Cinematic rebirth of world classics

by Amal HEWAVISSENTI

Continued from last week....

She by Henry Rider Haggard

In every respect, "She", a highly readable novel with plenty of twists of plot to keep the reader guessing to the last, was a major source for film makers since the 1930s. The story opens when Horos Holie is battled by a parcel with a letter he has received, which carries an earnest appeal to him to adopt a child named Leo Wincy. The letter further states that after Leo turns 25, Horos Holie is to make a journey in quest of a strange, immortal lady believed to be lurking in a mysterious, rocky area. When Leo reachs 25 years they set off on the rather perilous journey and after many trials and tribulations, they come in contact with the "immortal queen" who has been living for more than 2000 years! It is revealed however that long ago, she had fallen in love with a person called Caly Crates whom she had brutally killed because he had dated another woman in her absence. Here, Leo is proved to be a reincarnation of Calycrates and after two thousand years, they encounter each other. Suspense governs what happens next.

Filmed in 1935 starring Helen Gahagan as "She"
in 1965 Ursula Andress as "She"
in 1983 Sandahl Bergman as "She".
Les miserables by Victor Marie Hugo

Jean Valjean, the hero of this French novel, is subjected to the most brutal treatment for 19 years in the prison for the "heinous crime" for stealing a loaf of bread. After 19 years of living death, he comes back to society only to be ruthlessly repulsed by whoever he meets. Probably because of his shabby clothes and wretched look. The Catholic Father, whom he accidentally meets, acts as the healing force to transform him into an agreeable and pleasant person and erases off all the vindictive tendencies in him. Later, Valjean becomes the mayor but he is constantly thwarted and pursued by insympathetic police officer Javert who had been in charge of Valjean in the prison and who wanted to disgrace him resorting to law. A destitute dying woman entrusts Valjean with the responsibility of adopting her daughter. She brings new hope for him. Meanwhile vindictive Javert who is continously after the "Culprit" becomes a victim of his own moral conscience and is pressured to commit suicide.

Films: 1935 (Frederic March as Jean Valjean Charles Laughton as Javert)

1978 - (Richard Jordan as Jean Valjean Anthony Perkins as Javert)
1988 - (Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean)

Emma Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Emma chances to get to know newly widowed Charles Bovary who regularly visits her house to treat her father. As an inevitable outcome of this company, they marry. Soon she gets terribly bored with her impassive husband as well as the dull marriage and becomes romantically responsive to Leon Dupuis, a student who conveys his infatuation for Emma in a letter. However, she remains faithful to Charles. Meanwhile Rudolphe Boulanger an exciting attractive and stylish womanizer manages to seduce her after diplomatic planning and Emma, in turn becomes romantically dependent on him. Her plans to elope with him ends with sheer despair. While she is on a visit to Rousen accompanied by Charles, she unexpectedly meets Leon Dupuis and instantly develops an affair with him. Her extravagance with gifts and other expenses for Leon, lands her in to near bankruptcy but she assumes the management of her husband's wealth to cover up her monetary losses. As a result, she plunges herself into reduced circumstances and even steal money. After Leon deserts her, she experiences complete loss of dignity and status and moves heaven and earth to free herself from disappointment and lamentable state of affairs.

Filmed in 1934 starring Valentine Tessier as Emma

in 1949 Jennifer Jones as Emma
in 1980 Francessa Annis as Emma
in 1991 Issabelle Huppert as Emma.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

The story by American novelist Pearl S. Buck centres around the farming life Wung Lung who, as the sole earner for the family, struggles hard to earn just enough money to live on. Yet, contrary to his expectations a highly destructive famine preys on the whole village compelling Wung Lung family to abandon the village and move on to a major city. There he earns a substantial fortune and emerges as a prominent figure in the urban society but his extravagance and unlimited avarice have bad repercussions.

The time machine by H. G. Wells

Filmed in 1960 starring Rod Taylor as George filmed in 1992 starring Guy Pearce as George.

George has masterminded a strange machine and when he is at the basic controls, he gets access to all the time spans in the world. This machine whizzes George from the point of time in 1899 upto the twentieth century and makes the time traveller experience with numerous, severe sufferings and encounter deadly creatures on his way.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

At the outset of the story, De Winter is seen moving on to Monte Carlo to blank out the extremely sad death of his, arrogant and overbearing wife Rebecca. To cancel out the persistent memory of the death of his wife, De Winter develops a romantic relationship with a woman in Monte Carlo and returns to his house with her. However, the servant of the house begins to be antipathetic to the guest and plays a shrewd diplomatic game to make De Winter split up with her. A real drama follows when De Winter's new wife is haunted by the spirit of Rebecca and this phenomenon however makes a stunning revelation that the underhand scheme to kill Rebecca was hatched by none other than De Winter!

Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940 starring Lawrence Olivier as De Winter and Joan Fontane as the new wife.

A film in Hindi was produced in 1964 as "Kohraa." Here Biswajeeth played the role of De Winter and the role of new wife was played by Waheeda Rehman.

The Omen by David Seltzer

Robert Thorn, the ambassador to the UK, strangely replaces his child who shockingly dies at birth, by another but keeps the tragedy hushed up specially from his wife Katherine. The story has it, that after a short spell, Damien, the substitute, child, has become Phobiac to churches and is accompanied by a web of mysterious observers. Thorn watches, with disbelief, how his "son" is developing evil power within him when the mysterious observers begin to die under the eeriest conditions. Thus

Antichrist, in the shape of Damien, is revealed to be unleashed on earth and the five year old child, Damien is to be killed at the hands of Robert Thorn, his foster father.

The novel was filmed in 1976 with Gregory Peck as Robert Thorn and Lee Remick as Katherine.

Psycho by Robert Bloch

This American novel was filmed in 1960 and was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

The film starred Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates and Janet Leigh as Marion Crane.

Secretary Marion Crane flees from her town with the forty thousand dollars that she was assigned to bank and heads for California where her lover is living. On the way she stays in a hotel for the night in a bleak region. Norman Bates, the manager of the hotel, who is unsociable and is beset by problems with his mother, is a young man with queer traits. Later he is proved to be a man with mental abnormality and obsession.

That night he secretly Kills Marion with untraceable evidence. The investigators, through careful planning and time tested methods, finally capture him after a frightful struggle under difficult circumstances.