Christophe in the short story was only mentioned when Matthaus decides to run away and took Christophe with him. In the film, Christophe has his own role in which he falls for a local girl. In the short story Christophe is shot with Matthaus when they got caught but in the film he had got away. At the end of the film it shows him coming back to where Matthaus and Phyllis are buried and meeting his daughter for the first time whom was also the daughter of the local he is with before he ran away. This is giving a sort of hope in the end of the film, not making it a complete tragedy. Since there is sense of hope and happiness in the end of the film, it doesn’t make the people watching it too distraught about what had happened to Phyllis and Matthaus, making the viewers see that everything happens for a reason, and that good can come out of bad. The ending in the short story gives the impression that not everything is what it seems and how no matter which man Phyllis decided to go with, it would have ended badly anyway. This is because if she had gone with Matthaus she would have got caught with him, would have probably been arrested and be separated from Matthaus. The ending in the film is good because it is filled with a lot of events, making the viewer more interested in the film.
Emily Parson is the local girl who had fell in love with Christophe and bore his child. She was not mentioned in the short story but had a minor role in the film and the short story. This shows that even the poor people had a life with exciting events so the film isn’t just showing that well off people get the romance. In the short story her father, Mr Parson, also had a minor role in the film.
Mr Parson was mentioned in the short story and the film. It showed him telling Mr Grove that it was rumoured Mr Gould had another woman.
In the film it gave a small part to the soldiers Matthaus was with, where in the book nothing was said about them. The soldiers cause Matthaus a lot of problems but obviously care for one another. It portrayed them more as brothers and how they looked after each others well being. In the film it is better to have many more characters with their story lines, because unlike the short story, you can’t make up the other characters and you have to be shown how they are like. If there was only 2 main characters the film would have been boring, but in the short story it was ok since it took less time to read than watching the film, giving you less time to get bored.
Mr Humphrey Gould’s part in the film was nearly the same as it was in the short story. In both he is engaged to be married to Phyllis. It was Mr Gould who had told the commander that Matthaus and his comrades were trying to flee the army, again changing the end of the short story. In the film it showed Mr Gould older than it made out in the short story.
Phyllis’ was the lead role along with Matthaus. In the film and short story it is showed she is well brought up and is uncomfortable around Mr Gould, and feels obliged to marry him. In the short story it shows her as an ordinary educated girl where as in the film it portrays her as a deep and well educated person. In the film it shows that she does not think very much of herself, while in the short story it doesn’t build up on that characteristic. Her name was also changed in the film to Frances.
Matthaus’ character in the film was similar to how he was in the short story. But of course, the films built up his character more. In the book he was an ordinary soldier; where as in the film he was a sergeant. The film also built up his passion for poetry, making him seem a sensitive, kind and fair. He was also seen as the peace maker to the soldiers. In the short story it didn’t say much about his relationship with other soldier, where in the film it showed how he cared about the soldiers and how he tried to keep them out of trouble. In the short story and the film it shows how much he loves and care’s for Phyllis.
The costumes in the film were very fitting for the time but in the story we receive little detail of the clothing in the short story or the characters appearances. The Groves are well dressed, Phyllis was wearing feminine colours such as light blue and white. While Mr Grove was wearing black with white trimming, which seemed very formal and rich in contrast to the peasants. The peasants were wearing dull colours such as brown, showing the little money they had. The soldiers wore royal colours such as blue and red, with gold trimmings. They had gold plated buttons as well. This has an effect on the story because it shows that the Groves were better off than it showed in the short story. We learn about the appearances of the characters in the film by the way they are dressed, the way the talk and act, and the way they are treated.
The setting in the short story was not very detailed and left a lot to the imagination. In the short story it describes how Phyllis’ house was near the soldiers as in the film, but there was a wall blocking her from the soldiers, whereas is the film there wasn’t. There were a lot of field and hills shown in the film. Also the house was not on a hill as imagined in the short story. I do not think this had much effect on the story.
The music in the film related to the scenes. Trumpets and drums and other “royal” instrument were used to give a good musical piece for the soldiers. Where as when ever a scene between Matthaus and Phyllis occurred, romantic music would be played. It influences the way the story is told because it gives tension to the film and sets the scene.
The camera had mostly close up shots, to show the expression on the faces of the character, so you would know what they were thinking without them saying it. There were not many long shots for most of the scenes were 2 people so there was no need for them. The camera shots stayed on the same shot for quite along time, so you could focus on something without them moving the camera all the time.