"Siddhartha"

Paper Summary:

The paper asserts that though the movie, 'Siddhartha', remains relatively faithful to the novel in terms of rough narrative, the film lacks the technical precision and excellence that Hesse demonstrated in the novel. The paper attempts to show Hesse's ability to convey great philosophical and spiritual concepts and expand on the characters and their internal dilemmas in words that speak volumes for the motivations of each character. The paper contends that the book therefore far surpasses the film in terms of artistic merit and literary execution.

From the Paper:

"Published in 1922, Herman Hesse's Siddhartha became one of the classic texts of the 1970s counterculture fascination with Eastern philosophy, Buddhism in particular. Even today the book has a strong cult following, though the fervor afforded its admittedly shallow mysticism has dimmed somewhat. In 1972, at the height of the book's popularity and fifty years after the book's release, the text was adapted into a film by Conrad Rooks. Though the movie remains relatively faithful to the novel in terms of rough narrative, the film lacks the technical precision and excellence that Hesse demonstrated in the novel. Without this literary gravitas, the film ultimately falls flat when contrasted to the book."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Canby, Vincent. "Movie Review: Siddhartha (1972)." The New York Times 19 July 1973. 25 July 2008 <http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/ review?res=9406E5DB133DE63ABC4152DFB1668388669EDE>.
• Schneider, Dan. "Featured Book Review of Herman Hesse's Siddhartha." Monsters and Critics. 13 July 2007. 25 July 2008 <http://www.monstersandcritics.com/books/reviews/article_1329679.php/Featured_Book_Review_Of_Herman_Hesse%92s_Siddhartha>.

More papers on "Siddhartha":

• Term Paper # 144528 : "Questions and Answers on Siddhartha"
• Persuasive Essay # 124125 : "Hesse's "Siddhartha"
• Essay # 32722 : "Siddhartha's Path to Oneness"
• Book Review # 113355 : "Siddhartha"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: