I think there’s an inherent problem with all films adapted from a book written by someone from another culture. To visually express the tonal qualities, nuances and spirit of another culture through film is extremely difficult. This is made all the more harder when you’re trying to condense and stay true to a book that has a packed narrative – and enough plotlines to make a number of films – running to over 500 pages. I have no doubt that David Fincher – a Director I very much admire – will do a great job with the pulp aspect of the ‘Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ and its partner books in the trilogy. However, underneath the surface of the books lie important questions about Swedish society. These ugly truths, the sub text, are far more difficult to thread into the film – as they need to be given space to breathe and tell their own story – and are best approached through tone, rhythm, colour, atmosphere and a Swedish cultural sensibility. It is this aspect of the film that I fear will be lost in translation. So America taking on plot and character, yes definitely, dealing with the dark undercurrent that runs throughout the book and the rest of the trilogy, namely the societal issues that preoccupy many Swedish crime writers including; Henning Mankell, Hakan Nesser, Mari Jungstedt and of course Stieg Larsson, I don’t think so.
No comments:
Post a Comment