Portraying doubles: on the language of theatre and film
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/arbor.2010.741n1006Keywords:
Adaptation of theatre into film, Film language vs. dramatic language, mise-en-sceneAbstract
The languages of film and theatre share elements such as verbal, visual and narrative content as a consequence of the proximity of their purposes as artistic genres - both produce dramatized stories. However, they have distinct interests and put emphasis on different aspects of the setting, the events and the characters. The analysis of adaptations of plays into films provides an insight into the differences and similarities of both media which can be enriched through contrast. The first part of this essay contains a summary of the main theoretical implications of film adaptation of plays based on a review of the literature. The second part focuses on the study of two scenes of the film adaptations of Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf (E. Albee) and Closer (Patrick Marber). These two scenes illustrate the key points of the intersection between these two languages regarding dialogue and mise-enscene respectively.
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