Film Review
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Ethan Frome
Directed by John Madden
Buena Vista Home Entertainment 03/93 DVD/VHS Feature Film
PG - thematic elements
When a young minister (Tate Donovan) arrives in a turn-of-the-century New England town, he is taken aback by the tight-lipped rural community's chilly treatment of Ethan Frome (Liam Neeson), a poor, lame farmer. The minister's landlady tells him the startling story of this man whose spirit and body have both been broken.
Following the death of his mother, Ethan marries Zeena (Joan Allen), a cousin who had served as a caretaker for them. She's a cold and ill-tempered woman who develops into a full-fledged hypochondriac. Unable to handle chores, Zeena takes in her orphaned cousin Mattie (Patricia Arquette) as a housekeeper. This charming and vibrant young woman soon becomes Zeena's doormat.
Although both Mattie and the emotionally remote Ethan lack the words to describe their attraction to one another, they have an opportunity to be together alone when Zeena visits a doctor in another town. Like two flowers who have never had the chance to bloom, they express their love. However, when Zeena discovers what has happened she sets in motion an event which will leave them all trapped together in mutual misery.
Edith Wharton wrote Ethan Frome in 1911 and it remains one of her most popular novels. John Madden has perfectly cast this stark drama which unfolds from a spare screenplay by Richard Nelson. Shot in Vermont, the harsh rural landscape comes across as another character in the story.
On one level, Ethan Frome can be interpreted as an adult fairy tale where the wicked witch wins and the lovers do not live happily ever after. On a more serious level, as literary critic Lionel Trilling has suggested, the story examines what happens to individuals who are hobbled by "the morality of inertia." The lovers lack both the courage and the conviction to forge a new life for themselves, thanks to their subservience to community standards. Their fear dooms them to the routine, death-in-life existence that they so desperately yearned to transcend. The real moral of Ethan Frome is — follow the imperatives of your heart or risk losing your soul.
13 comments:
Rob Gill
Brother Peach
English
3/27/07
Ethan Frome who had no bling-bling or chrome
In contrast to the book and the movie I think that the characters were portrayed very well because you really got the full description in the text to give you that imagery and the movie really brings it to life for you in a real life perspective. The film was a very good adaptation I don’t think it was missing to many things and yet it brought some of the smaller things up from the story. The graveyard was not shown as much in the movie, but in the book this gave us the really gloomy feel more often. In the movie we really get the sense that the kitchen is where everything good happens, it is the most lit up place in the house.
I think this was bringing the non-bias aspect of the book into the movie, since the movie is being told from one perspective. The visual techniques that were used to really bring out the setting were the contrasts of white on black. When the reverend got off the train he saw Ethan, a small figure, in such a big area. The kitchen was really the light of the household because that was where Mattie spent almost all of her time. Mattie represents the light for Ethan through out the whole novel.
Zeena really just brings the house down with her their or even with out her their and the memories that are brought about by the breaking of the china. When she is home Ethan is brought to a lower level of liveliness. Zeena grips the medicine bottle the one morning because you can tell that she is catching onto what is going on with Ethan and Mattie. Zeena is getting a taste of what was happening and knows that bottle of medicine is all she has. Zeena also one day looks into the mirror and deeply into her one eye looking for the illness that she has. I think the author does this because Zeena is at the point where she really only knows part of what is going on in her house. She can only see the half of Ethan that is still her husband.
Sexual tension is portrayed in the way that they almost look at each other when the scene really starts to get very serious. Ethan and Mattie look very deeply into each others eyes as though their eyes were holding something that they both wanted so much in them (love). The director made the cat the one who broke the china because this shows that something very unintended can happen at anytime any place. The love and desire between Ethan and Mattie was a very lucky happening and unintended but it happened and it is breaking apart Ethan and Zeena as the china was broken apart.
