Today in class, we watched a film adaptation of Charles Dickens' story, "The Signalman". For homework, please spend 15-20 minutes writing two paragraphs comparing and contrasting the story with the film where your paragraphs take the following form.
Paragraph 1: Compare the story and the film. (Discuss similarities.)
Paragraph 2: Contrast the story and the film. (Discussion differences.)
Here's the video. Part one can not be embedded on our page, so here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c06WUYsI0ic
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Comparison and Contrast - "The Signalman"
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The signalman film and story
ReplyDeleteThe film and the story is pretty much the same, the actual dialogue in the story was also to be found in the film. The main idea of the signalman being warned by a specter happens in both of them. The man visiting the signalman is a rich man in both of them and the signalman is educated in both of them or rather studies. He loves his job in both of them, the signalman, and in both of them he lives on his own on the train track. In the story there were no name mentioned and the film as well. The trains do collide, the girl dies and so does he in both the story and the film.
Differences between the story and the film are in the story the setting is more dull and gloomy and a bit scarier. The signalman in the story lives in a tunnel that is cut out and gives the reader the impression of a sort of dungeon where as in the film the signalman lives in a hut but outside still in a cut out tunnel but without a roof. The signalman in the story comes across to me as an old man living on his own but in the film he is all proper. In the story the girl doesn’t fall off the train the signalman doesn’t experience her dying but hears of it but in the film the girl or lady actually falls out the train and dies in front of the signalman. In the film the ghost seems more real, this is either because we actually see the ghost or that they wanted to watcher to think there was a ghost from the very start. The story on the other hand is different the signalman tells us about when he saw the specter and not we actually experience the ghost appearing.
On a whole the story and the film are very similar and both as enjoyable as each other :P
Compare and Contrast; The Signalman
ReplyDeleteThe similarities in the Story and Adaptation were; the adaptation used the same dialoge that was used in the actually story, there was a spectre in each and it was described in the same way when the Signalman told the chap that visited him. In both of the versions there were three accidents, one with the train crash, the second was the woman dieing and the third was the Signalman himself who died. Also when the person who visits the Signalman leaves on the first night, in the adaptation the signalman asks if what he said before “Convayed in any supernatural way.” In both the Signalman gets up when he hears the bell and looks at the bell when the “Spectre” rings, the adaptation aslo shows us a ‘Hut’ which the Signalman lives and it is like that of the ‘Hut’ mentioned in the story.
The differences in The Story and the Adaptation are; In the adaptation it seems to follow the Narrators point of view whereas in the adaptation it seems to focus more on the Signalman rather than the person who visits him. The story makes the setting feel more dark, gloomy, dungeon-like but in the adaptation the place where the Signalman is less rocky, there is more than a small crack of sunlight and there are bushes and grass surrounding the tunnel.
Compare and Contrast: The Signalman
ReplyDeleteMuch of the dialog that there is in the story is the same in the film. The specter in the story and the adaptation are described in the same way. The Signalman tells the man not to call out in both stories, and asks him if his calls earlier were ‘Conveyed to him in a supernatural way’. The time when they meet is the same in both as well. The Signalman gets up and goes to the bell, even though nothing has happened, twice in both stories. They are both set in the same cut away with a tunnel and the ‘hut’ in which the signalman is staying. In both stories, there are three accidents, the first the crash, the second is the woman dying and the third is when the signalman dies.
One of the main differences is that the story is told by the narrator who visits the signalman. In the adaptation it seems to be told by the signalman, from his point of view. In the story it feels much gloomier than in the adaptation. In the adaptation to seems much less rocky, and seems very much nicer than the story. The ‘Hut’ seems much bigger than I would have imagined.
