¶ … film "In Bedroom" story "Killings Andre Dobus.
Too Hollywood: "Killings" vs. In The Bed
In all actuality, it would be exceedingly difficult for any feature film to match the emotional depth and breadth of a (good) work of literature. Although Hollywood will claim otherwise, a true story cannot be told with images but with the connotations, the complexities, and the nuances of words, and with words alone. Subsequently, as can be expected anytime anyone attempts to stretch out a 15-page short story (approximately) into a two hours plus (130 minutes) film, there are several inconsistencies between Andre Dubus' short story entitled "Killings" and its feature film adaptation, In The Bedroom. But that's not the primary problem with the latter which, even more so than the short story itself, is a bloated, exceedingly lengthy production high on theatrics and drama and relatively low on emotion and characterization. The primary problem with the movie version is that it does not necessarily stay true to the characters -- their motives and their depictions -- that Dubus originally conceived in his short story. The fact that these elements are different in the feature film version of this tale is to be expected, of course. But what the film lacks is the betrayal of the true emotions that powers the characters in Dubus' manuscript, which subtlety changes the meaning of the story.
One such instance in which this point is readily apparent is in the degree of resolve with which Matt Fowler regards his slain son Frank's relationship with Mary Ann (whose name is inexplicably transformed to Natalie in The Bedroom). Dubus purposefully leaves Matt's interest in the pair decidedly ambivalent -- it is clear that he is fond of Mary Ann and her...
Andre Dubus' "The Curse" Andre Dubus' short story "The Curse" illustrates one man's inner struggle with guilt. Dubus includes the essential elements necessary to create a successful classic story in that it contains a high emotional level, complication, rising action, and a climax. The story is also successful because it deals with a realistic circumstance. Mitchell Hayes, as the protagonist, is a very dynamic character. The story revolves around his thoughts and
Dubus Andre Dubus's Meditations From a Movable Chair The title of Andre Dubus' nonfiction book of spiritual reflections reflects the fact that the author now is stranded in a wheelchair, having lost his mobility in a tragic accident. Ironically, his lost was incurrent when he was extending an act of charity. Dubus was helping some people by the side of the road who were experiencing car trouble, in the effort, he himself
Warfare can change someone in a matter of days, as children were apparently transformed consequent to coming across conditions in Greece and as a result of the fact that their innocence and their child natures were virtually taken away from them once they were recruited. Even with the fact that Fritz struggled to stay a child, he did not manage to do so, as the Nazi system had changed
He is identified as follows in the story: "...he had not so much moved through his life as wandered through it, his spirit like a dazed body bumping into furniture and corners. He had always been a fearful father..." This depiction of Matt shows how his love for his family has become a weakness for him, for there is always a fear in him that he will fail as
protagonist antagonist short story called "Killings" Andre Dubus It is difficult to defend the position that the protagonist and antagonist of Adre Dubus' short story "Killings," Matt and Strout, are alike in any sort of way. Virtually the only similarity they have is their mutual admiration and appreciation for the way that Strout's ex-wife, Mary Ann, looks. Nonetheless, both of these men are fathers and they are both murderers. Still,
Killings" is set in a blue-collar New England town along the Merrimack. It is a vision of a somewhat isolated community -- outside of time, not supported by a sense of law or order or justice. Murder essentially goes unpunished -- which is why the main character, Matt, takes the "law" into his own hands and murders Strout, the man who killed his son. Matt, used to taking matters into
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