Tiff

The Ghost Writer was adapted from The Ghost, which was published in 2007, written by Robert Harris. Narrated by the ghostwriter who is to be penning Adam Lang’s (the former British Prime Minister) memoirs, the book centers around the accusation of war crimes committed during office and the subsequent discovery by the writer of some suspicious dealings with the CIA during Lang’s service to Great Britain. The Ghost is an interesting book, but perhaps it did not appeal to me much because I’m not so sure I believe in political conspiracies. Aside from that, it’s not that I find the novel to be far-fetched, but maybe ill-managed. The most fascinating detail was the fact that Ruth Lang turned out to be a CIA agent, but this was not known to the reader until the very end of the second-to-last chapter. What could have made the novel more compelling would have been an exploration of questions about Ruth – what was she thinking? what was her motivation? was she manipulating her husband from the beginning? did she ever love him? did she manipulate the ghostwriter as well? did she have anything to do with any of the deaths (McAra, Lang, Rycart)? Instead, we get nothing from a cowardly man who runs away from everything.

Speaking of cowardly, I was so tired of the voice of the unnamed author by the end of the novel that I didn’t even want to read the last chapter. It wasn’t just his paranoia or melodrama, but his whole personality. I simply wasn’t a fan of the ghostwriter and his shrinking first-person narration, which is part of the reason why I enjoyed the film so thoroughly. The Ghost Writer was recently released by infamous director Roman Polanski, and I have to say that it was a pretty phenomenal adaptation, even though there were some clearly deliberate changes. But honestly, I much preferred the movie to the book. The most effective alteration in the film was in the ending. The writer discovers the clues in the original manuscript that reveal Ruth Lang’s true identity and instead of literally running scared, he confronts her – in a way. At the book release party, as she is giving a speech, he passes a slip of paper up to her that alerts her to his new found, secret intelligence. When she looks up in shock, he raises his glass in acknowledgement. A few minutes later, after leaving the party, the writer is killed by a speeding car. Of course it is unfortunate that he dies, but at least he goes out with a bit of dignity, and not skulking about his apartment or living in fear, moving from hotel to hotel.

On a final note, The Ghost takes place during a fever a bombings in London, probably taking its climate from London in July 2005. I would say that Robert Harris was simply cashing in on subject matter on the minds of people everywhere (or at least in Great Britain and the U.S.), but in an interesting turn of fate, the book sees Adam Lang assassinated in a suicide bombing, facilitated by a fellow countryman – a Caucasian, British bomber. I thought this was significant because it is a demonstration of terrorism in its multiple forms, especially in this case the expected vs. unexpected attacker. Lang actually walks toward the man to shake his hand because he recognizes his accent. Both Polanski and Harris adapted the screenplay, but the London bombings were kept out of the film, and Lang was killed by a bullet to the head (although still by an Englishman). While I think the bomb would have created a more surprising and compelling death, I’m satisfied that the writers kept it consistent. Compared to Shutter Island, reading and seeing The Ghost Writer was a much more positive experience. And there was just enough information to make it understandable to non-readers. I felt that it was a beautiful film; very well-crafted and intelligent.

Last week I saw Shutter Island for the second time and I wondered, no matter the quality of the film, would I have had a more enjoyable experience if I hadn’t first read the book? I would say that the type of reviews I write elicit two types of disappointment: (1) discontent over the merit of the film adaptation or (2) unhappiness over the general quality of both novel and movie. My main complaint concerning Shutter Island was a question of quality – I felt that it was not a true member of the “Thriller/Suspense” genre because it was not frightening. But of course it wasn’t thrilling: I knew everything that was going to happen beforehand. So did reading the book ruin my movie-going experience? Or was Shutter Island just plain-old mediocre? I guess I’ll never really know. But for future reference, maybe I should reverse my process when reviewing thrillers (and I’m talking strictly thrillers here). The reaction that I feel should take precedent is the one that is more immediate and visceral: that which comes from viewing a film. The business of suspense is the feeling we experience when we sit in the movie theater. Fear and horror, surprise and shock. Without the ability to be scared, is it worth the time and money?