Ben Northrup

Grant Williams
Modern Drama I
31 October 2017
The Emperor Jones: Film and Play Analysis
In many ways, the film adaption of Eugene ONeills The Emperor Jones feels as
though it lives in an entirely different world than its one act stage predecessor. The film
adds in a lot of drama in order to expand the one act play into a feature length film. The
movie does a great job on expanding on Brutuss back story, and showing how he really
was a common man, whereas the play throws the audience into his tyrannical behavior
much faster. I think Brutus becomes much more sympathetic in the movie because we
are able to see the reason for his actions.
The movie however does severely take steps away from ONeills original
expressionist spin on the world of the play. From pictures of the original production it is
easy to see that the play exuded emotion and feeling to the audience, allowing people
to see into the subconscious of a specific character, which was more important than the
actual plot of the piece. The movie however, becomes much more literal in its story
telling techniques, and allows the plot to be at the forefront. It is also interesting to note
that the film puts much greater emphasis on Brutuss rise to power, and the play is
concerned with his fall from the throne. In both versions though, Brutus can be seen as
a tragic hero, whose flaws lead to his down fall and ultimate death.