When pages flip to inhabit screens

Literary materials have for long been poaching ground for filmmakers who await the prospect of making into film stories with the capacity to stir viewers. The circle has never ended – comic books, fictional and non-fictional novels and plays have continued to provide ‘the screens’ with indispensible story lines.     Half of a Yellow SunPerhaps when […]

Literary materials have for long been poaching ground for filmmakers who await the prospect of making into film stories with the capacity to stir viewers. The circle has never ended – comic books, fictional and non-fictional novels and plays have continued to provide ‘the screens’ with indispensible story lines.    

Half of a Yellow Sun
Perhaps when Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was researching her novel – which would later, emerge with the captivating title, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ – she never entertained the thought that it would win the 2007 Orange Prize for fiction and attract the attention of filmmakers. Set in Nigeria and inspired by a historical event, the Nigerian civil war, also known as the Nigeria-Biafran war, the artistry displayed in the narrative coupled with the ability of the author to draw from the past turned a book published in 2006 into a highly anticipated movie directed by Biyi Bandele in 2014. Among the characters are Chinwete lEjiofor, Genevieve Nnaji and Onyeka Onwenu. Thus, a 448 page book has succeeded in providing the movie industry with yet another addition to its collection that should enrich knowledge and understanding of Nigeria’s past.

Things Fall Apart
‘Things Fall Apart’ was first published in 1958, written by Chinua Achebe, one of Africa’s most renowned writers. It was said to be the first feature film to be shot entirely in Nigeria. Set in pre-colonial Nigeria, it shows the struggle of one man to stick to the traditional way of life as opposed to the imposition of English culture. In 1961, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation kicked off with a radio/television drama called Okonkwo and in 1987 a mini-series directed by David Orere and broadcast on Nigerian Television Authority. The success of this novel-to-screen project led to its adoption for stage performances and thus served to popularise the author, his works and bring to light certain perspectives on post-colonialism.

Dazzling Mirage
Tunde Kelani is a famous Nigerian producer known for his flair for adapting books into movies. His most recent is ‘Dazzling Mirage,’ written by Olayinka Abimbola Egbokhare. ‘Dazzling Mirage’ has been described as not just a movie but a movement due to its story line, which was primarily responsible for capturing the filmmaker’s attention. The story is based on sufferers of sickle cell anaemia and the myths about this health condition. He is one filmmaker, who has realised the value of prose and drama and made it a point to find writers like Kola Akinlade, Amos Tutuola, Cyprian Ekwensi, Akinwunmi Ishola and Adebayo Faleti.

The Virgin
‘The Virgin’ is a novel written by Bayo Adebowale and published in 1985. It is a story about a highly sought after girl with three suitors, who is deflowered and agonises about her secret being discovered on her wedding night. The movie adaptation of this story in 2008 by Kelani with the title, ‘The Narrow Path,’ may have come as no surprise to many familiar with his passion for using literary materials. Also, it appears the movie director has an eye for books that treat matters central to the African society. Although virginity may not be as prized as it was when the book was published, it nevertheless has not reduced the respect given to such women.
Outside Nigeria are works of popular American novelists that have been turned into films. These include John Grisham’s ‘The Pelican Brief,’ Sidney Sheldon’s ‘The Naked Face,’ Danielle Steel’s ‘The Ghost,’ to mention a few. Although films, be they full movies or television series, based on books are honed to meet up or even surpass the written works, they sometimes fall short of expectation.