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11. ADAPTATION.
Not to Give In and Not to Give Up
+RZFDQZHDGDSWZLWKRXWORVLQJRXUVHOYHV"&DQZHKDYHDSODFHDJRRGSODFH HYHQZLWKRXWORVLQJRXUVRXOV"&DQZHFDUU\RXWSURMHFWVWKDWKDYHPHDQLQJWRXV ZLWKLQWKHFDSLWDOLVWZRUOG"7KLVLVRIWHQDTXHVWLRQIRUVWXGHQWVLQEXVLQHVVVFKRROV who sometimes compensate for their participation in the capitalist game by sporadic humanitarian actions. But it is also the case of the researcher in management, IRU ZKRP VXFFHHGLQJ PD\ VHHP WR UHTXLUH DEDQGRQLQJ KLV GUHDPV PRGHOV DQG SULQFLSOHV DQGIRUWKHPDQDJHUZKRGRHVQRWVHHNWRWKLQNDERXWWKHFRQVHTXHQFHV RIKLVDFWLRQV RURIWKHDUWLVWZKRZRQGHUVZKHWKHURUQRWVKHKHVKRXOGFRQIRUP to market trends. The film Adaptation. melts such an opposition of positions, here the sterile alternatives between not to compromise ourselves or to belong too well WRDV\VWHPRUWREHRQRQHVLGHRURQWKHRWKHUVLGH WKDWLVWRJLYHXSRUWRJLYHLQ ,QAdaptation., adaptation is everywhere, in many forms and is always a problem. 7KHUHLVWKHUDUHEODFNRUFKLGZKLFKPXVWDGDSWWRLWVHQYLURQPHQW WKHUHLVWKH RUFKLG KXQWHU ZKR VHHNV WR HDUQ KLV OLYLQJ E\ IROORZLQJ WKH PDUNHW WKHUH LV WKH IDPRXV1HZ :25./,)($57 $'$37$7,21,6(9(5<:+(5(«$1'(/6(:+(5( Adaptation. is a movie by Spike Jonze. Spike Jonze had already directed Being John Malkovich and he is more recently the author of Her%XWWKH³DXWKRU´LVDOVR&KDUOLH © KONINKLIJKE BRILL NV, LEIDEN, 2019 | DOI:10.1163/9789004390126_011 -/025,&($8 and Donald Kaufman. Charlie and Donald Kaufman are writers of the movie script DQGLQWKHPRYLHWKHILOPLVWKHVWRU\RIDQDGDSWDWLRQUHTXHVWWR&KDUOLH.DXIPDQ He is to adapt for the screen, the story of his adaptation of a novel. The boundaries EHWZHHQUHDOLW\DQGILFWLRQDUHFRPSOH[WKHSORWLVGLIIUDFWHGLQVHYHUDOGLUHFWLRQV different story levels intermingle, all talking of adaptation. With its complex and self-referential structure, the movie has often been described as postmodern. We are not witnessing the representation of a story, but we are confronted with several interspersed stories, including that of the creation of the movie itself. /HW¶VWDONDERXWVRPHRIWKHVHVWRU\WKUHDGVZKLFKDOOWKURZDVSHFLILFORRNRQ DGDSWDWLRQ &KDUOLH .DXIPDQ 1LFKRODV &DJH LV HQWUXVWHG E\ D ODUJH +ROO\ZRRG company to adapt the book of Susan Orlean The Orchids Hunter. He dreams of directing an auteur postmodern movie, but he gradually realizes that such a dream is not adapted to the demand. He says: ,W¶VMXVW,GRQ¶WZDQWWRFRPSURPLVHE\PDNLQJLWD+ROO\ZRRGSURGXFW$Q orchid heist movie. Or changing the orchids into poppies and turning it into a PRYLHDERXWGUXJUXQQLQJ<¶NQRZ">«@2UFUDPPLQJLQVH[RUFDUFKDVHV or guns. Or characters learning profound life lessons. Or characters growing or characters changing or characters learning to like each other, or characters RYHUFRPLQJREVWDFOHVWRVXFFHHGLQWKHHQG<¶NQRZ"0RYLHVKLW .DXIPDQ .DXIPDQ S The movie will eventually end up including all of these, while also containing a thousand other facets. The novel is adapted for Hollywood, the movie repeats all WKHFOLFKpV EXWDWWKHVDPHWLPHLWUHWDLQVDOOWKHSULQFLSOHVDQGGUHDPVRIWKH author. Adaptation. is also a story of passion. Passion is what drives all the protagonists, but it is also what threatens to lead them down unsuitable paths. The movie has 6XVDQ2UOHDQ 0HU\O6WUHHS UHSHDWWKLVVHQWHQFHIURPKHUERRN ³,VXSSRVH,GR KDYHRQHHPEDUUDVVLQJSDVVLRQ±,ZDQWWRNQRZZKDWLWIHHOVOLNHWRFDUHDERXW VRPHWKLQJSDVVLRQDWHO\´7KHPRYLHLVFRPSRVHGRIQHVWHGOHYHOV 6XVDQ2UOHDQ DGDSWVWKHOLIHRIWKHRUFKLGKXQWHU.DXIPDQDGDSWVWKHERRNRI6XVDQ2UOHDQHWF at each level the character is passionate about a lower level: the hunter about the orchids, the journalist about the passion of the hunter, Kaufman about the journalist. The characters are animated by passion and passion means, each time, an almost exclusive interest, torment and erotic attraction. At each level, desire repeats a similar animating drive: a desire for the other, a desire for the passion of the other and a desire for creation. Adaptation LV DOVR D PRYLHDERXWFUHDWLRQRU WKHSDQJV RI FUHDWLRQ DQG LWLV D FUHDWLRQ WKDW GRHV QRW FRPH IURP D VXEOLPDWLRQ RI VH[XDO GHVLUH ,W LV FUHDWLRQ that is only realized when an idea of pure creation is abandoned. Creation is in the adaptation. Creation comes by repeating what has already been done, while adapting LW LH LQ WUDQVIL[LQJ ZKDW KDV DOUHDG\ EHHQ GRQH YLD D VLQJXODU GLIIHUHQFH YLD D SDVVLRQWKDWREVHVVHV\RXYLDWKHXQLTXHJHVWXUH$GDSWDWLRQLVFUHDWLRQDQGLVDV