Film Adaptation: 6 elements

Title:
Hysteria- Simple and to the point. Because I want to focus the film on the ineffective 19th century treatment the “rest cure,” developed by the physician Silas Weir Mitchell, I believe this title is suitable. The rest cure was specifically targeted for women with this mental disorder, but often it’s effects would intensify their hysteria and drive them insane, which is the case with the main character in Gilman’s piece The Yellow Wallpaper. I think transforming this short story to film is a great outlet to showcase this ludicrous medical treatment.

Characters:
The Narrator (to be named Lydia in the film)- actress Jennifer Connelly.
She has often been cast in dramatic films as the disturbed individual (heroin addict in Requiem for a Dream, a woman obsessed with reclaiming her home in The House of Sand and Fog, and the wife of a schizophrenic opposite Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind). She has often been dubbed the Queen of Angst.

John- actor Russell Crowe.
I chose Russell Crowe because he has previously worked with Connelly on the set of A Beautiful Mind. They had great on-screen chemistry so he seems ideal for this role as her husband. Because I want to make John’s character more prominent to the storyline, Crowe is a perfect fit to play the strong, authoritative figure. He has been nominated for three Oscars as best actor for his dramatic roles in The Insider, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind.

Physician (Dr. Weir Mitchell)- actor Johnny Depp.
I also want to make the role of the physician more important. We never encounter him in the short story but it's necessary to have him as a key figure in the film since it will revolve around “the rest cure.” I want to make this character semi-psychotic/deranged which is a role Depp is familiar with playing (i.e. Secret Window, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)

The remainder of the characters play secondary roles, so I won’t be focusing too much on them.

Setting:
Setting will remain the same as it is in the novel (late 19th century.) It will take place in a small coastal town of Rhode Island near Providence.

Plot:
Techniques to expand the plot:
-Show the “courting phase” between Lydia and John when they first met (this will usher in the romantic/comedic aspect for the beginning of the film.)
- Then show the progression and eventual deterioration of their relationship from the proposal to her pregnancy, to her concluding drive to insanity.
- The movie will begin with their move-in to the summer home after her physician’s diagnosis, with the use of flashbacks to slowly reveal to the audience how they came to be in that situation throughout the film.
Conflict:
-Man vs. Man (Lydia vs. John)
-Man vs. Self (Lydia’s inner struggle with her hysteria and depression)
-Man vs. Society (Lydia vs. the physician and the medical world).

Irony:
Dramatic Irony- Enhance the drama with special effects/theatrics to show the narrator’s encounters with the yellow wallpaper.

Situational Irony- Gilman reveals the backwards effects of Mitchell’s rest cure in her short story and that too will be the mission of the film. In addition, I plan to intensify the situational irony of the conclusion by counterbalancing her insanity with self-liberation. Although she is clearly mad, at the same time she reclaims her own individual self-control. I’ll try to make that juxtaposition clear.

Symbolism:
-focus on the entity of the wallpaper as the symbolic key to free the narrator from the constraints of her physician and her husband
- Since the “unclean yellow” color of the wallpaper is symbolic of her decaying sanity, I’m going to focus on the tone quality to use for the film.
-Also with the extension of the beginning of the short story focusing on the “happy times,” the aesthetics of the film regarding color is also important. So the flashbacks will be in vivid colors, whereas the remainder of the film with be in a dark, grim greenish gray tone similar to the The Ring. This juxtaposition of color will be symbolic of the deterioration of the characters both internally and externally.
-There are other objects in the wallpapered room that are symbolic of the narrator’s present circumstances (i.e. the nailed down bed, the bars on the window, etc). that will be exaggerated on screen to retain their symbolic identities.

Generational Conflict

Everday Use
In this particular story there is an obvious generational coflict between the mother and her daughter Dee concerning their worlds. As Dee leaves home for her education, she becomes caught up in a modern, materialistic society that greatly conflicts with the traditional, rural setting she grew up in. Her intellect leads her to be simultaneously ashamed of her familial relations, yet also she discovers a newfound interest in her culture (i.e. the quilts).

Gorilla, My Love
Hazel has a more broad conflict with the older generation. She ascribes them as untrustworthy and even mentions in the text: "we must stick together or be forever lost, what with grown-ups playin change-up and utrnin you round every which way so bad." We can all relate to Hazel in the fact that we have all been children who took every word to heart because we didn't know better. This story is so relevant for any family dynamic and can be easily relatable. It's that "kids against the parents" mentality.

Girl
In this short story Jamaica Kincaid reveals the responsiblities of the older generations imparting wisdom and advice to the younger generation. Specifically in this story a mother addresses her daughter by making statement after statement about proper etiquette, do's and dont's, etc. The daughter is only able to get in two questions admist her mother's slew of advice, and this shows the common, and often unintentional, disregard of the older generation dismissing their children's responsiveness.

