Using Film to Teach Literature

I have to be honest; I’m not a fan of showing film adaptations of novels merely because they exist. As an undergrad, I remember having a film adaptation assignment for my Shakespeare class in which we had to analyze a film that was based on one of Shakespeare’s plays. I was assigned The Tempest, and I only wish that Helen Mirren’s new version was around back then. Instead, I had to look at a 1982 film called Tempest that completely bastardized the play. While I know that “quality” is a relative term, my Shakespeare class made me realize that some film adaptations are not worth seeing the light of day. Still, I’m all about using films alongside literature if they are well-made productions. I think they can be useful for during and post-reading activities, especially with the comprehension of difficult texts. Films would be particularly beneficial for English language learners who cannot access literature in their native language. For texts that are open to multiple interpretations, I think films might offer alternative analyses of readings, especially if a classroom is homogenous. When this is the case, I think it would be fun to have students storyboard scenes as they read and compare their storyboard to the film adaptation. I would then create a class VoiceThread in which students could discuss what parts of the film’s interpretation were unexpected. I could also envision creating a VoiceThread where students would discuss which parts of a book were left out of a film adaptation and the implications of leaving out parts of the original narrative. Overall, I only believe in teaching film and literature together if the film will enhance students’ experience interacting with a text. I’m not someone who uses media and technology simply because it exists.