The short film followed the story very well. Almost all the dialogue that was said was also included in the story. The feeling/atmosphere of the short film was the same, or at least similar, and gave you the same ‘spooky’ and ghost-like feeling as in the book. As in the story, the Signalman hears the bell when it doesn’t actually ring, and instantly goes and looks towards the danger light in the short film. In the story, after the Signalman saw the ghostly figure appear at the light for the first time, the train-collision happened which the Signalman had felt guilty about (as in the video). There is also the case of the woman dying after the Signalman had seen the ghostly figure waving his arms violently for the second time. In the book, after the third and final time the Signalman sees the ghost, which results in his death, the conductor and others that the narrator talk to say the same thing. The conductor said that the Signalman “…mustn’t have heard the whistle…” and that he had done the same motions as the ghost (waving violently with his left hand over his eyes), yelling, “Halloa! Bellow there! Look out! For God’s sake, look out!” Which is the same as in the short film.
ReplyDeleteThe differences in the film compared to the story aren’t too many. For example, when the woman had died after he’d seen the ghost, she didn’t exactly just fall out of the train like how she had in the film. Also, he sees the ghost’s face twice in the film while in the story he doesn’t really see the face at all. The dialogue is a little bit more detailed than in the actual story, saying things that weren’t said in the story at some points. Then, there’s the cutting in the mountain. In the book it’s described as more closed off, like a cave or something of that sort, while in the film it seems a lot more open and in a less ‘spooky’ atmosphere. The story wasn’t told from the narrator’s point of view, like in the story, but that’s harder to achieve while making a film rather than writing a story. When the Signalman’s death occurs, as well, the narrator is there to witness it and see the Signalman dying, while in the book he only hears of it after. In the movie, he is carried away while in the story he was covered up, and the time of day is different. In the story the narrator is going for his daily visit to the signalman, later in the evening, while in the film he just suddenly hears the bell (somehow) from where he is and quickly runs to where the signalman is.
----Tatiana T. 9A
Comparison and Contrast,
ReplyDelete'The Signalman'
One of the similarities between the Movie version and the Written version is that the setting (the place the signalman works) is still gloomy and not welcoming, but more so at night. In both of them, neither of the names of the characters in the story was not mentioned throughout the story. They are both third person. In both of the versions, the word ‘ghost’ is not mentioned, but instead the word ‘specter’ is mentioned instead. Another similarity is that the plot is completely the same, and some of the script in the movie was taken directly from the story. Both versions have the same characters, meaning that they both have the signalman and they both have the narrator that leads the story. This even includes the ghosts and the people that die on the train, and even the people that help the dead signalman at the end of the story. They both have the same style meaning they both aim to get the audience to keep watching in the sense of freaking them out.
The differences between the movie version of ‘The Signalman’ and the written version is that the place the signalman works, or the setting, is not as horrible as it is described in the story. In the movie, it is sunny, and there are plants, and the sky can be seen very brightly. Another difference is that in the end of the movie version, the narrator sees the signalman get hit by the train, when in the story version the signalman is dead and the narrator arrives later. Also, in the written version, it is implied that the signalman got hit by the train accidentally, when in the movie he purposely stands in front of the train as if he was hypnotized. In the written version, the signalman runs much further in the cave, so much that he cannot see the entrance and he has to run a while to get back to the outside, when in the movie he only walks in a tiny bit, not runs, and then he just turns around and walks out without seeming to be scared by the tunnel and walks out casually. This scene was the complete opposite of the written version.
By Onur Fesci.
by Evita Otigbah
ReplyDeleteComparison
The Signal Man by Charles Dickens
Film and Story Comparison
The signalman by Charles Dickens and the adaptation of the story into a film have some differences. In the story it is told by the narrator (the man that went to visit the signalman) but in the film the action is not said but acted out. The imagery seems different in both in the story I get the image that it is a really gloomy, damp rocky cutting but in the film it doesn’t seem as bad as described in the story for example in the story you could only see a stretch of sky but in the film you can somehow see a lot more. In the story the signalman saw a lady calling for help inside the train whereas in the film he saw her fall off the train. The specter is also seen differently because instead of mourning (like in the story with his hands on his face) he shows his face. In the end of the story when the narrator goes to visit the signalman he finds out he died but in the film he actually sees him die. In the film the narrator dreams about the specter but the he story he does not.
However the two are very similar in the sense you still feel that the signalman is a bit crazy in the head and it was a coincidence that the accidents happened after the “specter” appeared. The words exchanged between the both are the same “halloa bellow there” and in both the signalman mistakes the narrator as a different person. In both the signalman asks the narrator if something supernatural made him call out, and he tells him not to call out when he visits again. The time line in the story happened the same as in the film like the signalman died on the third night. Plus The story and the film take place at night.
