Category: Final Draft-Midterm Essay (Page 2 of 2)

Latefah Walker 

Professor Scanlan 

October 29th, 2020

English 2400-Film and Literature 

Midterm Final Draft 

“Rear Window” and “It had to be Murder”

The film “Rear Window” by Alfred Hitchcock created in 1954 is an adaption of the written work “It had to be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich created in 1942, the depiction of the film is a traditional translation, based on Linda Cahir’s 3 definition of translation. The film and the written work both share the same basic plot line. A man by the name of Hal Jefferies who is suffering from some ailment is in his apartment and at night he peeps out his window and watches his neighbors. He is very observant which is how he later discovers that one of his neighbors Lars Thorwald has murdered his wife Mrs. Thorwald. It is now his mission to expose Thorwald for the murderer he is and bring justice to Mrs Thorwald. The plotline is the same but the details of the two adaptations, some small and others not so small has changed and that truly is what sets the film and the written work apart.  

The two adaptations have many similarities and differences, the similarities are not to be overlooked but the differences are what really sets the two works apart .  Starting off the two are very similar in that their is a murder committed by the same character Lars Thorwald and the victim is the same as well his wife Mrs. Thorwald. Another similarity is that Jefferies is suffering from an ailment that keeps him in his home and all he is left with is peeping on his neighbors as well as discovering that a murder has occurred. These similarities are the basic plotline and what makes the two works traditional translation. 

The work’s differences are very noticeable, the first big difference is Stella and Lisa, they’re new to the show, in the reading Stella was a man by the name of Sam and Lisa didn’t exist. Sam being a woman named Stella is hard to overlook and that changes the role of the caregiver from that portrayed in the reading. Lisa being included in the story changes it the most, it changes the feeling of Jefferies as well as major scenes. Jefferies is no longer some creepy old man that spies on his neighbors, that is sick, house ridden, lonely and has no visitors like the reading makes him out to be as shown on the first page “ Sure, I suppose it was a little bit like prying , could even have been mistaken for the fevered concentration of a Peeping Tom. That wasn’t my fault, that wasn’t the idea. The idea was, my movements were strictly limited just around this time.  I could  get from the bed, and from the window, and from the bed to the window  , and  that was all.” Instead the film makes him out to be someone still vivacious, perceptive, and not down for the count. The major scenes that Lisa changes was the note scene for one, in the reading the caregiver Sam is the one to sneak into the apartment of Thorwald and the one to deliver the note as well but in the film, Lisa, Jefferies love interest is the  one to deliver the note as well as the one to sneak into the apartment. The most major differences in that particular scene is when Lisa and Thorwald have their unexpected encounter and he nearly kills her, but the point I want to focus on specifically is how the director used lighting to show that something sinister is happening, when Lisa is confronted by Thorwald the light is on and they’re just talking there is no sign of danger yet, but when Lisa is about to be attacked and potentially killed the light turns off and it’s dark and there’s only shadows and the sound of Lisa screaming for help, but then the cops come to the rescue  the light turns on and Lisa is safe. That usage of lighting  reinforces the saying  that things go bump in the night, that only bad things happen when it’s dark. The lack of lighting gave it a sinister appeal. Not only was this scene excluded from the reading, the lighting of the scene sets it apart from the reading, it gives the scene a suspenseful and intense feeling. 

 Another difference is Jeffries whole career, in the reading Jefferies career is never mentioned but in the film he is a photographer. His career in the film played a major role in his investigation as well as his survival. The usage of his photography equipment is what assisted him through his investigation. In the film you see Jefferies looking through his lens to watch Thorwald and what he’s doing as well as gaining knowledge on what crimes and sinister things Thorwald is plotting. His equipment also saved his life when he really needed it. Towards the ending of the film when Thorwald finds out that Jefferies knows that he’s a killer, he shows up to Jefferies apartment and attacks him, the director uses a multitude of things to set the mood of the scene, such as lighting, close ups, and sound. The term that is to be focused on is sound,  diegetic sound to be exact, the sound of the lightbulbs, and the flash sounds. Jefferies has a pack of lightbulbs  and one of his equipment that holds the lightbulbs he uses it to defend himself. He implements his equipment in that when Thorwald shows up and is coming at him he puts  a lightbulb in and flashes the light to disorient Thorwald. The sound of the bulbs hitting the metal as Jefferies fumbles to put the bulbs in as well as the sound of the bulbs hitting the ground in the dark, is very suspenseful, it creates so much tension in the scene, you pray that he’s fast enough to get the job done and stay safe. His career played a major role in his survival. The difference in his career  in the fim and reading helped add a suspenseful addition to the film that the reading lacked. 

