The Novel and the Movie: The Maltese Falcon

In the ever-involved interest of trying new things, I thought maybe the time had come for a direct and objective contrast to the sometimes over-trusted phrase, "The book is always better than the movie." Sometimes, maybe the movie is just better than the book? In this new series, I'll experience a story, in the forms of both the original printed novel, and the subsequent movie adaptation, and make my own judgement as to which was better, going into detail on the why one worked or didn't work, in an effort to give each a fair shot in telling their tale.

This series was inspired by the latest source of inspiration for my College Fashion "Looks from Books" series: The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett. Written in 1930, and adapted three times by 1941, this book has some serious street cred in both the book and movie industries, and adapting its key thematic elements for college students to wear was some significantly hard work, without weighing in the benefit of suspense and visual inspiration that the 1941 adaptation - starring the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor - provided so bountifully. (Click for the link to my article here.)

THE NOVEL:

A densely-packed and quick-paced detective story, full of the genre's typical ingredients for intrigue: a gorgeous mystery lady, telling lies and covering up schemes, but all with a schoolgirl smile that you just can't help believing; a strange mystery foreigner, seeking a  strange mystery artifact, with a quick hand for a gun and an eye for his gunmen; a fat mystery collector also seeking said strange mysterious artifact; and at the center of it all, Sam Spade, prolific private detective.

Like solving a puzzle from the center outwards, Spade pieces together a mystery involving legendary lost treasure by double-thinking his opponents and smacking people around like speed bags. Ruthless but never reckless, Sam always gets his man... especially when the chase ends up being the end of his partner.

A fully-formed and hole-less mystery (rare, honestly), whose distinct emphasis on visual focus and deliberately innovative forms of description paint a landscape of crime and dark doorways with questionable intents lying on either side. Suspenseful, solid, sure to suck you in completely, Dashiell Hammett launches a legacy in an often "cheap" genre.

THE MOVIE: 
Humphrey Bogart smolders and Mary Astor simpers through this film classic, as the two leads, Sam Spade and Brigid O'Shaughnessy, respectively.

Bogart tackles the iconic role with tenacity and focus, and physically represents the character description of Sam Spade to perfection; however, sometimes he comes of as manic and over-bearing where the strength of the character should have lied in solid stoicism and composed calm. Astor makes for a convincing damsel-in-distress, but  takes some of the edge out of the "femme fatale," by whimpering and waffling between the doe-eyed waif and the wanton honeypot in an exaggerated attempt to come off as manipulative. Her true power lies in her otherworldly ability to reflect emotions through her facial expressions, and I feel like we could have gotten through the movie solely based on her numerous soft-focused close-ups.

Both characters seem mistreated by the script, which alters key scenes in the hopes of skewing power and responsibility more in the favor of the male lead (common practice for a still man-centric media back in the '40s). The scandalous nature of the plot is continually dulled by the deliberate soothing of the story line to comply with the cultural status quo back in 1941, muzzling some of the more notable moments within the tale, and thus taking away some of the edge so apparent in the novel.

The movie is considered highly by virtually everyone, and was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture. It was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.

THE VERDICT: 

Well, so much for striking off this series by depicting a balance, but in my opinion, the book overwhelmingly overrides the movie: the detective and mystery genres themselves exist to inspire suspense, and in relation, the novel allows for a lot more cool-headed calculation than the noisy and over-acted film.

However, that being said, the adherence to the plot of the novel in itself is wholly remarkable - despite its dallying deviations - because you'd never see something that stuck so close nowadays. The disappearance of the subtleties and nuance of the novel is what I mourn in the film category, but even so, it's a solid work of cinema, and definitely worth an hour and forty minutes of your time.

Falling Into Fantasy

I don't consider myself a terribly impulsive person. I'm actually the kind of worrywart who has to reflect on it for a minute, and take the specific initiative to act impulsively when the opportunity arises for some spontaneous action. Even then, it takes a good couple seconds of "pro-con"-ing to err on the side of being impulsive.

