Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden :: English Literature

Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden There is a significant difference between the play and movie versions of Death and the Maiden. The movie version emphasizes visual and sound effects, while the play highlights the importance of language. The movie version starts by playing a section from Schubert’s quartet Death and the Maiden. After the melodious music, viewers immediately see and hear lightening outside a small house as well as ocean waves clash against rocks. This contrast not only shocks the viewers, it also prepares them for the upcoming â€Å"action† in the movie. However, the play presents a different perspective. There are only two sentences that cover the above scene, â€Å"Sound of the sea. After midnight.† This simple language will generate imaginations inside readers’ mind and let them create their own movies. The movie version adds more stage directions to create an additional dramatic situation. We first saw Paulina cooking in the kitchen while listening to the radio. She then hears from the radio that Gerardo Escobar has been selected to be the head of the commission. She immediately drops the knife and walks out of the kitchen furiously. However, the above situation does not actually exist in the play Death and the Maiden. The play states that Paulina was sitting in a chair drinking before she heard a car stopped in front of her beach house. The movie version gives viewers evidences that Paulina knew Gerardo Escobar and was not happy about him being the head of the commission. The movie also adds a dialogue between Gerardo Escobar and Roberto Miranda. The main focus in the dialogue is the same as the â€Å"monologue† by Gerardo in the play. However, we can learn from the dialogue that a guy named Roberto Miranda helped Gerardo to get home. We can also tell from Paulina’s facial expression that she was shocked to hear Miranda’s voice. I like the added stage directions in the movie because it made me became very curious about what is going to happen next. The play’s beginning was no as interesting as the movie’s. I also liked the acting in the movie.