Writer-director Neil Burger has acknowledged that his film Voyagers is intentionally reminiscent of William Golding's book Lord of the Flies (in both a bunch of young people in an isolated, unsupervised environment revert to savagery). There are differences, of course: the 1950s British schoolchildren in Golding's book were younger and all male and sexuality was not a factor. They, unlike the kids in Voyagers, had not been bred in isolation and sent off without much adult supervision (though what happens to the mentor in Voyagers was not planned or expected) to colonise a new world. But the deterioration of society happened in both stories: the resetting with adolescent protagonists, and in a futuristic setting, brought something new to the story.
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Lord of the Flies is a perennial school text, as are works by William Shakespeare. Drawing on familiar school texts might be a way to introduce the stories to new audiences (but not as a substitute for reading the originals).
Sometimes it works: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is already about teenagers and Baz Luhrmann's modern-day hyped-up retelling had two big stars - Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes - to add to the youth appeal. Another tragedy, Othello, became O, about rival teenage basketball players. The Taming of the Shrew became 10 Things I Hate About You - Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles were the battling couple-to-be - and She's the Man was a Twelfth Night revamp with a girl posing as a boy to play soccer. Sometimes the plotting - not Shakespeare's strongest point - didn't adapt easily and obviously the language - one of his best points - was lost in translation.
It's not just the Bard. Clueless cleverly updated Jane Austen's Emma to modern-day California and Easy A brought The Scarlet Letter up to date appealingly, while the dark Cruel Intentions captured the decadence of Les Liasons Dangereuses with rich kids instead of aristocrats.
Sometimes the originals are simply a jumping-off point, sometimes the parallels between the old and new works are extensive. There's nothing wrong with reworking old texts - Shakespeare did it often enough - if it's done well. No doubt there will be more to come.
Ron Cerabona
As arts reporter I am interested in and cover a wide range of areas - film, visual art, theatre and music, among others - to tell readers about what's coming and happening in the vibrant and varied world of the arts in Canberra. Email: ron.cerabona@canberratimes.com.au
As arts reporter I am interested in and cover a wide range of areas - film, visual art, theatre and music, among others - to tell readers about what's coming and happening in the vibrant and varied world of the arts in Canberra. Email: ron.cerabona@canberratimes.com.au
