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In this corner of Out of Write, Out of Mind, I explore how beloved books make their leap to the big screen. I’ll be comparing plots, characters, themes, and vibes, along with the tiny details that get lost and the big moments that hit harder on screen. Additionally, I'll discuss whether I think the adaptation properly reflects the original story, and whether I prefer the book or movie more. Spoilers ahead!
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
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While each of these books and their respective movies could easily provide mountains to discuss, I'm going to compare the series as a whole, at least for now. Beginning with a very surface level analysis, I do love the casting for The Hunger Games on screen, as well as the choice to split Mockingjay into two parts, similar to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. It's a great way to make room for more book accurate pacing and avoids the mistake that many movies make in leaving out crucial details from the novels. Nonetheless, the movies do still leave out a lot of scenes and details that play an essential role in the original plot.
During the first novel (spanning the 74th Hunger Games), Peeta actually lost his left leg due to a serious injury by a mutt, and after detonating a bomb, Katniss suffered permanent hearing loss in her left ear. Following their victory, Peeta did receive a prosthetic leg and Katniss' ear was reconstructed, however, those injuries being removed in the movies reduced the severity of how the Games affected Katniss and Peeta, and how it shaped the rest of the series. The book also highlighted the abuse Peeta endured from his mother, when 11-year-old Katniss passed by his family's bakery and "heard the woman screaming again and the sound of a blow". Minutes later, Peeta threw out two loaves of burnt bread and she saw the "red weal that stood out on his cheekbone", which later swelled up and turned into a black eye (The Hunger Games, p.38). This scene of abuse was adapted on screen, however, I think it could have been better. Peeta's mother could be seen yelling and smacking the side of his head, but the flashback ended quickly and the audience never saw those visible welts that developed as a result. As bad as it may sound, the movie should have conveyed that abuse more accurately to show his family dynamic as it contrasted to Katniss', which also would have developed him a little more as one of the main characters as well.
The fact that hunger and starvation was one of, if not the main, central theme of the books (hence the series title) and was barely emphasized in the movies is definitely a criticism of mine. With District 12 being the poorest of Panem, I feel that it should have been conveyed as such. There was little to no mention in the movies of the Seam, the most impoverished area of 12, where Katniss' and Gale's family lived. Peeta's bread scene and the system of tesserae were glossed over, and while starvation was likely a normality, that suffering should have been displayed on screen as it had been described in words. If the film was more book-accurate, maybe the age rating would have had to bump up from PG-13 to R, but if the movies were meant to be an adaptation of the books, the most significant and hard-to-watch parts of it shouldn't have been downplayed and/or removed entirely.
The last of my somewhat negative commentary revolves around Gale's character. Book-Gale and movie-Gale seem to be two completely different people. I've noticed that those who have only watched the movies and not read the books are more likely to "side" with or back Gale up in his actions. The most viral video I've ever posted on Tiktok (sitting at 2.7M views) is split — not evenly by any stretch of the imagination, but still — with some who felt that Gale had always been in the right. On paper, Gale was much more vengeful and ruthless. He had a lot of difficulty understanding Katniss' trauma upon her return from the 74th Games, and was very openly critical of her relationship with Peeta. When the rebellion began, his ideas concerning warfare and strategy, I would argue, resulted in his absolute downfall as a character. He assisted President Coin in the plan to bomb their own medical personnel, convinced that the attack would be pinned on President Snow and turn the war in their favor. Unless he hadn't been in contact with Prim for quite some time, he had to have known that she had become a medic and then still chose to develop the plan with Coin. This, as we know, resulted in Prim's death. Gale's character was very very flawed, and the movies don't seem to convey that as well as the books did.
Despite the many differences between the books and movies, I've never turned my head at a series rewatch. All of my favorite characters' triumphs, failures, and deaths still hit just as hard every time. I love how Collins' Hunger Games arenas came to life on screen, and how real the films make the story feel. If you have any supporting or contradicting thoughts you'd like to discuss, click the link below and join the conversation!
The Taming of The Shrew
The Taming of The Shrew
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This may be a duo you didn't expect to see here! The film "10 Things I Hate About You" is one of several modern adaptations of William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. While Taming (as I may refer to it) is not a book per se, this widely known play offers some fascinating comparisons to "10 Things" that I've actually written a 16 page research paper about for a rhetorical criticism class I took in college. "10 Things" on its own is such a great movie, but there are so many hidden gems that some may not catch on the first watch. In my research paper, I compared the film and the play, explored the themes of feminism and misogyny within "10 Things", reflecting the time period in which Taming was written, along with how the film fit into the genre of romantic comedies.
The setting of the film was quickly introduced as being at Padua High School, which directly referenced the setting of Taming, a city named Padua located in northern Italy. Kat and Bianca’s last name was Stratford, which connected to Shakespeare’s hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. Patrick's last name in the film was Verona, a reference to the Italian city where Petruchio came from in the play. There was even a small sub plot of "10 Things" where Kat’s best friend, Mandella, had a huge (and possibly unrealistic) crush on Shakespeare. In many instances of dialogue, characters in "10 Things" directly quoted lines from Taming as well. Possibly the most obvious reference to Taming was when Kat read her original poem called “10 Things I Hate About You”, which was rewritten from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 141: A Poem Full Of Hate”. Along with a few other, less noticeable and less important references, it’s clear that a lot of thought was put into the creation of the movie by including the numerous references to Taming. At first glance, some may be less obvious, but once you go looking, the hints toward the play become much more noticeable.
Taming of the Shrew was written during the Renaissance Period when marriage consisted of great misogyny, which was largely reflected in many of Shakespeare’s plays. During that time, it was highly expected of women to submit to their husbands, obey their every request, and be well behaved. This meant that women speaking up for themselves were frowned upon by men, and having individuality was not desirable. The play displayed this much more dramatically than the film. While marriage was not quite relevant in "10 Things", the film did focus on dating and made a point of making money relevant to an extent, since Patrick was paid to take Kat out on dates. The main theme of Taming displayed Petruchio taming Katherine, but the way he accomplished that was wildly different between the film and the play. Another interesting point of both the play and the film was how they depict the idea that fathers have total control over their daughters' relationships. In the play, both Bianca’s and Katherine’s suitors had to receive a blessing from their father or else they were not allowed to marry. In situations like Bianca’s where she had several suitors, her father had the final say (usually dependent on each suitor’s wealth, or lack thereof). In the film, Walter Stratford was more of a comical character, but still held a position of excess authority in his daughters’ lives, where he made up impossible rules to keep his daughters away from boys.
Overall, "10 Things I Hate About You" is a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare's play. It modernized a story written 430+ years ago and made it into something relatable in today's age, while still portraying the same themes. After lengths of research, multiple watches, and reflections on Taming of the Shrew, it's impossible for me to view the film the same way I did before. "10 Things" is a great watch without prior knowledge of Taming, but it means so much more when you're familiar with its roots. For a much more detailed report on my rhetorical findings, including direct quotes (with timestamps from the film and line numbers from the play), deeper analysis, and connections from outside scholarly sources, feel free to get comfy and read my research paper. If you'd like to share your own thoughts on "10 Things" and/or Taming, please join the discussion! Both my research paper and the discussion forum will be linked below.
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