By Jacob Oller
Adaptation theory through three takes on a novel.
Olive Higgins Prouty’s 1922 novel Stella Dallas became one of the first radio soap operas, creating the melodramatic form that would continue on through TV and film. Most directly, it inspired three adaptations: a silent film in 1925, a Barbara Stanwyck film in 1937, and a 1990 version starring Bette Midler.
Pertaining to maternal sacrifice and overwhelming emotion, this source material was primed for its classification by the patriarchal cultural hegemony as a “weepy.” However, when viewed together, these three adaptations show consistency in formal techniques that merit intense genre-based scrutiny.
Catherine Grant created a video comparison of the films’ final scenes that embody her “sensuous-methological” research into the material. Understanding these adaptations as more cohesive than most can give clues as to why some remakes simply fail to connect to audiences, while others maintain the ethereal “spirit” of the source.
The article Melodrama Through The Years: Three Versions of ‘Stella Dallas’ appeared first on Film School Rejects.
Related Posts:
‘A Very Loose History Of Skateboard Shapes’ Is As Exciting As Its SportBy Jacob Oller
Learning has never been so fun, fast, or animated.
Focusing on one specific aspect of skateboard design isn’t the first thing you jump towards when you think of skateboarding videos. There are no (or few) fishe… Read More- The Next ‘Cloverfield’By Benedict Seal
With its second movie headed into theaters, we wonder about the cult building around the Strause Brothers’ ‘Skyline’ franchise.
In the pantheon of franchise starters, it’s safe to say 2010’s low budget alien … Read More
- The Tao of Nicolas Cage: Viva ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’By Chris Coffel
In 1992 Nicolas Cage went to Vegas for the first time. Back then things were goofier and light-hearted.
“My father left home when I was 5. That’s why I’m named Jack, as in, ‘Jack tell your mother I’m just goi… Read More
- ‘My Father’s Tools’ Collects History and PracticeBy Jacob Oller
Indigenous traditions find archival protection in this doc.
Oral traditions are often the focus of documentary capture, so a record can be created and preserved. Physical traditions, the traditions of craft, ar… Read More
- Watch ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi,’ Then Watch These MoviesBy Christopher Campbell
Recommendations that inspired Rian Johnson in the making of ‘Episode VIII’ and more.
Another Star Wars movie brings with it many influences and homages, some of them intentional and some of t… Read More
0 comments:
Post a Comment