Lastly the usage of close ups is implemented a lot in the film, the scene in particular is the scene that was mentioned previously, which is when Thorwald comes to attack Jefferies. The director in that scene used a close up on Thorwald that carried a sinister vibe, it caused the audience to see Thorwald for the villain he truly is. The director used lighting and camera work in this scene, there was no lighting and the director zoomed in so close that you could only see Thorwald’s eyes. Like diegetic sound in the last difference that was made between the film and reading, the use of close up also adds a sense of suspense and tension that the reading lacks.  

In conclusion although the film and reading are a traditional translation, and that  means they are very similar the differences such as Lisa, and his career added an intensity to the film that the written work lacked. The work of this traditional translation proves that minor changes as well as visual representation truly makes a difference in the effect that a reading and film will have on its audience.  

Shannon Forrester 

ENG 2400

Pro. Scanlan

10/29/2020

Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate (1992) and Alfonso Arau’s Like Water for Chocolate (1993)

Laura Esquivel’s novel, “Like Water for Chocolate,” is about a protagonist named Tita de la Garza, who lives in Mexico during the Revolutionary War, faces various hardships personally while maintaining the kitchen as Head cook for the family. With the abuse and intimation from her mother, the first antagonist, Mama Elena, and her desired lover, the second antagonist, Pedro, she finds difficulty finding the middle ground of it all. Every chapter follows up with each month of the year, delicious recipes, and food preparations that correlate with the plot. For instance, in April, the dish was turkey mole with almonds and sesame seeds. The ingredients include chile mulato, chiles anchos, lard, turkey stock, etc. For the prep, Esquivel adds, “two days after killing the turkey, clean it and cook with salt.” It shows how appetite and well-thought the recipes were.  The film, Like Water for Chocolate by Alfonso Arau, is very similar to the novel, however, it shows the main points of the story of Tita. Also, almost none of the preparation steps were shown in the film and many recipes were almost unapparent. According to Linda Cahir’s literature-to-film translations, traditional translation can be identified when comparing and contrasting the two versions. Traditional translation uses similarities to show the viewers or readers the main points or events of the story it is inspired by, without showing every by verbatim. From watching the film after reading the novel, it maintained the overall plot, settings of the novel, but reconstructed certain details that filmmakers saw as necessary and fitting for the viewers.   

Every main character in the novel plays an important role in Tita’s life. She is the youngest daughter amongst the other 3 sisters. She loves cooking and creating recipes with the cook of the house, Nacha for the family, due to her being born in the kitchen. She’s denied marriage because of Elena’s “family tradition:” the youngest child must not be married and take care of the mother until she dies. Although she follows this tradition, she’s introduced to a young man named Pedro who he seeks interest in marriage and unfathomed love starts to create. Mama Elena is the mother who belittles and abuses Tita for the simplest thing. She’s the head of the household and struggles to find peace with herself. Elena is the hardest roadblock for Tita to be with the man of her life. Pedro seeks interest in Tita but marries Rosaura, Elena’s eldest daughter. He often becomes selfish, jealous, and possessive of Tita, in efforts to regain Tita’s love assurance. The least but important character that is revealed at the ending of the story is Esperanza, who narrates the entire story and is the daughter of Pedro and Rosaura, great-niece of Tita. 

While the plot of the film version of “Like Water for Chocolate” is almost identical to Laura Esquivel’s novel, the lack of contexts when filming major scenes, and certain use of lighting that makes this translation traditional as stated by Linda Cahir. When proving this, I will first compare the scene with the Rose Petal fiasco between the film, and the novel. Then, I will explain how lowkey lighting plays a perspective on how the filmmakers interpret certain romance and dramatic scenes. Lastly, I will point out the different points of view from a male and female perspective, romantically. 

