The film adaptations of literary works can sometimes be a nightmare. However, they can also turn out better than the original work in some rare instances. In the case of The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the movie was a better format for telling the murder mystery because of the movie’s ability to show rather than tell the audience what is happening, the clearer explanation of the plot, and the more in-depth development of the characters.
In the movie adaptation of Doyle’s story, the audience is not limited to only reading or listening to dialogue to progress the story’s plot as it is in the book. In the written version of the story, Helen Stoner’s testimony is what sets up the scene and describes the events that led to her seeking
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Watson than there is in the short story. In the case of Helen Stoner, the movie allows you to see aspects of her character that you do not see in the written story such as her relationship with her sister and stepfather. While it does say in the book that the sisters were “chatting about her approaching wedding,” more development is present in the movie because it shows the sisters together reminding the audience that they were close companions and that the loss of Julia was devastating to Helen. Another example of this character development is with Dr. Watson. In the movie adaptation, a short clip was added while Holmes and Watson investigated the house in which Julia had died. In the clip, Dr. Watson is shown examining foot prints on the lawn and explains to Holmes that he is trying to be as observant as he is. Though this clip may not seem like an important part of the story, it adds to Watson’s character by showing him as a student of Sherlock Holmes. While the movie does make the characters more dynamic, it also removed some of the suspense that the written version created.
The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was entertaining as a written story, but it was even more enjoyable as a film because the movie played out scenes that were only described by dialogue in the book, flushed out the murder plot in a clearer manner, and created more realistic and dynamic characters. Turning older literature into movies that available to the general public prevents them from falling by the way side as many story from the past have a tendency to
Holmes and Watson were to guard Helen from a mysterious whistle she heard in the early morning, every single morning. The whistle she heard was the same whistle that Julia (her sister) had heard when she came upon her fate. The night that they were going to investigate, they stayed in Helen’s room; Julia’s old room. They woke up to the whistle and Holmes smacked the snake in the face. The snake ended up going back into Dr. Roylott’s room and killing him by venom. Helen was saved by Holmes in the situation where she would have been murdered by her own father and let her be married with no interference. Holmes, however, could have done another action that did not include hitting the snake and making it bite Dr. Roylott. Holmes had banged the snake in the head, which caused it to be aggravated and bite the first person it saw. Holmes could not have predicted where Dr. Roylott was sitting in his
This essay will examine both "The Speckled Band" by Conan Doyle and "Visitors" by Brian Moon and will look at how each one conforms to or diverges from the conventions of the detective story and also how each story is representative of the century it was written in by how it presents the woman, the hero and the villain.
At this point, the readers create their own movie in a way. They will determine important aspects of how the character speaks, looks like, and reacts. Whereas, in the movie, the reader has no choice but to follow the plot laid out in front of them. No longer can they picture the characters in their own way or come up with their different portrayals. The fate of the story, while still unpredictable, was highly influenced by the way the characters looked, spoke, and presented themselves on screen.
Helen Stoner is hidden from genteel English society. (752) She has arrived at Baker Street “dressed in
Watson’s actor angrily expresses Watson’s character of being disapproving of Holmes’ use of drugs. Sherlock Holmes’ actor stares off to somewhere, while sounding calm and delivers his line of drugs being the only thing that makes existence not dull. The tone when delivering the dialogue was rather monologue and stern, which somewhat complements his stoicness. At this point, the movie has strayed from the direction of the book. Holmes then hands Watson a letter to read which has instructions of what to do and the time to do it. Watson listens to Holmes’ deduction of who crafted the letter, all his speculations ranged from penmanship and paper quality, to
And Sherlock easily catches where Irene has hidden the photograph. John is amazed of Sherlock’s work and he esteems Sherlock. From the beginning of the story, John is amazed by Sherlock’s work and how he keeps that up. John feeling esteem about Sherlock’s work makes him want to follow Sherlock’s crime situations. It makes the story flow in a respectful way. But in the text John’s esteem moves on to Alder, because she is the woman who tricked the great Sherlock Holmes. However, in the film, Irene gets defeated by Sherlock and John’s esteem does not move away like the text. John remains to respect Sherlock’s ability to
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is one of the most respected and admired novels of all time. Often criticized for lacking substance and using more elaborate camera work, freely adapted films usually do not follow the original plot line. Following this cliché, Roland Joffe’s version of The Scarlet Letter received an overwhelmingly negative reception. Unrealistic plots and actions are added to the films for added drama; for example, Hester is about to be killed up on the scaffold, when Algonquin members arrive and rescue her. After close analysis, it becomes evident of the amount of work that is put into each, but one must ask, why has the director adapted their own style of depicting the story? How has the story of Hester Prynne been modified? Regarding works, major differences and similarities between the characterization, visual imagery, symbolism, narration and plot, shows how free adaptation is the correct term used.