Film Adaptation Proposal

As of right now I've decided to go with Gilman's piece The Yellow Wallpaper for my film adaptation essay. I think there are so many elements to this work and was considering making it a autobiographical film of Gilman's own life since she went through similar experiences (i.e. post partum depression, a mental condition, etc). To do so, I plan on doing more research on Gilman's personal history. I think the beginning of the film should focus on how she met her husband and show the progression of how that relationship deteriorated over time, culminating with her mental breakdown with the wallpaper as a the conclusion of the film. Visualizing how this can be translated on the big screen, I think the descriptive text of the narrator's encounter with the wallpaper would make for great special effects. Because the meat of this story is supported in large part by the narrator, since it is from her point of view, I need to cast an actress that can live up to those standards. 

The Minority Report

If you've seen the movie, then think about how the scenes you're reading appear in that version. Which is more interesting or engaging? What changes would you make if you were directing the film?

The advantage of a film adaption of a short story is the freedom to expand the storyline. In Spielberg's 2002 rendition of Minority Report, he utlized this freedom in an extremely engaging fashion. The futuristic setting, along with the cast really made the film believable and thrilling. I found the short story to be engaging but Spielberg enhanced the spirit of the short story in his film. It's been awhile since I've seen the film but if I'm correct, Tom Cruise plays Commissioner Anderton, Colin Ferrall plays Whitwer, and the precog who deciphers the minority report is played by Samantha Morton. Spielberg plays with this creative work by adding his own futuristc twist. I distinctly remember loving the movie and therefore I completely trust in all the directional intelligence of Spielberg that I wouldn't tamper with any changes myself if I was director.

The Yellow Wallpaper

What is the larger meaning of the story? How do the symbols in the story contribute to this larger meaning?

Like The Story of an Hour, Gilman's piece The Yellow Wallpaper also represents the subordination of women in marriage. It was published around the same time as Chopin's short story, so again we can view the story from the context of a male dominant society. The key symbol that dominates the story is the yellow wallpaper. Through the progression of the story we come to find that the main character deciphers a sub pattern of a trapped woman behind bars constantly trying to free her self of the constraints of the main pattern, but is only strangled in her attempted escapes. This caged woman, as well as the numerous heads barred in with her, represents the repressive inclination of women during this time, and on a more literal level, the trapped feelings of the main character. The room itself, previously a nursery, can be seen from a symbolic standpoint as the main character is treated like an ignorant child who can't treat her own anxieties. Even the "unclean yellow" color of the room can represent the decay of self-assertion, intellect, and imaginative power.

The Story of an Hour

What do you think is the larger meaning or message of the story?

The Story of an Hour was written in the context of a male-dominated society that prevailed in the late 19th century. Besides the literal message of the narrative, it is obvious that Kate Chopin was drawing upon the repressive role of women. After Louise is provoked by grief at the news of her husband's death, a sense of renewed freedom overcomes her at the thought of "years to come that would belong to her absolutely" (Chopin 298). Her delayed reaction to her husband's death reveals her inner pysche of entrapment and lost identity in regards to her marriage. I believe Chopin was shedding light on this issue of repression to express the feelings of many women of her time. The domianting power husbands had over their wives aided her their sense of lost freedom and individuality.

What are some of the symbols you notice in "The Story of an Hour?" What do these represent?

One of the most obvious symbols is the sprigtime setting outside Louise's window. The descriptions of "new spring life" in the tree tops, the twittering sparrows, and the patches of blue sky juxtaposes with the news of death. The renewing time of the year represents Louise's chance to escape from the constraints of marriage and discover a forgotten sense of freedom. Instead of anticipating a short life, she now wishes to live a long life of her own ("she was drinking in the very elixir of life through that open window.")

A Rose for Emily -Faulkner

How does the physical setting (time and place) impact the story?

The short story is set in Faulkner's fictional Mississippi town of Jefferson shortly after the Civil War (1870's). This little information provides resourceful insight to the values of the characters, and those of that time period, that justify how the plot unravels. Simply by understanding the time and place, we know that ultra conservatism was a dominant value upheld in the deep south where the remnants of slavery still existed after the war. This is supported in the text: "Colonel Satoris, the mayor--he who fathered the edict that no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron..." (Faulkner 521). 

Also the Grierson's seemed to be a revered Southern family in the town of Jefferson. Although the townspeople claim that they "held themselves a little too high for what they really were," they are still fascinated (their curiosity provokes them to follow the Griersons personal lives). The Griersons fall into the category of the "high and mighty" Southern family, thus explaining their motivations, actions, and reactions throughout the story. Emily in particular takes on the role of the strong, impervious Southern woman, who tries to shield her emotions and broken heart from the criticisms of her neighbors. Her behavior towards the tax notices reveals her stubbornness to adapt to modern life and accept the changing times. 

The setting of A Rose for Emily has a distinct cultural environment of an established post Civil War Southern town. The laid back approach to the legal issues, such as tax notices, starkly contrasts to that of North during this time. The Northern states were quick to establish modern values including that of legal responsibility and enforcement. Also the idea of a tight knit community where everyone keeps up with their neighbors' lives is characteristic of the South, whereas Northerners kept more to themselves and were preoccupied with other concerns.