A Few Good Men (1992): When Adaptation Captures the Essence of the Original

This chapter examines the adaptation of A Few Good Men, a play that premiered on Broadway in 1989 and became a successful film in 1992, directed by Rob Reiner. The screenplay was written by the same author of the original stage production, Aaron Sorkin. My interest in this adaptation arises from the fact that it exemplifies a process of refinement. On the one hand, the film embodies the qualities that cinema seeks in a motion picture screenplay, qualities that Sorkin’s play already possessed in great degree. However, due to a several key alterations to an already strong source material, the film is able to shed light on how the development process of a cinematic project is an opportunity to “milk” every detail from the story and fine-tune the original content. The chapter focuses on the areas of the play that posed unique challenges and required Sorkin’s careful attention in the rewriting process. Specifically, a pivotal component of the protagonist's investigation had to be altered to satisfy the visual dimension of cinema. In addition, the urgency of story’s finale was magnified to fulfil the spectacular demands of a Hollywood film.