Comparison and Contrast
ReplyDeleteThe Signalman
The similarities of the movie and the story are that in both of the stories the signal man lived down below where the trains pass. Both in the stories there is a man who calls the signalman ‘hello below there!’ In both of the stories the signalman would get out of the house and walk towards the red light and stare, and look if there is anybody around, as well as the signalman would also have the bells in his house which is down below where the trains pass by, and each time the bell rings it meant that the train would pass by any minute.
The differences of both of the stories, there is a difference that in the story there were 2 protagonists, the narrator and the signalman, where as in the movie there were also too, but the narrator was replaced by the man who would pass by each day to the signalman. There is also a difference that they didn’t show us the ghost, but in the book, the story is told by the narrator where as in the movie the story is told by the signalman itself. Also, the story the signalman looks somewhere ABOVE to see the red light, where as in the movie it is right in front of him. In the movie there was mentioned that there was suppose to be a ghost who had a long beard and dark eyebrows, but in the movie itself, they didn’t even show the ghost, not speaking about how he looks. The atmosphere in both of the stories was spooky, although in the movie it seemed more real which gave us more of a ghostly atmosphere because It was better explained than in the story, which basically just explained the details of the actions and so forth. Also, in the movie – the signalman didn’t ask the man to come every day for a cup of tea, but the man himself came every day because he was way too curious to find out more about what happened to the person who waves with their hands and always shouts ‘hello, below there!’
Compare and contrast
ReplyDeleteThe short story was very similar to the movie, and on the movie it was also very creepy and spooky you also heard the words what you also read in the story, for example ‘Hello, below there’ and it is also about the two/three accidents what happened and that the signalman is looking at the bell when it doesn’t ring, and he said that there is something that troubles me and the narrator in the movie is also coming back every time. The first time he says: ‘hello, below there’ and the signalman asked also in the story that when the narrator comes the second time that he not have to call down because the ghost who was also in the movie had said that a few months ago when there was an accident. And also the same is that the ghost is waving with his hand and the other hand is on his face and he is saying: Hello, below there, look out! Clear the way for god’s sake! What was also in the movie!
The differences in the story is in the movie you saw the woman who was like falling out of the train after that he had seen the ghost but in the story It didn’t fall out of the train the woman only like died. Also here in the movie you really saw the ghost and he saw it and in the story it was a little vague he don’t saw how the ghost looks like because he didn’t know. The story makes it also a little more scary like that there is cutting where he lives and it is dark and the cutting was extremely deep and in the movie it was not so deep as the movie said because it the little house were the signalman lived was not dark it was quite light and you could see everything so that is also different. The third time when the signalman dies is also different because the narrator came in the movie and he thought that there was happened something and he starts to run in the movie it is different because there he just heard it from someone else and he hoped that it was not the signalman but here he knew that it was the signalman.
The Signalman Compare and Contrast
ReplyDeleteThe film and story of The Signalman are generally very similar. The plot and dialogue is basically the same between the two. The characters are the same of the signalman and the narrator. Both feature the signalman fearing a red light as he thought it was trying to haunt him. The signalman believes that the narrator was someone else in the story at the start. The basic setting is the same in both with a tunnel, train-tracks and the signalman’s house. The signalman at times gets nervous and is tried to be reassured by the narrator in both. The events that occurred are similar with the train crash and the woman dying. The signalman’s death is the same in both. The ending of when a fellow man tells the narrator that he was calling the signalman is similar in the story and the film.
However, there are some differences. Firstly, in the story, there was a mountainous region with jagged edges and a steep slippery path. In the film though, it more like a hill than a mountain, doesn’t look very jagged and the path isn’t as slippery and steep as in the story. Another large difference is the acting of the signalman. In the story he doesn’t say much and implies his tone in a very mysterious way. In the film, we do not see much of this, you could even say that his voice sounds fairly normal most of the time when he talks to the narrator at the start instead of being mysterious. The way the woman dies is also different. In the book it just mentions that she dies whilst in the film we see her falling out of the train. The book definitely brings more tension and suspense at the start however, as we see the train disaster and the woman falling out of the train in the film, there is more tension then than in the book.