So when I feel the impulsive urge to buy a new-release high fantasy YA novel but a few days after its publication, you can bet its a big deal.

Granted, I bought it for my Kindle. And its not like I had anything better to do. (Sorry, neglected ENG 302 homework, but you definitely don't fit the description of "better".) Still, the importance of this event must be impressed upon you readers!

Actually, better yet: can we just dispense with the origin story, and jump right into how great this book was, and how worthy it was of said impulsive buy?

Here transcribed is exactly what was written down in the notes of my book journal:

Likes: Everything! Dislikes: Nothing! 

Okay, maybe it warrants a little more in-depth discussion than that. I wouldn't necessarily bring it up in English class, but this book was really good! 

The suspense was there, the plot development was super solid. There were plenty of twists and turns, and it was a fast-paced plot. There were actually a couple of really perfectly performed reveals that had me scraping my jaw off of the floor and laughing in enjoyment, actually thinking to myself, "No way!" or "This just got even better." The movement of the story line was wonderfully done and expertly composed, with just the right pacing. 

The fact that it was a high fantasy was really what allowed the story to shine: usually, the high fantasies I've experienced have relied on some kind of staid self-composure, some direct form of adherence to only the most serious of tones and descriptions in an effort to command respect for the attempted realism. However, Poison excelled in the complete opposite: with a wink and a nod at the fact that the world they occupied wasn't remotely real, the characters were supremely adorable, and each one had some element of cutesy ideality in their comportment. I mean, the main character travels with a pig, for goodness' sake (which you can see cheekily poking its head out of the bushes at the lower left half of the cover). 

But don't think that it was all a marshmallow- and gumdrop-filled trip for our intrepid heroine: the characters may be sweet, but the slick pace of suspense gave just the right amount of edge to our almost-too-perfect cast, and made it just unpredictable enough for the appropriateness and attention span of the intended audience. 

Overall, the projection of such a strong heroine reminded me of someone out of a Tamora Pierce novel, but the new mystical creatures, incredibly unique focus of skill sets - I mean, who else writes about powerful potioners? - and constant game-changing revelations that popped up throughout the novel, marked Poison as a truly engaging and excellent YA fantasy. 

(And I'm diving back into the genre again soon, by reading Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas, so keep watching for more fantastical worlds, powerful magic, and heroes and villians galore!) 

Post script 

At the end of the novel, I was left wishing that there were more such wonderful high fantasies present in YA. Unfortunately, after additional research into the life of the author, Bridget Zinn, I found out from her website that she -a librarian and writer - had died in May 2011, at the age of 33, due to colon cancer. Her novel is being published posthumously. What a legacy to leave behind! I haven't heard anyone say a bad word about this book, and I hope that Zinn and her family can hear those kind thoughts! Much appreciation to Bridget, her husband and family, and her literary family as well, for making sure that such a great story was told. :) 

Top Ten Tuesdays "Rewind": Top Ten Childhood Favorites!

"Top Ten Tuesdays" is a weekly countdown meme, hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!

This week was a "rewind" - picking past Top Ten lists that we may have missed or wanted to do over - and since I'm new to the game, I decided to go with the first ever Top Ten List, "Childhood Favorites." Being that I am, essentially, always going to be a child at heart, and that some of my playtime favorites remain in heavy rotation on my reading list, the challenge wasn't that difficult.

Here -presented in no particular order - are the books that enraptured my young mind, ensnared my childish soul, and convinced a very shy and very curious young girl what sort of magic awaited those who dared peek between the pages of the well-written world:

1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
I've already waxed poetic on the many outstanding qualities of this life-changing book here, but I'll never tire of professing my undying devotion for this summertime staple. Here's to ten more of my years with Tom!

2. The Nancy Drew series, by Carolyn Keene
Nancy's the coolest. Anyone who doesn't think so, never hid under the covers late at night with a flashlight, trying her hardest not to wake the sleeping sister in bed beside her with her startled jumps and heaving breaths of suspense. I even ended up writing my Junior year research paper about my favorite intrepid teenage sleuth!