Mattie’s crying after the compliment she gets from Ethan gives us a sense that Mattie has been waiting for such a compliment forever. Mattie was never complimented on her works in the kitchen only her singing and piano playing. This gives us the sense that Ethan is in such a deep love with Mattie that he needs all of her, her love, her works, her body, and her soul.
The fox is very interesting and important at the same time. The night that Mattie and Ethan have the scene in the bedroom and we are left to think of what is happening, you hear the fox yelping as the screen shot goes to Zeena in bed. I think this is because the fox represents a sly and undercover animal in which Ethan and Matties relationship was until that night which gave it all away, and the fox died at the same time.
I loved having the films perspective of the book because it brings together all of the pictures you have in your head of the setting and the house and also the characters. The film really added suspense to the scene with Mattie and Ethan sledding down the hill and running into the tree by having them run into the tree on the third time and not the second. That was all a build up to make the running into the tree more of a surprise and unsuspected.
Ethan Frome
As a screen vision of Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, this movie has the classic love triangle fiasco between Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie. We take the story of Ethan Frome for an outsider’s perspective. This allows the viewer to capture the full picture without any prejudices from the townsfolk. This outsider knows nothing, like us, and hears the story from Mrs. Hale. As the viewers, were able to absorb the entire scenario in Ethan Frome and analyze it from all angles.
The scenery is key to setting the mood in this movie. When viewing the film, the several instances of the people in nature present a contrast in color. The town of Starkfield, in New England, is covered with snow throughout the entire film. The snow shows the coldness, quietness, and seclusion of the town. The darkness of the location is parallel with the darkness of the characters. Most of the people are quit and do not have much confrontation with one another. The snow is ever-present and doesn’t ever transition to spring although spring is talked about. Even the buildings are dark and gloomy. The buildings, whether in the kitchen or the bedrooms, are very dark and quiet. As watching the movement through Ethan’s home, we get the sensation of a lonely, secluded life that Ethan has. The setting is essential to the attitudes during the story.
Keep an eye out for the boatloads of symbolism in this movie. In several scenes, some actions or things foreshadow the upcoming events and will parallel perfectly. Several different people, animals, and objects hint at the upcoming events.
Compared to the novels, the characters were portrayed with greater detail in the movie. Zeena’s harsh attitude and behavior is greatly emphasized while Ethan is portrayed as a simple, working man. Mattie is presented as pretty but not completely beautiful as the novel emphasizes. The characters do not say much throughout the film but what they say has the utmost importance. When Mattie and Ethan speak, their words flow naturally and unrestricted and a certain connection is felt. The little motions and actions of the character define their positions in the household. Zeena is the primary example of this example. Zeena victimizes herself while being very sick. She requires attention and perfecting in the household. Each character uses their actions to define their motives and feelings.
There is an obvious sexual tension in the Frome household between Mattie and Ethan. They desire each other but are blocked by the sacred ceremony of marriage. Zeena is really the problem for Ethan in the movie and thwarts any attempts for Ethan to be with Mattie. There seems to be a competition between Zeena and Mattie for Ethan. These tensions were more apparent in the movie than the novel because of the ability to see the words being enacted. The adulterous actions of Mattie and Ethan are added in the movie but do not appear in the novel. There are a few instances of certain important scenes being added into the film but they do add some more understanding into the plot.
Finally, a few scenes from the novel were excluded from the movie. One scene, in the bedroom before Mattie has to leave, is a very dramatic and emotional scene which portrays the full extent of Mattie’s emotion for Ethan. The scenes that were excluded should have been added to give the movie more substance and understanding. Without taking the full story, the full effect is not received by the viewers.
Overall, I give this tragic love triangle, Ethan Frome, 2.5 out of 4 stars because of its decent interpretation. The characters and the setting were correctly set but the total flow and smoothness of the movie was not completely there with average acting and little total dialogue.
Alex Drost
(March 26, 2007)
Pat Driscoll
Brother Peach
Reaction Sheet: Ethan Frome Movie
3/27/07
The movie version of Ethan Frome was not quite as accurate as it was portrayed in the novel. The movie cut out some scenes and also added a few scenes. The characters were not portrayed the same as I felt they should have been portrayed after reading the novel. The sexual tension portrayed in the film was also different from that described in the book.
