Side-by-side comparison: a unique opportunity to learn about choices in film-making.
It’s rare that we get the opportunity to compare and contrast two film versions of the same story, which were made within two years of eachother – and the lessons we get to learn from that comparison are pretty unique.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009, directed by Niels Arden Oplev) and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011, directed by David Fincher), both based on Stieg Larsson‘s 2005 novel, have been the subject of several analyses.
SceneCraft offers a side-by-side comparison, arguing that Fincher’s version is superior:
Lessons from the Screenplay traces Fincher’s directorial choices back to screenwriter Steven Zaillian’s adaption, and contrasts the film not with Oplev’s version, but with the conventions of Marvel movies:
Further Viewing
A collection of breakdowns of Fincher’s style across his feature films and music videos:
Bonus: this featurette on the casting of Rooney Mara as Salander also includes some behind-the-scenes footage of the shooting of the film:
Related Posts:
Film School: ‘The Plan’ Montage in ‘Shaun of the Dead’ (2004) A case study in thrilling, visual storytelling.
Film School: Parasite (2019) A collection of video essays on the craft of Bong Joon Ho's film.
Film School: David Fincher and Motivated Camera Movement How the director connects viewer to character and story.
Film School: Colour in ‘Euphoria’ "Sometimes, in order to get to the deepest emotional depths of a character, capturing a feeling, rather than reality, is more important."
Film School: Intro to Colour Grading A comprehensive overview of the Image Pipeline.
Film School: One Filmmaker’s Process Across Three Genres Danny Gevirtz shares his process on three projects: a mini doc, a music video, and a solo narrative.
Film School: Shot / Reverse Shot, and the 180 Rule The filmmaker's guide to shooting dialogue.
Film School: 5 Problems In Student Films Mistaking your own experience for cinema, and other pitfalls.