Is Adaptation an Act of Transformation? J. B. Keane’s The Field on Screen

Abstract

This chapter presents an analysis of the adaptation of J. B. Keane’s playThe Field into its cinematic version, by considering the developments that took place in the transition from stage to screen. Thus, the purpose of this work is to examine how playwright and filmmaker construct their own texts in order to frame differences and similarities between the source text and the target one.

‘The authentic … is never obvious and is forever in need of the supplement of commentary.’ Cultural production and reproduction is an instrumental manifestation of this supplement of commentary.

(Graham, quoted in Monahan, 2009b: 1–2)