The movie added a few scenes not described in the novel. These scenes were not very long scenes, but tried to build up different emotions to help add some suspense to the film. The scene that I think was trying to build up the most suspense was when Mattie and Ethan took three sled runs to hit the tree whereas in the novel it only took two. This extra sled run helped people build up suspense, if they read the novel they would have been waiting for them to hit the second run so it was a bit of a let down. Another scene that was added was the scene with Mattie and Ethan’s sexual scene while Zeena was asleep. This scene in the novel was portrayed as a mere kiss, a more childish type love, rather than a full sexual scene. These additions to the movie help add suspense and add more sexual tension throughout the movie to express a deeper love for one another.
Some of the main characters such as Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie were not portrayed in the movie as in the novel. Ethan in the novel was portrayed as a very lonely man who did not want to interact with the public. In the novel I saw Ethan as a bright young man who seemed to get along fine with the public and it seemed the others didn’t despise him as I thought in the novel. Zeena in the novel seemed to be presented as a very kind young women who helped others, in the movie she was portrayed as a selfish and bossy older looking women. Mattie was portrayed differently in the way that she always seemed very sensitive. Reading the novel I thought that Mattie would have been a bit rougher around the edges.
The sexual tension in the novel was not at all what it seemed it was in the movie. In the movie Ethan and Mattie’s sexual tension was much stronger than it was in the novel. In the novel Mattie and Ethan’s sexual tension was that of just child’s play, a mere kiss and sensitive hand holding here and there. In the movie Ethan and Mattie’s sexual tension was portrayed much stronger with a very sexual scene. This sexual scene indicated that they had sex but in the novel it never mentioned they had gotten that serious. This whole greater sexual tension added a greater suspense to the story in the way that it seemed they would of just left Zeena because they were getting very serious. This sexual tension could add many different views among the novel.
The novel and the movie are different but in the end I think the movie was better. The novel should have added more scenes like the movie did to add more suspense. The movie did a very good job of adding more suspense in different ways. The book would have been better if these scenes were added to show that there was more depth in Mattie and Ethan’s relationship than just a few kisses.
Tyler Houchins
Bro. Peach
English
3/27/07
How Ethan Stole Christmas?
The novel Ethan Frome is portrayed very well by the film. It even showed many of the smaller details that might not be included in some films of novels. It portrayed the characters very well and it showed you how the characters would act in real life. I believe that the book had a gloomier feel to it and also portrayed many different color contrasts that relate to imagery. The kitchen is portrayed in the book as the center point of the novel and that it is the most lit room in the house, and the dark and snowy atmosphere plays a large part in the feel of the book and novel.
Although I do think that the movie exaggerates some scenes differently than in the novel. Especially the sexual scene between Ethan and Mattie the night when Zeena was sleeping, in the book is it not described as such an intense scene as in the movie. This is also when the symbolism of the fox comes into play the fox portrays Mattie in a way that the fox is a sly and so is Mattie with her and Ethan’s secret love. Also Zeena mentions the next morning to have herd the fox moaning when it was killed which was the same night that Ethan’s and Mattie’s intense sexual scene occurs and the fox might have covered up some noises that may have been coming from Matte’s room.
After Zeenas return from the other city to meet the doctor and Mattie and Ethan spend many days alone together, when Zeena returns there is more of sense of awkwardness when they are all gathered, because Ethan and Mattie have to hide their friendliness in front of Zeena. Zeenas desperate clinging to the medicine bottle I think portrays that she has finally caught on to Eathans and Mattie secret love and she feels as if her medicine is the only ting left for her. The characters of Mattie and Zeena also are symbolized as evil and good or dark and light. To Ethan; Mattie can be portrayed as the good or light according to Ethan because she is young and lively, while Zeena is portrayed and the evil or darkness because of her sickness which keeps her bed ridden most of the time and constantly sick.
