Comparative Stydy On The Novel And Movie Versions Of The Scarlet Letter

For the comparison and analysis of the relationship between the original and the novel adaptation of the film, Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter and Roland Joffe’s adaptation of the scarlet letter as an example. Through the novel adaptation of the film to study film in the process of adaptation is how changes in theme and content. Based on the method of interdisciplinary and Laura’s gaze theory, post colonial theory perspective to analyze the Roland Joffe’s film the scarlet letter variation on the original one and analysis of its causes.Hawthorne’s masterpiece the scarlet letter won the high honor since it is born, and as the representative of romantic literature of the nineteenth Century USA. The movie the scarlet letter and who is to be made into a film in1995, is the latest work.The second chapter compares the differences appeared in the film adaptation of the novel process. First of all, there have been great changes in the aspects of the theme. The original sin theme in the film changes into a beautiful love story. Then, the movie describes a lot of the female bodies. This novel is not to see, but the film in every corner to add women bathing scenes, gazing scenes and the sex scene. Finally, Indians are arranged at the front in the film. Indians are classified into three kinds:the first is the "foolish" Indians, the second is the "civilized" Indians, the third is the silence of the woman Indian. They are not a line, is completely "dumb". This thesis analyzes the surrounding images.The third chapter analyzes reasons of novel and film. The thesis analyzes the reasons from two aspects. The first point is two works in different times. Hawthorne’s the scarlet letter was published in1850, and the film was released in1995, it was nearly150years. With the changes of the times, seeing things are changing, people’s consumption demand changes. The second point is the narrative difference in different media. Characteristics of novel and film each containing natural media, giving the readers and audience effects are different. The first point is the difference of the novel narrative:novels through language symbol for readers to read, while films through the image representation to the audience. Therefore, the director for the film adaptation of the novel is more explicit in the performances. The second point is:the novel and the film in the narrative ways are different. Novel can use various narrative techniques to describe the character’s mind, but the film can only depend on the camera, lighting, sound, and background. This is the reason why movie heroine often bare legs and chest. The third point is:readers and audiences are different in acceptance. Novel and film influent the readers and the audience in different ways. The readers understand according to individual differences, the novel content is differ in thousands of ways, but the movie plays by director’s ideas, the audiences understand the film are very much the same. The fourth point is:the pursuit of the novel and the film are not the same. One important focus of novel lies in its literariness, but film pay more attention to the influence of mass of the movie box office. So, considering the reasons, Joffe director deforms characters and so that he links to Hester, gives Dai desires, changes theme into a romantic love story from sin.This thesis, comparative study on the novel and movie versions of the scarlet letter, to study in the different media and in different narratives, movie how to adapt people, theme and content. Through the above analysises, suggesting directions of movies and novels cooperative developments.