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All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 7)

PART 7: THE CHANGES THAT I LOVED

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

And so we’ve come to this… The final rambling. The changes that I loved.

As I mentioned in another post, I acknowledge that there were many losses when the book was translated into film (or in this case, a mini-series). But this, ladies and gentlemen, is where I discuss the gains. This is where I tell you the parts where the show gave me what the book couldn’t give me. This is where I tell you why, in addition to the book, I loved the show as well.

Without further ado, and in order from what I loved, to what KILLED ME WITH WEEPING JOY:

Madame Manec is portrayed as Etienne’s sister rather than his housekeeper. I actually think this added to the story. For one, nothing is taken away by changing her from a housekeeper to a sister. Both are figures that would have known Etienne since he was a child. Both are figures who would have been present in his home and cared for him. The real game-changer here is how the show utilized the change: moments before Etienne steps back out into the world, Madame Manec delivers a powerful line. She utters, “He looks like my little brother.” (I almost cried.)

Verner’s running sequence through the wall. I find it VERY interesting that some people hated this, saying that it was cheesy and overdramatized. Here’s what I think: (1) Verner running through the city to get to Marie was also in the book, (2) it was necessary to give Verner a heroic sequence because he doesn’t get to have that when he gets to Marie, who saves herself from von Rumpel in the adaptation, and (3) it was riveting to watch! 

Marie listens to the professor too. I don’t see the harm in adding this change, but I definitely see the gain. Keep in mind that the book affords us many details to see the connection between Verner and Marie. They’re the only two characters who were shown to solve the puzzle of the model house. We also saw Verner reflecting on how wonderful the house in Number 4 rue Vauborel is - the radios, the books, etc. The show, with its limited platform, can’t afford to give viewers all those details. So what do they do instead? They establish that Marie also listens to the Professor, so much that she and Verner harmonize the same lines throughout the show. So when we finally see them together, we see flashbacks to their childhood where they both listen to the professor… It tells us as viewers of their connection.

Quote added: “The most important light in the world is all the light we cannot see.” Alright, fine, this quote wasn’t in the book and many have claimed that it was silly. Personally, however, I thought it was a lovely homage to the book. For one thing, it was literally a title-drop. More importantly, it echoed the running theme of the book - the beauty of the radio signals that connected Marie and Verner, the light we cannot see. Was the quote a little too on-the-nose? Perhaps. But in the same way that many aspects of the story had to be dramatized visually, so did this running theme have to be highlighted from the book.  

Jutta’s goodbye. My god. This scene was beautiful. I know that it was vastly different from the farewell in the book; it doesn’t mean that one is better than the other. As I’ve mentioned several times at this point, the book and the show have intentionally different tones. So, naturally, the goodbye in the book was hauntingly heartbreaking, whereas the goodbye in the show was tender and sad. That said, the biggest gift of this addition is this beautiful line: “Like one of your silly radio stations. Keep the frequency the same.” This was beautiful on so many levels. Beautiful because of the wordplay (radios, frequencies), but more beautiful because of how it reflects on the Verner we know and love, the Verner whose quiet goodness will be challenged.

Verner talks to Jutta through the radio. This was a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL addition because it was something that I, as a reader, couldn’t get from the book. As we all know, Verner and Jutta never reunite in the book. So to be blessed with this scene, to be blessed with the mere POSSIBILITY that they’re going to see each other again… It made my heart weep with joy.

Etienne and his brother are merged into one professor, Etienne and Verner actually meet, Etienne dies. As surprised as I was to find that Etienne dies in the adaptation, I overall thought this was a BEAUTIFUL change when considering Verner’s story arc. Let’s think about it. The show had limited time, they needed to show that Verner carried a lot of guilt, they needed to show that his connection to Etienne (and consequently Marie) was his beacon of hope. What better way to show that arc than to have him by a dying Etienne’s side, who turns to him and kindly says, “You’re a good boy, Verner Pfennig.” It was a big change and a small moment, but said so much. It was a beautiful way to show Verner being absolved.