1. In Chapter 3 of the story, the process for preparing the meal was to carefully remove the petals so your fingers won’t get pricked. Esperanza states, “…little wounds painful but the petals could soak up the blood that might alter the flavor of the dish and even produce dangerous chemical reactions” (45). Pedro gives Tita a rose bouquet has a sympathy gift after her losing Nacha, the house cook. Once Tita accepts it, it pricks her on her chest and hands. Tita cooks quail in rose petal sauce, with one of the roses she was gifted. Everyone who eats the meal feels aroused, except Rosaura, who felt nauseous, but Gertrudis had a strange experience. She begins to imagine herself with Juan, who she notices while going to the market and making love to him. To relieve her trouble, Gertrudis prepared her shower but it was a big task since she had to fill it with ten buckets of water and constantly climb up and down. While taking her shower, it caught on fire from her body heat. She then took cover running and got kidnapped by Juan, a captain of the rebel army, which later became her husband. Comparably, the film captures almost the exact scenario to show the main scene. It shows Pedro giving the bouquet and how the blood dripped once the throne pricked her skin.  Once everyone was eating, the more they ate, the higher the arousal became and sexual tension grew between Pedro and Tita.  However, the scene quickly goes to Gertrudis taking a shower but does not show the process of preparing her shower. It also did not show her body heat causing the shower to catch fire.  It skips to Juan taking her away on a horse. In the book, it states, “…the sexual desire Juan had contained for so long while he was fighting in the mountains, made for a spectacular encounter” (44). The book makes it seem sensual, while the film makes it seem like a kidnap.  
2. The filmmaker uses low key lighting when filming romantic or dramatic scenes. Low-key lighting is an effect that uses a hard light source to enhance the shadow of a person in a scene. The hard light source is often bright and it brings attention to a specific part of the scene. In the film, after Tita was done cooking and cleaning, she was putting away her pots and pans and returning them to the storage room, while holding an oil lamp. She noticed someone else’s presence, which was Pedro. He extinguished the lamp, without saying anything and they made love. The light of the lamp drew attention to both Tita and Pedro’s shadow for dramatization. 
3. In the novel, Esquivel shows the emotional, and vivid imaginations that each female character feels. In chapter 1, the author describes Tita’s emotions when she discovered Pedro will be marrying Rosuara: “…her body fill with a wintry chill: in one sharp, quick blast she was so cold and dry her cheeks burned and turned red, read ad the apples beside her” (20).  Another example is in chapter 7 when Tita bumped into John and felt a sense of comfort when he held her: “Tita was beginning to wonder if the feeling of peace and security that Dr. Brown gave her wasn’t true love, and not the agitation and anxiety she felt… with Pedro” (118). On the contrary, in the film, Arau captures more of the sexual aspect of the story. With Gertrudis feeling aroused during dinner and Pedro just wanting sex with Tita.

Tita’s character develops when she sacrificed her voice and not talking for six months. This was because Roberto, Pedro’s son, died and the news was so devastating for her that he because mentally distraught. Dr. Brown found her and took her to his place to help her recover. She felt comfortable at the home and she never wanted to go home and deal with motherly torture. During her stay, she felt numb to the situation and never spoke. Until Gertrudis brought Tita a nostalgic oxtail soup that she loves. Her sacrifice gained her the self-confidence that she never had for years while taking the abuse and emotional stress from her mother, Elena. When trying to speak her mind and have a say in a conversation, Elena aggressively disapproves of everything and curses Tita unnecessarily. To keep in mind, after dealing with the stress from childhood, having this transition is what she needed.

Towards the ending of both the story and film, Mama Elena dies from overdose and things are starting to look good for Tita after 20 years. She gets engaged with Dr. Brown and they plan on married. Gertrudis marries Juan and becomes more outspoken and confident with who she is. Pedro and Rosaura gave birth to Esperanza, Tita’s grand-niece, despite his never-ending love her Tita. After the engagement party for Tita and Dr. Brown, Tita and Pedro decide to consummate their love and forget what others think, leaving Dr. Brown to no longer wanting to marry her. When they finished Pedro dies and Tita kills herself while imagining her and Pedro embracing and their spirits being together forever.

Ashley Waller

ENG 2400

Midterm Essay

October 24, 2020

                                                                                                        “Like Water for Chocolate”

The most youthful girl in her family, the talented chef Tita is forbidden to wed her love, Pedro. Since custom directs that Tita must think about her mom, Pedro marries her more established sister, Rosaura. The circumstance makes a lot of strain on the family, and Tita’s ground-breaking feelings start to surface in fantastical manners through her cooking. As the years finish, surprising conditions test the suffering affection for Pedro and Tita. While the plot of the film version of “Like Water or Chocolate,” directed by Alfonso Arau in 1993, is very similar to Laura Esquivel text version published in 1989, the film lost an integral part of the book, the sensual aspect of the cooking and love, making this translation traditional, according to Linda Cahir’s definition. To prove this, I will first compare the scenes between Tita and Pedro and the sign that is displayed at the beginning of the film. Second, I will explore Tita’s cooking because it deals with her emotions. Lastly, I will discuss what the film loses and gains by leaving out scenes.

