Lexi Klein Portfolio

A comparison between the novel The Complete Persepolis and its film adaption.

The Complete Persepolis is a novel by Marjane Satrapi, later adapted to a film, that tells the story of a young woman named Marjane through the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Necessary to showcase Marjane’s growth of identity in the face of conflict, both the film and the novel’s narrative story reveal a need to educate others on the Iranian Revolution in order for its memories to live on. Yet, while the novel showcases the coming of age of Marjane throughout a crisis, the film uses an achronological order that focuses on the legacy of the Iranian Revolution.

Unlike the chronological order seen in Marjane Satrapi’s novel, the film adaption of The Complete Persepolis utilizes an achronological reflection of her life. Through the use of flashbacks, Marjane’s obstacles are highlighted as she explores her own identity as an Iranian during a time of political turmoil. The film works to bring Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel to life by animating the cartoon illustrations of Marjane throughout her youth and young adulthood. As Marjane awaits the boarding of her flight from Paris-Orly Airport in France, she is reminded of the warring world she came of age in while growing up in Iran. The use of these flashbacks in the film emphasizes the detachment Marjane felt from her identity. Cutting from sequences of Marjane being in Iran, then leaving, returning and then once again leaving for good, a sense of conflict is revealed. In contrast to the novel’s chronological ending of Marjane being dropped off at the airport by her mother, father, and grandmother, the film ends with Marjane already in France, entering a taxi. During this scene, a taxi driver asks Marjane where she is from to which she responds “Iran,” pushing the film into a final flashback of the jasmine flowers kept in the bra of her grandmother (Persepolis). This slight change in ending emphasizes the theme changes between the novel and its adaptation; the novel places emphasis on Marjane’s personal story while the film focuses on the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution.

Furthermore, the film utilizes the motif of jasmine flowers within its literary composition to instill this theme of legacy. Marjane’s grandmother’s flowers are a repeated sign of the call for not only Marjane, but the reader as well to help the memory of the Iranian Revolution live on. The taxi scene that’s the catalyst to this flashback also holds meaning to the film. By Marjane owning her identity, declaring herself to be an Iranian to the taxi driver, she is keeping her promise to “be true to [herself]” as her grandmother had originally wished before her first departure from Iran where the jasmine flowers are first introduced (The Complete Persepolis 150). The novel leaves the flowers behind in this chapter only, and it is only the film that circles back to them in the end. In the title of the film a small jasmine flower is included underneath the word The Complete Persepolis, a small, yet purposeful change from the novel’s title which does not include such flower detail. This is due to the novel’s lack of use of the jasmine flower motif, highlighting the difference between the text and the film, thereby slightly altering their intentions for the reader and viewer.

The intentional compressions of and additions to the story of Marjane seen in the novel also help the film adaptation to take on a more educational approach to the 1970-80s in Iran. In comparison to the novel’s detailed plot of Marjane’s time in Austria, the film showcases only a small portion of such events. Rather than sticking to the text’s in-depth explanation of Marjane’s different households in Austria, which played a large role in her coming-of-age mindset in the novel, the film compresses such events by only showing her bouncing from one housing option to the next. Another change in the plot can be seen by the addition of a punk rock concert scene in the film to be the setting where Marjane lies about where she’s from, a change that’s not seen in the text. In contrast, the novel shows Marjane telling a boy she’s “French” in a bar (The Complete Persepolis 195). The film elongates this matter, placing a focus on Marjane being at a concert dancing and westernizing herself which places emphasis on her detachment from Iran. This detachment is only highlighted further when Marjane tells the boy there that she’s from France. While this small addition may appear to make little difference on the surface, it in fact is a perfect example of the slight changes made between novel and film that change the focus and teachings seen between the two. The novel works to highlight Marjane’s angst and obstacles while coming of age, while the film focuses more so on the importance of owning her Iranian identity and with that the legacy of her country.

With author Marjane Satrapi herself being one of two directors for the film adaption of The Complete Persepolis, it makes complete sense that the film remained a faithful adaptation of her original novel. That being said, this adaptation was not a strict one due to the movement toward a different theme and thereby purpose in the making of the film in comparison to the writing of the novel. Both are universal pieces but in their own right. The novel works to give the audience a relatable coming-of-age story, in perfect chronological order. Meanwhile, the film adaptation remains true to the majority of events and basic settings while allowing for emphasis on specific literary elements and scenes in order to create historical documentation of the Iranian identity and legacy throughout its historical turmoil of the time.

Works Cited
Paronnaud, Vincent and Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Animated Feature Film, 2007.

Satrapi, Maarijane. The Complete Persepolis. Pantheon Books, 2007.