Character Development in "The Razor's Edge"

Paper Summary:

In his novel, "The Razor's Edge", author W. Somerset Maugham, made sure to include deep character development and interactions, which serve to show how the character, Larry, is different from almost everyone else. The paper shows that, sadly, the 1984 movie version, starring Bill Murray and directed by John Byrum, failed to accurately transmit this to film. The paper shows that, as a result of glossing over and changing characters and situations, we are left with a shell of a story, one which fails to compare to the original written version in terms of the depth of several characters and the society Larry is trying to flee.

From the Paper:

"Another way in which the movie severely does an injustice to the story is in its treatment of the character of Elliot Templeton. In the novel Elliot is a central character, and in fact most of the information we receive as readers comes from first hand conversations between the narrator, Maugham, who is also mysteriously left out, and Elliot. The novel is marked by passages which serve to deepen the character of Elliot and which make him stand out from the others, especially Larry."

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