Close to the start of the novel Rosaura and Pedro are to be married. This bombshell Tita especially as she adores Pedro. While she is making the cake for the wedding she starts to cry into the cake hitter. Since she was feeling yearning and misfortune, those feelings moved into the cake. Consequently, when the visitors at the wedding started to eat the cake, they also started to feel yearning and misfortune, some even became ill. Nacha, another house cook, who ate the cake, felt such aching and loss of her darling that she passed on. In chapter one, the author states “Sometimes she would cry for no reason at all, like when Nacha chopped onions, but since they both knew the cause of those tears, they didn’t pay them much mind. They made them a source of entertainment so that during her childhood Tita didn’t distinguish between tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. For her laughter was a form of crying. Likewise, for Tita, the joy of living was wrapped up in the delights of food.” Plentiful crying is an outflow of a full heart and is related to the influence and extravagance of female feelings. Tita’s tears have heavenly force, even before she is conceived. From the belly, she cries while her mom hacks onions and makes her start giving birth. Her tears proceed until the floor is overwhelmed. As she experiences childhood in the kitchen, she as often as possible cries, particularly while hacking onions. This makes her and Nacha chuckle, making Tita consider tears to be giggling as indeed the very same. Mom Elena, the novel’s wanton enemy, prohibits crying. Tita doesn’t cry frequently as a grown-up, as Mama Elena restricts it. This may clarify why Tita’s glad tears run down the steps of John’s home when Chencha stays with her.

According to Linda Cahir’s definition of literal translation is a nearby interpretation of the book with minor detail changes in however the chief sees fit. The shots in the film relate near the entertaining inclination the book gives us, giving us a high point on the visitors and long shots, demonstrating to us on the whole how everybody was crying. That night Nacha bites the dust and breaks Tita’s world. Later on, Pedro gives Tita roses, and she chooses to make quail in rose. The enthusiasm trickled from her to the dish and made Gertrudis the more established sister consider wicked considerations. The smell stirring from her ranges to an officer Juan, who was Gertrudis dream, the second is depicted mystically: “A pink clod floated toward him, wrapped itself around him…naked as she was, luminous, glowing with energy… without slowing his gallop, so as not to waste a moment, he leaned over, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her onto the horse in front of him, face to face” (pg 55-56). The film draws an incredible equal here, the image is foggy a little as though it is a fantasy, and without precedent for the film, which is faintly lit and inadequately lit, the image is splendid, with a streaming development of the two as they vanish. One of the most huge minutes in the book is when Tita conveys Rosauras child Roberto, the thing she cherished the most. In the film notwithstanding, the entire period of dealing with Roberto in the kitchen and taking care of him is brief, which is exceptionally befuddling for later scenes. As mother Elena faculties that Pedro and Tita may take part in an extramarital entanglement going on, she sends them to one of her family members in the United States.

Throughout the book and film, Tita seems to have character development. When preparing the food Mama Elena and they find out that Roberto died, she stands up for herself and yells at Mama Elena saying it is her fault. This is the first sign that Tita wants to get away from her family but more specifically, Mama Elena. Mama Elena is blocking Tita from being redeemed by not letting her marry because she has to be the one to take care of her.  When Mama Elena dies, in a way Tita is free.  

Adam Ibrahim

English 2400

midterm essay

10/28/20

     ”The Rear Window”

The rear window is a film based on a story written by Cornell Woolrich that came out in 1942  a well respected author known for writing books based on mystery. Books that become best selling movies are always created based on the book. Having the exact details and situations without changing anything which would attract readers to see a film based on a book. In film or book translation is always used ( Literal, Radical, Traditional) one of the translations was used in the 1954 film ‘’ rear window’’ directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Traditional because it kept every detail from the book without changing the scene or situations.  Such was the character Jeff after being in an accident which left him on a wheelchair in the book with film Jeff was still injured. 

The film kept the similarities from the book like the setting and the main characters which explains the traditional translation. The book is based on a guy named Jeff spying on his neighbor being suspicious of the neighbor wife’s disappearance. Which the film kept with Jeff spying and knowing something is wrong with the neighbor.  

The differences would be the development of the character Jeff’s ‘’main character’’ personal life wasn’t mentioned in the story. But in the film the director wanted the audience to know how important he is in the film. Even the Lisa character is supposed to be the main character Jeff’s girlfriend in the short story she has not been mentioned or been involved at all in the book but in the movie she plays a major role for the investigation of the neighbor. Even Sam in the story was replaced with a character named Stella in the film version having the same responsibilities as Sam which was to take care of Jeff. 

 In the film the actors portrayed the characters from the book nicely being able to bring something to life for the audience and readers. To catch the viewers attention and to help the viewer understand the film Hitchcock use different types of symbols and emotion with character even increase intentions with music for serious scenes. Such as the ending Jeff calls to confront the killer without talking and total silence while the music creates an interesting tension that’s diegetic. An example of non- diegetic sound is seen in the film when Lisa gets caught in camera This is seen when Lisa shows that she found the ring and held it for Jeff to zoom in and see it.

