Trying to Adapt

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A podcast about the process of adapting books into movies and other mediums. Don't worry, it's fun.

Ben and Nora Schultz


    • Mar 13, 2019 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 17 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Trying to Adapt

    Trying to Adapt 017: Esmeralda, or the Deformed of Notre-Dame (1834)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2019


    Ben and Nora discover that they (okay, he) fucked up the premise of the podcast and have to start from the beginning. Fortunately, this weird little play is waiting for them when they do. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20190313-002-017.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 016: Notre Dame of Paris, A Lyrical Drama in Four Acts (1864)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2019


    As we go through the first American adaptation of Victor Hugo’s famous novel, Ben’s computer makes a weird noise and Nora breaks out the discussion questions. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20190228-002-016.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 015: Esmeralda, or, the “Sensation” Goat! (1862)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2019


    Ben and Nora read through an English parody play, based on the opera based on the book, where the goat actually gets second billing. https://ia801507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20190221-002-015.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 014: La Esmeralda (1836) by Victor Hugo and Louise Bertin

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2019


    Victor Hugo just couldn’t leave his first classic novel alone! Ben and Nora explore his very own opera version of “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”, which is really not very good. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20190213-002-014.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 013: Notre-Dame de Paris (1830) by Victor Hugo, pt. 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2019


    Ben and Nora finally get to the end of Victor Hugo’s first novel and, folks, it’s kind of a downer. Fortunately, we also learn what the book is really about. https://ia801507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20190207-002-013.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 012: Notre-Dame de Paris (1830) by Victor Hugo, pt. 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2019


    Ben and Nora get into the meat of the matter in the second part of a two-hour exploration of Victor Hugo’s classic novel. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20190203-002-012.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 011: Notre-Dame de Paris (1830) by Victor Hugo, pt. 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2019


    Nora is sick, but nevertheless we plow into Victor Hugo’s first novel, about a hunchback who rings bells. It’s a 500-page book, so be on the lookout for parts 2 and 3 of our journey through it. https://ia801507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20190125-002-011.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 010: A Christmas Carol (1971) with Alistair Sim

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2018


    To cap off the holiday season, Ben and Nora watch Alistair Sim’s other portrayal of Scrooge in an animated adaptation that never stops moving. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181224-001-010.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 009: Scrooge (1951) with Alistair Sim, part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2018


    In the second part of this very long episode, Ben and Nora continue to explore Alistair Sim’s classic portrayal. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181220-001-009.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 008: Scrooge (1951) with Alistair Sim, part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2018


    In the first half of this very long episode, Ben and Nora explore Alistair Sim’s classic and possibly definitive portrayal of Scrooge in a cleverly-padded feature-length film. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181219-001-008.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 007: A Christmas Carol (1969, animated)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2018


    Ben and Nora explore an animated Dutch adaptation of the classic Dickens story which peaks early. https://ia801507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181213-001-007.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 006: “The Story of Compassion,” Adventures from the Book of Virtues (2000)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2018


    Ben and Nora explore a poorly thought-out cartoon version of Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” leading them to the conclusion that Republicans are bad. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181212-001-006.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 005: A Christmas Carol, A New Opera (2016)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2018


    Despite not really being able to see or hear what’s going on, Ben and Nora talk about Mike Leavitt’s 2016 opera adaptation of the classic story. https://ia801507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181211-001-005.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 004: Gorgo’s A Christmas Carol (2017)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2018


    In this episode, Ben and Nora explore a puppet show very loosely based on the Vincent Price-narrated TV adaptation from episode 2. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181206-001-004.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 003: A Christmas Carol (1938) with Reginald Owen

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2018


    In this episode, we watch a classic early film version of the story, and Nora opens a big can of worms. https://ia801507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181205-001-003.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 002: The Christmas Carol (1949) with Vincent Price

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2018


    Ben and Nora explore a “technically primitive” adaptation of Dickens’ classic story from the very, very early days of television, featuring a young Vincent Price as the narrator. https://archive.org/download/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181130-001-002.mp3

    Trying to Adapt 001: Introduction to “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2018


    In this very special episode, Ben and Nora explore the classic novella that’s been adapted several hundred times, making it the perfect starting point for a podcast about the way books get adapted into other mediums. Also, merry Christmas or something. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/23/items/TryingtoAdapt/tta-20181123-001-001.mp3

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