You Can Please Some of the People Some of the Time… None of the People All of the Time: A History of the Art of Adaptation in Movies like Dune, The Godfather, Harry Potter and More!
Dr. Rosanne Welch speaks on A History of the Art of Adaptation in Movies like Dune, The Godfather, Harry Potter and More! at the California State University, Fullerton Library
Part of the program series for Dune by Frank Herbert: A 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Watch this entire presentation
Transcript:
Right, I’m watching this movie and I’m thinking, “What happened to him? Did the Nazi’s kill him? I want to know.”, but the movie didn’t tell me. So, I went to the encyclopedia, because that is where I figured all the information of the world existed and I was like, what, nine or ten. So, I look in the encyclopedia and hi name doesn’t show up and I’m thinking, “Well, clearly he was a really important man. I should find out more about him.” So, then I had to turn back to read the book, because I hadn’t read it in a while. Only to discover that he didn’t even exist. This man wasn’t ever a human being. Their priest was the one who booked them at all the churches where they sang and became successful, but the movie writers and the playwrights didn’t think that audiences would understand that a priest could also function in that fashion. Right? They would not be able to split the character like that. So, they invented this crazy Max guy — very funny — who stuck with me. How interesting. He doesn’t even exist. So that’s when I realized, “Oh, when they take a book or a play and make a movie out of it, they don’t actually just copy what was already done. Oh.” That’s kind of annoying , but now it means I really have to focus on the actual piece of literature first.
About this talk
Dr. Rosanne Welch (RTVF) speaks on the craft of history of film adaptations from the controversy of the silent film Birth of a Nation (protested by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1915) to Breakfast at Tiffany’s (to which author Truman Capote famously said, “The only thing left from the book is the title”) to The Godfather . Naturally, the behemoth in adaptation – Harry Potter (which depended on the relationship created by adapter Steve Kloves and author J.K. Rowling) will be discussed, as will the subject of this month’s celebration: Dune.
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
About Dr. Rosanne Welch
Dr. Rosanne Welch is a professor in the Low Residency MFA in Screenwriting Program from Stephens College, California State University, Fullerton, Mount San Antonio Community College and Cal Poly Pomona. In 2007, she graduated with her Ph.D. in 20th Century U.S./Film History from Claremont Graduate University. She graduated with her M.A. in 20th Century United States History from California State University, Northridge in 2004.
Welch is also a television writer/producer with credits for Beverly Hills 90210 , CBS’s Emmy winning Picket Fences and Touched By An Angel . She also writes and hosts her own podcasts on 3rdPass.media, her first one titled “Mindful(I) Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch.”
Her upcoming book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture” will be published in Fall 2016
Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space are two books she has written. Los Angeles Times and the Journal of Screenwriting hold some of her published articles.
Dr. Rosanne Welch Web Site and Blog
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