Also I believe that the movie does a good job or portraying the isolation that is found between the Fromes and the townspeople. Especially in the beginning scene of the movie when Ethan is walking down that long road into town, which portrays the mystery of Ethan and the location of his house compared to the town. This made me think of the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas and how the “grinch” is portrayed as a mystery and not many of the townspeople or “Whos” see his very often or his house because his house is located at the top of a mountain overlooking Who Ville. I believe that particular aspect of both movies shows the same connection that the different authors are portraying in different manners.
Overall I believe that the book does a very good job of portraying the novel Ethan Frome, and it really helped me understand the text better to be able to physically see the novel being acted out.
Patrick Monteith
Br. Peach
English
3/27/07
Love, Betrayal, and Darkness
Ethan Frome
The movie version of Ethan Frome seemed very similar to the novel, but still with a few differences. I thought that the characters were portrayed similar to the novel, but I did not think Mattie was as lively as the novel portrayed. The movie, though, seemed to play the man of Ethan Frome exactly to scale. A begrudged man with little to live for in his life seemed to be exactly how the movie portrayed him to be in relation to the novel. Also, the setting played as a magnificent role in the characters’ life. A dreary, cold-ridden town that no one really seems to want to live in is a perfect setting for Ethan’s narrated tale. And, of course, there must be a person in the movie whom screams dreary. This dreary person is Zeena. Zeena, even in the novel, was always a sickly type person who always needed assistance because of her hypochondriac-like actions. Mattie, the younger more exuberant of personalities in the movie, brings light into Ethan’s dreary character, hence his focus from Zeena to Mattie as the movie drags on.
There were other instances in the film, thought, that left me baffled for a moment, but eventually I understood the cinematic motive. Ethan is seen rubbing his face against a cloth that Mattie is knitting together which shows Ethan’s desire for Mattie that he feels he can’t quite have. He wishes dearly throughout the movie that he could be with Mattie. Also, there was much sexual interaction between Mattie and Ethan that is not seen in the novel. Going into the film, it is expected that Ethan and Mattie will have more of a shy, innocent type of affair that may only require a kiss or two here and there. With that being said, the movie tapered off from that to show Ethan’s deepest passion for Mattie by showing the “Hollywood” take on their relationship. Another thought came to mind with the fox, and after discussion in class and further understanding, I would have to agree that it seemed the fox symbolized the tragedy that Mattie and Ethan are going to be a part of. Even so, I also found it surprising that Mattie, in the movie tries to kill herself using a type of poison. This, of course, being right before Mattie would be taken away because of the inner bitterness that Zeena seems to have towards her throughout the movie, especially after the breaking of Zeena’s pickle dish which Zeena was very upset after finding out about the tragedy. Even though Zeena seemed sad and sickly throughout the movie, there seemed to be no sense of pity for her because she was portrayed as selfish.
Overall, the film of Ethan Frome seemed to be a very decent adaptation to the novel. I did not like, however, the difference in the narrator. I thought that having a minister as the man who wants to know about Ethan Frome was a bit dull. It was understood that the man playing the minister wanted to know about this weird sickly looking man, but how in depth the movie got into for him just wanting to know seemed a bit much, if I may. But, the movie did enhance my understanding of the novel. Watching the movie helped many things in the novel that seemed to be bland and/or ill-explained, more detailed. It also showed, by the sexuality and grief, the love that Mattie and Ethan truly did have for each other. It also enhanced suspense during the sledding scene which kept curiosity going on whether or not they were actually going to try to commit suicide. Lastly, I felt that the movie strongly enhanced the dreariness of the town. The novel I felt did a pretty good job on that as well, but in the film, the viewer got a grasp on what it was like to work in those tundra-like conditions.
