IMPACT OF GRAPHIC NOVELS BEING ADAPTED INTO FILM

The Influence and Impact of Graphic Novels Being Adapted into Film

The Influence and Impact of Graphic Novels / Being Adapted into Film

“Shoot your murders like love scenes.”Said by Alfred Hitchcock, quoted by Sam Mendes, and extremely relevant to the corruption of the 1930's, the dysfunction of father-son relationships, and the ruthless determination for retribution and revenge that is the basis for this iconic film The Road to Perdition.

The Road to Perdition explores several themes. The prominent theme is certainly revenge; Michael Sullivan wants revenge for the murder of his wife and son, Conner Rooney wants revenge on Michael Sullivan for the close relationship Michael shares with Conner's father, and Maguire wants revenge on Michael Sullivan for the injuries he gave him. The film also explores the very profound aspect of a man killing his father to protect his son. It is a unique combination of betrayal and loyalty, unseen before.

The relationships between characters explore love and respect, and the themes of redemption and regret are also introduced by Michael Sullivan. Life and death are examined through the violent nature of the era, and the life the characters lead, and the story explores a post-modernist view that no one has control over their own fate. The film has a tragic, elegiac overtone throughout, captured brilliantly by Sam Mendes.

The film starts with a shot from the end of the story, and then presents the story as a flashback in linear order. The film is told from an omniscient point of view, apart from the narration at the start and end of the film by Michael Sullivan Jnr. The bookend scenes of the film give the story stability. They also show comparisons and changes in the characters. When Michael returns to the farm at then end, it justifies the film to the audience. After all this death and darkness, one thing will survive- Michael's innocence.

The film's language is mostly visual, and physical interaction between characters is how the audience learns most about the film. Dialogue is used sparingly. The story is told very much by the camera, not by the conversation. Sam Mendes gives a lot of visual backfill, and looks for ways of telling the story that do not involve speech. Mendes tells us this himself when he says “Dramatise as much as possible, explain as little as possible.” Relationships are explored and communicated to the audience through expression and tone of voice, rather than actual dialogue.

There are wordless scenes present in the film, which give just as much to the story as those with speech. Sometimes a simple tool like eye contact is all that is needed to communicate ideas, but wordless scenes can also represent the inability to communicate, and the dysfunction of relationships.

The dysfunction of relationships is also clearly evident in the film's characterisation. The film's four main characters are Michael Sullivan, Michael Sullivan Jnr, John Rooney and Conner Rooney. The relationships between them change and develop throughout the film, which is shown ...