All additions to Verner and Marie’s time together - the kiss, the dance, the promise to reunite. Listen. I don’t care if this wasn’t in the book. Let me repeat. I don’t care if this wasn’t in the book. One more time. I DON’T CARE IF THIS WASN’T IN THE BOOK. I love the book. I love the bittersweetness of the short time they spent together. I love the haunting heartbreak from the fact that they never got a chance to reunite. This, however, is also why I loved the changes that were made to the show. The show gave me EXACTLY what I didn’t get to have from the book. I spent 500 pages waiting for Marie and Verner to meet. The show gave me what I was waiting for in those 500 pages. The dance scene. The kiss scene. The way Marie twirls her fingers in his hair. The way she touches his eyelid, similar to the way she touched her father’s eyelids a few episodes ago. The promise to return, the line, “I will be listening”, the simple and powerful HOPE that they may see each other again. This is exactly what the show gives me, what the book intentionally (albeit beautifully) withheld from me: hope.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I loved both the book and the show.

The book broke my heart, the show made it flutter.

Thus concludes my defense of the All The LIght We Cannot See, Netflix version.

[eat-pray-cry]

All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 6)

PART 6: THE RANDOM THINGS I LOVED

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

So… We talked about the things the show adapted well. Now, let me tell you about the random things I loved. I’m going to be a gushing mess. Sorry not sorry.

The first time they cross paths - Verner walks by the bakery just as Marie enters it. Admittedly, this only impacted me the way it did because I read the book. The thing about ALTWCS is that it builds immense anticipation for when Verner and Marie are going to meet. That anticipation was already there when I started watching the show. So to see their VERY FIRST INTERSECTION… Whew.

In the first episode, there’s a sweet scene where little Marie reaches out and touches her father on the eyelids. In the final episode, as Marie and Verner dance, she also touches Verner’s eyelid. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you… This detail had my heart SHOOTING TOWARDS THE SKY. When I read the book, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Verner and Marie’s father. Both clever, both gentle, both kind. The romantic in me also saw this as an indicator that Verner was, in some way, Marie’s soulmate. SO TO SEE THIS PARALLEL DRAWN VISUALLY ON SCREEN? *faints*

Episode 3 where Verner looks up towards Marie and utters, "So her name is Marie..." All my insides turned to butterflies.

The part where Verner is unconscious on the ground, Clair de Lune plays in the background. No words needed. They had no reason to add this scene, but they did, and it was BEAUTIFUL. Simply put.

#all the light we cannot see

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All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 5)

PART 5: THE THINGS THEY ADAPTED WELL

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

And here is where I turn into a gushing mess. Now that we’ve gotten the arguably disappointing changes out of the way, allow me to rave about the things I LOVED about the show.

Let’s start with the things the show captured well, starting with the things I loved, to the things I REALLY loved:

The connection between Verner and Jutta. Obviously, a film version will never capture the many tender moments we spent with Verner and Jutta in the book, from the way he towed her around in a wagon when they were kids, to their quietly heartbreaking goodbye. But, let me say this. The show accomplished A LOT with so little. The charming way they shot little Jutta and little Verner under the blanket, listening to the radio together. The scene where Jutta chastises him, going from a tense exchange to two siblings snuggled together, laughing and eating chocolate. It doesn’t compare to the book, but it was beautifully done nonetheless.

The charming relationship between Marie and her father. Every single moment between Marie and her Papa was every bit as heartwarming in the show as it was in the book. I knew this from the moment I saw a big hand guiding a little hand through a wooden model version of Paris on screen, and with the beautiful music added, it only nailed in the charm. 

Verner listening to Marie’s voice. Listen. Anthony Doerr mentioned in an interview that this concept was the beginnings of his inspiration to write this book - the thought of a sightless girl reading a book to a boy in darkness across a vast distance. The scenes of Verner listening to Marie in the first episode EMBODIED this image and was only enhanced every time he echoed the things she was saying. UGH…. Beautiful.

Last but most certainly not least: Verner and Marie. The lead actors were PHENOMENAL. Louis Hoffman really captured Verner’s gentleness, and Aria Mia Loberti embodied Marie’s beauty and intelligence. Some details I particularly liked: the way Louis Hoffman elevated his voice to speak lightly and gently (note: the book says Verner speaks “with a high, sweet voice”) and the tender ways Aria moved her fingers on screen. Just…wow. I’m blown away by how well they captured the characters.