Bob Kelly
Brother Rob Peach
ENG 320 Section 2
March 27th, 2007
Ethan Frome has the Emotion of a Lawn Gnome
Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome and John Madden’s film version of the novel share many of the same components. The characters were, in my opinion, portrayed pretty accurately with the exception of a few things. I think that Zeena was done very well, while Mattie and Ethan were not precisely shown in the novel. Liam Neeson, the actor who portrays Ethan in the movie, seemed way too emotionless during the film. Even though the Ethan from the book showed little emotion, I thought that Neeson could have done a better job showing emotion when it was needed, as in the intimate scenes with Mattie. Patricia Arquette, who depicts Mattie Silver in the film, did a good job as her character. In the book however, Mattie seemed to be much more outgoing and spontaneous, while in the movie she may have been portrayed as too innocent. Overall, I thought that the film was a decent adaptation of the novel. One of the things that was enhanced by this Hollywood version of the book was the implied sexual relationship between Mattie and Ethan. In the film, it is definitely suggesting that Ethan and Mattie have sex, while in the book, the furthest there relationship seems to go is kissing. One of the things that was missing from the film version that was in the book was the scene in the graveyard. This missing scene would have helped to add to the gloomy atmosphere of Starkfield.
I believe that the director chooses to have the story told in one voice, because, just as the narrator in the novel and the reverend in the film are outsiders, so are we as viewers and readers. Just as they learn about Ethan, so do we as an audience. The director also uses some clever visual techniques to enhance certain parts of the film. During the opening credits, Ethan Frome is shown wearing all black and limping around while being surrounded by the all white of the snowy landscape. This makes an instant contrast between Ethan and his surroundings, displaying how Ethan can be considered an outsider throughout the town. The overall landscape is very snowy, yet depressing. This snow-induced depression ultimately plays into Mattie and Ethan’s tragic tale. The kitchen in the Frome household is shown as the brightest part of the house, mostly because it is where Mattie spends most of her time. This is symbolic because, just as the kitchen is the source of light in the house, so is Mattie the light of Ethan’s love.
The relationship between Mattie and Ethan plays a prominent role in both the film and the book. Mattie’s mess-up in the kitchen with the pickle dish suggests her wanting to impress Ethan. In the book, Mattie breaks the china, but in the movie, the cat does it. The director has it so that the cat breaks the dish because it makes the audience more sympathetic towards her. Another thing that shows how much Mattie truly cares for Ethan is how she cries after being complimented by Ethan. She cries because she sees that Ethan also cares for her, and that he doesn’t focus on her poorer qualities, as Zeena does. There is also a lot of sexual tension between the two characters. As addressed before, in the film there is an innuendo that Mattie and Ethan have sex, but this is different from the book.
One thing that wasn’t in the book but plays a role in the film is the role of the fox. The fox sneaks into Ethan’s barn and kills his chickens numerous times, causing him to put poison in the barn. Mattie can be contrasted to this fox because, just as the fox is sly so is Mattie. She is sly because her relationship with Ethan is a secret. It is also ironic that the same night Ethan and Mattie have sex, the fox is killed and it moans while it dies, just like Mattie does after her accident with Ethan. Mattie eventually tries to kill herself by eating the poison, and ending her life just like the fox did.
I think that Madden’s film version of Ethan Frome did a decent job of portraying the novel. I thought that the film enhanced my understanding of the novel because it was easier to see the plot play out on screen than in the pages of the book. It was also good because it enhanced my picture of the setting. The film, however, did not heighten the suspense felt in reading the novel because I already knew the tragic outcome of the story.
Ryan McDevitt
Brother Peach
English 320.2
March 26, 2007
My View of Hollywood’s View of Ethan Frome
I felt that the director did a good job in portraying Starkfield and in the lighting of each scene. Despite all of the snow and whiteness, he managed to portray a dark, gloomy, bogged down town that has scene an almost endless winter. Whenever Zeena is shown the background is dark while she is pale sick. She looks like a ghost and is almost one to Ethan because he can almost always feel her presence even when she isn’t in the house. Although the snowy whiteness is also used to take on a innocent shade whenever Mattie is around. She is colored against a bright white background. She becomes the good in Ethan’s life, sticking out of the cold and gloomy backdrop of snow. The lighting and the shot angles also gave the let us step into the Reverends shoes early on in the story by giving Ethan a mysterious and almost legend like quality to him. As more and more is revealed to the Reverend, the scenes involving him are brighter and brighter until in the end it is a sunny day.
