Nov 29, 2021

"Top of the Gods": How manga adapted to the Screen

In The Summit of the Gods, which is released on Netflix tomorrow, famed Japanese mountain climber Joji Habu sets out to climb Everest in very difficult conditions, accompanied by photographer Makoto Fukamachi.

The filmmakers faced a task of similar proportions: the European feature adapts the epic manga of the same name, which runs to around 1,500 pages of knotty intrigue and psychological complexity. Based in turn on a novel by Baku Yumemakura, the manga is illustrated by the late Jiro Taniguchi, who was known for his detailed, naturalistic draftsmanship.

The Summit of the Gods does a fine job of translating the manga to the screen, simplifying plot and graphic style where necessary, while deploying those features unique to cinema - color, music, time - with flair. To learn more about the changes made along the way, we spoke to director Patrick Imbert about a single scene in which Fukamachi leaps across a crevasse during the ascent. We've reproduced the relevant section from the manga below, alongside the animatic and final scene from the film. Read on to find out how Imbert and his colleagues tackled the sequence:

Below: the jump scene in the original manga (French translation). © PAPIER/Jirô TANIGUCHI 2000-2003 © Baku YUMEMAKURA 1994-1997

Imbert's comments were sent by email. They have been translated from French and edited for brevity.

Images from the film © Le Sommet des Dieux – 2021 / Julianne Films / Folivari / Mélusine Productions / France 3 Cinéma / AuRA Cinéma