The Film's Representation of the Book: The Leopard Essay

The film is quite impeccable in representing the book and most concepts it discusses. More importantly, the film acts as an extended explanation of the book as it provides detail and addresses some of the questions that the audience may have about "Leopard." One particular scene that expounds on the book is the ballroom dance in which Angelica makes her public debut through the ceremony (Visconti, 1963). The book provides complicated glimpses about the relationship between Angelica and the prince. It keeps the reader guessing when it comes to whether or not the prince may have some affection towards Angelica that goes beyond welcoming her into the family. The novel always showcased the sexuality of the prince through his longing for something more than what his wife gave him. Hence, the beautiful Angelica is very unsettling for him and the film's ballroom scene helps to expound on this aspect by showcasing that he is attracted to her in more ways than one.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

For instance, the film complements the book by showcasing facial expressions that one cannot note when reading the book. In the ballroom scene, the prince's expression indicates love and attraction for Angelica. When he dances with her, it seems that the world stops and the two of them exist alone at the center of it (Visconti, 1963).. They talk and seem oblivious to their surroundings as the audience looks on in awe and admiration. The audience notices the interaction between the two as being more than that of mere relatives. There is even an expression of jealousy from the Prince's wife. Other guests look on in astonishment and whisper to one another to indicate that they notice the possible attraction. All of these details were not present in the book but they are in the film. It acts as a platform that enhances a deeper understanding of the storyline because it allows for the expression of emotions.

The scene at the ballroom also illustrates the longing nature of the Prince as he looks at Angelica and Tancredi. There is a flicker of jealousy and longing when Tancredi kisses Angelica. The book says, ""when, in that very same ballroom he had danced with the Princess before he knew disappointment, boredom, and the rest (Tomasi di Lampedusa, 1960: 250)." The statement is a subtle way to illustrate the emotional struggle that the Prince is going through as he witnesses young love and the fire that Angelica has. The film, on the other hand, capitalizes on this and uses emotional expressions to showcase this deep sense of longing. One can see the prince's eyes as he poses and looks at Tancredi embracing Angelica and kissing her. Therefore, one can use this scene to infer that the film does well to represent the book through is depiction of emotional aspects. The author wanted to illustrate the imperfections of the Prince having to say them. The book wanted the reader to come to their own conclusion through the insinuations that the author provides. The film complements this by helping the viewer to come to conclusions about the Prince, his imperfections, regrets, and desires. The scene, just like the rest of the film, uses emotional facial expressions to ensure the audience understands the storyline in a better way. It does well to enhance the plot of the book and make it interesting.

Shift in Detail and Audience Experiences

The film is rich in detail in many instances when compared to the book. There are many instances when it adds details to showcase enhance the quality of the moment especially when it comes to emotional representations. In the ballroom scene discussed above, the book showcases the restlessness that the Prince feels through descriptions. For instance, the author says, "Now you need young men, bright young men, with minds asking 'how' rather than 'why ...I should say, their personal interests with vague public ideals (Tomasi di Lampedusa, 1960: 259)." Reading this, it is difficult for the reader to understand the turmoil that this character was going through. The words in the book are descriptive but they do not quantity the degree of worry that the Prince felt as he watched the young people being merry at the ball. He wondered if they would carry the legacy of Italy in the face of so many changes. However, the reader cannot fully comprehend this worry, which prevents him or her from understanding the fading nature of Italy's tradition as the old generation withered. The film, however, captures this moment through the ballroom scene in avid detail. One can see the Prince crying as he thought about the future. He then wanders throughout the ballroom as he looks at people and goes outside into the night (Visconti, 1963).. The expressions of worry, crying, and aimless wandering show that he is struggling. The director even showcases him on his knees at one point as he does not know what to do about the future. Hence, the scene fosters more understanding of Italy and the changes that came as a result of the new generation. The audience also experiences an emotional connection with the content of the storyline. Because of the film, the audience understands the generational gaps in the Italian society and the subsequent erosion of its culture. The emotional representations in the film provide emphasis of the words in the book and help the audience to understand the conflict that the Italian faced in that period.

Gains and Losses

The best gain for the adaptation of "Leopard" into the film is the emotional aspects attacked to it that enhanced the plot. The film has visual representations in which one can note emotions that help to reveal aspects that may not be well-articulated in the novel. The film helps one to carefully scrutinize that which they cannot see in the book. For instance, the attraction of the Prince towards Angelica is more present in the film. There is meaning behind the words as the viewer watches every aspect of the plot in the film. Therefore, it enriches the plot in ways that eighteen the understanding of the story. However, one loss of this adaptation is the rise of assumptions about the storyline that may distort the intention of the book or its factual elements. It is easy for Visconti to communicate a wrong concept because the film is entirely dependent on the portrayal of the characters. For instance, in the ballroom scene, one may read jealousy as an emotion when this was not the intention of the author.

References

Tomasi di Lampedusa, G. (1960). The leopard. Trans. Archibald Colquhoun. New York: Pantheon.

Visconti, L. (Director). (1963). The Leopard [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrgI09npe_w&t=82s