"Doubt": The Play vs. The Movie Comparison Essay by jpgaltmill
"Doubt": The Play vs. The Movie
A comparison of the play and film versions of John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt".
# 153859
| 928 words
| 1 source
| MLA
| 2014
| 
Published
on May 01, 2014
in
Literature
(American)
, Film
(Analysis, Criticism, Etc.)
, Women Studies
(Feminism)
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Description:
The paper discusses the similarities and differences between John Patrick Shanley's play and film "Doubt". The paper highligts how both the play and film do not allow for any certain conclusions or answers, but notes that the film leans toward Father Flynn's guilt more than the play. The paper concludes that while the film presents more details and perspectives than the play, both are fantastic examinations of doubt and certainty, liberalism and conservatism, and innocence and justice.
From the Paper:
"In both the play and the movie, the main plot is that of Sister Aloysius - a nun, and principal of a Catholic intermediate school - who suspects, and tries to prove, that a priest named Father Flynn is having an inappropriate, and possibly sexual, relationship with one of the boy students in her charge. Her suspicions are strengthened when the young, innocent Sister James reports some odd behavior from one of the students after speaking in the rectory with the Priest. Neither the play not the film allow for any certain conclusions or answers, and each viewer must decide for himself who is in the right."However, I do think the film - through its greater context, and the performance of the actors - does lean toward Father Flynn's guilt more distinctly than the text of the play by itself.
"One immediate difference between the two is the context of community that comes across in the film. In the play we open with the priest giving a sermon, and, as it is a play, we can imagine that he is alone on stage, speaking to the audience as his congregation. The next scene is Sister Aloysius and Sister James talking alone in an office. It all feels very sparse and closed."
Sample of Sources Used:
- Shanley, John Patrick. "Doubt: A Parable."Meyer, Michael, editor.The Bedford Introduction to Literature (9th Edition).New York, NY: Bedfort/St. Martin's, 2011. Doubt. Dir. John Patrick Shanley. Miramax, 2008. Film.
Cite this Comparison Essay:
APA Format
"Doubt": The Play vs. The Movie (2014, May 01)
Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/doubt-the-play-vs-the-movie-153859/
MLA Format
""Doubt": The Play vs. The Movie" 01 May 2014.
Web. 31 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/doubt-the-play-vs-the-movie-153859/>