Comparison of the novel by Robert Penn Warren and the film Adaptation Essay - 2

Comparison of the novel by Robert Penn Warren and the film Adaptation - Essay Example However, the substance of the prose will highlight how successful was the screenplay in projecting the character’s emotion and their conflicts. One of the turning points in the entire story was how the relationship between Judge Irwin and Jack Burden was affected by the on-going power struggle of Willie Stark. Jack’s character is torn between the man, who had always been a father figure to him throughout his life and the man, who was everything he had wanted to be. In the book, Jack confronts Judge Irwin about the only scandal in his otherwise sterling career and personal life. The Judge admits to his sin as Jack openly blackmails him. The judge seems resolute and does not give in to his blackmail and later on Jack discovers through his mother that not only did Judge Irwin commit suicide, but he was also his biological father. (Warren, 2002) The book clearly elaborates upon the irony of their conflict, as the Judge bequeathed him the same dirty money that Jack was blackmailing him over. The conflict between Judge Irwin and Jack is depicted in a completely different light in the 1949 adaptation; as Judge Irwin’s character was replaced by Judge Stanton and the dramatic discovery of Jack’s paternity was completely omitted. The 2006 version did include this part and besides the dramatic finding, the movie shows a compelling exchange between the two characters; Judge Irwin hints at a dark secret but doesn’t reveal it that prepares the audience for what is to come and emboldens the element of suspense in the novel. (Zaillian, 2006) The movie depiction of this scenario somehow makes more sense than the book’s description. It wasn’t any flaw on part of the author but the actors and their respective involvement in their roles successfully projected the intensity of the emotion and the conflict they were embroiled in. The climax of the story is reached with Stark’s