There's merit in writing a tale, nurturing it through the twists and turns of the film industry and watching it emerge a fully formed cinematic creation.
But it's easier to steal someone's story.
For more than 100 years, artists have been telling cinematic stories, and for almost that long, they've been liberating plot lines from the classics. Whether the Oedipus-in-space of Star Wars or the high plains Herman Melville of The White Buffalo, classics are retooled and released as originals.
It's not always the cinematic equivalent of copying off your neighbor's paper, however. A filmmaker will see the potential in a story and produce a work that is an homage to the original - and original. Here are a few examples:
ROXANNE (1987): Funny and smart, Steve Martin's retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac understands that though contemporary references and settings might make this tale more palatable for modern audiences, the important stuff - the romance and the nose - continue to make this story tick.
THRONE OF BLOOD (1957): Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's version of Macbeth, set in feudal Japan, remains his most powerful adaptation of Shakespeare's work. A highly stylized film that draws from classic Japanese kabuki and noh forms, it shines light on this story of prophecies fulfilled.
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000): Homer's Odyssey and the American South circa 1935 might seem an odd combination, but the Coen Brothers make it work. Understanding that The Odyssey is basically a road story, they skillfully adapt Greek mythology into colorful characters of Depression-era Mississippi.
THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984): This lush adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood takes what was always disturbing about the original story - wolves eating Grandma - and infuses it with layers of psycho-sexual symbolism. The result is a complex film that addresses issues of sexual politics, the loss of innocence and what kind of parents would let their daughter wander around in wolf-riddled woods.
CLUELESS (1995): In the mid-1990s, the cinematic landscape was littered with adaptations of Jane Austen's work. Though most took a traditional approach, the best of the bunch relocated the classic Emma to modern Beverly Hills. The result is a film that establishes that a great comedy of manners is timeless.
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
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