An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

I believe the film adaptation of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge remained fairly true to the original story. The biggest change from story to film that I noticed was the lack of dialogue from Peyton. In the short story, we got a deeper look into the inner world of our main character. We also got a lot more backstory for the entire plot. The film shortens it to a poster in the first few seconds. It serves its purpose for providing context, but it leaves out the scene with the soldier on his horse at Peyton’s house. I think the director choosing to leave out this scene was a fine choice, but I would have liked to know more about the main character. While watching the film, he just seemed like some guy. I didn’t feel any real connection to him as a character, though I did feel sympathetic to his circumstances (that is, until I read more about his beliefs).

I think the ticking of the pocket watch translated well from story to film. It added a feeling of panic, and the speeding up of the ticking while it got louder, while the very slow and steady shot of his wife lingered, felt suffocating.

I also think the little details of what he saw translated very well into film and were supported by the song choice during the river scene.

 

Overall, I did enjoy both versions of this story! I think I liked the story more though.

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