The Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer accepted the challenge, working with author David Mitchell to turn his complicated prose into stunning cinema. He wrote in the New York Times: ...[the directors'] plan to foreground the novel’s “transmigrating souls” motif by having actors perform multiple roles (each role being a sort of way station on that soul’s karmic journey) struck me as ingenious. In the Book: Isaac Sachs and Luisa Rey have an in-depth conversation at a party where Sachs gets drunk and tells Rey more information about the nuclear generator. Thanks for the review :o). They did the best possible job of transforming the complexities of the source material for the medium of film. With a deeply intricate structure … I'm pretty easily immersed cinematically, so I am hopeful Cloud Atlas isn't that bad?? I totally support it. Everything is driven by profit and corporate greed, and it is believed that this is man's natural order. In the Movie: The corporate control is toned way back, replacing it instead with a generic evil government. All the other character changes tumble from that. The entire structure of the film is different from the book. Follow him on Twitter at @jaceycockrobin. In fact, it seems the Wachowskis are so concerned with people 'getting' the film, they rarely forgo an opportunity to hammer its point home. It's a small change that changes the brothers' relationship for the worse. When "Cloud Atlas" was first published in 2004, it hardly screamed "adaptation!" Well first of all, the stellar cast enlisted for the film each played a different role in each of the six storylines, showing the connection between them all the more overtly. Authors Share Advice. I saw the movie without reading the book and I loved the movie. He is eventually killed in a coup d'état by Lloyd Hooks. While it makes Cavendish's brother seem truly cruel, the comic effect is worth the change. Good or Bad? They do a superb job of taking the film-unfriendly structure of the book and shaping it into something much more cinematic. Mixed.The film's overtness about these souls meeting before is fine, but Sachs's talk here is a little too obvious. Looking forward to finishing the book this week. Er hatte seine Premiere am 8. You're missing half a story here along with a ton of character and world development. In the Book: Joe Napier dies after being shot by and shooting Bill Smokes. The movie splices between the stories almost frenetically at times; definitely dizzying. In: Book Versus Film; Cloud Atlas; David Mitchell; Film; Wachowskis; Stories cross mediums like clouds cross skies, an' tho' a cloud's shape nor hue nor size don't stay the same, it's still a cloud an' so is a story. The directors got the hard part right: adapting the narrative. Good or Bad? Hae-Joo Chang rescues her from the restaurant Papa Song's and educates her. Sure, they take great liberties with much of the plot, which I'm not going to get into here, but such an approach to the source material was necessary for the adaptation to succeed. Somehow, though the beautiful language and prose used in the book isn't exactly conveyed onto the big screen, the book adds as an aid. The story basically jumps directly to the second half. In a story about how all humans are truly equal and interconnected, this change completely obliterates that ideal by having the white Ewing save the black Autua twice. Instead of Autua repaying his debt to Ewing for speaking up for him on the ship, he is once again saved by Ewing. And another character bites the dust with little to no fanfare. Eventually, she's rescued by Mephi, a board member at the college, who educates her and introduces her to Hae-Joo Im. But NOT being spoon-fed a story is what I loved about both the book and the film. Great. To leave a comment Login with Facebook or create a free account. Enemy sleepin', don't slit his throat.” Ditto for the order used. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans has lambasted the filmmakers for using Caucasian actors to portray people of Asian descent, saying the choice is tantamount to yellowface. His intricate prose is simply stunning to behold. In the Book: Alberto Grimaldi is the CEO of Seaboard, the company behind the flawed nuclear reactor. Sixsmith's increased involvement not only increases the dramatic action, but also ties the story more firmly to Luisa Rey's. How Different Is It? How Different Is It? Even though they edited, changed, shuffled and condensed, they were true to Mitchell's vision. Enjoy it': Chadwick Boseman embraced the joy and gravity of his films. In the Movie: Eva does not exist, and most details of her story are missing. I'm reading the book now and I have to say, seeing the movie first has helped immensely. In the Book: At the end of the story, Cavendish returns home to find his book has been optioned for a film and he's fabulously rich. In the Book: Since the entire story is composed of letters written to Sixsmith, he doesn't show up until the very last one. © 2016 LitReactor, LLC | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service. Not