How does One Hundred Years of Solitude differ from the book? Film vs book differences explored

Modified Dec 18, 2024 02:53 GMT

A still from the official trailer for One Hundred Years of Solitude (Image via Netflix / YouTube)

With the first eight episodes of the series One Hundred Years of Solitude released via Netflix on December 11, 2024, audiences have been intrigued by the storyline and the book of the same title. The series has been adapted from author Gabriel García Márquez's novel and mainly follows the book's storyline.

However, the series does feature some critical changes when it comes to adapting the text to a screen portrayal. The book had minimal dialogue with more descriptive narration, which was a challenging feat to achieve on screen. The Netflix series solved this problem by using an active narrator quoting the text to provide necessary descriptions and context.

The change in tone is just the tip of the iceberg. The series also features several tweaked plot intricacies that eagle-eyed book readers might spot.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Film versus Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude

1) The Final Scene / The First Scene

The first detail that might have been a twist for book readers is the very first scene of the show. The opening scene of the Netflix series was the final one in the One Hundred Years of Solitude book.

The scene depicted Aureliano, a sixth-generation member of the Buendía family, who was on a visit to his old family home. There he discovered a manuscript that seemed to predict the family's most significant moments over the years. However, this scene was featured at the end of the book instead, as a significant moment and a full circle to the story.

2) The Insomnia Plague

The insomnia plague was an important plot point in the book due to it being the cause behind the destruction of the Buendías family. The book included a crucial detail about the plague that was omitted in the series. In the novel, the insomnia plague caused the Buendías to have lucid dreams but also became a method for them to peep into each other's dreams.

Also read: One Hundred Years of Solitude soundtrack: A definitive guide to every song in the show

3) The Death of José Arcadio

José Arcadio, one of the characters in the storyline, met with his death shortly after saving Aureliano Buendía from a firing squad. His death then became one of the mysteries of the story since his corpse was found without any significant fatal wounds. None of the characters seemed to zero down on a theory of what happened to José.

An element in the book that added to the mystery was that the character's corpse had a lingering smell of gunpowder, which did not go away even after scrubbing the body clean. This detail was left out of the show, with none of the characters pointing out the scent.

4) Francisco The Man

Francisco the Man (Francisco el Hombre) is a legendary character in Colombian folklore, included in Gabriel García Márquez's novel. The figure showed up at Catarino's store in the book and was described as a 200-year-old vagabond. The character also brought the news of the death of Úrsula's mother to her, but Francisco was conspicuously absent in the series.

5) Arcadio and The Doctor

Arcadio was introduced in episode 2 of the series as the son of José Arcadio and Pilar Ternera, raised by Úrsula. In both the series and the novel, Arcadio got involved with a liberal group becoming a de-facto leader and eventually a dictator in the town.

The Netflix series shows the process of his ties developing in a much more prominent manner, with an equation between Arcadio and Dr Alirio Noguera, who was a terrorist and not a doctor.

Also read: Is Macondo a real town in Netflix's One Hundred Years of Solitude? Explained

6) The Symbolism of the Snake

The opening scene of the show focused on Aureliano flipping through the mysterious manuscript, with an illustration of a snake biting its own tail. This illustration was not a part of the descriptions in the book, yet made an excellent addition to the show.

It showed how the story of the Buendía family was cyclical in nature, and how the family was doomed to repeat the mistakes of their past over and over again. The snake in the show was a perfect representation of the pattern that the characters underwent.

Audiences can watch the first eight episodes of One Hundred Years of Solitude streaming online via Netflix.

Edited by Bharath S