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Oedipus The King Film Analysis

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Due to the different characteristics of the written and visual media, adapting plays into films poses many problems. These problems are further complicated when one decides to transform the film into a modern adaptation of a play. Here I will outline some of the problems I have found when adapting Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” into a feature film. I will also include the difficulties experienced by other screenwriters when taking on this task and the thoughts of film critic André Bazin concerning the adaptation of the stage play into a film.
One of the most fundamental problems of adapting a play is the necessity to bridge the gaps in the play, such as flashbacks that explain how the story came about and how the characters ended up in this …show more content…

The usual problem found with plays is that of making it shorter or condensing it to fit within the time limit, but with “Oedipus the King” one has to take into consideration that it is a short play. One also has to take into consideration that since this is a short play, when compared to other plays, every detail counts, meaning that if a few moments from the play are left out, the film could become filled with plot holes and therefore result in an unsuccessful adaptation. In cinema, it is often better to leave out some elements that need a substantial amount of time to clarify and secondary characters that do not have a consequential role in the play since the director has a limited time span to work with. Very often screenwriters are also forced to leave out secondary parts and characters that don’t contribute to the play’s development and plot because introducing too many characters in a film may lead to confusion. In an interview with the playwright Tracy Letts, conducted by “Creative Screenwriting Magazine”, the playwright was asked about his adaptation of the play “August: Osage County” for the silver screen. When asked about the difficulties of adapting this play for the screen he replied by saying that “It was just a matter of sacrificing some depth out in the margins of the piece… But, there’s a reason for the phrase “cut to the chase.” That phrase originates from the movies. Because movies engage an audience differently, they rarely have the patience that we were allowed in the theatre.” In a film, it is often better to leave out some elements completely rather than introduce them without any subsequent

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With the realization of his demise, Oedipus tries to protect himself from punishment and shame by gouging out his own eyes and exiling himself out to die in the place destiny prevented him from dying originally. After many years of luxurious living, Oedipus’s predestined fate tears his life apart and returns him to the place he should have died as an infant, the mountain. Through the use of, departure, initiation, and return, Sophocles displays the journey of Oedipus. Not only is Oedipus the King evidence of the use of the hero’s journey throughout many famous plays, movies, and books across all cultures and time periods, but it also seen as a perfect tragedy, in which the audience experiences both pity and fear for the main

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