7. The Climax
In the words of John Yorke, ‘The climax is the stage at which the protagonist finds release from their seemingly inescapable predicament. It’s the final show down with their antagonist, the battle in which the hero engages with their dramatic need and overcomes their flaw’ Shackles of Doom had to serve up a climax that was in line with the year’s festival theme, “Perfomance for National Healing and Reconciliation’. In a dramatic twist, however, the last scene ended up being played out in a film classroom, where the cast turns out to be students who were all along editing and finding a perfect conclusion to their feature film! So, can Shackles of Doom actually become a silver screen masterpiece? Kenyan TV Producer and Film Maker Sheila Mulinya (The Stigma, Cry of The Innocent) says she would strongly recommend the script for adaptation. However, she takes issue with the use of Kikuyu names to front
the issue of ethnicity, which she considers negative. ‘As a producer, I am very careful on the names of people. Normally I give names descriptive of their character”. She then adds that other elements of the script must be addressed to make it suitable for TV, but the message must remain constant because, “The truth must be told.” KTN’s head of Production, Martin Kibisu adds that on screen the controversy would be more pronounced. “On stage motions are not as explicit, but in film the scenes are almost actual real-life”. But he also thinks Shackles of Doom is adaptable with a clever screenwriter. If successful, Shackles of Doom will be in good company. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was first adapted in 1968 fetching slightly under 39 million dollars. The modernized version (1996), starring Leonardo Di Caprio, was a box office success, grossing $147,554,999. Kenyan has in the past adapted some plays for screen but they are yet to make national debate. Shackles of Doom may well present the best opportunity, or can it?
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Chronicle | July 2013