Everyday Pleasures / February 26, 2025

DOING JUSTICE TO A BOOK

There are few pleasures comparable to losing yourself in a good book: immersing yourself in its pages, imagining the characters, recreating scenarios in your mind and listening to the voices of the protagonists as if they were close friends. But there is another, less frequent pleasure, an almost impossible convergence: watching a film based on a beloved book and discovering that it not only respects the original work, but elevates it, bringing it to life in a way that seems to have even guessed our personal way of imagining it.

One of the most memorable cases, at least for me, is Sostiene Pereira . Antonio Tabucchi 's novel is a gem: subtle, profound and with an unforgettable protagonist. Years ago, when I saw it advertised as a film, I was overcome with the usual skepticism. How were they going to capture the stifling Lisbon of the late 1930s? How were they going to portray Pereira's transformation without falling into exaggeration? But then Marcello Mastroianni came along. He didn't just play Pereira: he was Pereira. The film didn't betray the novel, but gave it a new emotional dimension. Mastroianni , with his tired look and his vulnerability on display, made the transition from apathetic journalist to political awareness even more moving than in the book.

The history of cinema is littered with failed adaptations, where the book is mutilated, simplified or betrayed in pursuit of box office success. Let us recall the disaster of The Bonfire of the Vanities , Tom Wolfe 's acidic and merciless novel turned into a bland comedy. Or Love in the Time of Cholera , which lost all its poetry in an adaptation that never managed to capture the essence of García Márquez . Or Perfume , which, despite its visual fidelity, was never able to convey the sensorial richness of Patrick Süskind 's prose .

But when cinema gets it right, the result is pure magic. The Godfather , for example, is one of those rare exceptions in which the film surpasses the book. Mario Puzo created a magnetic story, but it was Francis Ford Coppola who gave it the epic breath that turned it into a masterpiece. Another admirable case is No Country for Old Men , where the Coen brothers transferred the dry and brutal universe of Cormac McCarthy with surgical precision, almost without altering a line of dialogue. Here, Bardem excels: he places himself at the most sublime level of acting. So simple, so powerful.

And then there's The Name of the Rose . Umberto Eco's novel is an intellectual delight, a medieval thriller packed with philosophical and theological references. How do you transform that into an accessible film without losing its spirit? Jean-Jacques Annaud succeeded, thanks in large part to Sean Connery 's performance, who gave William of Baskerville the perfect mix of wit, irony and humanity. Yes, plot details were sacrificed, but the essence remained intact.

There are also adaptations that, without being better or worse than the books, provide a different perspective, a new reading. Apocalypse Now , another Coppola masterpiece, did something wonderful with Conrad 's Heart of Darkness , moving its story to Vietnam in the 1970s and achieving a work of art in itself.

Ultimately, both literature and film share a purpose: to tell stories. And when both are combined with respect and talent, the result is a double pleasure. As a reader, few things excite me as much as seeing a character I imagined in my head come to life on the screen without betraying its essence. As a film lover, I am thrilled to discover new layers in a story I thought I knew. Between books and films, imagination always wins.

That's why when I find an adaptation that does justice to the book, I celebrate it as a small miracle. Because, in this world of cinematic disappointments and mediocre versions of great works, finding a film that respects and enhances a story is, without a doubt, one of those pleasures worth savoring.

It's Wednesday. I'm going to the Symphony Gala with Unagi tonight. What more could you ask for? A beautiful day.