6/01/01

Most audience members can more than likely tell when a film has been adapted from a stage play — think about John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation; Chazz Palminteri’s Faithful; or Craig Lucas’ A Prelude to a Kiss. Each of these were fine stage scripts that were highly successful in their medium but suffered some amount of dissipation in their translation to film. For the most part, audience members can spot a play on film in little or no time because of the film’s betrayal of the play’s form. In a nutshell, plays talk and movies walk. An overload of insightful, provocative dialogue isn’t what today’s movie audience pays for or expects to see. The next time you go to the movies, check your watch; it will probably be at least four to seven minutes after the movie begins before you hear actual dialogue. By the first ten minutes of a play, however, the audience usually knows at least the characters’ names, and for the most part, the basic problem that needs to be resolved. One page of dialogue in a play script usually equals ten pages of dialogue in a movie script; therefore, plays in adaptation almost always suffer in translation to a film which either strips away the power of words or renders work that is too "chatty" for the usual modern movie goer.

So, you should know this about Emma Thompson’s and Mike Nichols’ adaptation of Margaret Edson’s stage play, Wit, released this month by HBO films: it’s verbose; it isn’t action-packed, and it doesn’t rely on the spectacle of special effects or the cinematographer’s genius to tell a story. It does, however, elevate the power of words on film to tell a story — an important story, a necessary story, a story that will leave you feeling and thinking long after its viewing is complete.

Wit is the story of Vivian Bearing, Ph.D. She is a professor of 17th century literature whose specialty is the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. In fact, Donne’s haunting lines from his sonnet, "Death, be not proud..." Are a constant reminder throughout the film that life is ephemeral and fleeting. Professor Bearing, who is played by Thompson as well, is diagnosed in the last stages of ovarian cancer in the first few minutes of the film and must spend its remainder coming to terms with not only her mortality, but the transitory importance of both her intellect and her contribution to this life via her teaching of Donne’s poetry. Her journey towards death is punctuated by two research oncologists played by Christopher Lloyd and Jonathon M. Woodward as well as a caring nurse played by Audra McDonald. The juxtaposition of Bearing’s preoccupation with the metaphysical questions of life’s importance and the doctors’ preoccupation with the value of researching debilitating illness and death precipitated by cancer is at best stupefying and at worst horrifying. There is the distinct questioning of the sanctity of life within the film as well as the realization of the indignity of dying in a world ruled by science rather than the soul. Incredibly as well, thanks to Thompson’s an Nichols’ more than adept translation, humor is also a prime facet of the film. More than once, audience members are treated to the dry, if hopeless, wit of Dr. Bearing’s character whose sense of the ridiculous and the sublime is never in question.

Yes, there’s much more dialogue than in the usual film fare. Yes, you have to listen to this film. Yes, there’s more to think about. Yes, there’s the feeling of power associated with words rather than images — although never doubt that the film carries powerful images in its wake as well. But, there is also more feeling in this film than in today’s usual offerings. There is true heart and a sense of wonder that can only be translated by being true to the words — by accepting language and reveling in its versatility and alchemy as opposed to falling prey to the facility of virtual imaging. Thompson and Nichols have harnessed the power of language here, and have made it palatable to and effective for modern film audiences. Their translation of Edson’s powerful dialogue and message deserves major attention and accolades from the public.

See also a review on this site of a play version of the same story... or buy a copy of the play
Or, check out the Internet Movie Database listings on this film.