redemption and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the similarities in the narrative styles were the first to catch my sight.  First, the stories are spread out in first-person narrative style, through Red in The Shawshank Redemption, and through Bromden in  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Second, the novels seem to be relating the stories of someone other than the narrators themselves. Red, instead of sharing his own experiences, concentrates rather on the behaviors and life of Andy – an atypical type of person in the Shawshank. Likewise, Bromden’s stories mainly focus on McMurphy, again an atypical in the hospital. (This is rather ironic, because McMurphy is considered atypical for being sane.) Lastly, both stories make use of “unreliable narrator.”

Red was a prisoner (specifically, a murderer in a way). However, unlike Bromden, Red was a “mentally sound man” with much sincerity and objectivity. His words sounded genuine in most cases, providing the readers enough credit to believe his narration. But, can we really believe the words of such mentally challenged man as Bromden – a six feet seven Indian who suffers from paranoia and hallucinations? It seems quite likely that Bromden’s description of the Nurse and other environments of the hospital is exaggerated because it is ‘paranoia’ that keeps him inside the hospital. But there has to be some truth incorporated in his words. In fact, isn’t Bromden the only ward in the hospital who can hear everything – including schemes and other unjust plans – happening around the place? Yes, he may be an unreliable narrator who relates stories in an exaggerated or sometimes distorted way. Nevertheless, there is undeniable truth that remains firm even in the eyes of mentally challenged man.

McMurphy – On Being Sane in Insane Places

McMurphy reminds me of an experiment that I learned in psychology class: The Rosenhan experiment more commonly known as “On being sane in insane places”.

McMurphy pretends to be psychopathic to escape from the work farm. Along with Andy in The Shawshank Redemption McMurphy is a protagonist who tries to go against the rules, but of a much stronger kind. The intention of his rebellious behaviors changes as the story progresses. At first, he goes against the authority simply for his own sake. Therefore, when he acknowledges that the Big Nurse has the power to manage his stay in the hospital, he decides to obey just like the other wards. However, Cheswick’s suicide marks for a change in McMurphy’s intention. McMurphy notices that his rebellious behaviors give hope and happiness to other wards who’ve been oppressed for years, and decides to continue his role as a protagonist, not for his own entertainment, but for the others. McMurphy recognizes his responsibility, and constantly strives to achieve such goal. Personally, I could find some hope through McMurphy and his struggle against the oppressive authority. Hopefully, his efforts will bring out some fruitful results, and the wards will gain back their real lives that they've long lost since their entrance into the hospital.

Journal 2

Reading Journal 2

-After finishing both the book and the movie-

                       

When I watched the movie right after finishing the book, I could notice some scenes that were different from the book. In many ways, these differences served to give a stronger emphasis on the theme of “hope.”

As showed in the above picture, the poster used for “The shawshank redemption” states

Fear can hold you prisoner

Hope can set you free

The movie’s stark contrast between Andy’s hope and the surrounding environment makes this message stronger.  First, the wardens are much crueler in the movie than in the book. While Tommy is sent to a better penitentiary (to prevent him from giving help to Andy) in the book, he is ruthlessly shot and killed by Norton in the film. Further, the film provides much more detailed and realistic scene of the inhumane environment of the shawshank – with emphasis on inhumanness of the wardens and the ‘sisters.’

However, while the’ dark’ is portrayed much darker in the film, the ‘bright’ is filled with more hope. A scene in which Andy turns on a classical music and let everyone in the prison listen to it was certainly a part that could not be found in the book. Along with some other behaviors of Andy, such act clearly underscores the hope that Andy had in his mind and his willingness to share it with his friends. To sum up, although Andy was placed in even worse condition in the movie, his determination was stronger, and his hope was brighter.

Such difference between the book and the film is also shown in the ending. Whereas the book ends as Red finds Andy’s message and decides to look for him, the movie finishes as Red actually finds Andy and reunite in pleasure, getting rid of the uncertainty that remained in the book and reemphasizing the ‘hope.’ Although the book was also clear in the message it intended to deliver, the movie made a stronger one, making the  story once more touching and intimate.

