From Novel To Cinematographic Adaptation: Pedro Páramo

From novel to cinematographic adaptation: Pedro Páramo

The novel Pedro Páramo, by the writer Juan Rulfo, has been very acclaimed and has served as inspiration for other Latin American authors such as the renowned writer Gabriel García Márquez Márquez. It is no surprise that a film adaptation, which bears the same title of the novel, was produced for a few years later. In this essay, I will focus on the similarities and differences between the novel Pedro Páramo and his film adaptation. I chose this work because Juan Rulfo was an author very dedicated to his studies and his scholarship is reflected in his work. So, in an analysis of the two works, I hope to establish how each one is unique and that they cannot compare each other.

First, it is important to talk about the author of the novel. Rulfo had an enormous interest in reading and has said that "more than having a formal preparation, I have been an almost pathological reader, in which I have come to read up to two books per night". It is said that your library contains up to 10,000 books of which many are of philosophy, history and other literary works. Definitely, Rulfo’s fascination for obtaining more knowledge has influenced his works and has given him the depth that characterizes them.

At present, we can enjoy one of Rulfo’s work products: the novel Pedro Páramo. Soon,

The narrative begins with the first -person collection of Juan Preciado of his trip to Comala, the town where he was conceived, but of which his mother, Dolores, was exiled before his birth.

The narrator tells having promised his dying mother to look for his father, whom he never known, and – in the words of his final mandate – he exits ours, he demands what our.

Juan did not plan to fulfill his promise, but in the end he decides to go to Comala in search of his father. He meets abundance, who is a complete stranger to him and his half -brother, and he advises him to look for Eduviges and ask for lodging. Then, Juan begins a whole jour.

This is how we learned that everyone really were dead including the great Pedro Páramo. After all, Juan is in Comala "where they roam souls in grief that they continually crowd around them, asking him to intercede for them, but in the end they sink him into his world" . Juan ends up dying in abandonment. But this novel not only has a very interesting plot, but also has very outstanding characteristics. I will discuss some important elements in this novel: magical realism, the theme of sexuality and forgiveness.

Juan Rulfo is known as one of the precursors of magical realism. In magical realism, "the real and the unreal, the rational and the irrational are mixed, confused, the legend becomes history and history in legend" . The magical-realistic stories "are stories of naturalistic style, due to the presence of everyday reality, but at the same time, impregnated with mystery, the strange of the ghostly world" . These characteristics are exactly what we see in Pedro Páramo’s novel. In this book we observe how Juan enters Comala, an already deserted town and with houses about to crumble, and then talk to the ghosts of this place in a very normal way. Pedro Páramo is clearly the perfect example of this genre.

It is impossible to read this story without realizing the issue of sexuality. This is another important element in the plot of the book. From the beginning it shows how Pedro sees women as sexual objects to whom he can abuse the craving (Hannan 441) and reaches a point where he suffers from an intense desire to possess his ideal wife, Susana San Juan. This woman, unfortunately from Peter, has her own thoughts and lives in "the memory or pleasure of her sexual fantasy" we can also observe the theme of sexuality in other aspects of the novel such as in Miguel’s life, the only oneson recognized by Pedro, since his sexual desire is what leads him to his death.

Additionally, the issue of forgiveness is also present in Pedro Páramo. Pedro, unable to forgive that the people of Comala have misunderstood the meaning of the bells, condemns a whole people to death. We also observe this subject more subtly when Dolores asks his Son to demand his thing to Pedro;She could not forgive her abandonment. But not only can you observe a lack of will of the characters to forgive their neighbors, but there is also a desire on the part of the characters to be forgiven. For this reason, Father Rentería basically sold forgiveness to those who could pay it;Miguel Páramo "forgave" several carnal sins. María Dyada asks for forgiveness for Eduviges, but does not get it since she can’t pay the price. Father Rentería also tells Dorotea that he will not be able to go to heaven. So, it is no surprise that they have stayed in Comala, a town that, although never directly called, acts as a purgatory 

Now that I have talked about some aspects that stand out in the novel, I would like to talk about the film adaptation of this book. Produced in 1967, the film Pedro Páramo was directed by the Spanish director Carlos Velo. The film is not more or less than an adaptation as an illustration since, without a doubt, it remains extremely faithful to the novel, but there are also some adjustments. The beginning and the end are remarkably similar both in the book and in the movie.

