Book to Movie: Does it Work?

Books to film: do they work? In the case of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, yes. I chose to watch this film because the title alone is ridiculous. You can’t fish for salmon in the Yemen, or can you? I also liked the combination of Blunt and McGregor as leads.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a 2011 British romantic comedy and drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Amr Waked. Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Paul Torday, and a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, the film is about a fisheries expert who is recruited by a consultant to help realize a sheikh's vision of bringing the sport of fly fishing to the Yemen desert, initiating an upstream journey of faith to make the impossible possible.

The film received generally favourable reviews from critics.

Although characters are changed from book to film, and the book itself is written though a series of emails, diaries, and correspondence, the message remains the same: suspend your disbelief and go for the dream. It’s not just about creating a salmon fishing oasis in a desert: political machinations, love, marriage, relationships, trust, faith and loyalty are all put to the test in a gentle, but unrelenting way. It’s also about the absurdities in life. A scheme that seems doomed from the start actually works because of the passion of the people involved. Things go wrong, disasters strike, but an underlying determination keeps the wheels turning.

The author is a British businessman and dedicated angler who has found a quite marvellous way of combining his passion with his opinions on life and politics.

It’s a gentle reminder of what life can be like, how dreams can be achieved, and the impossible made possible. I shall now get the book and enjoy the story all over again!