3. The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
The book that will always remind me of my Dad, the same man who first read it to me, back when my brain was nowhere near developed enough to recognize the witty wordplay and smart storytelling. I recently reread it, and reviewed it here after being stuck in the doldrums for a little too long this Fall Quarter. (Bonus: A documentary on the amazing work is currently wrapping development after a successful Kickstarter campaign, so look out for The Phantom Tollbooth Turns 50 - A Documentary!)

4. The Moon Jumpers, by Janice May Udry (and illustrated by Maurice Sendak!)
Yet another book that's always going to remind me of my Dad. Never realized it was illustrated by Maurice Sendak, however. (You learn something new everyday!)

5. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
Um, duh.

6. Miss Spider's Tea Party, by David Kirk
This book is pretty trippy to look at, but the illustrations were always the most beautiful part! Besides, who doesn't love a great tea party?

7. The Little House on the Prairie series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I am nothing if not an avid escapist in my reading, and if there was anything that could ever make a girl want to wear ankle-length prairie dresses and chop firewood, it was this. (All dreams were quickly eliminated with the use of the Oregon Trail video game in middle school, however.) Still, its some amazing work.

8. Sideways Stories from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar
Let's go ahead and blame this book for my love of everything wacky and un-explainable. As well as my suspicion of all things with the number Thirteen, okay?

9. The Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan
Okay, this may be stretching the definition of "childhood" favorites, because I was introduced to this series during the sixth grade, when my friends and I traded lunchroom copies like some kind of contraband. They might as well have been: there was not a single Social Studies lesson that went understood when I had one of these copies hidden underneath the table.

10. No Flying in the House, by Betty Brock
This book is the number one reason why I developed such an affinity for old copies: I had somehow gotten my hands on my mom's edition from when she was a kid, originally printed in 1970, complete with her name scrawled in the inside cover, and I don't think I've ever surrendered it since. (Sorry, Mom!)

An Extra Special "Playing the Pages": Dealing with Grief and Loss

Today, April 10th, 2013, marks the first anniversary of the death of a true Princess.

As I explained on my blog last year, Princess Alexandria Tyler Cole - the 2012 Daffodil Festival Princess from Chief Leschi High School - was one of my best friends in the Festival, and one of the most amazing parts about being a Princess. She was a boxer, a beauty, and a brave young lady, whose gentleness and kind spirit stemmed from a place of immense strength and belief. A member of the Quinalt Nation, who lived on the Puyallup reservation with her mother, Alex was incredibly supportive and involved in her culture, and always loved to talk about her grandfather, a South Sound heavyweight, who inspired her love of boxing.

I knew Alex and I were going to be great friends, from the moment on our Princess Retreat, when she smiled down from the top of her bunk bed, nestled in her sleeping bag, and said, "I want to lick crumbled S'mores Pop Tarts off of Taylor Lautner's abs." By the time a month had passed, we had done it all  - from  practicing our dance moves for two hours in my living room (to the laughter of my family), sampling stuffed mushroom caps at BJ's restaurant at the Tacoma Mall (she proudly claimed that those of Chief Leschi's Pro-Start team were far superior!), and eating a whole lot of chocolate in the backseat of Linda's car with the third member of Car Group #2, Delaney Ferrell - spending time not only as Retreat roomies, but as backseat buddies, dance partners, and all-around close friends. 

Because of all the times we had been stuck side-by-side, Alex once told me, during an afternoon at my house - trying to nail those hand motions to our favorite Journey tune - "God must have put us together like this for a reason."

Now, a full year later, even though I'm still questioning what sort of plans God might have had for the two of us, I've still gained a lot from our all-too-brief-best-Princess-friendship: to understand that no matter how many times you ask someone if they're okay, that they still might not be, and that that's not your fault; to accept that you'll never know everyone's true story; and to find a way to be a best friend to everyone, because you never know who'll want to be your best friend, too.

Princess friends forever. Rest in Peace and Love, Alex. 

