Hitchcock likes to take a story and change it to suit his intentions when it comes to making a film out of it. This is apparent in both his adaptation of Strangers on a Train and 39 Steps. In Strangers the film, Guy is a much more likeable and sympathetic protagonist than in Highsmith’s novel because he does not go through with the murder of Bruno’s father. Also, in the film, Guy’s disdain for Bruno and his crime is immediately apparent. In the novel, Guy has actually built such a bond and attachment to Bruno that he actually tries to save his life. Surely, Hitchcock’s Guy would have let him drown, feeling relieved to have gotten rid of his “Bruno problem.” Hitchcock, like other film makers, needs a likeable protagonist to pit against the unlikeable antagonist in Bruno. He needed to pit the two characters against one another to create conflict in the plot. Hitchcock’s version also leaves its audience with a happy ending as it seems that things will work out between Guy and Anne. Bruno’s death is the film’s resolution. Highsmith essentially has Guy fall apart after Bruno’s death in the book. He admits to the murder and gets arrested. Not a happy ending for a film, especially in Hitchcock’s time.
In 39 Steps the film, a drastic change made by Hitchcock is to turn the character of Franklin P. Scudder into a mysterious spy woman named Annabella. I think Hitchcock made this decision for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he wanted to play with the audiences’ expectations by creating sexual tension between Annabella and Richard Hannay in his apartment. Their interaction leads one to believe that she might be a lady of the night and that Hannay is pursuing her romantically. It also makes much more sense for Hannay to bring a woman home that night instead of a man which would create a much different mood. He plays with the theme of the woman in distress who needs help from a strange man before committing to the man on the run theme. Plus, it seems more likely that Hannay would undertake her task and see it through to the end versus doing it for some strange man who died in his apartment. Hitchcock is constantly playing with the audiences expectations in this film and turns situations upside down and inside out for shock and suspense which are much needed for a thriller of this type.
Also what's interesting about the film adaptation of "Strangers on a Train" is that Guy manages to literally get away with murder! His loose plan with Bruno manages to completely benefit him as he not only does away with his troubling, meddlesome wife, but manages to maintain his reputation as a star tennis player and esteemed gentlemen dating the Senator's daughter. Guy manages to accomplish everything he's set out to do from the beginning of the film with no negative consequences whatsoever!
ReplyDeleteAlso, what's great about the film adaptation of "The 39 Steps" is that Hannay has a love story, which adds a touch of dark comedy to this tense plot, making his character even more bumbling and odd than he was in the story. I find it interesting that Hitchcock omitted the notion that Hannay became an officer in the army for his role in discovering what the 39 steps are, as I feel it would have added much more to the character than simply clearing of his innocence.
Hitchcock's adaptations are almost darwinian in the sense that the stories he chooses adapt to the media of film. The adjustments make the story more fit for survival or favorable to the new type of audience. Changes like that of Guy's profession allow for a quicker understanding to why he would be the target of a strangers admiration.
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