Visual vs. Verbal Storytelling

THE PLAYWRITING SEMINARS > FILM > PLAYS vs. FILM > STORYTELLING > VISUAL/VERBAL >

'. . . it was a tough adjustment [to film] because LOVE LETTERS thrives on, depends on, its simplicity. It's simply two people sitting at a desk reading letters back and forth. The fun of going to the play is letting the audience imagine the events they write about. With the movie, of course, you have to show all that . . .. It really became a very different thing.

-- A. R. Gurney

The openings of Michelangelo Antonioni's film, THE PASSENGER and Ariel Dorfman's DEATH AND THE MAIDEN say nearly everything there is to know about this business of visual vs. verbal storytelling. The core of each is similar . . .

Strong, complex male and female central characters.
Violent political intrigue and defiance of authoritarian regimes.
"Literate" dialogue and strong Voice.
A Suspense Plot hinging on issues of elusive truth and identity.
Highly visual Point of Attack.
One's a classic of political film. The other's a major example of political drama.

Here's a breakdown of the opening movements of the Film . . .

THE PASSENGER

And the Play . . .

DEATH AND THE MAIDEN

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