Comparing and Contrasting ‘The Signalman’
ReplyDeleteA similarity between ‘The Signalman’ movie and short story is that it starts out with the guy saying “Hallao! Below there!” Another similarity is that in the short story, the signalman dies by getting hit by a train, and he had been warned 3 times through dreams and visions about an event that was going to occur. Also, where the signalman works, it is all gloomy (it wasn’t a very welcoming sight; lonely) in both the movie and the short story. Also in the movie, the specter put her hand in front of her face and waved her hand for the warning of the train that was coming to his path just like in the story. Another fact can be that the script of the movie was more or less taken from the short story. Both the movie and the short story have a style that keeps the audience thinking of what is going to happen next to the signalman, as there are some scenes when the signalman randomly goes into the tunnel as if there was something lurking inside there.
A difference between them is that the specter didn’t have bushy eyebrows and a beard as the short story described the specter. Instead, the specter was a female in the movie. Also in the movie, the signalman who got hit by the train and died was sort of ‘stunned’ as if he was being possessed by something. In the short story, I remember reading that the signalman actually tried getting out of the path of the train before he got hit by it. Also in the movie, it seems like the setting is a lot ‘brighter’ than in the short story, as there is more sunlight to be seen. In the short story, it describes the setting as if it were completely dark and pitch black in some cases, as if the only light you were able to see was that of the train coming towards you from the tunnel and the your candle light. In the movie, it is a bit sunny in most scenes. Another difference is that in the short story, he runs to the train before his death, and in the movie, he was walking very slowly as if it were a special moment he had been waiting for, for a long time.
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ReplyDeleteThe Signalman - COMPARE AND CONTRAST
ReplyDeleteBy: Sara Welander 9B
COMPARE
The difference between the story and the film of "The Signalman" were not much of any. The two were extremely similar. But one difference is that in the story, the station where the signalman lived seemed much more darker than in the movie. In the movie there was sunlight, birds singing, and trees/grass hanging along the deep hills. A much more happier scene than in the story. Another difference is that the endings were a bit different. In the film, the traveller sees the signs of the train coming and the signalman about to get hit and actually shouts at him from up above 'Look out! Look out!'. While in the book the traveller doesn't notice anything until he comes to the the station and sees the guy saying 'Halloa Below there!...' etc.. He doesnt either know at first that it was the SIGNALMAN that got hit and died.
CONTRAST
There are so many similarities between the book and the film its hard not to say that nearly EVERYTHING was the same. The movie has almost the exact same dialogue from the story as well with the occurences all happening at the same time too. Both of them seem to have the same plot. They are both set in the 1800s in England. There are the same spectres that appear at the same times in the book and the movie. Another similarity is that both of them start with the traveller saying 'Halloa! Below there!'. They are also both set in the countryside. There are the same characters in the movie and the plot, both with the same personalities. The signalman in the movie seems to also be as 'mad' and weird as in the story. There are probably many other similarities i could mention but i think these would be the main important ones.
The Signal Man
ReplyDeleteI found both versions of the signalman equally interesting. To start off, they both take place next to the Clayton tunnel which is easy as it is an actual place in England. The speech and dialogue between the characters (which are also the same) is very similar, obviously there were some differences. However upon the characters arrival the one could clearly see the signalman being spooked and looking at the danger light. The instances of death and danger that occur are the same in both versions as well, the woman dying and the Clayton Tunnel Crash. The story also took place along the same timeline, with the spectre appearing at the same times as well. Overall the two versions were very similar; this is something that I like about the two.