 

Journal 1

Reading Journal 1

-Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption -

The first thing that I noticed while reading this novel was that it was written in a first-person point of view. The entire story is written via Red’s voice. However, as I read along, another question arose. Is this really a story of Red? Most of the stories seemed to be focusing on Andy’s story rather than Red’s own; it felt as if the author –Stephen King- was simply borrowing the Red’s voice to recount a story of Andy. Most of the contents of the book talked about how Andy came to the prison, how he lived and dealt with problems inside Shawshank, and how he managed to escape from the place. Nonetheless, I ultimately concluded that this story is more of first-person narrative than a first-person observant. Superficially, this may seem like a life story of Andy, but deep inside, it reflects a part of Red that was discovered by Andy. In other words, Red also owned an aspect that differentiated Andy from all other prisoners who have been deeply institutionalized. Most importantly, Red himself confesses in the book:

“Andy was the part of me they could never lock up, the part of me that will rejoice when the gates finally open for me and I walk out in my cheap suit with my twenty dollars of mad-money in my pocket. It’s all about me.”

It was HOPE that kept Andy different from all other men in prison.  Andy’s circumstances were obviously not so bright; he was convicted for two murders that he himself never committed and was bullied by “the sisters” after entering Shawshank. He was clearly in one of the worst circumstances, yet he never lost hope. Whether it was his confidence in innocence, or simply his own nature that kept him sturdy, I do not know, but he never lost hope and constantly strived for the better. This “hope” gave him calmness, which eventually enabled him to escape from the prison. As Red mentioned in the novel, not many would be able to stay sane after thinking about all the possible outcomes that may happen while digging up the secret route in the wall. In addition to Andy, Red also has this “hope” somewhere in himself, though he may not recognize. This is why the shawshank redemption is Red’s story rather than Andy’s, because Red is revealing his own hope and possibility as he talks about Andy. Perhaps, Red was projecting himself to Andy while writing this story.

Aside from the characters, this book (and the movie) gave me some topics to ponder about. First, do wardens really have rights to treat the prisoners as they do in the book? Yes, these people are criminals who committed murders, but before that, they are human beings. And torturing human beings, or even killing them - as in the case of a chubby man in the beginning of the movie - , isn't that also a "murder"? The conditions described (especially in the movie) were so grotesque that it was hard to believe such thing really happened not long ago.

Hero's Journey

Group: Group Four (Wonji, Seewan, Heegu, Min)

Our Film: The Incredibles

Why we chose it: Almost everybody our age watched it.

ACT I

1. Ordinary World:
The ordinary world for Mr. Incredible was the world where his family lived, a world in which a lot of superheroes exist and occasionally save the world from burglars. His son Dash and his daughter Violet, who are also superheroes, go to school. His wife is an ordinary housewife. He is an ordinary salary man.

2. Call to Adventure:
Mirage sends Mr. Incredible an electronic device containing a summons to an island to fight a runaway robot.

3. Refusal of the Call:
He worries about his family and is reluctant of going back to his superhero days and putting his family at risk.

4. Meeting the Mentor:
He meets Mirage, who informs him about the robot and its abilities.

5. Crossing the Threshold:
He rides a very modern jet and goes to the island to find the robot.

ACT II

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies:
His first test comes when he first fights the robot, which can learn while battling. He almost gets drowned and melted in lava but finally finds a way to kill it. His one ally is Edna Mode, the woman who designs superhero clothes. She provides him and his family members each a suit that suits individual abilities. His family members, Elastigirl, Dash, and Violet are also allies. His real enemy is the rich weapons producer Syndrome, who used to be a fan of Mr. Incredible in his youth.

Another test comes when he encounters a new, upgraded robot powered by Syndrome. He is powerless in front of Syndrome.

7. Approach to the Innermost Cave:
He uses a statue and breaks through a fake lava-clad door to approach the central system. He looks up heroes’ and heroines’ names to see if they had been killed or not. He finds out that Syndrome is trying to conquer the world by launching a rocket. He gets caught.

8. Ordeal:
His family (his wife, son, and daughter) come to rescue him and are eventually caught.

9. Reward:
Violet uses her ability of shielding to escape from the electric bounds, and goes to save the world. Mirage tells them the password, and they fly to the city to fight the robot.

ACT III

10. The Road Back:
They fly back to the city.

11. Resurrection:
While the Incredibles are going home after destroying the robot, they find out that Syndrome has got Jackjack, the little baby. The other four are caught by Syndrome and then the baby is taken away by him. But surprisingly the baby had a great ability, and Syndrome is killed. Basically the baby resurrects the family.

12. Return With the Elixir:
Violet becomes more competent with boys, and Dash enjoys the races. The family becomes happier and more intimate.

Points of contention (ifs/ands/buts):

Perhaps Mirage is not a perfect mentor, because she worked for Syndrome and then changed into a good woman.