Favourite Book Turned Into a Movie // 30-Day Book Challenge - Day 19

Today is the nineteenth day of the 30-day book challenge, in which I will be writing about a different book or book series every day for 30 days, with each book chosen according to the daily prompt. Today's prompt is: "favourite book turned into a movie".

As I mentioned in my other post about a book-to-film adaptation which I decidedly did not enjoy, I don't watch that many movies that are based on a book I've already read, mostly out of fear that they won't do the original story justice. However, there are a few which I've seen and found pleasantly surprising. Even if they are rarely better than the original (if such a comparison is even possible), such film versions can complement, add to, or provide a refreshing interpretation of the story they get their inspiration from. While I could name a couple of films like this - one of which I exempted because I want to talk about it in a later post - the one I have chosen for this prompt is Carol, the 2015 adaptation of The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith.

For the sake of clarification, I should add that although this novel was originally published with the title The Price of Salt, it was later republished by Bloomsbury under the name of Carol. This is why my edition of the book, the same as the paperback pictured above, is also labelled as such.

As book-to-film adaptations go, Carol's screen version is rather more well-known than the novel, although the latter is by no means obscure either. I first found out about the book when the film was nearly due to be released and hotly anticipated by many queer women's websites as a landmark in seeing our stories represented in mainstream media. I read the book with the primary intention of watching the film soon afterwards, but then predictably got distracted by other things and didn't see the movie until some time later. When I did, I wondered why I'd put it off for so long.

Before I go any further, you should probably have some idea of Carol's plot - assuming that you haven't already heard about it from the internet (spoiler alert: 'Harold, they're lesbians'). As a change from our usual Goodreads plagiarism, in this post I'm going to share a summary courtesy of IMDB:

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.

In my opinion, a film adaptation of a book needs to do two things to be considered 'good':

1. do the original book justice
2. be a good film in its own right

The first point doesn't mean that the film has to adapt the book completely faithfully; I feel that sometimes slight adjustments can both make a story suit the medium of film better as well as bring in an interesting new element. One of my favourite adaptations, The Handmaiden (which I will discuss more on a later day), dramatically changes multiple elements of the story, from setting to plot, but it does so in such a way that it remains respectful of the original.

If a film tries not to change anything in adapting a book to the screen, it will always fail, as it is working from a blueprint created for an entirely different form of media.

All that said, Carol doesn't actually change very much of its plot in its transition from book to film. The crucial elements remain the same, but tweaked slightly so as to best suit the new form and our current times. As an example of the former, the film changes Therese's aspiration in life from being a theatre set designer to becoming a photographer. Not only is this easier to depict on-screen, it also allows for a number of poignant moments when we see the events of the film through Therese's camera lens. This is particularly valuable as the book is written from Therese's perspective, whereas the film spends some of its runtime focusing on Carol alone. With regard to slightly modernising the story, the film omits the book's mention of Therese's neglectful mother - a detail which can be read as having 'caused' Therese's lesbianism in the book, an unfortunate implication for a modern audience.

All of the changes made to the story feel carefully considered and mindful of the source material. Rather than disrespecting the book, these alterations are done in service of depicting its narrative in the best way possible. The minor differences also mean that lovers of the book get to experience something new in seeing the film, instead of simply watching the exact same story play out in a cinema as opposed to on the page.

So, Carol fulfils the requirements of my first commandment for adaptational film success, but what about the second? Is Carol a good film in its own right? My answer is absolutely, definitely yes. It is one of my all-time favourite gay films, and possibly one of my top ten films ever. Despite being straight, Cate Blanchett (who I'm convinced is only heterosexual due to a glitch in the matrix) and Rooney Mara give brilliant performances as the cool, confident Carol and the lovestruck Therese, respectively. They have great chemistry and manage to convey the significance and intimacy of many of the small, crucial moments that take place over the course of their characters' relationship. The film is also beautifully shot and directed, with city scenes like those of an Edward Hopper painting in motion. Adding to these are the costumes, gorgeous 1950s outfits designed by Sandy Powell that look beautiful while also illustrating the personalities of their wearers. Finally, the score composed by Carter Burwell gives the film a sense of grand, sweeping romance and drama, as its story rightfully deserves. If you haven't yet heard the opening theme for the Carol soundtrack (the first song on the tracklist, named 'Opening'), I urge you to do so now.

In short, Carol is a beautiful film and a worthy adaptation of an important book. Women who love women and people who love films alike were blessed the day this film arrived in the world.