to mention…. John Boyne has made an absolute fortune I imagine for this book, especially as it's been translated and sold to over 40 countries worldw... For fans of the classics - Jane Austen, Charlotte and Emily Bront ë etc, there is little debate over the best adaptations. ...Wherever the Cloud Atlas screenplay differed from Cloud Atlas the novel, it did so for sound reasons that left me more impressed than piqued. With an incredible cast, perfect direction, six different worlds that are entirely immersive and plenty of action, drama, romance and intrigue, the film manages to remain compelling irrespective of its length. In the Book: Frobisher leaves the chateau without incident after stealing Ayrs's gun and leaving a letter for Eva. A lot is explained and a little research beforehand will suffice. For my friend and me, being in that theatre with the eight other people who were not there to see Twilight or Skyfall, (Javier Bardem and Daniel Craig's abs, Ima get to you later) it was an important film, and also importantly, an entertaining film that we will be speaking and thinking about long after the feeling returns to the asses we forgot we even had. Still, despite its flaws, and despite my fervent love for the novel, I count Cloud Atlas as a success. 22. 11. How Different Is It? Good or Bad? Hae-Joo Chang is Not a Kung Fu Master from 'The Matrix'. In the Movie: Rafael does not exist and none of his story slips into other characters. In the Movie: The cover-up is orchestrated by big oil so that nuclear power will fail. It could have been easily worked into the story. Actors Playing the Different Characters. Horrox is changed completely, and his section of the story is totally gone. I could do without the hammering the themes at the end but oh well. Good or Bad? In the Movie: Napier lives after the unnamed Mexican woman kills Smokes by bashing his head in. Medium. Definitely bad. It works as an action movie, but if you're looking for loyalty to the book, it will sting. I'm going to see the film with someone who has not read Mitchell's book, so I'm interested in how our perceptions of the theme's delivery differ/are similar. Good or Bad? Bigger than you think. Adapting anything is not an easy feat, never mind a sweeping saga such as Cloud Atlas (shit, I can barely adapt a recipe...). Perfect examples are Hallie Berry as Jocasta Ayrs; Doona Bae as a Mexican woman and Adam Ewing's freckle-faced, red-headed wife (is there such a thing as an Asian ginger? How Different Is It? Stories cross mediums like clouds cross skies, an' tho' a cloud's shape nor hue nor size don't stay the same, it's still a cloud an' so is a story. Again, mixed. In the Movie: Sonmi's advice: "Bridge a tremblin', go below. Good or Bad? David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas is a bravura piece of storytelling. In his panic, he falls out of the window. How Different Is It? Good or Bad? Good or Bad? Bad as it changes the book's themes. It is an emotionally resonant piece of work with humanity at its heart. Andy Wachowski told the Huffington Post: That's good that people are casting a critical eye. In the In the Movie: The stories are interwoven together, building off each other as the film progresses. Like I said, they got the hard part right. How Different Is It? Since they don't have time to explain the film option, this is the best way to give Cavendish a quick happy ending. The book may come in handy when you're trying to figure out exactly what you've just watched. I thought the movie was insanely ambitious and a great experience. Column by Joshua Chaplinsky October 30, 2012 6 comments. How do you convey the subtleties of the customs and linguistics of the book in something as overt as a film? His short fiction has been published by Vice, Vol. Unfortunately, it is prevented from achieving greatness by superficial missteps. In the Movie: The two escape to another planet eventually. Once Captain Molyneux and his crew arrive, Horrox shares his theory that certain races were created in a hierarchy in which the white man is naturally the leader of all. Good or Bad? (ok, for a reason other than work. And at the very least, adaptations of difficult works of literature are putting money in great writers' pockets, and they keep the internet chattering. Great article; I am so looking forward to seeing this film, simply to compare the book to the adaptation! The order of the advice in the movie allows for Zachry to break the rules at the end instead of in the middle, which makes for a stronger narrative. In the Movie: Horrox appears at the beginning of Ewing's story and is the man with whom Ewing is inking a slave trade agreement on behalf of his stepfather. It simplifies the plot and works well with other changes in the adaptation. Whereas in the book a shift in writing style sufficed, the film had to turn the story into a genre convention. I had tried a few times earlier to read the book but never got beyond the first chapter since it was so boring.

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