In the book the story was told more through he narrator than from others. In the movie the story is all told through other people. It is the difference between the narrator relaying the information on to us and it being told so that both the Reverend and the audience learn it at the same time. I like the way the movie portrayed the story because it separated us form the Reverend and let us have our own opinions and draw our own conclusions. The Reverend was more of another character in the movie instead of the narrator that learned along with us in the book.
I think that they portrayed the characters themselves very appropriately. Zeena looked like a witch and seemed very cruel. Mattie seemed like the exact opposite and stood out from the rest of the town. Ethan was big, tall, and strong, yet he was very small inside and that made him an interesting character. He reminded me of Chief Bromden from earlier in the year, big on the outside but small on the inside. Except that Ethan never grew up like Chief Bromden did, instead he tried to stop his struggles by ending his life; which in the end prevented from doing anything he wanted. The Reverend was portrayed well as the newcomer who new nothing of town customs and missed all of the rumors and went against all others because he didn’t know any better. The rest of the towns people were well played in the role of keeping away and shunning the Fromes.
Overall I think that the film was shot well and had a good story. It was an interesting film to watch and it was a change in pace from most of the violent and fast paced films today.
Mike McKibbin
Brother Rob Peach
3/27/07
Ethan Frome
Ethan Frome, a film adaptation of Edith Whartons acclaimed novel, tells the tragic story of Ethan Frome and his love for Mattie Silver, prohibited by his sick wife Zeena. The film begins with the arrival of a minister from Boston. He arrives at a bleak, cold forest, and travels to the town of Starkfield on a sleigh. The powerful imagery provided here is the first glimpse of what life is like in Starkfield. Ethan is introduced hobbling through the snow, on a long journey back to his house. The emptiness of this snow is recurring throughout the film, and seems to “consume” Ethan’s spirit.
The characters are portrayed as they are in the novel, though with a greater emphasis on their prominent qualities. Zeena seems almost cruel, as if she is sucking the life out of Ethan, and Ethan’s character seems a great deal more tragic than in the book. Mattie’s character was the least faithful to the novel. She was presented as much less fun-loving than in the book.
Zeena’s presence in the household always leads to unrest, and constantly increases the tension between her, Mattie, and Ethan. During the time she was visiting a doctor in another town, Ethan seemed a great deal happier, as if a burden had been lifted from him. Incidents such as the broken China show how an overreaction by Zeena can lead to a dramatic amount of unrest.
The scene with the dead fox was an addition from the director, and contained a great deal of symbolism. The fox can be thought of as the secret love between Mattie and Ethan. The fox, traditionally a sly animal, had remained hidden, just as their love had. As the fox is killed, Zeena is awoken to discover Mattie and Ethan. The secrecy was killed.
Much of the symbolism stems from Nature, particularly winter. The snow included in nearly every scene, and Ethan can never escape from it. Ethan talks off Florida, and how he would love to move there with Mattie. Florida, an area without snow, symbolizes a new Start for Ethan, an escape from the tragedy in his life with his love Mattie. Mrs. Hale and Ethan say “spring will be here soon”, but it never comes. It seems distant, as if it is just a dream, a sense of hope for Ethan.
The director chose to have the movie narrated solely by Mrs. Hale. While this increases the likelihood of a biased opinion, the fact that she had actually known Ethan increases the perception of a valid story. A first-hand account of the incidents is better that having other narrators give their opinions.
