‘Pupu fil-baħar’ into film : a cinematic adaptation of Alfred Sant’s short story (2009) as theory and practice

Abstract

This thesis is an adaptation of Alfred Sant's 'Pupu fil-Bahar' into a screenplay. The study of film adaptation is a study of shadows personified by other shadows. The flow effect of adaptations influencing further adaptations cannot be ignored because it is inherent to our culture. Films like all other arts do not exist in a vacuum but within a broader context of social, cultural, historical, political and economical state – subversively film texts are reflected and received according to these ideologies. Additionally film is a rich art capable of synthesising various elements from different texts to form meaning. In order to evaluate better what is film adaptation of a literary text it is crucial to understand what differentiates the two media and how they form meaning in the reader's‟ mind. This thesis will evaluate some of these differences and how the screenwriter tries to overcome them. The filmmaker needs to exploit the specific film functions available to him in order to shape meaning in an attempt to a successful film adaptation. Ultimately the researcher believes that it is in the interplay of form and content that the filmmaker may find the path towards a successful adaptation of a literary work into film. It is in the liminality of form and content where the filmmaker finds an ocean full of possibilities for his creative journey. However, it is important to ask how creative the writer can be within the parameters of adaptation. The screenwriter goes through a complex and painful journey, which might lead him to nowhere, everywhere or there.