Thursday, May 5, 2016

The Translation of a Savage

The same evening that I watched The Story of Temple Drake, on Youtube, I also watched a 1934 film, Behold My Wife!.

The film was an adaptation of Gilbert Parker's novel, The Translation of a Savage. I've been a fan of Parker after reading his 1902 bestseller The Right of Way last year.

I've just finished reading The Translation of a Savage and I was more impressed with the movie. I did not enjoy this has much as I had Parker's best seller.

The plot of the 1934 film bears little resemblance to the story in Parker's novel - other than the main character marrying an Indian as a revenge against his family. The names of the characters are different - the film takes place in the U.S., the novel, in Canada and England. There is a murder in the film, but not the novel.

I'd recommend the film, Behold My Wife! for anyone who is a fan of movies from the 1930's, but Gilbert Parker's novel is more than a little bit boring.

No comments: