Shuttering on the island

I can't even imagine taking on the task of converting a novel to the big screen. The simple narrational input to a book is imperative to a successful story. And in most circumstances a director is going to have a difficult time translating that to live action. That is why adapted screenplays can be the most highly criticized films released. Comparisons are inevitable.

As a fan of fiction, I have been seeing many novels turn into major motion pictures. Studios latch onto certain authors and themes and attempt to ride their wave of success to the box office. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Certain books or novels are meant to be left in written form.

To speak of a recent adapted film, one can not help but to not mention the No Country For Old Men success. Although it did have assistance from 2 of the greatest Hollywood minds today, it was superbly done. It captured the crepuscular and antiquated themes Cormac had portrayed.

I don't envy these directors and producers. They have to live up to something bigger than what they could every create. They must do the author justice. They must respect his vision and also cater to the studio, the cast, and the public. However, when a director glaringly omits aspects of a novel, the film becomes more of an interpretation than a reenactment.

The novel Shutter Island written by Dennis LeHane is a story of two major twists. LeHane builds to them with intellect and literary poise. Both of these twists were essential aspects of why this piece of fiction is great. Without giving away what these twists are, it should be known that Martin Scorsese's recent adaption of the novel glaringly omits one of them.

This is where Marty's recent release falls short. It is minorly saved by Leonardo DiCaprio's performance, however. So I am left to wonder, what should I be critiquing after seeing this film? Should it be the adaption of the novel or the film itself? One would believe it should be the latter, but comparing to the origin and coming back to the inaccuracies is inevitable.