In conclusion the thing i have learned is that written stories can be created as a film with translation involved Radical, Traditional and Literal but depending on how the film is going with the written story. So the story and the film try to teach us to trust your intuition and don’t trust people. They might seem like they are nice and all that but they might not be.

Vanessa Mendoza

Midterm Essay

English 2400/Section O552 Professor Scanlan

October 29, 2020

Like Water for Chocolate 

After reading “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel published in 1989 and watching the film directed by Alfonoso Arau released in 1993 we can compare them according to Linda Cahir’s definition of translation. The book “Like Water for Chocolate” is a love story between two characters: Tita and Pedro whom despite their love are not able to marry. According to Linda Cahir, literature to film translations can be literal, traditional, or radical. What type of translation would the book and the film fall under?  

The plot of the film version “Like Water for Chocolate” is identical to Laura Esquivel’s text version besides some minor details. The emotion, main ideas of love between Tita and Pedro, rivalry between the two sisters: Rosaura and Tita, and what seems to be magical elements are portrayed throughout the film just like in the book. The focus remains on Tita and Pedro in the film just like in the book through the use of shots and camera movement. In addition, the use of narration in both the film and the book makes the translation almost identical. But there are missing scenes that are in the book but not present in the film. For these reasons, the translation of the book to the film is traditional. The translation is not literal because the details from the book are not maintained as closely as possible being that there are missing scenes. It is not a radical translation either since the plot is not reshaped to an extreme. 

In order to prove that the translation between the book and the film is traditional  I will explore the scene where Tita makes a dinner with the rose Pedro gives her, the scene where  Rosaura and Tita argue. Third, I will compare the final scene where both Tita and Pedro die. 

One of the major ideas/themes in the book that translates over to the film is Tita’s and Pedro’s love. This is shown in the book when even though Pedro is married to Tita’s sister Rosaura, gives Tita a rose. The difference here between the film and the book is what happens when Tita makes dinner with this rose. In the book, we read that “With that meal it seemed they had discovered a new system of communication, in which Tita was the transmitter, Pedro the receiver, and poor Gertrudia the medium, the conducting body through which the singular sexual message was passed.” Whereas, in the film we see how everyone in the table : Tita, Pedro, Gertrudis, and Mama Elena start fidgeting in their chairs. This minor detail does not interfere with the emotion we find in the text, through the shots of everyone’s face gestures we are able to tell that everyone at the table is feeling sensuous. The book also says: “He let Tita penetrate to the farthest corners of his being, and all the while they couldn’t take their eyes off each other.” The shot of Pedro and Tita looking at each other while eating adds to show how they feel attracted towards each other.  This scene was not identical to the book but is still able to capture the main idea of love that preserves between Tita and Pedro, therefore making the translation between the book and the film a traditional translation. 

Another major idea that is present in the book and film is the rivalry or tension that exists between Rosaura and Tita. It is a rivalry that goes back to when Rosaura married Pedro, the guy Tita wanted to marry. Time after Rosaura marries Pedro, she confronts Tita “You saw how Pedro switched to me at the least opportunity. I married him because that’s what he wanted.” This feeling of rivalry portrayed over in the film with both of them yelling at each other, bringing things up, and confronting one another. The only thing we hear in the film is their arguing making the scene tense just like in the book. The same narration and dialogue the reader finds in the book between the sisters is present in the film. There is no added music, the dialogue is not omitted in the film therefore allowing the viewer to get more insight into the story and how the characters interact. This close translation between the book and the film makes it a traditional translation. 

At the end of the book, the reader is left a bit confused as to what happens. This is clarified in the film. Years later Tita and Pedro seem to finally be able to live their love but we are presented with an idea that John had brought up earlier. “If a strong emotion suddenly lights all the candles we carry inside ourselves, it creates a brightness that shines far beyond our normal vision and then a splendid tunnel appears that shows us the way that we forgot when we were born and calls us to recover our lost divine origin. The soul longs to return to the place it came from, leaving the body lifeless.” The lighting in the film is darkened keeping Tita and Pedro in focus, as if nothing else existed. The camera closes up on them making sure their love is what the viewer should focus on and nothing else. The dim lighting also helps transmit the romantic mood that we find in the book.

All in all, the essence of the text version “Like Water for Chocolate”, is maintained throughout the film. There are missing details in the film but this does not interfere with the overall plot of the story. The narration, the lighting, the camera movement all contribute to recreating the scenes from the book as closely as possible focusing on the love story. 

