Hound Of The Baskerville Essay, Research Paper
Imagine if you had to read about the Titanic, instead having the pleasure of watching it. Wouldn t it be boring? That s why movies are preferred over books. Movies have everything. A s ance, romance and suspense are all parts of a good movie. Books can only help the reader imagine the plot, but the movie actually takes the reader there. The movie version of The Hound of the Baskervilles starring Basil Rathbone made in 1939 was favored over the 1901-1902 version of The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Although the movie version lacked suspense, it made up by the adding the romance between Sir Henry and Ms. Stapleton, and Mrs. Mortimer s s ance. These factors stimulated the plot and made the movie more intriguing.
The movie was better because it included the s ance and romance, which the book didn t have. This helped visualize the attitude of the movie better, even though it was lacking suspense. The scenario with Barrymore snooping around was different in the movie and the book. It s not a significant scene so it doesn t change the plot, but Sir Henry and Ms. Stapleton s love affair does. Sir Henry and Ms. Stapleton s love for another in the movie negates their love for each other in the movie. In the movie, both Sir Henry and Ms. Stapleton love each other. While in the book only Sir Henry has his heart set on Ms. Stapleton. Ms. Stapleton could careless since she was already marries to Mr. Stapleton! This changes the plot of the movie because the viewer can eliminate Ms. Stapleton as being involved in the vicious plan against the Baskervilles. While the reader would have to read on further in the book to unsolve the mystery. The last opposition between the movie and the book is the s ance. Mrs. Mortimer performs rituals to awaken Sir Charles, so the cause of his death can be probable. Unfortunately Sir Charles doesn t respond, and the cause of his death is in the mystery it is. This scene makes the movie awe, which gets the audience s attention.
Although the book omitted s ance and much of the romance, it contained the suspense that was left out by the movie. The scene in the movie where Sir Henry catches Barrymore signaling someone was contradicting the scene in the book. In the movie Sir Henry wakes up Watson and they go and confront Barrymore. Whereas in the book Watson hears someone the night before, and finds out that it s Barrymore. He tells Sir Henry the next morning, and then they investigate that night. Then Sir Henry asks Barrymore what he was doing Barrymore says he s locking the windows and that s how that scene ends. Last night about two in the morning, I was aroused by a sleathy step passing my room. I rose, opened my door, and peeped out. A long black shadow was trailing down the corridor I could merely see the outline, but his height told me that it was Barrymore. (87). This proves that Dr. Watson was the one who caught Barrymore, not Sir Henry. This scene makes the plot more suspenseful in the book, and without this scene in the movie, the suspense was limited. But the movie was still better because the romance and s ance outweighed suspense. The deep romance between Sir Henry and Ms. Stapleton, as implied in the movie, wasn t as serious in the book. From the moment that he saw he appeared to be strongly attracted to her, an I am much mistaken if the feeling was not mutual. (83). This justifies that in the book Sir Henry was madly in love with Ms. Stapleton, and Ms. Stapleton has no reaction towards him. The engagement plans and the kiss also prove their love for each other. This scene made the movie more enjoyable. Mrs. Mortimer never performed any rituals to awaken the dead, as she did in the movie. Mrs. Mortimer was only a side character in the book. These rituals made the viewer focus in on the plot, because the next scene led to the climax of the story.
The Hound of the Baskervilles was a good book, but it was an even better movie. The movie showed the events that were hard to imagine by merely reading about them. S ance and romance always make stories better, just like it made this story better, though the suspense was reduced. There only remains one difficulty. If Stapleton came into the succession, how could he explain the fact that he, the heir, had been living unannounced under another name so close to the property? How could he claim it without causing suspicion and inquiry? (173). This is a quote from the end of the book. It explains that mysteries still remain mysteries, no matter if it comes from a movie or a book, however movies are usually preferred over books.
Works Cited
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. New York City: Berkeley
Book 1963.
The Hound of the Baskervilles. 1963