Why it's not hard to film a novel

It wasn't hard to adapt "The Beach" to the big screen. I figured it out during my holiday in the Far East last year. The gap year gave me a good excuse to see the world at a young age. And I was lucky to have a family who would be supportive of my adventurous pursuits. A digital nomad won't be one of the options. I was an ambitious fellow, as I was thinking of a coffee table book. And I couldn't hide my glee whenever I saw the guests gushing at my shots of exotic places.

My first day at Hoi An turned out to be a huge disappointment, as I stared at a dusty road lined up with souvenir shops. And then I met another backpacker. He had a disheveled appearance, which wasn't uncommon in this part of the world. But there was something about his glazed eyes. He seemed to be thinking of a far-off place. I invited him for a drink. A few cans of beer later, I learned about a desert isle not far from the Vietnamese coast. It was part of a trade route between Europe and Asia many centuries ago. For some reasons, the people who were involved in the trade would forget this island. Until that fateful morning in Hoi An.

What I illustrated was a common trick among filmmakers. Most authors would flesh out their characters, such that readers could identify with them. Screenwriters (and directors) would try to relate to them by remembering their past experiences. And they could compose a script from there. Come to think of it, the best adaptation of written material isn't a faithful to the original material. There would be a high expectation, like a child to a parent.

Sam told us about the upcoming adaptation of "American Pastoral," the Pulitzer-prize winning novel by Philip Roth. It could be a daunting order for Ewan McGregor, who would be making his directorial debut. I was neither curious nor excited about this upcoming movie, as I was looking at the coming term. It reminded me of our past conversations (on the same subject), though. I was surprised to learn about the celluloid version of "Ulysses," which was released in 1967. It was hard to describe James Joyce's novel in a few sentences and penning a 1,500-word essay gave me sleepless nights. (And I wasn't exaggerating about it.) My coursemates and I couldn't agree on the Hollywood production of "The Golden Compass." It focused on the characters, which was a sensible choice by Chris Weitz. Sam didn't share my sentiment. Jimmy would agree with Sam, even if he didn't fancy Philip Pullman's subtle ways of expressing his agnostic views.

We find ourselves having the same view on animated films, which would surprise us. Perhaps we fancy this genre after watching one foreign film after another. This would be my short list of movies that were good adaptations from a written material:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Kids and adults alike would remember the characters. And nothing else. Walt Disney won't be interested in the psychological side of the novel.

The Adventures of Pinocchio. There would be many sides to the story, which Carlo Collodi intended it. Most people chose to look at the childish behavior of Pinocchio because it would remind them of their childhood. Nostalgia and sentimentality would hook us to this charming book immediately.

Howl's Moving Castle. It was love story above anything else. Hayao Miyazaki did the right thing by excluding the quirkiness that would define the novel.

The Lord of the Rings. Comparing this animated film to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy would be like comparing apples to oranges. There won't be anything wrong about it. I preferred the cartoon version, though.

Sleeping Beauty. It was a classic good-versus-evil tale, but I was hoping that a filmmaker would adapt the second part (of the fairy tale). It would be more interesting than the first half, and the current generation of moviegoers would be enthralled by it. Let's just say that Princess Aurora would have issues with her mother-in-law.