It's always better to read a book first before watching the film adaptation of the story. When reading a book second, I feel as if you're constantly expecting something to happen the exact way it did in the movie, which can completely ruin a good book or film. Unfortunately, I read "Death and the Maiden" after we finished the film in class. Although the book was fairly similar and had the same plot (considering some movies stray away from their print counterparts), I think I enjoyed the film more for it's dramatic purposes. However, I have a feeling that actually seeing the play "Death and the Maiden" performed would be more enjoyable rather than reading it, or the film.

For starters, I think the difference of settings was a big change that made me connect with the film more. In the play, Miranda brings Gerardo home in the middle of the night and later returns and is asked to stay until the morning. Paulina wakes up in the middle of the night, ties the doctor up, and returns to bed until the morning - all while her husband is asleep and clueless. However, in the film Miranda does all this in the middle of a storm and although he comes back not too long after, he is never invited to spend the night and Paulina quickly takes action by crashing his car and tying him. In one version the entire story takes place during the day time, and in the other everything is taken place in the later hours of the night, ending just around dawn. The fact that Paulina was so patient as to return to sleep (or at least to bed) in the book and wait to make her demands doesn't personify her character enough for me. I feel that any person who suffered the trauma she had would make all of the irrational actions as she did in the film.

I'd consider the biggest factor differentiating the two versions would be Paulina's intention to kill Miranda without a confession. In the play, Paulina states from the beginning that all she wants is a confession and has absolutely no desire to kill him. Regardless, she still threatens him with her plan to kill if he doesn't meet her demands and almost follows through with them in the end when he accidentally confesses the truth. In the film, Paulina cannot wait to kill the doctor and get her revenge. The entire time watching, I actually thought he was innocent but that she'd kill him anyway. I was extremely shocked in the end by his detailed depictions of his mental process for his abuse and how Paulina surprisingly untied him instead of pushing him off of the cliff.

In both the end of the film and play, Paulina and Miranda seem to be in an awkward state of calm. Paulina gets her confession and when she sees Miranda she shows no inner emotion although she is inevitably has to be filled with several. Dr. Miranda is able to keep his life and once he notices the couple out in public he is not able to his gaze away from them. Almost in a trance, it's questionable whether he feels guilt or the complete opposite in that he will always have a sort of dominance over Paulina.