When opening the film, we see Juan next to his mother Dolores, who is on the verge of death. She asks her to look for her father and he does that promise. Clearly, the dialogue lines are recited word by word since they are written in this way in the novel in this same scene. This is where Dolores tells his son “Don’t go to ask for anything. Exit ours. What was forced to give me and never gave me … the forgetfulness in which he had us, my son, co -head it expensive ”.

The film was able to capture the essence of the novel by following it faithfully. Although Juan is not narrating this part of the story as in the book, using a foreground, the camera shows us in detail Juan’s face and then that of his mother. We see the expressions of both characters and we understand that they are very close and they have love, we can trust that their feelings are sincere. At the end of the scene a detail plane is used;Dolores takes John’s hand and we assume that he is about to die since she squeezes her son’s hand with what her last forces seems to be.

Similarly, the final scene of the film is quite faithful to the novel, although it is simplified. A little dialogue is also added to make this scene more dramatic and shocking. The scene begins with a close -up of Pedro Páramo, who is sitting in his chair. Suddenly, Pedro sees a man staggering and heading towards him. It is worth mentioning that we see it abundant on a general level, which shows us that it comes along the path of Comala. This is a curious detail since in the book he is the one who then guides souls along this path. Pedro tells Damiana "Go see what that man wants" (veil). Very drunk abundance approaches Pedro and asks for money to “bury my dead . . . father ”(veil). It is here where lines are added to the script;Pedro asks “Who are you?"To which Abundio responds to“ Son of Pedro Páramo, I am the son of Pedro Páramo, I am the son of Pedro Páramo, we are all children of Pedro Páramo!”(Veil). This addition helps the film a lot since it makes the murder of Pedro Páramo more atrocious and the audience can feel the frustration of poor abundance, who was hurt by the death of his wife and could not bury him and who was also one of the many childrenBastards of Pedro Páramo. There is a detail that was also omitted since in the novel some men are the ones who remove abundance from the scene, but in the film Abundio goes on their own account. The rest remains somewhat similar since Pedro ends up saying “I’m going . . . I’m going . . . Susana ”(veil) and falls to the dead ground.

As for other differences between the novel and the film you can say that there are few. While it is true that in the film the "disorder" of events was not captured as they are happening in the novel, the director did an excellent job when trying to incorporate most of the events that occur in the book. For example, Juan’s death, although it was different and took place at the end of the adaptation, is an important scene and was included in the film. There was an omission in film adaptation;The incestuous brothers were omitted that is why Juan did not die in the same way in which he died in the novel. It is likely that the omission was the result of the restrictions of time (they could not extend the film so much) and perhaps because of the director’s vision for this film.

The essence of Pedro Páramo is found in the history of the main character and those who are directly related to him. In their film adaptation, the issues of abandonment and resentment are the most outstanding;For this reason to add to the couple of brothers would be out of place, here is the reason why this scene was surely left. In general, this is a very faithful adaptation to the novel. It is possible that the film has remained loyal to history for marketing. Being a work recognized by the public, the most normal thing is to make an adaptation that has as the sole reason to provide the public with a visual representation of such a famous literary work.

The elements they are previously talked about are also reflected in the film. We see magical realism through the entire film since the dead and murmurs of souls in comala do not stop bothering Juan. Sexuality is also found during all adaptation especially when Miguel sexually abuses Ana Rentería (like her father sees women as sexual objects) or when Susana is wrapped in one of her erotic dreams with her late husband. The theme of forgiveness also makes an appearance in this story because all souls are trapped in Comala because they found no forgiveness for their sins.

Without a doubt, Pedro Páramo’s depth is due to Juan Rulfo’s great interest in learning. Magic realism, as well as the issues about sexuality and forgiveness, all present in the novel, were incorporated by the writer in his work and reflect his erudition. These elements can also be observed in the film adaptation of the book;They contribute to the meaning of the story and cause us to reflect. Finally, it is important to mention that the novel and the film, even so, cannot compare each other. They are two different means so each one keeps their own merits.