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The Bourne Identity Book and Film Comparison Essay

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xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx English Lit. and Composition
16 December 2013
Book and Film Comparison
The Bourne Identity
Robert Ludlum
Richard Marek Publishers; First Edition edition (1980)
Setting
The setting of the novel takes place largely in Europe. The story opens in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of France. The story moves throughout France largely in Paris. Zurich, Switzerland is also a major setting. New York City and Washington, D.C. also play lesser but important roles. The story ends in the upper west side of Manhattan in New York City. Other parts of the world are alluded to as well, especially Southeast Asia.
Point of view/ person:
The point of view is written in the first person, however, the point of view …show more content…

With Marie's reluctant help, Bourne edges closer to the truth, something CIA officials want concealed at all costs. The Bourne Identity co-stars Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, and Julia Stiles. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

III. Effectiveness/ Success of the Adaptation: It would be futile to compare this movie with the book, as the movie ignores most of the plot in the book, only keeping the element of an amnesiac agent. Although they share a name, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum and its movie adaptation have very little to nothing in common. (see Fig 1.0) Compared side-by-side, the movie will hardly cover the first 3 chapters of the book. The book describes a man who is found shot in the ocean without his memory. He is saved by a couple of men and taken to a doctor on land who helps him regain his strength and begin to remember his past. The man travels to Zurich because of a negative found implanted in his body that leads to a bank. There, he is ambushed by enemies he knows not, and with the help of an unwilling woman named Marie St. Jacques he escapes. The man, whose name is discovered to be Jason Bourne, and Marie fall in love and end up in Paris.
Variances between movie and book

In the Book
In the Movie

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