The Postman Always Rings Twice (Book Review Sample)

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"The postman always rings twice," is a great non sequitur novella that was conceived, authored and finally published in 1934. Since the book was highly graphic in presenting violence and sexuality, considered obscenities in the 1930s’, it was banned in Boston. However, popularity of the novella soared to such heights that it is considered an important crime novel of the twentieth century. The advent of classic film noir in late 1930s’ saw it filmed, first in French (1939) then Italian (1943) and eventually in English (1946). The script writers are incredibly true to the books characters thus there is a lot of similarity. While it takes a little over two hours to watch the film the books 100 pages will probably take you longer to cover. So, which experience is better?
To answer this question comprehensively; we consider the contrast and similarities in both works. The prime similarity is the title shared by the novel and the English version of the film. It is significant to note that later works by and on Cain explain the reality behind the choice of the title. In the preface to his (1943) novella, double indemnity, Cain describes how screen writer Vincent Lawrence conceived the title in as a metaphor for franks state at the movies end CITATION Cai92 \l 2057 (Cain, Double indemnity, 1943). Cain’s biography by Roy Hoopes goes a step further to explain that Lawrence often tried to avoid the postman’s ring however, despite initial success the second ring was never missed. This is the framework on which we analyze the characters.
Secondly, it is noticeable that the movies script writers incredibly adhere to the original story line. It goes without much insistence that most of the plot and character traits are similar. While this should make one write off the book as it is longer, the book is more vivid and raw in its language and descriptions. By choosing either, you are bound to forsake a classic or an experience of adaptive cinematography. The film showcases brilliance of censorship without altering the storyline by using clever scene arrangement, Short scenes where extreme sexuality has to be disguised. This cinematography tool is also used to compensate for suspense such as during the second attempt on the, "Greeks" life. In the book Cain’s explicit use of compact sensual words is the block that builds suspense.
Words are the tools a writer uses to express their feelings, desires and intentions to the reader. The choice of one word over another can and often makes a big difference. How you may ask. In history, Great orators are good with words and President Obama’s triumph in the 2008 primaries and later in elections is a good example of this. I would urge one to consider the significance of the words used by Cain as well as his mode of narration. While the book is written in first person from frank perspective the film has not replicated the voice. By watching the film you will get a moderated version of the deal that you would have got from the extra minutes of reading.
On the character front, Cain’s novel is very similar to the Greek tragedies of Shakespearian times. This is primarily because they possess a fatal flaw: lust in Frank, Ambition in Cora and Stupidity in Nick. The plot is structured to revolve around and expose how they bring the character to the ground; their death. The flaws are replicated in the film with precision thanks to scripting discipline which ensures that they are mapped onto the film’s characters. For instance Frank is ignorant of the fact that he has been offered an opportunity to settle by eyeing his employer’s wife. Though he believes in respecting a man’s property and that it should not be stolen, he excludes the wife for his own benefit. This is evident all along the script as everyone tries to screw the other over with exception of Nick.
The film gets steamy in the initial minutes; this punch however, plummets after the death of Nick. The film making group however undertakes an innovative measure to cover this flaw by fusing comic humor into the section after Nicks’ death. The legal section that ensues takes advantage of black humor in the lawyer’s actions to make the section as interesting as is possible. Unlike in the book where the lawyers’ ethnicity is withheld, here race is crucial to be to the stylistic device of humor. On the other hand it makes reading the novel after watching the film awkward though the reverse is true.