From book to film – One Day

The year 2011 has turned out to be quite a busy year for book to screen adaptations. First there was “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” which saw the end of the Harry Potter series, “Breaking Dawn” the conclusion to the Twilight saga. And finally 24th August sees the release of the internationally acclaimed “One Day” by David Nicholls.

I first heard about “One Day” three years ago, when I was presented with the book as a birthday gift. I was immediately curious about the book with its quirky, bright orange cover with an outline of a boy and a girl. Straight away I was enthralled with the tale of quiet, working class Emma and obnoxious, well off Dexter who meet on 15th July 1988, the night of their graduation. The following day, they both go their separate ways, but on the years that follow they continue to meet up on that one day, sharing the ups and downs of life, the tragedies, the memories and though they both have relationships through the time, they seem to have a found a special place in each other’s hearts.

There were so many moments throughout the book that I longed for Emma and Dexter to finally get together, but then again there were quite a few moments that I was glad that they went their separate ways, especially when Dexter was at his most arrogant.

“One Day” is a remarkably unique read that seemed to catch the nation by storm, by going on to win the Galaxy Book of the Year award and even appeared in “Coronation Street” when it was part of Deirdre Barlow’s book-club. When it was first announced that “One Day” was going to be adapted for film, I wondered how the story would flow. As a reader I can sometimes be a bit sceptical when it comes to book to screen transitions, but have discovered over time that some films translate beautifully to the silver screen, take “The Reader” for a fine example.

Lone Scherfig, a Danish woman was selected as the director of “One Day” and was brought to our attention with her 2000 film “Italian for Beginners” for which she received the Silver Berlin Bear and most recently directed “An Education” based on Nick Hornby’s screenplay.

And then followed the speculation of who would be cast as the Emma and Dexter, I imagined the roles would be given to British actors such as Kiera Knightly or Robert Pattinson, so I was surprised when it was announced that American actress Anne Hathaway had landed the part. Famous for her role in “The Princess Diaries” she then went on to play the meek assistant in “The Devil Wears Prada” based on Lauren Wisenberger’s bestseller, also a great film. For some of the dedicated fans of “One Day”, they felt that Anne would not be suitable for the role of provincial and shy Emma, but director Lone Scherfig was quick to defend the actress saying: “Anne is a very warm actress. She has the warmth of Elizabeth Taylor or Judy Garland…I love Emma as she is in the book, obviously, but I also love Anne Hathaway’s version of her.”

Anne Hathaway has admitted that she felt quite a bit of pressure starring in the bestselling novel, as she knew that fans of the book had issues with an American being cast as the heroine and as the fans were possessive of the book, she felt an added pressure.

Lesser known British actor Jim Sturgess has received little comment on his role as Dexter.

As the film follows two decades of the characters lives, Lone admitted that getting the look and feel for 90’s London, was something of a challenge, but she was well prepared for it, having filmed “An Education” set in the 1950’s. “The trick”, she said, “was to use Emma and Dexter as emotional pilots to drive the audience through all the social cultural transitions and all the depictions of many different small worlds, areas and moments in the history of London.”

As it looms closer to the release date, I have seen various trailers and posters promoting the film, all beautifully shot. With the accompaniment of Elvis Costello to the soundtrack, it will be guaranteed that the film will capture the music of the 90’s, but whether the film will capture the true essence of the award winning book, only time and “One Day” fans will tell.

Either way my seat is booked.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0340896981″ target=”_blank” ] One Day on Amazon [/amazon_link] and other good bookshops. Why not read “One Day” for yourself, and experience the wonderful adventure of Emma and Dexter, before seeing it on the silver screen.