Maus – an Unfilmable Story
I’ve been reading Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman over the last week and a half. I’m midway through the second book, which featured a scene where the author is struggling with the popularity of his graphic novel. He adamantly does not want his book adapted into a film.
It really made me think. The entire series is enormously thought provoking, rich and beautiful, but it made me think about something different. The two graphic novels would not work as a film. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Maus is a memoir about Spiegelman’s father, Vladek. Vladek survived the Holocaust, and was deeply affected by what he went through. The memoir takes place in the “present” (late 1970s/1980s) and during World War II. Instead of drawing the characters as humans, Spiegelman draws them as animals. Each character is assigned an animal based on their ethnicity, and every animal is drawn exactly the same. This is to portray the ethnic stereotypes that exist and just how ridiculous they are.
The only way the story could work without losing its message is to retain the animal characters. But, if it were to be made into a film, I imagine people would be annoyed that many of the characters looked the same; with only their clothes to differentiate them. Plus, many would misinterpret what Spiegelman was trying to say by making the characters animals in the first place. It was an attack on stereotypes, but many wouldn’t see it that way.
Adapting graphic novels into animated films can be problematic. Persepolis was adapted into a relatively good French film. I read the graphic novel prior to seeing the film and really loved it. But the film itself was essentially the graphic novel on film, with voice acting and movement. It was quite faithful to the novel, but it didn’t ultimately add to the story. If I want to experience the story again, I’d be better off picking up the book.
I believe Maus would run into the same issue. That’s why I’m glad the author has refused to allow it to be adapted into a film. It has no place on film. I’m looking forward to finishing the last half of the second book, and I highly recommend reading the series. Telling a story about the Holocaust as a graphic novel is unbelievably creative and genius. Seeing drawings of the terrible events that occurred emphasizes further the horrors Vladek and his wife lived through. Spiegelman won the Pulitzer Prize for the series – and he did for good reason. Maus was a huge creative risk, and his story telling is unbelievable.