The question Daniel raises about meta-adaptation is a fascinating one, 
and it has a rich and extensive history in cinema, beginning at least 
with Godard's CONTEMPT (nominally based on Alberto Moravia's A GHOST AT 
NOON). (Neither SHADOWS AND FOG nor BARTON FINK are adaptations, 
however interesting they might be at other levels - actually, SHADOWS 
AND FOG is one of the worst films I have ever seen!)

I understand meta-adaptation to involve more than 'biographical 
information' (as Daniel mentions) and some mimicry of an authors' 
style. Fundamentally, a meta-adaptation is both an adaptation and a 
commentary on the original text: on its historical and political 
context, on its legacy, etc. Does Gondry's/Kaufman's ADAPTATION count 
as an ideological commentary on the novel it adapts? No; it's fun, but 
it only spins a baroque comedy around the fact of adaptation in 
Hollywood, and the 'screenwriting manual' industry.

There are literally hundreds of examples of true 'meta-adaptation' in 
cinema since the '60s. All of Manoel De Oliveira's films that derive 
from novels are commentaries upon them: eg, in the early 90s period 
Daniel mentions, 'VALLEY OF ABRAHAM (1993), which preserves on its 
soundtrack a great slab of the novel used, which is itself a 'feminist 
rewrite' of MADAME BOVARY. Benoit Jacquot's EMMA ZUNZ (1992) also 
preserves virtually the entire Borges tale on its soundtrack, 
confronting it with a set of 'possible' images (rather than 
conventional illustrations/dramatisations) that picture certain things 
Borges does not say. Fassbinder did several films of this sort, such as 
the mammoth BERLIN-ALEXANDERPLATZ.

All of Straub & Huillet's films offer a commentary on a text or several 
texts in montage/collage, eg, their version of Kafka's AMERIKA in CLASS 
RELATIONS (1984). Then there are the meta-adaptations by Jean-Daniel 
Pollet, by Werner Schroeter ... and many, many others. And Ruiz: TIME 
REGAINED, THE BLIND OWL, etc etc. All the stuff, in other words, that 
is never/rarely included/discussed in dreary books about 'page to 
screen' adaptation of literary classics/best-sellers. Get with the 
program! (to quote BAD LIEUTENANT)

A general point: many on this list would have noticed the alarming 
regularity of a certain bunch of films used to respond to almost any 
question posed: MEMENTO, FIGHT CLUB, BLADE RUNNER, films of the Coens 
and Woody Allen, and now the ubiquitous Charlie Kaufman. All are 
valuable films worth discussing - even if they often offer shallow, 
facile versions of explorations done earlier and elsewhere (by Resnais, 
Bergman, Godard, etc). But it would be better to see some list members 
recommending and discussing other titles outside this narrow 
'commercial arthouse' beat mainly defined by the American film industry 
in its globalising reach. There are a lot of previously 'obscure' films 
now available on DVD for us to see to share ...

Adrian

*
*
Film-Philosophy Email Discussion Salon.
After hitting 'reply' please always delete the text of the message you are replying to.
To leave, send the message: leave film-philosophy to: [log in to unmask]
For help email: [log in to unmask], not the salon.
**