As someone who’s never read or seen Macbeth I was not sure what to expect from an Indian remake. I enjoyed the film, and after reading a summary of the play it makes more sense than it did before. I got lost while watching the film once or twice, I never do well with subtitles. But after reading the summary I can see that the film followed the play rather closely.
Fidelity is an interesting concept, does retaining more from the original work make something more valuable? One example I always think of when thinking about adaptation and Fidelity is Harry Potter. The first two films follow the book almost exactly, but are they the best films? No! The third is, and it cuts out from the book than the first two films did. So does Fidelity really matter? Could Maqbool have been more different from the original work and still have been a good film?
Another thing, something I brought up in class is what do we value more? An original work of art or an adaption? The movies this summer that most people are excited to see are adaptations, reboots, and sequels (Jurassic World, Star Wars episode VII, Avengers 2, Cinderella, Divergent 2, Fast and Furious 7, The Hunger Games, ect.) But some cool original films will be coming out too. Which are “better?”
I’d like to get some opinions on a question. Would Maqbool have been a better/worse film if it wasn’t adapted from Macbeth? I know it would be a different film, but would this have worked well as a standalone “mobster” movie?
Nick Tassoni
Nick,
You posed a very interesting question regarding whether remakes or originals have more credibility or appeal. In modern day society many people are attracted to remakes because of the familiarity aspect. People tend to stick with what they know. With ticket prices varying in the $10-$15 range, not many people are thrilled by the idea of paying to sit through a 90 minute movie that they might not enjoy. Personally, I am more impressed by films that are not derived from popular novels or plays. I think there is more creativity and imagination involved in the process when they start out from scratch. Remakes are able to rely on this cushion of popularity whereas originals are not able to. While there is a common structure or format that most films follow, there is still a higher degree of effort involved when directors are not translating a novel into a film in my opinion.
Nick, definitely an interesting topic you bring up in this post. Honestly, my reaction to maqbool was that part of the reason it succeeds is because it is an adaptation of shakespeare which is really unique for Bollywood. I think if I had watched the film not knowing it was an adaptation, I still would have enjoyed the film, but it wouldnt have hit me in the same way because I would have viewed it as a recognizable take on the mobster movie genre. Instead, by taking a public domain, well known story and placing it into a world we really dont understand, the story becomes that much more captivating. As I was watching, however, I couldnt stop thinking about slumdog millionaire, an original work, which is so far superior in every way because it dared to tell an original story and be different. Just my personal opinion. Your point about Harry Potter and movie 3 being your favorite because it dared to diverge from the actual book is interesting. I personally liked the Yates films better, but the direction/pacing of movie 3, directed by Cuaron, is definitely the best aesthetically and really feels the most unique in the whole series. It is the best FILM, of the series, but it is not my favorite.
Nick,
To answer your last question, I think that Maqbool wouldn’t have been as successful if it hadn’t been based off of Macbeth. Usually, I think adaptations aren’t inventive, original, or successful, but this movie really changed my mind. The adaptation stayed true to the storyline like you said, but was completely different because of the setting and time. This added creativity and originality to the film which I really enjoyed. Also, if I hadn’t known it was a Macbeth adaptation, I would’ve been more confused. I was confused too at times, especially during the beginning when I was trying to figure out the characters and their relations to one another. So if it were in fact not based off of Macbeth, it wouldn’t have really succeeded. Similar to Shqiponja, I like more creative and original films rather than remakes. But for some reason Maqbool worked for me, and I think the adaptation was a success because it didn’t stick to the idea of fidelity.