Marjane Satrapi has written two graphic novels about her life that have since been transformed into a film. Although the film is similar to the graphic novels, it is different as she could not fit as much information into the film as the book. However, both the graphic novels and the film share the common theme of “rejecting conformity” (T.)
The film “Persepolis” has mostly two-dimensional black and white animation. While black and white scenes are meant to display memories or history, the beginning and end of the film are in color to represent the present time. The color differentiation among scenes relates the message, “when we look back to our past, we may see situations in black and white—without the color of present emotions” (Kennedy).
While the film and the graphic novels share most of the same themes, the way the graphic novel was adapted into a film left some key parts from Marjane’s story out or altered. For example, the scene where Marjane’s mother came to visit her, the story about her adopted maid, and some details about certain characters are excluded (T.). To make up for the parts of the graphic novel that are altered or excluded, the film can use sound to express Marjanes’ rejection of society. Through the use of sound and music, the audience empathizes with how she connects and likes punk music and how it contrasts her conservative country (T.). Another difference is the graphic novel focuses more on the events in Iran, and how the difficult times affected others and Marjane. While the graphic novel displays historical images, it does not go into detail about Iran’s history. Contrary, the film, “intends to more directly educate the viewer about Iranian history-leaving out many scenes of Marji in Austria” (Kennedy). The film depicts the historical facts of the revolution that takes place in Iran while giving the reader more graphic imagery; the novel focuses more on Marjane’s emotions and connecting with the reader as she faces different obstacles throughout her life.
Ebert, Roger. “Persepolis Movie Review & Film Summary (2008): Roger Ebert.” Persepolis Movie Review & Film Summary (2008) | Roger Ebert, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/persepolis-2008.
Kennedy, Brittany. “Differences between the Graphic Novel and Film, ‘Persepolis,” by Satrapi Analysis.” ReelRundown, ReelRundown, 12 Dec. 2011, https://reelrundown.com/animation/An-Analysis-of-the-Graphic-Novel-and-Film-Persepolis-by-Satrapi.
T., / Raymond. “Persepolis Analysis: The Differences of a Comic Book Turned into a Movie.” Classic But New, 9 Nov. 2013, https://classicbutnew.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/persepolis-analysis-the-differences-of-a-comic-book-turned-into-a-movie/.
Hi, I really liked the way you set up your post, especially how you included the differences between film and book. In most cases the film version of a book is different from the novel itself, and so the most important parts are chosen to be on screen. I agree with what you said about how the main theme is Marji’s rejection of the norm, but is this the only thing Satrapi wanted depicted in these films? Are there other aspects important to her story that weren’t emphasized enough? Either way, it’s always better when you have seen both book and film, as it always for you to cross check differences between the two. Good job on your post!
Hi! I really enjoyed your context presentation. You hit on many key points that we are discussing this week. As a visual learner myself, the film filled in gaps for me through the use of color and sound/music as you mentioned. Moving characters are easier to analyze and understand than graphics in a novel. I do agree with you on the fact that the book is more detailed and in-depth compared to the film due to time restrictions. I like that you mentioned that the film intends to educate its viewers more on Iranian history compared to focusing on Marji as seen in the novel. I find this to be a very true statement. Ultimately, as you mentioned the pros and cons of both the film and the novel, one thing is evident to me. In order to gain full understanding of Persepolis, we must watch the film and read the novel. Again, nice job on your post!
Hello!
Great job comparing and contrasting the film and the movie. Reading this will definitely help me when watching the movie, it will help for me to notice the differences and have an idea of what to look out for. Thanks!
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your post. You did a really great job truly analyzing the movie and making many connections between the book and the movie. I particularly liked how the movie was able to provide more extensive visuals than the novel. I felt that I was able to develop a greater understanding from the movie than I was from the book, only because of the visuals. The book was much more descriptive than the movie, as you described. Do you believe that the book is better than the movie? I always like to ask myself this question.
Great job comparing the movie to the book. I like how you pointed out the black and white aspects to the movie. you mentioned that the scences were black and white because Marji’s emotions were diffrent in her past. While I agree with this I also think that the past memories were black and white because Marji was not fully matured enough to understand exactly what was going on and the black and white represents her nievate.
Hello, I first wanted to say that I thought this was quite a sound context presentation. Additionally, I think the dynamic of what aspects of the book to leave out of the movie is an interesting one. As you touched on, there simply isn’t enough time to fit all of the book into the movie, and when an author is telling a life story, it can be difficult to decide what to cut. I think this can reveal a lot about the author, as it may elude to which points in her life she feels needs to be addressed the most. Overall, I thought your post touched on some very interesting debates to be had.
I think you did a great job with this presentation. I really enjoyed reading your views on this and how you compared the book from the movie. I am a visual learner so I am really looking forward to watching the movie!
Hello!
Thank you for taking the time to really weed out the differences between the novel “Persepolis” and the film. I too noticed the biggest difference between the novel and the film was that the film focused more on historical accuracy and facts about the country as a whole while the book, which could fit more information, goes into detail about Marji’s personal experiences. I am more of a visual learner as my attention span is affected more when reading novels, so the history aspect really intrigued me. Great work!
Hi!
I enjoyed reading your context presentation! I enjoyed how you comented on how the book and the film both share the theme of “rejecting conformity.” I also like how you caught onto the color scheme where the black and white versus color depicts the past versus the present. I think this allows us to also pay attention to details to what is happening and the truth instead of focusing our attention to the details of the colors. I also noticed that the film was able to express more emotions of the people, and express the reactions of the crowd more vividly.
Hello!
I really enjoyed reading your analysis between the book and the film! There were a lot of similarities littered in between the two, but I did notice that the film was a little more rushed and there really isn’t a proper way to fit the entire storyline into a film without having to cut out some parts or glaze over some scenes. Wonderful job!
I really enjoyed this analysis. I thought it showed a great connection between the book and film, and highlighted their similarities. I myself am definitely a visual learner, so seeing this visualized should make a lot more sense than reading it.