ABSTRACT
The question of fidelity is not entirely irrelevant when discussing filmic adaptations of fairy-tale novels, because there is generally a particular and known hypotext that serves as reference point for the director and audience alike. Sometimes the film “begs” for comparison with the text. That is,
fairy-tale novel may have been a touchstone in the director’s youth, and the filmmaker may want to share a childhood experience. Along with his co-workers, the director often counts on shared experiences and on the popularity of the fairy-tale novel to attract audiences that want to see whether the film has been true to the novel, whether the creative director has enhanced the novel by fleshing it out and elaborating on aspects that are not entirely evident in a reading of the hypotext, or whether the filmmaker and staff have ruined the novel by misinterpreting it and misrepresenting it. In the minds of viewers, fidelity to the text is a credible standard for evaluating a filmic adaptation. Yet, fidelity will always be a slippery slope on which to evaluate the success of a filmic adaptation. Each viewer has his or her own “true” interpretation of a novel, and no director in the world will ever come close to this truth.
