Differences Between High Fidelity Novel and Film

Both the novel High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and its film adaptation directed by Stephen Frears included crucial plot elements, with Hornby effectively conveying themes through literary devices. The movie, which came out in 2000 and starred John Cusack as Rob, stayed true to the novel to some degree.

While the film successfully captured the main ideas of the original novel, it fell short in representing the minute details that contributed to the specific tone intended by Hornby. The disparities between the two mediums are evident in the exaggerated importance assigned to Rob's past relationships, the visual resemblance between characters in the book and the movie, and the distinct literary and filming techniques used to emphasize different aspects of the story from each work's perspective.

The prologue of the novel sets the tone by listing Rob's top five break-ups, excluding his recent ex-girlfriend Laura, who he believes is incapable of causing the same level of heartbreak. Throughout the book, Rob refers back to these break-ups while reflecting on what went wrong in his previous relationships before Laura.

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This differs from the portrayal in the film.

The film focuses excessively on Rob's past break-ups and relationships, a theme briefly touched upon in the novel's prologue. By drawing out Rob's explanations of these failed relationships, the film creates the perception that they are integral to his daily life. Through narration, Rob recounts his top five worst break-ups while going about his everyday routine, blurring the lines between his past and present experiences.

Portraying the ex-girlfriends as significant characters in the film may mislead the audience since it deviates from the novel.

In addition to highlighting Rob's top five break-ups, the movie also focuses on Marie LaSalle, an intriguing artist with whom Rob has a one-night stand. The book briefly mentions Marie as just an artist Rob had a fling with, but she plays a pivotal role in his realization that he wants to be with Laura due to his love for her.

Contrary to the novel, the film portrays Marie LaSalle as a potential fling of Rob's. This almost led to a love triangle between Rob, Marie, and Laura, a deviation from the original plot. Nick Hornby provided detailed descriptions of the characters' appearances, especially Rob's relationships. When comparing Hornby's descriptions of the women Rob dated in the novel to the actresses cast in those roles in the film, there are no similarities except for their dialogue.

In the novel, Rob describes Laura as having short, dark hair that accentuates her eyes. However, in the film adaptation, actress Iben Hjejle portrays Laura with shoulder-length blonde hair that contradicts Rob's description.

Laura's appearance in the movie may have been modified from the novel, written just five years earlier, to better suit the early 2000s rather than the mid 1990s. This change helped distinguish between the different time periods and settings in both the novel and film, influenced by London in 1995 and Chicago in 2000. The novel aimed to capture Laura's style during the 1995 skinhead movement in Europe, while the film portrayed her as a punk navigating contemporary society and trying to break into the working class.

Laura was not the only woman in Rob’s life that was not translated correctly from the novel to the film; the description of Maria LaSalle was also lost in translation when trying to create her to be an on screen character. In the novel, Rob describes that “Marie is pretty, in the that nearly cross-eyed American way – she looks like a slightly plumper, post Partridge Family, pre-L. A. law Susan Dey – and if you were going to develop a spontaneous and pointless crush on somebody, you could do a lot worse” (77).

Describing Marie as resembling an actress from the American TV show The Partridge Family suggests she embodies the all-American woman ideal, benefiting from the audience's familiarity with US television. Rob is intrigued by Marie not only for her musical talents but also for being seen as exotic through the eyes of a British man. American women in Europe hold the same allure and mystery as non-American women in the United States; men are drawn to the unknown, which fuels Rob's attraction to Marie.

The novel presents Marie LaSalle with a resemblance to Susan Dey, a white female known for her free-spirited hippie style, suggesting that Marie is a typical American woman with an Indie fashion sense. In contrast, the film casts Lisa Bonet as Marie, who has mixed skin and a style similar to Alanis Morissette, but with a darker tone. The choice of Bonet was influenced by the need for an actress with exotic looks from an American perspective, as the film was not set in Britain.

The film successfully portrayed Marie as exotic and mysterious to American culture, largely due to Lisa Bonet's acting. However, it did not fully capture Marie LaSalle's unfamiliarity to American culture as depicted in the novel. The novel's intertextuality made it relatable to the audience by conveying Rob's thoughts and situations more clearly. Since a film cannot have continuous narration, music was used to convey Rob's ideas.

Background music served as a key element in the film, allowing for a deeper exploration of Rob's thoughts and emotions that may not have been fully conveyed on screen. Both the novel and the film highlighted Rob's strong belief in the importance of music in daily life, enhancing the character's transition from page to screen. The novel's intertextuality, such as references to iconic films like When Harry Met Sally, was more subtle in the film adaptation but still added layers of meaning for the audience to appreciate.

Rob in the novel questions why happy people do not always look happy, regardless of their circumstances, while those still searching for love seem anxious yet content, like Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally (257). In the film adaptation, music is used to convey tone and plot development. For example, "I Want Candy" plays during a flashback of Rob's first relationship with Alison Ashworth to emphasize his immaturity. The film utilizes music to enhance the tone that cannot be achieved through narration, while the novel relies on prose to convey its ideas. Ultimately, the change in setting in the film adaptation contributes to the differences and disconnect between the novel and the movie.

The film needed to transition from British pop-culture and perceptions to American pop-culture and perception in order to resonate with its American audience. Techniques like soundtracks and intertextuality, exclusive to certain artistic mediums, aided in translating the novel successfully to the film. Despite presenting the ideas and plot in a more confined manner, the film managed to capture the essence of Nick Hornby's detailed novel.