Annie adaptation bibliography

 Genre

1.

• Annie is a 1982 American musical comedy-drama film based on the 1977 Broadway musical of the same.

• Set during the Great Depression in 1933, the film tells the story of Annie, an orphan from New York City who is taken in by America's richest billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. 

2.

• Annie is a 2014 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Will Gluck from a screenplay.

• The film changes the setting from the Great Depression to the present day, and it is the second remake and the third film adaptation of the musical.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, August 23). Annie (1982 film). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_(1982_film) 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023b, September 24). Annie (2014 film). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_(2014_film) 

Social History

Socioeconomic divide of the Depression is a theme in both films.

• Original: It is a bizarre, patriotic portrait of capitalist white America with bizarre asides about Franklin D Roosevelt’s New Deal, Bolshevism, taxes, the Great Depression, and the commercialism of radio. 

• Adaptation: ​​Keeping the undesirable qualities of that original Annie in mind, one could also view this significant alteration as bringing to light the racial issues that may still be prominent in today’s society. Rather than unfavorable red-hair and freckles, modern Annie maintains qualities that may be seen as unfavorable in the African American community (“wild,” curly hair, for instance) as opposed to characteristics associated with the white community as demonstrated in the original Annie. 

• Annie is one of many examples that deal with the importance of representation in the media. The media is an exemplary illustration of the racial inequality that persists within our society. Evidently, although minorities form a considerably large percentage of movie ticket buyers, they are still unequally portrayed and underrepresented within the film industry.

Leszkiewicz, A. (2022b, April 4). Annie (1982): A bizarre, patriotic portrait of capitalist white America. New Statesman. https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2017/08/annie-1982-bizarre-patriotic-portrait-capitalist-white-america 

​​Racial representation in the media: How Annie is more than just a remake. UF PRISM. (2015, March 20). https://ufprism.com/2015/02/11/racial-representation-in-the-media-how-annie-is-more-than-just-a-remake/#:~:text=In%20terms%20of%20minorities%2C%20only,underrepresented%20within%20the%20film%20industry. 

Semiotics - Adaptation Great Gatsby

 

Adaptation: Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana Vs Tori Amos

Social history

Fletcher, J. W. (2002). A hermeneutic study of generational music: The band Nirvana and cultural change in America. Duquesne University.

This study talks about how cultural impact Nirvana had on teenagers and young adults during their prime. They were able to influence people of that age like no one else before. The article says that this generation was in an identity crisis and Nirvana allowed them to help find their way. Music often contributes to a cultural change but in this case it was just one band. The audience was intrigued by how different they were with their style of a whiney, out of place, outsider type songs.

True, E. (2009). Nirvana: The True Story. Omnibus Press.

This article talks about how Nirvana was constantly changing before they became famous with ideas and people within the band. They struggled to get to the mainstream at their first attempts in songs.

Genre

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2023 Tori Amos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tori_Amos

On this page It is explained how Amos released music around the same time as Nirvana with multiple different genres where as Nirvana sticks with sort of the same thing. Amos used genres such as alternative rock, chamber pop, pop rock and electronic

Avery, A. (2023, October 4). What genre is Nirvana?. Old Time Music. https://oldtimemusic.com/what-genre-is-nirvana/

This article goes into the genre of Nirvana was and is. It talks about their sound at the time and how they were different and similar to what music was out at the time.

Adaptation Semiotic Data Elaboration Blog Post: The Last of Us (2013) vs. The Last of Us (2023)

 

Adaptation Semiotic Data Elaboration: Heathers

Heather’s final straw, Veronica’s party fouls

Remington Sexual Trauma vs Westerberg Party Public Humiliation

In the original movie Veronica’s refusing to have sex with a stranger at a college party as compared to the musical where she’s refusing to let the Heathers humiliate Martha at a party with their peers. 

Heather, alone in the bathroom after giving in to Brad spits a mouthful of water at her reflection. Here it looks like Heather struggles to respect herself; she can be so powerful in other contexts like school and within her friend group, but she can also feel that powerlessness when it comes to sex, (older) men, and the pressure to be liked/accepted/respected by them. The way she submitted to Brad disconnected from her true self and beliefs. When Heather confronts Veronica for not having sex with Brad, (“Brad says you’re being a real cooze,”) she says she wants to leave because she feels sick. Unlike Heather, Veronica isn’t here to please some dude she barely knows to get people to like or respect her. Heather replies, ‘Hell no.’ and Veronica throws up in the hallway. Heather smiles in a way that says Veronica’s relationship with Heather is over. Outside the party Heather admonishes Veronica for her actions; “Transfer to Washington, transfer to Jefferson. No one at Westerburg is gonna let you play their reindeer games.” 

In the musical, Veronica made a more clear and immediate choice (at least more under her control than puking) between saving Martha the embarrassment of the piñata prank and challenging Heather in front of peers deemed part of the in group and falling out of the Heather’s good graces, it wasn’t a matter being coerced into doling out sexual favors to men, on the line was whatever was left of Martha’s pride and dignity. Either way, both parties are symbols of status and acceptance, and so are the actions Veronica refuses to be a part of. 

This difference in party fouls speaks to the changing in landscapes of morality when it comes to “big fun.” Things that used to be accepted aspects of a good time like  sexual coercion and humiliation are much more frowned upon now, the former much more so I think. The co-writer of the musical, Kevin Murphy, says he “aimed to open up themes of hope and optimism in the Heathers story,” and I think the shift from date rape to public humiliation helps us see Veronica as more of a rebel with a cause to protect others in the musical. 

I think the difference in the party fouls are interesting. Sex (at self-expense) for power vs humiliation (expense of another) for power.

