Exploring Texts
Second Assignment
I have chosen to do a close analysis of the book "Great expectations" by Charles Dickens. I compared it to the modern day (1997) adaptation into film. The scene I choose to look at was the opening scene of the film and the book, which gives us a useful introduction into the story. It also introduces to us the main characters that we need to be familiar with because have a key role in the film. Also it is a vital part of the film because it sets the story.
The very first two paragraphs in the book Pip is talking about his family, mainly his deceased parents and brothers. So straight away we have morbid images of deaths in our minds, which bring thoughts of unhappiness and misfortune to mind. We now should get the idea of the type of story this is going to be.
Book illustration from Great Expectations
Screenshot showing Pip and Magwitch
Pip's gravesPip who is the central character in the story is trying to imagine his parents; he hasn't seen them because they died shortly after he was born. He's imagined them to be very rigid characters with no good traits being mentioned. This is building up the atmosphere of the scene and story, its very affective because it has the reader already feeling sympathy on the boy
However the opening to the film is completely different. We are shown drawings, which we later come to realize are Pips, whose name is changed in the film to fit in with the modern day adaptation. The drawings all show moments in his life, which have stood out, so he's drawn them. None of the photos are in colour they are all just sketched in black. This is also a morbid opening into the film so it sets the mood. There is...
Good comparisson
I really liked it. It gives a close comparisson of the novel and the modern film.All the important sequences have been included, and closely analized.it helped me a lot in my own research.thank you.
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