The best ingredients for a great classic adaptation

Turning a book into a screenplay is always hard. It’s impossible to encapsulate every detail of a 300+ page novel into 120 minutes, and there’s always going to be something left out. Because of this, viewers will never be fully satisfied. When directors delve into adapting a classic, the stakes are even higher. The mere act of transforming a text that is so well known and loved into a new form of media is bound to draw criticism. 

But what makes a great classic? Is it staying true to the source material? Including every detail the book mentions? Or does a great classic adaptation come as a result of a combination of factors such as wardrobe, acting, scenery and score?  

Georgia Oakley’s Sense and Sensibility is a beautiful ode of Austen’s novel, and it conveys the juxtaposing characters of Elinor (portrayed by Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles) as a way to explore sisterhood in a raw, and authentic manner, positioning the bond and love between these women above all else. The spectacular scenery and score add to the wonderful acting, managing to hook the viewer and transform them to another time and place. Despite the change in timeline and other small tweaks, the film stays true to the original classic - but is that what makes this a success?

Earlier this year, Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights was also released, and the plot of this film deviates far more from the original novel than Sense and Sensibility, missing several important sections of the text which was upsetting to many fans of the classic. The overall conclusion was that the adaptation was a disgrace to the original text. Having said this, Jacob Elordi (Heathcliff) and Margot Robbie’s (Catherine) performances were moving and tear-jerking. The relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine is iconic, destructive and toxic, but Fennell manages to convey this tale in a beautiful and visually entrancing production.

Classic adaptations are nothing new, with Joe Wright’s 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice being the most modern of the iconic Austen novel. Although some critics (including my literature teacher) might argue that Wright mostly deviates from the original story, this film remains a personal favourite. The soundtrack, cinematography, acting and setting all come together to create a comforting and heartwarming romance that never fails to make me smile. That, alongside Mr. Darcy’s infamous hand-flex, are worth more to me than staying true to the original tale. 

At the end of the day, reading a classic will never be the same as seeing it on screen. Surviving the test of time for over two centuries is a big deal, and there is not a single adaptation out there that all viewers could agree is completely successful. There is always debate, people will always have something to say. But as a literature lover, spending two hours watching well produced, enjoyable movies that keep these beautiful stories alive is what I believe makes a good adaptation, and a great classic.