Now, in an effort to work something that actually has to do with books into my book blog, I searched a little more into one of the worst ramifications of Alex's untimely loss: explaining it to her biggest fans, the many kids we've met in the time since April 11th - when her death was discovered - who never really understood why they could never have all 24 signatures on our poster, or collect all 24 trading cards. I took some time to go to a local library this past weekend, and picked out a couple of children's books I could find in the databases and on the shelves, that I felt were actually helpful, in assisting children deal with grief and loss:

I Miss You, by Pat Thomas, offers an easy-to-understand look at how death is a natural part of life, and why it is not only normal, but important, to discuss your feelings about losing someone close to you. 

What's Heaven?, by Maria Shriver, portrays the loss experienced by a little girl named Kate, when her Great-Grandmother dies, and the many questions that come from her curiosity about a difficult topic. 

The Invisible String, by Patrice Karst, explains how love transcends separation, and keeps us all tethered together like - as you could probably tell from the title - an "invisible string." (This one was probably my favorite, simply because it didn't deal with death in an implicit way; instead, being focused on the strength of love in general.)

Please, if you're dealing with depression, thoughts of suicide, or simply even feeling a little alone sometimes, PLEASE know that you're not alone, and that you will get through this! Suicide is NEVER going to be the answer; getting help is always the answer! There are plenty of resources available to you for dealing with these problems, and know that you deserve that special attention! If you or a friend is dealing with suicide or depression, please call the following hotline, and just talk to somebody. You are not alone! 1-800-273-8255 is the United States National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Much love to everyone, Alex's family and tribe, and especially my Royal Family (most especially the amazingly beautiful, incredibly understanding, and endlessly exuberant Delaney Ferrell), on this very difficult day. 

College Fashion Post Catch Up!

I'm too busy to update the blog, but at least I can take the time to leave ties to what I AM able to write: here is the link to my latest College Fashion "Looks from Books" post, on the classic portrait of mid-century teenage rebellion and conflict: S.E.Hinton's The Outsiders!

http://www.collegefashion.net/inspiration/looks-from-books-fashion-inspired-by-the-outsiders/

Sorry for the brief pause: Life is crazy. I have a post scheduled for tomorrow night, and another as soon as my NEXT College Fashion post goes up this Wednesday (Can you guess the book? :) ), and we'll be returning to our regularly scheduled post shortly!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Trapped Under Glass

Now, we're stuck in Dead Week again.

Last quarter, this was one of my favorite weeks out of the whole year. Christmas, and its related delights, hung its sugarplums almost within reach, and the whole house was quiet, as people with much more stressful schedules than mine buried their heads in their books, like ostriches bury their heads in sand. I was left to my own devices - specifically, my laptop and cell phone - to Pinterest away to my little naive heart's content. I had no cares for Finals, as I already knew I had them in the bag. All Dead Week was, for me, was a waiting game.

And now, it's morphed into something completely different.

Frantically jotting notes, tearing through past papers, trying to figure out exactly what was going on in that one tricky book section, and moreover, trying to avoid thinking about what kind of detrimental effect failing would have on my steadily-climbing GPA, are all I know now. Sleep is a luxury I too often abuse; food, the same.

However, instead of freaking out over it like I am wont to do, I wrapped myself in the pages of one of my favorite novels: The Bell Jar. I had known for a while that I wanted to profile it for a College Fashion article, and I thought this would be a great way to take out multiple birds with one stone, instead of taking out multiple UW peers with one angry toss of my increasingly non-supportive laptop.

For those who have not yet been sucked into the wild and chaotic mind of nineteen-year-old Esther Greenwood, The Bell Jar is the tumultuous tale of a prize-winning self-loather, whose disbelief in her own beauty and talent give way to a crippling depression, suicide attempt, and internment in a psychiatric facility in the 1950s. The novel holds a tragic legacy all its own, by way of the history of its author, Sylvia Plath, who wrote the book semi-autobiographically, and successfully committed suicide about a month after it was published for the first time.