Teri Rice

Compare and Contrast of “Rear Window” by Alfred Hitchcock & “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich

ENG 2400 Films from Literature

While reading “It Had to Be Murder” and watching the film version “The Rear window” I noticed a couple of similarities and differences. In this essay I will touch base on the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds throughout the film version and also the differences in the characters versus in the written story. Although there were some differences between the film and the written version, both were also very similar in plot which I believe the film “The Rear Window” was a traditional translation to “It had to be murder”. I intend to prove these points further along by comparing and contrasting both versions of the story.

The written story “It Had to Be Murder” was greatly written by Cornell Woolrich in 1942. His story was very descriptive and suspenseful in a way where you can almost envision what’s happening. He describes the neighbor’s houses from top to bottom that if you have a vivid imagination you could probably draw out exactly what he described. The story is about a man named Jefferies who’s confined to his home due to a leg injury and in his free time he’s what we like to call a peeping Tom. During his peeping Tom activities, he accidentally discovers what seems to be a murder happening from one of his neighbors named Mr. Thorwald and becomes a detective with the help of his helper Sam to prove what he has witnessed. “It Had to be Murder” was written from Jefferies point of view, we as the reader was able to explore his thoughts, whereas in the film we are looking from the outside in. We are viewing the film from different point of views and not just one.

“Rear Window” which is the film version of “It Had to Be Murder” was filmed in 1954, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes. As stated, the plot of this version is very similar to Woolrich’s version but more detailed which most film versions of stories are. In “Rear Window” the differences I noticed were the character layout. In this version I learned more about Jefferies than in the story. Jefferies who was an obvious peeping Tom was also a photographer.

Him being a photographer explained why he was so keen to being in front of his window so often and analyzing the scenery before him. We also got a glance of his extensive love life in the film. In Woolrich’s version there was very little detail about Jefferies life. The most we knew was that he was home due to an injury and he had what seemed to be a helper named Sam who came in to assist him with household things. “Rear Window” gave us more background information about Jefferies which helped us an audience understand the story a little a better.  Lisa who was Jefferies girlfriend also played a major role in the film. She seemed to play not only his companion but also an investigator of the supposed murder. Lisa was very invested in this murder and actively assisted Jefferies in proving Mr. Thorwald killed his wife. In Woolrich’s version Sam was Jefferies right hand man with the murder, there was no evidence that Jefferies had a girlfriend in “It Had to Be Murder”. Not only was Lisa of help, Jefferies also had help from Stella who acted as his helper in the film version.

The “Rear Window” really gave us a sense of suspense with the use of the diegetic sounds. Diegetic sound is any sound that emanates from the story. Diegetic sound is anything from a voice inside the characters head or music coming from an instrument or radio. Non-diegetic sound also called nonliteral sound. Non-diegetic sound could be a narration or voice over or sound effects for a more dramatic effect. The use of non-diegetic sound was very minimum in this film. Throughout the film we hear only sounds that actually occur in the film’s world. For instance, we could hear cars passing by and sirens here and there. Interesting enough we heard the sounds the way Jeff hears them. Conversations in other apartments were heavily muted while we were able to still here the outside noises. This technique keeps us in Jeff’s point of view. Same as when he uses the camera to see from a distance or when he was looking through the camera to see the pictures of the flowers, the camera view was as if we were looking through Jefferies eyes as well.

According to Cahir’s definition of traditional translation, I believe “Rear Window” best exemplifies this particular translation. Traditional translation is a close translation of the book with minor detail changes whichever way the director sees fit. The plot of “Rear Window” and “It Had to be Murder” were very much alike and both displayed important symbols. Alfred Hitchcock who directed “Rear Window” gave the film a more suspenseful touch with his use of sound, camera angles and lighting. With camera angles he really uses the camera to focus on different focal points in the film, an example would be the written note Jefferies wrote to Lars Thorwald. The camera really focused on the note which stated “What have you done to her.” This note was also presented in the written version as well. Another important focal point was Jefferies camera. Jefferies uses his camera for different objectives in the film. For example, he uses the camera to take pictures for evidence and also to see clearly what is going on in his neighbor’s apartment. Although Hitchcock added his own touch to the film the story stayed the same. Stella who played Jefferies helper was a key member of the team just like Sam was in the written story. Stella is basically Jefferies confidant about his relationship with Lisa and she also becomes heavily involved in the investigation. It’s obvious her word holds a lot of weight in Jefferies life because he listens to her words of wisdom and the advice she had to give . “Rear Window” character creates more ethically complex than the story such as entertaining giving a short description of how the character lives, and making more realistic of how the character helped the police to find out the man who murdered Thorwald’s wife. In the short story, “It Had to Be Murder” the main point of the story is figuring out the murder, but in the film the audience is forced to watch because of the relationship between Jefferies and his girlfriend Lisa with also the big picture being solving a murder.