Despite their similarities, the two versions also have differences. For example I felt that the film had a slightly more ‘cheery ‘, or at least a slightly less spooky, feel than the text version. The text gave a darker impression, especially with the description of the high stone walls and the darkness, whereas there was even a point in the film where the signal man was whistling along. The perspective in the story and the film were different as well, the story was told as a recollection form the point of view of the narrator, as if he was re-telling it to someone. The film was more equally balanced if not more focused on the Signalman with no mention of a recollection. In the story it doesn’t mention the narrator dreaming and being troubled by what the signalman had told him, whereas in the film he cannot sleep because of the signalman’s words echoing in his head. Also, in the film the ‘free’ man hears the bell whilst strolling and turns around to run back to the signalman’s station, however in the story the narrator is simply going to visit the signalman, when as he approaches he sees the ghost and then sees the body.
The Signal Man
ReplyDeleteBoth, the story and the movie are quite similar and follow the same idea. There were some chnages in the dialogue, but there were also many phrases that were exactly the same from the story. The setting was the same as in the story, it had the train tunnel, it was gloomy, and there was this hill to come down which was muddy and hard to walk on. In whole both the story, and the movie are very similar.
Even though the story and the movie are very similar, they do have some differences. The dialogues change a bit, in the story it just mentions about the young lady that dyes(the second death), and in the movie it was a bride. Also the narrator does not has dreams in the story, and has a dream about the signal man and what was happening in the movie. Also the narrator comes to visit the signal man when he finds out that he died, and in the story he hears the bell and rushes towards the signal man's place. I also think that the movie was scarier and more clear than the story, because I did not what what the setting was like until i watched the movie, and it was more scarier because when we read it with this violent hand description, everybody was laughing, and when i watched it in the movie it was actually creepy.
Compare and Contrast
ReplyDeleteBoth of the adaptations of this story have similarities and differences. The similarities are that the setting is the same; a lifeless train track cut out of a mountain, with steep walls, a tunnel at one end, and ongoing tracks the other way. There is the shack where the signalman stays. The characters are the same as in the book, and the country is too. The same basic story follows the same path, and the red light at the tunnel, under which the spirit haunts the signalman. Both of the characters seem to be the same as in the book, and the same events happen. Even the dialogue follows that of the book. The signalman is acting the same way in both of these, nervous, cautious, and some what perculiar (although he seems more of an average man in the film).
The differences include that although the setting is the same, the scenery is different, in the book, the walls were made of ‘wet’ stone, and were jagged, with a steep, slippery path down to the tracks. Not that much sunlight came down in the book, but in the story there is plenty of sunlight. The signalman seems friendlier and more normal in the film too, and he doesn’t seem to be a spooky character, whereas in the book,first impressions are that ‘he’ is the ghost of the story. In the book, the signalman was seen as the main character, but in the film, the film is based more on the other man, and less on the signalman. At first, the film seems to be cheerier, and less gloomy, and in the film, some of the details are more specific, eg. The woman falling off of the train, her way of death was not mentioned in the book, only that a woman died, but in the film, she falls out of the train when it is moving. The film seems less like a ghost story, and it doesn’t have as much tension building up.
The Signalman
ReplyDeleteComparing and Contrasting
The movie and the story have many similarities. In both happens very much the same thing.In the dialogues there are often the same words or sentences used in movie and story. In both there are these three accidents and in the last accident the signalman dies. The narrator is in both very curious and the last scene where the narrator understands the connections of what the signalman has said and what has happened, it had the same effect.
Everything has happened in the same order in movie and story and both of them are really good.
Though there is so much similar, there are a few differences. In the story, the whole environment was described much darker and creepier than it was shown in the movie. Then the Signalman seemed to me as an old, mad man in the story, but in the movie he was a young, normal man, unless there happened something in connection with the ghost. The narrator had night mares after the signalman told him about the train accidents, in the movie, but in the story these weren't there. In the end, the narrator saw the signalman dying in the movie, but in the story he came across and the man told him that the signalman was already dead. In the movie you get to know more about the narrator than in the story. And in the movie there are the scenes with the accidents much more described because you see them and as if you were there and don't just see the signalman talking.
There is much more action in the movie than in the story.
Both, story and movie, are good the way they are. :)
The film and the story
ReplyDeleteIn both the movie and the story, there are a lot of factors that are alike. The narrator is portrayed in the same way, he is very interested in the Signalman and his job, and he is also very interested in the ghost or (spectre) he keeps seeing. Also the Signalman is the same, he is quiet, shy and scared of this ghost he keeps seeing. Many of the lines are the same from the story, but basically the main idea is there.
