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Juan David Cardenas - Garcia

Ms. Saravia - 4

English 11

2 February 2017

Compare & Contrast An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

There are some difference and similarities between the film adaptation and the original

story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. They have some aspects that

compare and differ with each other such as their point of view, genre, and voice. These are the

reasons of why both of these can and are both similar and different to each other.

The point of view of the story and the film are similar and different at times. Both the

story and the short film have basically the same point of view, third person perspective. The

cinematography in the film parallels to that of the story it was based on, The scenes described in

the story were recreated in the film flawlessly, which may of been the fact that both were in third

person perspective. We never really see into the mind of Peyton Farquhar in both the book and

the movie, however, he is the only character who the narrator focuses on and gives use details

about him.

In the story, there is actual dialogue spoken throughout the three sections which gives us

perspective on the events that occurred and are occurring. Whereas the silent short film has

virtually no dialogue spoken, but when it does it is inaudible, however, the lip movements,
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emotion, visual information and shot focus help us know what and how they said when they

spoke. The surroundings that Peyton Farquhar was focusing on to distract him from his

impending doom of being hung is brought to the film very properly with sequences of visual

keys, such as when he turns around his head to look over his the bridge and then it cuts to a shot

of the river below, conveys that is what he is looking at, just like the book described. Another

difference with both adaptations is that the short film is accompanied by a score that seems to of

had been written just for the film to impose emotion onto the viewer. A sad score is played just

as he is being prepared to be let go from the plank and hung from the bridge, to heighten the

emotion of his situation alongside his face trying to keep his emotions in.

The genres of the two adaptations of the An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge are

different and similar in their effectiveness. They are both of different genres, as the original is

that of a story, and the other is that of a short film. The short film leaves and adds some of the

details and events in the story, such as the flashback explaining the reason Peyton Farquhar was

going to be hung in the bridge by the union soldiers. There was virtually no dialogue in the short

film, when a character did say something, it was silent. the story was told through perspective,

body language, facial expressions, timing, visual focusing and music. Visually, the short film

adaptation did succeed in being effective at conveying Ambrose Bierces story easily without

dialogue as most of the story was told through third person perspective. However, this decision
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for the adaptation left out one major thing the reason Peyton Farquhar was going to be hung in

the bridge by the union soldiers, being the flashback in section 2 of the story. The music in the

film was probably the reason of why it was the most effective in conveying and increasing

specific emotions when it needed to throughout the film.

In conclusion, the story and short film adaptation of Ambrose Bierces story have

similarities and variations in their genre, point of view, and voice. Both are effective in different

ways, and the adaptation captures the original story almost flawlessly.