The dramatic ending causes the viewer to question what becomes of the Fromes and the town of Starkfield. It appears that Ethans dreams will never be fulfilled. He will continue to live in Starkfield, under the shadow of Zeena and the never-ending winter. The director did an excellent job of recreating the novel on screen, with a few key omissions and additions to the script.
Brendan Hilsey
Eng320.02
Bro. Robert Peach
Be Careful What You Wish For
Ethan Frome is the story of a couple , Ethan and Zeena , who hire a housekeeper , Mattie , to help around the house due to Zeena’s various illnesses. After some time Ethan and Mattie start to fall in love with each other. After Zeena returns one day from the doctors she tells Ethan that Mattie will have to leave. Devastated by this Ethan and Mattie will not leave one another. So Ethan and Mattie attempt suicide by sledding into a tree. The two do not die but do receive life long injuries. The movie opens in Starkfield , Massachusetts and begins with the new reverend coming to the town. He visits the locals and one day sees Ethan walking with a largely noticeable limp. The reverend wants to meet Ethan and a local woman goes on to tell him the story of the Fromes.
The director did a great job portraying the village. It looked just as I imagined it while reading the book. Also just by looking at the Frome’s house in the opening scene you know there is a problem. The scenes that involve secret moments such as those when Mattie and Ethan were alone together, there are dark areas throughout the room they are in that portray the mood of the scene. The characters however , were different than described in the book. Ethan seemed to be a big strong man with determination but in the movie he as seen as a depressed man unhappy with his work and finances. Zeena is a very sick person in the book and just wants her husband to do well although she wants to get more money.
Throughout the story there are many scenes in which the characters will be in a small conversation and then it will be complete and awkward silence. This can be annoying but it does build the tension. There is also the question of whether Zeena knows if Ethan and Mattie are attracted to one another. This is scene when the key is missing and when Zeena opens the door to a cheery Ethan and Mattie she gives them a stare of suspicion. The climax of this question comes when Zeena decides to get rid of her cousin and hire another girl to help around the house. Although her doctor said she needed help I do believe she knew of the attraction and wanted Mattie out before things got to serious.
The main focus of Ethan and Mattie is to be with one another no matter what. The attraction is noticeable from the second Mattie walks in the door. However , the two of them could have just taken the time to think about the affects of what their love would bring. The two of them wanted to be together forever and when they trued to end it like that they were together forever but not happily. The movie goes to show you that you have to be careful what you wish for.
Emulation or Travesty?
This film was, to say the very most, true to the novel in matters of detail. The film did an exceptional job of telling the story of Ethan Frome. While some details may have been changed, such as the profession of the narrator, the main details remain unchanged and any changes to minor details only exist to benefit the viewer or aid in viewing the scene instead of reading it.
However, even though the movie closely mirrors this classic book, this does not make the movie itself a classic or even a decent late night TV movie. The camera work was decent but not exceptional, and the parts were portrayed generally correctly, but the tone of the movie did not do the novel justice in the least. In my opinion, one of the novel’s greatest strong suits was to contrast the feeling of utter ecstasy in love with the feeling of true dread at the hands of Zeena. However, the movie deviated from this from the beginning – perhaps it was the over dramatization of what happened to Ethan in the beginning of the movie leading to the viewer tending to believe that something massive must have occurred to cause him to behave that way. Perhaps it was the addition of Zeena to even the blissful scenes of Mattie and Ethan’s romances. Either way, the ENTIRE movie contained an awful feeling of foreboding that did not exist in every line of the novel. What gave the novel its edge – its plot, and its ability to hold the reader – was lacking in the movie. This led to a monotonous and boring feel in the movie. Even the climax of the movie was dry – perhaps this is because I already knew what was happening, but even attempting to view the scene from the eyes of one not having read the book I see it as anticlimactic. This is not to say I am disappointed in the fact that Zeena “wins”, I can accept that completely. I just believe that the movie did not give the necessity, the real reason, for the attempted suicide as well as the book did.