Even though there is a lot which is similar in the story and movie, there is still a lot which is differnt. The setting in the movie seems to be lighter and more appealing then it is in the story, also there is much less detail and description in the movie than there was in the story. The signalman himself in the movie seems to be a younger and more normal character compared to the story were he is potryaed as being old and a bit crazy. In the story it is not mensioned or told that a woman falls out of the train and dies right infront of the signalman, but in the movie you see it. Also at the end of the story you do not see or hear the Signalman get hit, you only get to know after by another man, but in the movie the narrator sees the signalman get hit and then he meets a man who tells him that he waved and shouted the exact same words as the ghost had.
But over all, both the book and the Film were good :)
Samantha Cassar Ellis :)
ReplyDeleteThe signalman – Compare and Contrast
Story Vs. Film
The story and film are very much alike. Not many differences are found. You can actually find the exact dialouge in each of them. The main idea of this story is that the ghost or spectre, is contacting this singalman and warns him about upcoming events. This is shown in both the film and the story, and they both end the same. With the signalman dying the way the ghost has shown he would. So the main idea is obviously shown in both. The main differneces come to the setting and scenery of the story.
One main difference i found is that in the story the setting seem’s to be much darker, gloomy and abit more frightening and it seem’s to focus much more on the signalman rather than the rich man who comes to visit him and obviously in the story we have a narrator. In the story the place where the signal man stays is made out to be some shanty, very tiny, lonely and horrible place with no space at all.
In the movie the setting seem’s much friendlier because alot of sunlight is let in where as in the story it said only at a certain time of day and only a little bit of light got threw. It also shows the signalman’s little hut which seem’s quite pleasent. Their is no narrator in the film.
The Signal Man
ReplyDeleteCompare and contrast.
I liked the short story of The Signal Man more interesting, the setting of both story’s are the same (next to the train tunnel in England) but when I read the book I had a picture in my head of a dungeon-like place with only a small crack inside this mountain, where in the film it was like a small valley with a train track at the bottom. Most of the words and actions where the same between them. But overall the two are similar but I enjoyed the book slightly more as it seemed scarier and more dungeon like.
The story was written 2nd person where in the film it was told in 1st person. In the story the narrator isn’t dreaming and having sleep-less night because of what the signalman had told him, where in the film he couldn’t sleep because of what the signalman said. The signalman was very quiet for a long time, where in the book the signalman had a conversation with the narrator when he came down.
Compare & Contrast
ReplyDeleteIn Literature class we watched the movie adaptation of ‘The SignalMan” by Charles Dickens. It is an old classic written in 1976 about a haunting a and a warning.
The Movie and the story were similar in some ways. For example the ghost waved and signaled the same way. The storyline was the same, and most of the lines were the same. The Traveller came at the same time as in the story and the story the signalman tells is the same in both movie and book .
In the story the ghost never shows his face, and in the story the traveler arrives just after the accident occurs at the end, in the movie the ghost reveals his face on two occasions the traveler arrives just as the accident is about to occur . In the story the woman dies on the train whereas in the movie the woman falls off the train.
The story and the movie were really similar but had a few minor differences . They were both good though ^^
The Signalman
ReplyDeleteThere are many comparisons of the film and the story of The Signalman. The story is mostly based on the same idea, it has the same characters and the same ideas. Both of the stories have ghosts and the supernatural involved but I think the film didn’t have as much detail on the ghosts and the images appearing.
Both stories, I think are very good, but the film, I think is older than the book because it shows everything in how it would be a long time ago, the train track, their would be two tracks usually nowadays but in the story there is only one track for trains going different directions. Even though the film was very like the story, there are always differences. In the story of the book, the signalman acted more posh and acted smarter and more formal whilst in the film he was more curious and exited about the ghosts and strange appearances. In my opinion I preferred the book because much more detail was added and I also preferred the way I pictured the actors, and how they acted.
BORING BOOK AND MOVIE....
ReplyDeleteI DETEST THE SIGNALMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!