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All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 4)

PART 4: CHANGES - THE UGLY

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

Alright, now the changes that were pretty ugly. And while I understand why these changes were made, I admit that even I thought it took away from the story. These changes are also the reason why I wouldn’t mind a more extended and accurate adaptation of the book someday.

Volkheimer was greatly reduced and Frederick wasn’t featured. Yes, I agree, it is tragic that these two figures weren’t portrayed. I won’t expand on why Volkheimer and Frederick were such important characters because anyone who read the book would know why and would be equally disappointed not to see their stories done with justice. But, I must remain technical here. The show was a limited series. It had to select what was essential to the core story, all while maintaining the hopeful tone it was going for. As a result, Volkheimer and Frederick’s stories were a necessary sacrifice.

Daniel LeBlanc’s fate. Yes, I was put-off by the change here as well. His fate in the book added to its overall tragedy, so seeing it changed definitely took away from the story. But, the way I see it, this is exactly what the show wanted to do. Since the show was aiming for more hopeful tones, it needed to omit such a tragic fate. So instead, they change his death and achieve two things with it: (1) it enhances von Rumpel as a villain and (2) it enhances the hopeful tone as LeBlanc dies protecting Marie (aka “love is more important than pain”).

In the book, Verner kills von Rumpel and saves Marie. In the show, Marie kills von Rumpel and saves Verner. I’m neutral on this change. I kinda liked it, I definitely didn’t hate it. I simply focused on what it achieved: (1) maintained the hopeful tone that the show was aiming for by portraying Marie as the brave heroine she is, and (2) Verner still gets to do a heroic dash towards the house.

Verner’s interaction to the Sea of Flames is greatly reduced. Okay, so if I had to pick what I consider to be the biggest loss from the book to the show, it would be this. In the book, Verner’s ability to walk away from the Sea of Flames is presented BEAUTIFULLY. We as readers know that he went back to the grotto. We know that he went as far as to solve the puzzle, take out the Sea of Flames, plant it back in the water, and walk away with just a wooden model and an iron key. This is the moment we realize that Verner would rather keep a memory of Marie than a multi-billion dollar stone. (Yes, I’m crying just thinking about it.) But in the show? Verner merely sees the stone, tries to pick it up, but retreats when Marie asks him to. Do I understand why the show needed to omit the significance of the stone and how it relates to Verner’s character? Yes. Do I think it takes away from the story? Absolutely. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I can’t stop myself from telling people the book version of this event.

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All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 3)

PART 3: CHANGES - THE BAD

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

Okay, let’s talk changes. First, let me clarify that all the changes were, in my opinion, justifiable. Did I like all of them? No. Can I see why they were made? Yes.

That said, behold my list of the bad (but not quite ugly) changes, and why I didn't mind them.

In the book, Verner destroys the radio, much to Jutta’s dismay. In the show, Verner continues listening to the radio, against Jutta’s wishes. I actually thought this change was delicately executed. The only difference I see here is that in the show, Jutta cautions against the dangers of listening to the radio, whereas in the book, she cautions against becoming misinformed. In the end, she is still established as a voice of reason, while simultaneously reinforcing that Verner was deeply attached to the Professor’s lessons.

The journey to Saint-Mailo, where Marie and Papa steal a car instead of enduring the grueling journey by foot. Two reasons why I think this is justified, both of which are technical. (1) Time. Keep in mind that a visual platform has limited time, so context had to be condensed as much as possible. To me, this scene was meant to convey that Daniel LeBlanc had a way of creating the charm and humor out of a bad situation. We saw this throughout the book, the show conveyed it in this scene. (2) Tone. Bear in mind that the show was aiming for a more hopeful tone, so the tragedy needed to be concentrated in certain scenes. This was not one of them. Showing a long and grueling journey would have made the show lean more towards the likes of All Quiet on the Western Front.

Verner’s time in Schulpforta is condensed. This makes sense to me. Again, the show had to condense a lot of context, so it had to be done here. Nevertheless, I thought they condensed it beautifully. The scene with Verner running from his ‘traditional welcome’ was heartbreaking.