The quintessentially mid-century feminist masterpiece tore open a new space for the discussion of the taboo topic of mental health issues in modern communication, and it is thanks to her expert descriptions of  the ultimate bleakness of the human mind,  that allow for more current, frank discussion of public issues like depression and suicide, as well as female sexuality and career and life opportunities for women.

The Bell Jar is one of my favorites for several reasons:
1. The narrative style is unique and engaging - being told in a surprisingly-organized narrative format, portraying what is a tragedy with uncharacteristic sarcasm, humor, and irony,
2. Which additionally enthralls the reader by way of riveting, fast-paced turns of events that simultaneously enrapture you in the plot further, while also proving to be as equally disorienting as engaging,
3. The topic is one not often discussed in modern literature - and definitely never communicated with such vividly excruciating detail,
4. And the novel simply fell into my lap (courtesy of my mother) at a time in my life when I really, really needed to feel like I had an ally. I did in Esther.

In adapting it for College Fashion, I had naively assumed that my own passion for the literature would be transcribed easily into an article. I forgot completely about how, despite the novel's success, issues like female empowerment by way of sexuality, and the precarious mental states of depression and anxiety, could reduce any competent person's conversation to a smoldering pile of wreckage like the twin taboo time bombs they are.

The first comment - quickly deleted by the swaddling comfort of my Editor-in-Chief - was received, and unfortunately, internalized just as quickly as it was removed. From someone named Stephanie, whose network address betrayed a link to Penn State's campus:

Thanks for your input, Stephanie. And while plenty of people chimed in after her now-invisible, malicious comment, talking about how great the article was, and how much they loved The Bell Jar, there were still plenty more commentators - much more proficient in the use of common grammar, punctuation, and capitalization than Stephanie - who were just as willing to claim that my actions were a mark against the iconic novel, accusing me of trivializing mental illness, and "dragging" fashion of the piece. One also tried to do my job for me, telling me why the outfits I had adapted out of themes for the novel were better off elsewhere, or simply made for the sake of chasing trends (then again, I am on a FASHION WEBSITE, so I don't see how they could fault me for that last piece of criticism).

Of course, it was gratifying when one of my detractors later admitted to never having actually read the novel (then WHY were you even involved in the discussion in the FIRST place?), those mild feelings of triumph were negated immediately when I received a second comment from our old friend, Stephanie: "WOW i like how you deleted my comment. Once again, THIS WAS TERRIBLE. and you clearly didnt understand the bell jar"

Wow, indeed. Out of the nineteen comments on the article, five were posted (as in, were deemed inoffensive enough to actually be posted) by those who disagreed with my work, three were posted by me defending my work, and nine were posted by those who loved my work. (If you can tell that the math doesn't add up, another posted about how she would read the book for the issues presented, regardless of my adaptation, and another was simply a rather impassioned plea for me to profile S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders).

SO, what was initially a method for me to achieve a happier attitude as well as strike out a deadline for CF, ended up opening a much larger and more impressive can of snakes than I had ever intended to belabor myself with during one of the most stressful times of Winter Quarter. I can't truly say that I'm happy with what I did, because I depend entirely too much on the good opinion of my peers. Maybe it's just because I know that this year's crop of Daffodil Princesses trooped to libraries across Pierce County today - one of my favorite Princess appearances! - but I feel like I'm missing out on a little lovin'.

Well, I'm certainly not finding it in any of these study notes.

Read my College Fashion article on the Bell Jar, and weigh the issues for yourself, here:
http://www.collegefashion.net/inspiration/looks-from-books-fashion-inspired-by-the-bell-jar/

Latest on College Fashion

Just because I'm short on time this week, this will only be a shameless plug, instead of a full-on article discussing why I love my subject matter - Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein - quite so much!

Please go read my article on College Fashion, by following the link below:
http://www.collegefashion.net/inspiration/looks-from-books-fashion-inspired-by-where-the-sidewalk-ends/

Hopefully my schedule opens up soon, and I can take a little time to write to you more well-roundedly about what I've been reading lately.

Love you all muchly, and here's to hoping you have a great Tuesday! :)