Additionally, the movie failed to succeed in the best place where a move can succeed. A movie’s true forte is being able to show images. When a movie is made to emulate a novel, these images are used to replace descriptions that are given in the book. However, the great imagery and description based metaphors which can be seen in the book are usually not translated into the movie. For example, the novel frequently returns to the scene of a graveyard, one of the key metaphorical points of the novel. However, the movie only spends one extremely brief scene focused on this key image, and the image is not even stressed in the brief scene. Also, the panic in the scene where the pickle dish was broken and the love between Mattie and Ethan, as well as many many other instances in the movie and the novel, were not correctly filmed or acted or who knows what – this gives the finished product the wrong mood and ends up contributing to the blandness of the film.
However, one place where the movie clearly deserves commendation as opposed to the book is in the framing of the event. I believe that the movie’s way of framing Ethan’s story was much easier to believe and really helped to take at least some of the over dramatization away from the novel’s way of handling the plot.
Overall, while this movie did physically give a good representation of the exact events of the book, it only does that and does not delve into the imagery and metaphors which make the book what it is. Ethan Frome was not meant to be a gripping romance, it was not meant to be an exciting thriller about a suicidal adulterer. Where the book succeeded where the movie failed is in the fact that the book had not only the plot, but the metaphorical subplots, where the movie only had the saddening and often lame main plot to fill a 2 hour strip of film.
Gianni Campellone
Br. Rob Peach
ENG 320
3/27/07
A Mesmerizing Film
Ethan Frome
Starring: Liam Neeson, Joan Allen, Patricia Arquette and, Tate Donovan
average user rating: 6.3 of 10 stars
1993 Novel
Finally the acclaimed novel by Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome hits the big screen. Ethan
Frome written in 1911,follows the love triangle between the main character Ethan Frome and
Mattie Silver who has come to take care of Ethan`s ailing wife, Zenna. Though Ethan still loves
his wife, he cannot suppress his feelings for Mattie.The movie begins around 20 years after the events of the novel. When the young reverend Smith (Tate Donouan) comes to the town of Starkfield he is trouble at how Ethan
Frome (Liam Neeson )is treated by the townspeople. It is here that The Reverend finally heres the
tragic story of Ethan Frome`s life. All of the actors portrayed their characters right to the last
detail. Neeson had his character down perfectly. There were however, some problems with the
way (Zenna) Joan Allen was portrayed in the film. In the novel Zenna is described as a sickly (psychoscmatic) person confined to her bed for most of the book however, in the film she is out
of her bed quite a lot during the film and, she does not seem as worn or haggard as the book
describes her as. I think the audience was also looking for something different in Mattie Silver (Patricia Arquette). She was still cheerful and naive as the novel described her but she could
have been younger and, what was with her constant laughing. Otherwise the actors all
portrayed their characters very well. They really came together and preformed an excellent film
version of the novel. Although the actors did a great job of portraying their characters the directors fell short in portraying the novel as it was written. There were scenes in the film that were not in the novel. Such as the intimate scenes between Ethan and Mattie. Also the scene where Mattie
tries to poison herself are not in the book. These scenes are of course there to add to the plot and to provide more drama to the film. This is a typical Hollywood movie. Is nothing sacred? These
are things that lessen the accuracy of the film. Also the love expressed between Ethan and Mattie is portrayed differently in the film than how it is described in the book. In the novel the love
between Ethan and Mattie is secret however, in the film they are much more open about their love
as if they don`t care who knows. To those who have read the book might me shocked at these
open (adulterous) expressions of love since they were not in the novel.
Overall the film does ad to ones understanding of the novel. It paints a picture of what
Starkfield is like and those who live there. In case you haven`t already painted one for your self
The film also gives you more background to the novel whether you have read or not This all adds
to the suspense of the film to those who have not read the book.
So overall the film was good the actor preformed at their pinnacles of their
performance. To some it might add to their experience with Ethan Frome and to others it might be
different then what they expected of Ethan Frome on the big screen. But overall it was an great
adaptation of the film.
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