Analysis of The Movie Version Of, a View from The Bridge by Arthur Miller

A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller was an enjoyable read. It flowed well and was thoroughly intriguing. I was really engrossed in the characters and situation that Miller developed. I personally enjoy works focusing on an individual’s thought processes and course of action when dealing with a difficult situation. Eddie Carbone is a well-developed and believable character. I appreciate that he wasn’t the average “good” or “bad” guy. He was a good person. However, his desires, that even he himself wasn’t conscious about, caused him to make some bad choices. And the realism of it all is the main thing I like about this play.

Since it is a play, it is already made for stage production, which makes the transition to film easier than other works of literature since each characters’ lines and actions are blatantly written out. I enjoyed the film adaptation as much as I enjoyed its literary counterpart. It managed to bring my visualizations I had while reading to life.

The film adaptation was great and I did get to re-experience the literature as a critically good film. I give credit to the actors for being able to portray the characters realistically and bringing their relationships and emotions to life. I also give credit to the filmmakers for filming in Red Hook Brooklyn, the actual place where the play is set. The other scenes’ settings in the film also successfully portray the world in A View from the Bridge. All these elements resulted in a great adaptation.

Throughout the play, it is implied that Eddie has hidden desires for his niece, Catherine. I think this implication is successfully portrayed in the film adaptation, notably in scenes where they have close interactions. The scene that stands in significance regarding this is the scene where Catherine lights Eddie’s cigar. I think that scene conveys the message that Eddie has feelings for Catherine rather obviously. There were many other scenes in the film adaptation that I believed represented the scenes in the play successfully.

My only complaint with the film adaptation lies in the ending. I am somewhat disappointed that the ending didn’t follow Miller’s play. However, I liked the ending to both versions, the literature and its film counterpart. In the play, Eddie dies during a fight with Marco. While Eddie tried to stab Marco, Marco managed to turn it around and Eddie ends up dying instead. I like the fact that this scene took a literal and metaphorical sense: Eddie was trying to kill Marco, but ends up dying instead and Eddie’s flaw results in his downfall. In the film adaptation, Eddie commits suicide by plunging himself with a hook. Although I dislike this change from the play, I still enjoyed this ending because it seems to show Eddie’s sudden shock and realization at what he has done and his belief that there’s no turning back, thus, suicide being the answer. Although different, both endings display how the protagonist’s tragic flaw leads to his death. In any case, either ending is a believable and possible outcome that still relates and ties to the rest of story.

The film as a whole is a worthy adaptation of the work of literature that I consider a success. It managed to bring the characters, settings, and situation to life while still getting the themes and underlying messages across to the viewers as the play did to the readers.