In conclusion, We see some differences between the film and the written story. The film giving us a more descriptive layout of each characters life and the story being not so descriptive of the characters but of the homes of Jefferies neighbors and it’s sole dedication to solving the murder of Mrs. Thorwald, the plot for both still remain the same which gives me the idea that “Rear Window” is a traditional translation of “It Had to be Murder”

Alicia Bajana

English 2400

October 20, 2020

“It Had to Be Murder” vs Rear Window

“It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich (1942) is a suspenseful and mysterious story about a man named Hal Jeffries, a temporarily disabled man, who spies on his neighbors as his past time but becomes involved in a murder investigation. Rear Window is the film adaptation of “It Had to Be Murder”. “It had to be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich (1942) vs. Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954) is a Traditional Translation because the text and the movie maintained the plot intact as well as the secondary characters that were important since they took part in the investigation. Lastly, the killer maintained the same in the reading as well as the film. Both works have similarities and differences that change the reader’s perspective and gives a new feel and appreciation to the short story.

One similarity is the murder of Mrs. Thorwald. This is the main plot of the story which puts intensity in the text and the film “The thought-message that sparked from the synchronization was: He’s done something to her!” (Woolrich). Like the movie, there was pitch silence while Jeffries just finished arguing with Lisa and 2 minutes later, the scream of a woman and shattered glass pops in. (Rear Window).  One difference is the accomplices of Jeffries in the investigation. In the text, Sam is portrayed as a single mid-age man with no family and comes around to take care of Jeffries. Unlike the film, they portray 2 accomplices which are Lisa and Stella. Lisa is the love interest of Jeffries which develops into a relationship towards the course of the investigation. Stella is the other accomplice but also has a close bond with Jeffries as a mother figure due to her age and her ways of taking care of Jeffries like a son. This similarity is important between the text and film because it is the developer of the story. In the text, the reader is able to feel the build-up of the suspense when Jeffries sends Mr. Thorwald the letter and Jeffries is able to see how his reaction proved his hypothesis about Mrs. Thorwald death (“Now here’s what I want you to do, and I want you to be slick about it. You take this, go in that building 525, climb the stairs to the fourth-floor rear, and ease it under the door. You’re fast, at least you used to be. Let’s see if you’re fast enough to keep from being caught at it. Then when you get safely down again, give the outside doorbell a little poke, to attract attention.”) “ It had to be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich. In the film, the viewer is able to see and feel the suspense building up through camera angles, the diegetic sounds of the surroundings, and the focal point of Mr. Thorwald’s face when reading the letter. The scene started with silence while Jeffries was writing the note to Thorwald and then the diegetic sounds of Jazz and background sound incorporated the scene giving a hint of a thriller while Lisa was walking to Thorward’s apartment to push the note under his door. Then, the camera angles focusing straight at the face of Throward while he reads the letter builds up the questioning of the viewer (Rear Window).

The second similarity is the temporary disability of Jeffries that brought him to spy on his neighbors and later on be a key point in the discovery of Mrs. Thorwald body “The idea was, my movements were strictly limited just around this time. I could get from the window to the bed, and from the bed to the window, and that was all” (Woolrich).

The second difference is the neighborhood layout. This similarity is extremely important to the reader and view because it is the reason as to how the whole story happens. It’s due to his inability to walk that tracked him into spying on his neighbors and discovering the horrifying truth about a killing. The difference important because for the reader it’s an imagery effect when the reader is imagining how everything looks as if they were Jeffries. In the text, the layout is described differently with more distance between each building and super spacious but, in the film, Jeffries can see straight into Thorwald’s entire apartment. All the apartment buildings are facing each other like a box with a multitude of people leaving in each apartment. The view not only sees the layout but is able to compare it to the real lifestyle of a New Yorker.

The third similarity is Jeffries’s friend detective, Boyne, who helps Jeffries in the whole investigation. The third difference is the profession of Jeffries. In the text, he never mentioned his work or who he worked for but in the film, he shows and expresses his profession as a Photographer. This similarity was crucial in the text and film because it put all the pieces of the puzzle together and gave the plot meaning. Therefore, the differences were just as crucial to the film by giving a new feel to the scene. This new feeling of terror from Jeffries to the quick thinking raised the bar on the ending scenes. Jeffries not only used his photography tools to spy on Thorwald and also gather evidence but also used them to save his life at the ending scene when Thorwald came after him to kill him. This scene was suspenseful and terrifying due to the use of darkness, silence, focal points on Thorwald’s eyes, and camera angles when Jeffries dropped from his window.

