The labyrinthine charm of the original “Watchmen”. Zack Snyder was particular about reproducing it.

An amazing screenplay with detailed instructions for each frame

The comic book version of `` Watchmen '' was written by Alan Moore, and animated by Dave Gibbons. ``Watchmen'' was published for one year from September 1986 as a 28-page monthly magazine (the final chapter was 32 pages). For this 28-page comic, Alan Moore wrote Gibbons a script that at times could be as long as 130 pages per episode.

Normally, you would think that since it's a screenplay, there would be an outline of the story and lines written down, but Moore actually wrote out instructions for each frame of the comic in minute detail. .

Moore tried to control all the information, from the angle of the panels to the placement of buildings, structures, and people, to the headings and text written on newspapers, magazines, and billboards.

The first panel at the beginning of the comic is deceptively simple: ``A smiley face badge stained with blood is lying next to a drain,'' but the instructions for this panel alone are 1,500 characters long when translated into Japanese. exceeded.

“Watchmen” preview 2

Of course, such detailed instructions were of great significance. Headlines in newspapers and magazines casually explained the era and social background, and even casually depicted passersby and cars running on the street were imbued with important meanings and foreshadowing. In addition, many ambitious experiments were carried out on the drawing surface, such as using the same angle frequently on the same page and making the panel layout symmetrical within the page.It was highly evaluated from an artistic perspective. . These elements gave ``Watchmen'' a pedantic, labyrinthine appeal that created a cult following.

Zack Snyder did little to adapt this perfectly designed comic book masterpiece. No, I guess it couldn't be done. Every page and every panel of Moore's comics has a clear and strong purpose. If this is destroyed, the essence of ``Watchmen'' will be lost. I wonder if Snyder thought so. That's why I think the method of directly translating comics into images was chosen. However, the method also had side effects.

Comics allow readers to freely read the pages by going back and forth, allowing them to arrive at a deeper interpretation depending on the reader, but movies have a unidirectional timeline and a fixed viewing time. Therefore, as I mentioned at the beginning, this work, which is a direct translation of a comic book into a movie, may give the impression of being flat in terms of a movie.

However, on the other hand, the movie version can be said to be a unique work that allows you to enjoy the great original work from a different angle, ``image.'' When making it into a movie, which parts were cut and which parts were kept faithfully? Furthermore, there is one development in the movie version that is very different from the original, but how will those who have seen it interpret that?

Of course, the movie has the potential to be enjoyed on its own, but by watching it with the comic aside, you can enjoy the deep world, social analysis, and sci-fi excitement that ``Watchmen'' contains at an even higher level. be able to.

``Watchmen'' is a movie that has a special status precisely because it faithfully reproduces the original comic book. If the reader wishes to know more about that world and steps into it, the film will take on a completely different appearance. That's definitely a new way to enjoy movies.

References: “ Watchmen ” (Shogakukan Shueisha Productions)

Text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW), ``Takeshi's Birth: Master and Asakusa'' (NHK), ``Master and Disciple Story: The Encounter That Changed My Life'' [Masahiro Tanaka x Katsuya Nomura ] (NHK BS Premium).

Watch now

View work information

"Watchmen"

Blu-ray: 1,886 yen + tax / DVD: 1,429 yen + tax

Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

WATCHMEN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and (C) DC Comics. Watchmen (C) 2009 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Paramount Pictures Corporation and Legendary Pictures. (C) 2019 Paramount Pictures.

*This is information for August 2020.

(c) Photofest / Getty Images