An old saw is that the film adaptation of a novel is usually a pale shadow of the book. Three movies are exceptions to this rule: Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and Jon M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians. They add dimension and value to the works of Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, and Kevin Kwan. If the world seems a paradox right now, then watching these magical amalgamations of literary and cinematic art can help us better understand the human condition. To cite OLLI faculty member Stephanie Wells, art – consuming art and contemplating art – is the way we make sense of the human experience.
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Many of us may have missed the theatrical release of The Personal History of David Copperfield. It occurred during the covid shutdown. Luckily, the film lives online. Why watch it? The NY Times (August 29, 2020) described Dev Patel as “smashing” in the role of David. It praised the film as an “exuberant, heartfelt delight.” To be honest, I did not have fun reading the 700+ pages of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield; but in Iannucci’s version, Dora decides to re-imagine her life story in a way that made me burst into laughter!
Little Women
There have been more than a dozen cinematic adaptations of Little Women, and so it is understandable that we might be experiencing Little Women film fatigue. But it would be a loss to ignore Greta Gerwig’s version. Saoirse Ronan as Jo is exceptional, but it is Amy, played by Florence Pugh, who is the standout character. Why? Gerwig brilliantly situates the March sisters in their historical context, particularly the context of coverture, which held that women had no identity – legal or otherwise. Amy understands coverture, acutely and critically. As a result, Greta Gerwig’s Amy is now my favorite March sister.
Crazy Rich Asians
In his novel Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan provides a comedic, insider’s view of the frivolous world of privileged Singaporean Chinese. The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, overcomes the book’s superficiality. It adds weight to the story of a Chinese American professor from a working-class background who is snubbed by her fiancé’s ultra-wealthy friends on a visit to Singapore. Michelle Yeoh in the role of the fiancé’s mother magnificently recenters the plot on the vulnerabilities of multi-generational Chinese families, particularly complicated relationships between mothers and sons. She makes the film a “must-see.”
The film adaptations of Crazy Rich Asians, Little Women, and The Personal History of David Copperfield have multiplier effects. The directors and their creative teams made art from art, creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Immersing ourselves in these films generates optimism about humanity, much needed in fraught times. Thus is the power of art.
Linda Wing, Ph.D., is an OLLI @Berkeley member and volunteer who spent more than 45 years working to transform public schools in order to enable students in the nation’s cities to learn and achieve at high levels.
The OLLI Blog showcases the voices and perspectives of the OLLI community (members, faculty and staff) as well as news from and about OLLI.
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