Lady windermere's fan

Salvador Reche de Paco
Teatro Inglés Después de la Restauración

LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN

Whenever an adaptation of a classical play is planned to be filmed it is necessary to make decisions.In a movie adaptation it is pointless, if not impossible, to maintain the original text or the original stage directions. Thus, changes are inevitable. The ability of the film director to choose whatto maintain and what to abandon will determine not only the quality of the film, but also its credibility and audience acceptance. In the case of A Good Woman (2004) as an adaptation of LadyWindermere’s Fan (1892), the film does not exceed the play, but there are several aspects that could be considered as improved, at least from a contemporary perspective:
• The action takes place in anidyllic context, the Amalfi coast, which seems to be adequate for love affairs.
• Besides being idyllic, the context is more contemporary to the audience, which brings the story closer andfacilitates empathy.
• The weight of the plot is shared among more characters than in the play, which makes the story more dynamic.
• In general, and as a summary of the above mentioned,it is contemporary screen language that brings the story closer to the audience, as compared to the original text and the straight TV version.
Nevertheless, the film leaves much to be desired,and I had the general impression that some aspects of the original play (and the TV version) had been lost, or at least poorly portrayed in the film:
• Most of the plot in the original pivotsaround morality in the Victorian period: does it make sense to bring this story to 1930s Italy? To me, it is neither the same society nor the same morals: 1930s Italy is not as rigid as VictorianEngland, and the affair does not seem to be as indecent as it is in the play or the TV version. Besides, the protagonist couple in the original and in the film are totally distant; a puritan Victorian...