Before the law - short film - Kafka's adaptation

[BloomITM]

I think that no one knows exactly what Kafka was trying to show us.But I think that the door symbolize our goals in life that we want to reach,and the gatekeeper is one of the obstacles in our lifes.This poor man was only trying to persuade the gatekeeper to let him,but the only thing he didn't,was to try.The gatekeeper even tell him to go if he dared without permission,but the poor man hesitated.Anyway I loved the video, is pretty close to the story.(:

[pifibbi]

LOL. It should be " ...Each one stronger then the *last*..." 2:15

[marciaholtzman]

Jerry it's mashehu mashehu ba seret Ahla!!!!!

[Itegrator]

completely missunderstood interpretation... nothing but pics & sm nice fxs...

[sj97inr4]

i am sorry to say but this is not good adaptation. it falls short because of the need for clarity and for what the director calls "action". the story is ambiguous and disturbing to it as well as the a folk tale. this adaptation takes the folk tale but fails at the rest. also there is much to the cold manner of the guard in the original that is lost in the over dramatazation of this version. my best suggestion would have been to stick closer to the text and imply things rather than act them out.

[alonlevifilm]

@sj97inr4 Hello, thanks for your comment, but I (of course) disagree. the guard doesn't need to be cold/distant in order for him to be effectively blocking the man's way. actually, each one of them act as he acts, with out being "good" or "bad". it is the structure of things that create the context (IMHO). Try to see the film without comparing it to the original text, than you might see it in a more forgiving eyes ;) (or not, and thanks ok too. regards)

[Sheimii]

In the words of the Priest in The Trial - 'You're changing the story'.

I'm all for an adaptation but not one that undermines the original text, you re putting your own assertions and interpretations on the text by making the gate keeper attack the man. I always liked to read it as there was nothing stopping the man from entering but his own fear and his fear of reprimand by greater powers. But by actually attacking him, there actually is something stopping him, other than himself.

[alonlevifilm]

@Sheimii Well, I actually can debate that - I think that like all adaptations some changes are required. mostly since motion is different than text, and something (or so I felt) "must happen". but, and that's a big but, the essence is the same. The man acknowledge the power of the gatekeeper, and hence gives him the ability to stop him.

[mimesismimesis]

@alonlevifilm I completely agree with Sheimii; i thinl his interpretation is right; sense of the novel by Kafka changes radically in this short, that i think treat a very hard conception in a too simple way. If you didn't understand deep the novel, don't try to remake it.

[prachpan]

@alonlevifilm -- I agree with Sheimii. There is nothing in Kafka's original story which indicates that the man tries to break in without a permission from the gatekeeper. The story says that the man decides that it's best for him to wait until the gatekeeper lets him in, and that he tries to persuade the gatekeeper to let him in. Nothing says the man tries to break in.

Good film in itself though. Keep on the good work.

[MurielTap]

It's a good history, but it isn't KAFKA!

[trishtifa]

@Sheimii thats tru.... the visual is all wrong. the gatekeeper did tell him to go if he dared without permission. there was no physical restriction in the txt

[leileisuu]

mh it's a good work i think... the mysteric sphere of kafka is presented in this film. but i'm dont agree to the part where the man from the country is trying to get into the world behind the gate! cause in the original story of kafka he never tried to get into the law, he just listen to the words of the guard and accepts, that he cannot enter yet. with all the gifts and services he gives to the guard, it is shown that he stucks in the material world and cant go through the gate to fullfill life

[cujo76]

@leileisuu THE DOOR TO THE LAW CAN MEAN ANYTHING.......THE DOOR TO LOVE THE DOOR TO FREEDOM......ETC

THE CONCLUSION IS THAT THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTES......

ONE CAN NEVER REACH THAT PRAIRE....

[SCORNDOGGMELACH]

@cujo76 However, it is specific. (door to the LAW)

[inbalkdrful]

Very impressive, but there's a problem with what the guard tells him about the other guards: "Each one stronger than the next"? Quite the contrary: it should be "Each one stronger than the last".

[alonlevifilm]

@inbalkdrful Thanks, but I don't understand the question - they should be stronger and stronger with each guard, aren't they? ;)

[inbalkdrful]

@alonlevifilm מה שהשומר אצל קפקא אומר הוא שכל שומר חזק יותר מזה שלפניו (כלומר, גם אם תצליח לעבור אותו, תיתקל באחד חזק יותר). אבל מה שהשומר בסרט שלך אומר הוא שכל שומר חזק יותר מהבא אחריו (כלומר, הראשון הוא הכי חזק) - לא דבר שאמור להרתיע את האיש

[alonlevifilm]

@inbalkdrful ממממ... חתיכת ניואנס. אני הולך להוציא להורג את החבר/קריין האנגלי שלי

[zipstain07]

The law is not for everyone is it?

[Hypnotron2006]

@zipstain07 Some people have a romantic idealogical view of what the law is. That vision of the "law" is specific to every man and because it's a fantasy, it cannot be entered. The parable suggests we should have a more realistic and pragmatic view of the world as opposed to an idealistic one.

[brelbrassens]

although visually and technically fine, the film is - in my view - flawed and not very representative of Kafka's actual work and meaning. The man from the country did not attempt a physical fight, or a sneaky entrance. At most, he tried corrupting the guard and nothing else. That is hardly a slight oversight.

[alonlevifilm]

Thank for your comment. Of course adapting a story from an abstract format of words to the physical world of film-making inhibits some changes. Though no real physical attempt is made the in original story I added one to suite what I felt was the emotional meaning of the story in my point-of-view, which is : the man accept the existence of the gate and gate-keeper, by doing so, he himself allow their existence. More can be said, but I think that's enough.

[brelbrassens]

Thx for the reply. Our views differ. Some read in the keeper's invitation of defiance a key to attaining the Law. I see the key to denying oneself access, through violent and 'wrongful' action. The man is rather passive before the Law for he likely believes such is the way for the Law to come to him. He sees legitimacy in the gate, the keeper, and Law itself. This absurd life is the life he chooses, one of submission to a delusional ideal of being 'proven right' or given the 'meaning' of life.

[alonlevifilm]

Well, so I guess our opinion don't differ as much as you think - It's only the interpretation of how to convey them, I guess that's why it's called an adaptation ;) thanks for the wise comments.

[Egelit]

Amazing!

[gaya1323]

well done!

[Bklynballerplaya]

this is great!

[MagicalSunrise1984]

הפקה נהדרת אלון :) לא הכרתי את היצירה הזו של קפקא וזו דרך מצויינת להכיר את הסיפור :)