Essay About Only Adaptations Of Tennyson And John William Waterhouse

The Passing of Arthur and Excalibur
The Passing of Arthur and Excalibur
John Boorman adapted the ”Passing of
Arthur” in the movie
“Excalibur.” Movies are not the only adaptations of Tennyson’s
poem but there are several art and music adaptations. Examples
of these adaptations include music by Loreena McKennit and
paintings by John William Waterhouse, Howard Pyle and Arthur
Rackham. In Bela Balazs’s Art Form and Material Balazs states
that a good adaptation is a reinterpretation of the original.
Boorman uses nature and color to recreate the atmosphere of the
original text. These techniques enhance the richness of the
movie, provide a more in depth view of Arthur’s life and make the
setting more interesting.
Tennyson’s descriptive writing allows the reader to form
detailed pictures. The atmosphere Tennyson creates focuses a lot
on the beauty of nature. During the scene when Bedivere throws
Excalibur in the lake he describes the area with “zigzag paths,
and juts of pointed rock, the shining levels of the lakethe
winter moon, long cloud and frost.” He produces an atmosphere of
bleakness and despair.
Tennyson concentrates on the image of the winter moon while
Bedivere tries to get rid of the Excalibur. This picture makes
the reader think that the setting is a winter night. According
to Webster’s dictionary, winter symbolizes of coldness, misery or
death. Winter is the season when living things die. The moon
only comes out during the night. At night people “rest” from
their busy lives and do nothing. Night closely related to winter
because both are very dark and bleak times. The lack of light
shows the sadness happening to Arthur. As Arthur passes the only
light he has comes from the winter moon. The reader gets the
feeling that Arthur is heading there. Tennyson chooses dark
words and images to create a very desolate and gloomy setting.
Sidney Lumet states in Making Movies “there are no
unimportant decisions in a movie.” Production designers put a
lot of effort to recreate the original text. The setting is a
very important factor in making a movie. It contributes to much
of the style of a movie. Settings reflects many of the directors
insights and opinions. There are times where the director goes
to great lengths just to form the perfect scene. They leave no
detail spared. According to Lumet, a director’s goal is to
create a setting so that the audience feels apart of the movie’s
world.
When the director needs to find a setting for his/her movie
Lumet recommends to “find places that are closest to what you
want to end up with.” If the setting needs to be changed it can
change the atmosphere and become expensive too. Art direction
progresses on its own according to the text. Scenes can change
color, style, etc. based on the plot. Lumet feels that “small
elements add up.” It takes a lot of planning, deciding and
concentration to create the perfect setting. There is more
behind the setting then what the eyes behold.
Poems are subject to interpretation. They allow the reader
to create different images and thoughts completely on their own.
Movies