Adaption Semiotic Data Elaboration Divergent Book vs Movie

 

Adaptation: Divergent (Movie) vs Divergent (Book)

Divergent (2014 Film)

Genre: Divergent is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Neil Burger, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, August 28). Divergent (film). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divergent_(film)

The film is the first installment in The Divergent Series and was produced by Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, and Pouya Shahbazian, with a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. The story takes place in a dystopian and post-apocalyptic Chicago where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Beatrice Prior is warned that she is Divergent and thus will never fit into any one of the factions. She soon learns that a sinister plot is brewing in the seemingly perfect society.

Plot: Divergent - Movie Synopsis, summary, plot & film details. FilmJabber.com. (2014). https://www.filmjabber.com/movie-synopsis/divergent.html

Divergent is a thrilling adventure set in a future world where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities, Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it's too late.

Ideology:  https://uca.edu/cahss/files/2020/07/Amanda-Wilson-So-You-Say-You-Want-a-Revolution.pdf

The main moral of Divergent is to embrace your personal gifts and not to hide who you are. Tris is an exceptional person who has the potential to positively influence her society, but she is forced to hide what makes her special because other people feel threatened by her.

Divergent (Novel)

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, and Romance

Divergent, the debut novel of American novelist Veronica Roth, was published by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2011. The novel is the first in the Divergent series, a trilogy of young adult dystopian novels (plus a book of short stories) set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago (Internet Speculative Fiction Database, 2023). 

Concept: 

Divergent is a dark and thrilling young adult sci-fi series from best-selling author Veronica Roth. It's set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago that has separated its population into five Factions, each defined by a given set of values, personality traits, and social affiliations (Martin, 2022).

Ideology: https://www.vox.com/2015/3/21/8269595/divergent-series-summary-review

The moral force of the books lies in the constant reminder that you should always, under all circumstances, make decisions for yourself, rather than letting society dictate these decisions to you.

Main Differences 

• In the book, the Prior’s do not talk to Jeanine at the Choosing Ceremony, and we don’t meet her until much later on. This change in the film is good as it allows us to meet Jeanine earlier, and she gives a great speech to Tris about choosing the right faction. - This plays a major change because in the movie Jeanine is the main factor of why Tris chose to be divergent, Jeanine says "I want you to choose who you truly are and where you truly belong" which in the movie it was a big suspense builder when it was her time to choose because as she was standing there she still did not know what she wanted to do.
• In the book, Tris’ aptitude test takes place in a school cafeteria, not in a mirror-walled room. In the film, she tells herself to choose between a knife or slab of meat, whereas it is an unknown voice who tells her to choose between a knife or a block of cheese in the book. - This also is a major difference because the mirrored wall room is why in her test she saw a ton of mirrors, because when she first walked in she looked in the mirror. The Abnegation forbade mirrors believing they promoted self-centeredness which is also why they only had one mirror in their home and could not stare at it for too long.
• When the initiates arrive at Dauntless, Tris burns her clothes in the film but, in the book, she holds on to them. - When new transfers come in, they are forced to burn their clothes to show that they are leaving their past behind, it is a start to a new beginning.
• Visiting Day doesn’t happen in the film. In the book, this is where Tris’ mom asks her to go see Caleb but, instead, her mom has to sneak in to see Tris. 
• In the book, Christina takes the glory of capturing the flag for herself, believing that Tris has already had enough praise off of their leaders. In the film, they reach for the flag together, having no conflict arisen. - This shows in the film how close that they have gotten and how they left their problems behind them and matured as characters.
• During Capture The Flag, the teams use paintballs instead of darts in the book. - I believe that they did this to create more of an action packed scene, but not only that, but as a dauntless member it just makes since to use darts instead of paintballs. It is a part of who they are.
• In Four’s fears landscape, the woman he shoots is not seen in the book, whereas he has to shoot Tris in the film. - I believe that they did this to show how much he actually loves tris and how much he cares about her. They also did this to build suspense to see if he would really shoot her.
• In the book, Four shuts down the system that is controlling the Dauntless, but Tris makes Jeanine shut it down whilst under a serum in the film. - At the end of the first book, when Four is under the simulation and Tris fights him, Jeanine is NOT there. It's just Tris and Four in the room. I'm guessing that because they needed a dramatic fight for the movie, the director/producer/whoever decided to add Jeanine into the mix and then show Tris' humanity by having her not kill Jeanine.

Adaption Semiotic: Willy Wonka (1971) and Charlie in the Chocolate Factory (2005)

 

Willy Wonka (1971) 

Main Focus: The main focus behind Willy Wonka is teaching children who were given the opportunity to visit his candy factory, life lessons on how to be humble, caring, and honest. 

Genre: Comedy, drama, fantasy, musical 

Social History: The movie is a lesson that is supposed to teach viewers of all ages that you will be rewarded for good things, deeds, and actions within your lifetime. This is taken upon even years from then when the film can still be watched in 2023. 

Ideology: The 1971 film by Roald Dahl, is showing viewers that if you are humble, honest, and kind, you will be rewarded for your good deeds, and if rude or not kind, you will not be. 

Charlie in the Chocolate Factory (2005): 

Main Focus: The 2005 film by Tim Burton, Charlie in the Chocolate Factory shows viewers the distinction between poverty and wealth. 

Genre: Musical, comedy, fantasy

Social History: In the 1971 Willy Wonka film, the message that Roald Dahl showed viewers was related to good deeds and how that will benefit you better than being rude and unkind. In the 2005 version by Tim Burton, the lessons taken from the 1971 film are infiltrated and shown to viewers from a different perspective. For example, money does not buy happiness; and you can see that from Charlies' Point of view during the film. 

Ideology: Money does not need to buy happiness.