In the story “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” the author Conan Doyle portrays many different narrative techniques. He uses these techniques to provide meaning for the audience as well as help them visualize the situation that was being described. The different techniques used are narrative discourse, suspense, conflict, close, and focalization in his story. Narrative discourses are events, to describe a series of events that are contingent one on another. Typically focuses on one or more performers of actions. Personal experience can influence narrative discourse due to the explaining of significant events in the life of the narrator. Narrative discourse is made up of setting, developing
All the students, in our dormitory have signed a petition requesting that more security personnel be on duty throughout the night. As it became harder for the smoker to breathe, she decided to except her doctor's advice and give up cigarettes. Sherlock Holmes, who's my favorite fictional detective, is featured in _The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Because the mud in that field is deeper than it appears to be, people should'nt attempt to ride their bicycles through
In the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, the author presents juxtaposing duos that serve as perfect accompaniments to one another. Watson provides readers, who may not possess Holmes ' analyst abilities, with a character they can more personally identify with. Patricia Bray argues that the second character is the "gateway" that permits readers to relate to the protagonist in an accessible means (Bray). Watson has the power to make the edgy genius Holmes a bit more sympathetic by exhibiting the allegiance between the detective and
In the movie Holmes, in the beginning, was much more prideful and rude to Watson and people in general, but later on, Holmes was a lot nicer and somewhat humble at least compared to the book. This difference made the viewer feel less liking of the character of Holmes and it almost seemed that the director tried to save Holmes’s character by making him nicer at the ending. The difference had a big impact on the feeling of the movie because it felt that he was so stuck up he was rather unapproachable. ...
“Good show, Watson!” John Watson, and his role model Sherlock Holmes are characters from Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous Sherlock Holmes Series. Young Sherlock Holmes is a movie that recreated the first time that Sherlock and Watson become friends. The characters in this movie, Young Sherlock Holmes, are that of many. Of course there was Sherlock Holmes himself and his apprentice John Watson, but also there was others. Including Sherlock’s love interest, Elizabeth Hardy; the professor, Professor Rathe; and the nurse, Mrs. Dribb. In the movie, it shows the first time Watson and Holmes meet. Right away, Holmes is shown to be a student with very high intelligence. When citizens start having mental breaks and committing suicides, Holmes starts to suspect something. He rushes down to the police station, and tells the lead detective that he believes that something is wrong, but the detective just blows it off. After Sherlock finds a clue that leads him to an egyptian cult, he gets himself and his friends into trouble. Arthur Conan Doyle has written many other works that included important characters such as Sherlock Holmes, Brigadier Gerard and Professor Challenger (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate). If the film, Young Sherlock Holmes, is historically correct compared to the novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle, then the film could be used to learning purposes.
For Sherlock Holmes, his partner in crime is Dr. John H. Watson. Not only is he a trusted friend, but also he is Holmes’ associate and the first person narrator of the Sherlock tales. The stories of Sherlock Holmes are a collection of short stories and fictional novels created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories are based on a famous and most notorious detective all throughout London, Sherlock Holmes. Along his side, Dr. Watson narrates his and Holmes’ detective cases and reveals Sherlock’s abilities and knowledge of solving cases and fighting deadly crimes. For the duration of the stories, Watson and Holmes share a particular relationship where Holmes verbally dominates Watson, “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is very clear” (Doyle 241). When he isn’t insulting Dr. Watson he talks about how much he relies on his partner, “I am lost without my Boswell” (Doyle 243).
Adaptation of any kind has been a debate for many years. The debate on cinematic adaptations of literary works was for many years dominated by the questions of fidelity to the source and by the tendencies to prioritize the literary originals over their film versions (Whelehan, 2006). In the transference of a story from one form to another, there is the basic question of adherence to the source, of what can be lost (Stibetiu, 2001). There is also the question of what the filmmakers are being faithful to or is it the novel’s plot in every detail or the spirit of the original (Smith, 2016). These are only few query on the issue of fidelity in the film adaptation.
When Jane is shunned by Mr. Brocklehurst in front of the entire Lowood population, Helen is the one person that does not immediately judge Jane. In fact, she makes her feel more comfortable in a place that is filled with punishment and hypocrisy. Though Lowood does not truly feel like home, Helen is able to provide Jane with not only all the compassion she needs as well as support and respect. This is one of the first loves Jane experiences on her journey and it allows her to become more open to the love she finds in her future endeavors.