Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance - Volume 5, Issue 3, 2012

Although Tony Kushner's 2003 HBO miniseries adaptation of Angels in America was largely faithful to the original theatrical production, the miniseries failed to achieve the same power. What makes Kushner's play Angels so important, and what makes it stand out from most of the other early 1990s works concerning AIDS, is the idea that Angels (particularly the theatrical version) bears witness to the AIDS crisis by deploying disruptive narrative strategies, including the refusal of the typical downward spiral from diagnosis to death, the wildly varying tone even in moments of death, and various meta-fictional elements, to name a few. This article argues that the miniseries of Angels, on the other hand, even though it is a relatively close adaptation that was, in fact, written by Kushner himself, is not successful in deploying these strategies and thus does not bear witness to the collective trauma of AIDS to nearly the degree that its source material does; the tone of the miniseries is much more even and consistent and most of the meta-fictional elements have been eliminated. In part, this failure of connection can be attributed to the respective eras in which each version of Angels was produced; while in the early 1990s AIDS was still actively devastating the American gay community, by 2003, when the HBO version was released, AIDS was largely perceived as no longer an American problem since science had created drugs that made living with AIDS possible. The traumatic and ongoing reality of the early 1990s had become, by 2003, largely a matter for nostalgia. Thus, while many of the words, scenes and characters are shared between play and miniseries, the dynamic of battling an ongoing crisis vs remembering a trauma of the past results in very different cultural documents.

In 2003 and 2007, the Tainaner Ensemble performed two adaptations of Macbeth in Taiwanese, the most frequently spoken local language in Taiwan other than Mandarin Chinese. Both adaptations, based on the same script, deleted the battle scenes and featured three witches as protagonists. The number of female characters thus increased, and additional care was taken to show female influences. These Taiwanese adaptations produced various tunes by addressing the rhyme, meter and tone of these compositions. Actors were required to find rhythm in their body movements and the voice of their characters. The female actors playing Lady Macbeth and the three witches also incorporated different vocal techniques into their speeches to enhance the rhythm. The female voices came to the forefront and complemented the feminine power in these adaptations. This article discusses how this female domination was established, and the ways that the coordination between physical and verbal actions equipped the female characters to create melody in their performances. The manifestation of these female voices offered the feminist reading of Macbeth to signify the female rise to power.

Using questions of fidelity and authenticity as a starting point, this article reads the presence of nostalgia and the longing for authenticity in the complex mise en abyme of adaptations at the heart of the film Julie & Julia (Ephron 2009): the original blog The Julie/Julia Project (2002-2004), the novel Julia & Julia (2005) and Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (2001). The study suggests the concept of anamnesis, not re-enactment but remaking, to explain the particular fidelity of this series of adaptations, and argues that this concept helps to articulate the ongoing faith of audiences in authenticity and fidelity.

This article analyses and compares four screen adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1960) to Arnold Schwarzenegger's humorous portrayal in Last Action Hero by John McTiernan (1993) and discusses how aspects of the action genre permeate Hamlet adaptations. Focusing on the penultimate swordfight between Hamlet and Laertes - and the alternative methods used to adapt Shakespeare's play in each film - I relate the conventions and expectations of the action genre utilized in each film, from the casting of Mel Gibson in 1990, to Kenneth Branagh's swashbuckling portrayal. References to key films in the action genre, such as Die Hard (1988), are used to relate the common themes surrounding an 'Everyday' action figure triumphing over adversity and detailing how Hamlet differs from this by being a man of procrastination rather than decisive action.

This article explores the audio rendition of films within the movie adaptation series that proliferated on US radio from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s. Focussing on several versions of the 1944 film Laura, the article examines the institutional, ideological and representational negotiations involved in translating this property from the cinema screen to the airwaves. A celebrated example of film noir, Laura reveals an unusual handling of questions of gender and sexuality as well as highly eccentric storytelling strategies and a distinctive visual style. Drawing on a range of critical approaches, reviews and trade materials, as well as offering detailed textual analysis of filmic and radio material, the article considers what happens when such a distinctive film is adapted to a medium that communicates exclusively through sound and which operates within more tightly regulated commercial and institutional imperatives.

FILM AND LITERATURE: AN INTRODUCTION AND READER – SECOND EDITION, TIMOTHY CORRIGAN (ED.) (2012) London: Routledge, 470 pp., ISBN: 978-0-415-56010-8, p/bk, £24.99

IN THE PEANUT GALLERY WITH MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: ESSAYS ON FILM, FANDOM, TECHNOLOGY AND THE CULTURE OF RIFFING, ROBERT G. WEINER AND SHELLEY E. BARBA (EDS) (2011) Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 265 pp., ISBN: 0786445327, 9780786445325, p/bk, $40.00

WILLIAM GILLETTE: AMERICA’S SHERLOCK HOLMES, HENRY ZECHER (2011) New York: XLibris Corporation, 733 pp., ISBN: 978-1-4535-5580-4, p/bk, $22.50