The Princesse of Montpensier, published anonymously in 1662, was the first novel by Madame de La Fayette, a 17th century French writer. In 2010, the French movie producer Bernard Tavernier adapted this short historical novel into a film of one hour and fifty minutes. In the film The Princess and Her Lover, Tavernier attempted to represent various aspects of Renaissance life, including the society of the French court and the frequent religious conflicts during that era, amidst the heroine’s emotional entanglements with four men in her life.
This article aims to discuss the adaptation of the film The Princess and Her Lover based on the novel The Princesse of Montpensier, focusing on the techniques of transformation, expansion and compensation. The 17th century novel was written in implicit and roundabout language, whereas the medium of film revolves around extension and expansion. The implicit language of the novel is transformed into de- tailed scenery expression. This study will focus on the following:
1. The modernity and creativity in the reading and the adaptation of The Princesse of Montpensier in the 21st century.
2. The development of images and their potentiality where Tavernier used the medium of film as a tool to represent the work.
3. Analysis of the possible personal intent of the director in remaking the 17th century novel into a 21st century movie and the adaptation’s alignment with contemporary thinking and ideology.