The main theme of this story is death and love which are two opposite feelings for the reader and viewer to take in. In the text, the theme of death is showed from the beginning to the end including symbols like the cricket indicating the death of someone. While everything unfolded the reader was able to feel a constant emotion throughout the story. However, the changes in the film incorporated a second emotion and theme which was love. Love became the beginning and the ending emotions of the film but Death was intensified in the middle like the plot. This is due to the inserting of Jeffries’s love interest- Lisa at the beginning of the film to the middle where she was part of the investigation and risked her life to get evidence for Jeffries to the end when they become a couple and Lisa takes care of him.

In conclusion, while the film is traditional and follows the short story faithfully; there are important differences and liberties that the film takes that is not part of the short story, which includes; changes in characters, added characters, and gender changes, and changes in lifestyles. These differences stand out in the film and change the short story in different ways. The text and film have taught me how important it is for the producer to stay true to the text because the minimal adjustment can change the whole feeling and narrative of the story. Lastly, the lesson I learned from the text/film is to be aware of my surroundings because the enemy can be closer than you think and we don’t know who can be watching.

Laura Abreu

10/22/2020

Eng. 2400-OL552

Mid-term essay

Prof. Scanlan

“The rear window”

       written stories can be translated into films/movies which can be projected the same way it was written in eh book/novel or completely different and most of the time it stays the same but some extra details are added sometimes to make it easy to understand or to call the watchers attention, at least that’s what Linda chair tries to explain through the three types of translation (literal, Radical, Traditional). One of these types of translations can be seen in the 1954 film “The Rear Window” by Alfred Hitchcock who shows us the traditional translation of the 1942  story “It Had To Be a Murder”  by Cornell Woolrich, who tell us the history of a man who after broking his leg start to watch his neighbors through the rear window of his apartment and start to imagine things because of his boredom creating the idea that his neighbor, Mr. Thorwald had killed his wife.

Since the plot of the film The Rear Window is similar to the short story It Had To Be a Murder, the use of the same plot, setting, and extra details make the translation traditional, according to Linda’s Chair definitions. The film the rear window is a traditional translation because of three major reasons first the short story and the film share the same plot, second, the film talks more about the protagonist’s personal life, and Lastly the  different Perspective/narrative between the film and the story.

The film and the story share the same plot meaning that they both share the same main events, in the film and in the story the plot develops when Hal Jefferies(the protagonist) looks through his rear window and sees that his neighbor is acting weird which lead him to believe that MR. Thorwald, his neighbor had killed his wife. Although the film and the story share the same plot there are some differences between these two, one difference is that there are two new characters that are added in the film, Stela who is a nurse who takes the role of Sam a character in the written story and  Jefferies’s girlfriend Lisa, as a new character in this film, Stela’s purpose is to give us a better understanding of what’s Sam’s job in the written story, another difference is that in the story Jefferies only focus on what Mr. Thorwald is doing, while in the film does not only focus in the Mr. Thorwald but also in the other neighbors and Jefferies personal life.

Another difference between the film “The Rear Window” and the story “It Had To Be a Murder” is that the film gives us more details of Jefferies’s personal life. In the film we can see that Jefferies has a girlfriend named Lisa, who plays an important role in the film since she is the one who helps Jefferies to figure out what happened to Mrs. Thorwald by risking her life and freedom when she enters the Thorwald’s apartment when searching for a ring and that Jefferies works as a cameraman for a newspaper which can explain why he knows so much about detective work, this is not mentioned in the written story.

Compare to the written story the film gives the viewer a different perspective of the narrative because the story is narrated in first person which only gives the reader the narrator’s point of view, while in the film the viewer experienced the events from their own point of view. To catch the viewer attention and to help the viewer understand the film, Hitchcock use different types of effects and symbols like tension which is defined as mental or emotional strain, this can be seen in the film when Jefferies call Thorwald on the phone and stay quiet and hang up multiple times,  sound which is defined as music or sound added to a shot or scene to make it easy to understand, music can be diegetic(added or played while recording the shot or scene)or non-diegetic(added when the scene is being edited),  an example of non- diegetic sound is seen in the film when Lisa gets caught, camera work this is seen when Lisa shows that she found the ring an show it o Jefferies who is looking at her using binoculars through his window, in this scene the camera do a zoom to Lisa’s hand.

In conclusion, written stories can be translated into films and can be considered as literal, Radical, or traditional depending on the way the philmographers decides to express the plot or details of the written stories according to Cahir’s three types of translation. In this case, the film “The rear window” is a Traditional translation of the story “It Had to be a murder” because of three reasons which were explained in the paragraphs above. After reading and watching this story in two types of distribution, as film and as a book, I have witnessed two ways to share a very suspensive story which makes me think in some kind of lesson. Which are think before you act, mind your own business, trust your intuition, and be careful with your neighbors because you never know what they are thinking or who they really are.