Film adaptations of literature have always been a contentious issue. Translating books into movies seems like a worthwhile opportunity — media being explored across multiple interpretations can provide viewers with a refreshing take on an original story that many already feel attached to. The appeal is clear. If successful, the original work sees a revival powered by the actions of the creators as well as positive reception from fans and critics alike.
However, such a feat seems more and more like an exception rather than a rule. Companies such as Disney and Paramount have faced criticism for “cash-grab” remakes and oversaturation. As many film critics and viewers have noted, there seems to be a lack of original content coming from major studios.
In anticipation of upcoming adaptations, it would be worthwhile to review some of the films that did not satisfy the vision of the author and their respective source material.
PL Travers - Mary Poppins
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
As of now, Disney has received multiple complaints about their reliance on adaptations and remakes, especially if the films stray too far from the source material. Shockingly enough, this seems to be a long, reoccurring issue with the company. PL Travers, the writer behind the iconic Mary Poppins, reportedly “hated” the film adaptation despite its astounding commercial success.
According to Telegraph, Travers did not appreciate the decision to transform Mary Poppins into a “pretty girl” for the film. The flattening of her character proved to be successful in the eyes of the company as well as the film’s audience. However, Travers wrote Poppins to be a complex character rather than the whimsical portrayal that millions were introduced to when the film premiered in 1964.
J.D. Salinger - My Foolish Heart
Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Growing up on books such as Catcher in the Rye, many were curious to figure out why a J.D. Salinger novel never made it to the silver screen. The answer can be found in the 1949 film My Foolish Heart, which was an adaptation of Salinger’s Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut.
The short story follows housewife Eloise Wengler and her loveless marriage with her husband Lew. As readers witness a conversation between Eloise and her best friend Mary Jane, Eloise was once in love with a soldier named Walt. Due to his passing, she resents her marriage to Lew and often thinks about Walt and the romance they had compared to her life now.
To Salinger’s dismay, his examination of the typical postwar American household was turned into a romance with a satisfactory ending. As a result, the author pledged to never let another mainstream studio adapt his work.
Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson and The Olympians
20th Century Studios
Much like fans of the Percy Jackson series of books, Riordan himself did not appreciate the initial film adaptations of Percy Jackson and The Olympians. The studios made decisions to age the characters up to the film straying too far from the books. Riordan himself only needed to read the scripts to know that the filmmakers were not going to make a film that lived up to his expectations.
In a now-deleted tweet, Riordan responded to fans who were relieved that the author did not find the film adaptation of the series entertaining or all that great. Riordan claimed that watching the film adaptations of his books come to life felt like “watching his life’s work” be put through “a meat grinder.” There are several od decisions made in the films that contributed to Riordan and the fans, however, the most alarming included aging up the characters as well as morphing the film into a fast-paced action series.
Fans would have appreciated it if the studios took the time to explore key scenes such as Luke’s betrayal and the maturation of Percy and Annabeth’s relationship. In comparison, where the perfectly paced sequence of events allowed readers to sit in confusion, awe, and joy, the films prioritized action and teenage romance, thus overshadowing the more intricate and interesting plot lines.
Recently, Rick Riordan announced that he will be contributing to the upcoming television series based on the Percy Jackson books, scheduled to premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2024.
Billy Hayes - Midnight Express
Columbia Pictures
Based on his experiences in Turkey, Billy Hayes wrote his autobiographical book Midnight Express (1977). The book detailed his experience in a Turkish prison after being incriminated for smuggling hashing. To provide context, the book took place in the ’70s, which saw American politicians and lawmakers take a serious stance on substances, infamously referred to as the “War On Drugs.” Hayes’ imprisonment was perceived to be an attempt to make an example out of him. The book chronicles his arrest, his experiences in a Turkish prison, and his escape.
The film of the same name would see its release in 1978. Directed by Alan Parker and adapted by Oliver Stone, the film turns Hayes’ memoir into a prison drama filled with horrific events and hyperbolic episodes regardless of if they had occurred in actuality or otherwise. Though acclaimed by many, Hayes and some others found the film’s depiction of Turkish nationals to be discriminatory, branding them as “monsters” rather than the complex human beings they were. Hayes has even expressed admiration for the Turkish people and “would love to go back,” as stated in an interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Lois Duncan - I Know What You Did Last Summer
Columbia Pictures
I Know What You Did Last Summer was originally a suspense horror written by Lois Duncan in 1973. The story followed four teens who receive a menacing letter a year after they hit a boy on a bicycle while on a ride. While the novel is mysterious and frightening, the matter of violence is understated as a result of her reader’s demographics consisting of young adults.
The film, however, is a traditional slasher that follows the tropes and storylines set up in Kevin Williamson’s Scream (1996). As a result, the death scenes are gorier, which upset Duncan, who thought the shift in tone was unnecessary. Duncan herself did not take too lightly her work becoming an onscreen bloodbath where teens were primarily the victims of morbid murders.
Furthermore, Duncan had lost her then-18-year-old daughter to an unsolved murder case. Therefore, on top of the film being criticized for its misinterpretation of the novel, the decision to make I Know What You Did Last Summer a sensationalist slasher where teenagers were killed one by one came across as insensitive.
In a world with concepts such as “the death of the author” and the ability to interpret various texts differently, there are bound to be conflicts and disagreements between multiple creators. Examining the valid criticism of the authors and their fans will hopefully allow the creatives at hand to synthesize and create adaptations that capture or actively engage the messages of the original text. Rather than prioritizing one voice over the other, conscious and genuine collaboration in the future shines as one of the more appealing solutions to the dilemma audiences, studios and authors alike experience now.
