Books on the screen

by SHRADHA BASNYAT

FROM ISSUE # 153 (September 2008) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Imagine having to read Shakespeare's lengthy "thee" and "thou" plays for fun and be expected to enjoy it. Boring right, but what if we told you that these very classic pieces of literature are the base of many famous movies. See, we got your attention. Based on one classical novel or play, new screenplay writers have adapted these stories with a fresher, more hip and a more relatable take. Thus, highlighting the beauty of these classical stories that transcend time and age.  WAVE chose such three books which have been adapted into modern-day Hollywood blockbusters.

Novel: Emma, Jane Austen
Movie: Clueless
There has been various adaptations to Jane Austen's Emma, while the movie Clueless may seem like another teeny-bopper film, it is actually a remake of the famous novel. Set in a different time, Alicia Silverstone plays Emma as Cher Horowitz, the beautiful but spoiled rich girl whose match-making tactics creates trouble for her friend Tia Fraiser (in the movie). Emma makes her first series of mistakes when she takes Harriet a clueless, innocent girl under her wing. She then makes her reject the man she actually loves and then chooses a wrong pursuit for her. Along with this meddling, Emma also manages to tangle troubles in her own love-life. The movie maybe just another chick-flick but it has captured the essence and wit of the novel very well.

Novel: The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare
Movie: 10 things I hate about you
It may come as a surprise to many to know that this heartwarming romantic comedy is actually loosely based on Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew. The movie takes the basics of Shakespeare's farce about a brusque lady and the man who tries to tame her and adapts it to the modern-day Padua High School. Originally, the play actually starts with a drunkard watching a play called The Taming of the Shrew. In the play, a rich young man named Lucentio sees Bianca, a beautiful woman, in the university he is attending and instantly falls in love. Yet the problem arises as Bianca already has two suitors, Gremio and Hortensio and as Bianca's father, a wealthy old man Baptista Minola, has declared that no one may court Bianca until her older sister, the vicious, ill-tempered Katherine, is married first. When Hortensio's friend Petruccio arrives, Katherine's problem is solved for Bianca's suitors. In 10 Things I Hate About You, Julia Stiles performance as the crass, non-conforming and ill-tempered Katherine and Heath Legder as Petruccio (Patrick Verona) is what makes this movie even more fun to watch. 

Novel: Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
Movie West Side story
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story that still has the power to move people to tears. While this story has been re-told numerous times, West Side Story, a more melodramatic modern-day musical is a loose re-telling of the tragedy that occurs due to the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. West Side Story is set in the Upper West Side of New York City in the late 1950s and the conflict is between rival street gangs- Jets and Sharks. Like Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria, West Side Story's main protagonists, commit the unforgivable - fall in love with someone from the other gang. They too are unable to overcome their ill-fate, nor is their love able to conquer the hatred between the two gangs. The energy and passion of West Side Story has made it one of the best film adaptations ever created.