Reading Response to Lit/Film Adaptation

The study of adaptation of literature to film has become more relevant over the past couple of decades with the rise of movie production in western culture.  This article acknowledges that many see Literature on Screen to be invalid and that the two should have little correlation.  However, the argument for adaptation studies is a strong one in that it will be a success if it contributes to a student's ability to critically read and write across varied "systems" or modes of work.  I definitely agree that studying both works enhances the student's perspective and understanding of the piece.  The article lays out 15 questions to consider about literature being translated into movies.  Most notable were the points on the change in context historically from the time the work of literature was published up to the date of movie production.  I think the time distortion is visible in works like Hamlet where the difference in interpretation from Shakespeare's play to the recent film production with Kenneth Branagh is very noticeable.  The article also considers the loss of quality in translation from book to movie in description and detail.  It points to the fact that novels must be shortened and short stories must be lengthened to make adequate "Hollywood" films.  Finally,  Harry Potter is mentioned in that the most recent novels have been influenced by film knowing that whatever was written will most definitely become a huge movie production.  The argument here is that the quality of the novel is downgraded due to the influences of movie-makers.  Personally, I do think adaptation study is important in all films and that much can be learned from comparing a piece of literature written 50 or 100 years ago to a multi-million dollar movie production.