Random details - omission of the model as a puzzle, addition of von Rumpel’s lady friend and Captain Schmidt. These, to me, were just tools for condensing the story. Am I sad that the house as a model wasn’t featured? Yes. The model, to me, was a very important indicator of Marie’s cleverness. Not to mention her connection with Verner, as Verner was the only other character in the book who was able to open it. But, simply put, the show did not have space for this detail. As for von Rumpel’s lady friend and Captain Schmidt, they were just mere tools for condensing the story. The lady friend was used to explain von Rumpel’s motivations, just as Captain Schmidt was used to show how badly Verner wanted to protect Marie.

Extra nazis, and all of them were “comically evil”. I’m only mentioning this because I’ve heard this comment several times. Let me start by giving credit where credit is due. Yes, the book was masterful in portraying nuance, and that included the nazi figures in Verner’s life. The thing is, subtlety doesn’t play out as well in a visual platform. It’s a show. Condensed, visual tension was necessary. As a result, the nazi figures had to be greatly dramatized compared to the figures in the book. 

Etienne is a badass. Okay, okay, I admit that even I felt iffy about this one, but I managed to make it make sense. First, keep in mind that the Etienne we met at the beginning of the show is PRESENT Etienne. He had already evolved. He’s had time to become brave. This is further reinforced by the flashback where we do see the Etienne that we knew from the book - the hermit suffering from PTSD - and we see the precise moment he grows out of it (aka “a tiger you will be again”). If anything, my only complaint is that he was already quietly involved in the Resistance by the time we meet him.

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All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 2)

PART 2: BOOK vs. SHOW - AN OVERVIEW

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

Let’s begin with an overview. More importantly, let’s tackle an important question:

Is the book better?

The answer is yes. No doubt about it. Here’s why:

As with any book-to-film adaptations, the book is a more detailed and extensive journey.

The show literally wouldn’t exist without the book that came before it.

The book was beautiful and unforgettable - award-winning, even. The show was pretty, but not particularly ground-breaking or memorable.

What’s interesting, however, is that in my experience, one version enhanced the other. I would not have enjoyed the show as much had I not read the book. It’s because of the book that I knew the weight of each scene, the story behind each character, the emotions behind every interaction. But, I would also argue that the show enhanced my experience of the book. Why? Because the show gave me what I couldn’t get from the book - joy, romance, a hopeful ending. As many of us know, the book was tragic. By the time you turn the last page, your heart is broken. And while that was beautiful in its own haunting way, the show spares you from that lasting pain.

So that begs the next question: what’s the difference between the book and the adaptation?

I’ll save the technical details for another post, but here, let’s discuss the overall change in tone.

When I think of ALTWCS, I think of several tones, all of which are dispersed throughout the book: charm, hope, resilience, tragedy, and romance. The charm stems from all the loving moments - we think of children listening to a tale of a cursed gem, of a little girl roaming the streets of Paris with her father, of a little boy discovering the wonders of radio. Hope and resilience, we see in the later parts of the book, as Marie smuggles messages or Etienne broadcasts codes. Romance is in the very short but very intimate time that Verner and Marie spend together. As for tragedy, it’s all there - in the story of Frederick, in the arrest of Daniel LeBlanc, in the death of the little girl, and of course… The ending. By the time we close the book, we feel pain and loss.

The show takes a different turn. Set against WWII, we see Marie’s charming relationship with her family, we see her bravely engaging in the Resistance, we see her dance with Verner, we see her save herself from von Rumpel. Tragedy becomes a backdrop, charm persists throughout, resilience stays at the forefront, romance appears at the peak, and the show ends on a hopeful note.

So are they different? Yes. Very. But that doesn’t have to be bad. The way I see it, we were blessed with two different versions of the story, each with its own effect. It just so happens that one was a book, the other was a show. 

All in all, I feel a lot of love for both versions.

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All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation (Part 1)

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

Alright. It’s been a few days since I finished the book and watched the Netflix adaptation, and even now, ATLWCS is still floating around my head.

I loved the book. LOVED IT. It charmed and devastated me as it did to many others. It broke my heart into a million pieces. It shattered me into tears.

But guess what?

I loved the show too. LOVED IT. It made me smile, it made me tear up. It made me swoon.

But… I also realize that a lot of people hated the show, particularly those who were horrified by the many drastic changes (and indeed, there were many drastic changes). This doesn’t change how I feel about the show.

And thus, a series of oncoming ramblings is born.

I call this series, “All the Light We Cannot See: In Defense of the Netflix Adaptation”.