The Variations: ‘The Secret Lifetime of Walter Mitty’

Welcome to “The Variations.” On this column, I’ll overview movie variations of books, quick tales, poems, songs, and so on. Be a part of me within the exploration of those fascinating movies and their origin tales. 

I first encountered James Thurber’s well-known quick story “The Secret Lifetime of Walter Mitty” in an English class throughout my sophomore yr at Stanford. Given the inventive writing program’s devotion to the artwork of the quick story, it was solely a matter of time earlier than I encountered Thurber’s fascinating character Walter Mitty.

“The Secret Lifetime of Walter Mitty” provides a quick glimpse into the imaginative thoughts of the titular protagonist, who is usually transported out of his unusual life and into fantastical daydreamed situations. Set within the suburbs of New York Metropolis, the story begins and ends within the time that his spouse, Mrs. Mitty, goes on errands and attends her hair appointment. Inside this era, Walter Mitty fantasizes that he’s a battle pilot, a health care provider, a pointy shooter and a captain.

The antagonist within the quick story appears to be Walter’s spouse. Mrs. Mitty may be very choosy and harsh on Walter and criticizes all the pieces from driving too quick to having bother remembering issues. She insists that he put on gloves and and overshoes always, and he or she acts paranoid within the sheltering of her husband. She affords the reasoning that he’s “not a younger man any longer.” 

Metaphorically talking, Mrs. Mitty represents how the bigger society overlooks Walter. Mrs. Mitty reveals annoyance and expresses doubt in Walter’s means to function as a person on the planet. Because of this, she is simply too overprotective of him. Nonetheless, though he isn’t comfortable in his current life, he doesn’t quit his satisfaction and stays sturdy. 

Within the 2013 film adaptation, Ben Stiller each directs and acts as Walter Mitty. Stiller’s adaptation is enough in that means, but largely fails in its interpretation of the true quick story.

In Stiller’s model of the character, Walter works at Life Journal as a photographic developer. His life is depicted as unusual and mundane, however he typically zones out and goals of attaining daring acts, corresponding to saving his romantic curiosity’s canine. Walter struggles to romantically join with the girl, Cherly, as he offers with childhood traumas and his father’s early dying. As a personality, he has but to comprehend his personal potential.

Walter then will get despatched on a mission by Life Journal to retrieve {a photograph} destructive from well-known photographer Sean O’Connell (performed by Sean Penn). This picture destructive — dubbed “destructive 25” — is of nice significance as a result of it’s getting used within the final version of Life Journal. O’Connell additionally refers to it as “the quintessence of life.” In his seek for destructive 25, Walter finally ends up occurring a wild journey and experiencing a model of the implausible life he at all times desired. 

One second I did actually like was the scene through which Walter is longboarding in his real-life journey down a hill in Iceland. Not solely did Stiller truly longboard in Iceland for the scene, however the lovely second of Walter returning to his childhood ardour of skateboarding may be very heartwarming. 

Nonetheless, many issues in Stiller’s model don’t work with the unique story. The film typically depends too closely on shallow and apparent metaphors, corresponding to Walter working at Life Journal whereas main a secular life. As a viewer, I typically felt as if the film was too invested within the overdone motion scenes as a substitute of the basis of the quick story. It additionally preaches the cliche message that one ought to reside within the current second. That is proven in moments corresponding to Life Journal closing and as a substitute turning into the publication “Life On-line.” 

The film efficiently communicates the literal and metaphorical hazard in fixed escapism. Nonetheless, the entire cinematic manufacturing misses a number of authentic ideas from the quick story, sacrifices that means for comedy and provides lame film references. 

As an alternative of approaching this movie with sensitivity and understanding of Thurber’s authentic idea, Stiller’s iteration comes throughout extra like superficial sketch comedy in its situational irony and comedic actors. Adam Scott and Kristen Wigg play each humorous elements, however the characters don’t play to the actors’ strengths. The story itself is extra critical and is ill-suited for the humor that Stiller jams into the story. 

That mentioned, the ending of Ben Stiller’s adaptation, when Walter finds the well-known photographer, saves your complete movie. O’Connell is photographing a snow leopard however finally ends up not taking the picture. When Walter asks him why he didn’t take the shot, O’Connell affords the reason that “lovely issues don’t ask for consideration.” Destructive 25 — “the quintessence of life” — finally ends up being {a photograph} of Walter Mitty at work, drawing parallels between him and the uncommon snow leopard.

The movie adaptation of “The Secret Lifetime of Walter Mitty” thus leaves its viewer excited about the sweetness hidden within the unusual, in the end representing the actual journey of life. 

Editor’s Notice: This text is a overview and consists of subjective ideas, opinions and critiques.