ABSTRACT
Love stories have always been a strong genre for the Hollywood dream machine. More than other types of stories, conflict and character growth are two key ingredients to the successful dramatization of love stories. In both The Bridges of Madison County and Leaving Las Vegas, the structure and emphasis of the novels have been changed to provide this conflict. Both screenwriters have not been afraid to modify the books by changing the importance of the novels’ characters. In Leaving Las Vegas this change is more effective than it is in The Bridges of Madison County. Unfortunately, sometimes the changes a screenwriter makes don’t really improve the story.
