Book Marks

Did you always get the feeling while watching a film,that its novel version had much more depth to it? Well,it is time to rekindle that debate all over again,as the American Centre is hosting a film festival,called Road to Classicity,comprising a selection of eight films from different genres in Hollywood,all of which are literary adaptations. “The purpose is to create a buzz around the fact that it’s not just the narrative that is important,but also to highlight how different the setting,characterisation and treatment of a story in its visual setting is,from the written form,” says Supriya Suri,artistic director,Cine Darbaar,an organisation promoting cinema,which is co-hosting the three-day festival that kickstarts this Friday.

The opening film,The Big Sleep,will be the cinematic adaptation of the 1939 crime novel by Raymond Chandler of the same name,about a private detective named Philip Marlowe and his search for the elusive blackmailer. Each screening will be preceded by a small literary handout describing the nature of the book and the differences in its cinematic version. Wherever possible,a small video showing the making of the film,interviews with the cast,will also be screened. “The chosen films have won significant acclaim for their portrayal of the subjects and have bagged major awards,” adds Suri.

On the following day,there will be a screening of the adaptation of the novella by Truman Capote,Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Robert Mulligan’s directorial project,To Kill a Mockingbird,about a lawyer who decides to represent a young black man in a racially-charged America. The latter won three Oscars. There will also be a session on differentiating cinema from literature by Professor Neeta Singh,from the Delhi University. While most films are classics,the closing film will be the 2009 released The Road,based on the adaptation from American author Cormac McCarthy’s book,on the post apocalyptic journey of a father and son.

(Contact: 23316841. Entry is free.)