Tom Topor
 A Conversation with Tom Topor
(Writer)

Q: What are the challenges to adapting a best-selling novel?
A: It's difficult to adapt any novel, particularly one that jumps back and forth between eras. In a book, it doesn't matter whether the character is 55 years old on page one and 18 years old on page 230. In a movie, you need different actors, not to mention period costumes and sets, to portray different time periods such as these. Also, staying faithful to the novel is very tricky, especially in the matter of tone. Lastly, the shortest bestseller is upwards of 250, pages while a 135-page screenplay would be considered long.

Q: How is the story relevant to our culture today?
A: Any story that deals with conflicting moral demands - in this case loyalty to a "band of brothers" vs. the necessity that mass murder be exposed and punished--always remains relevant.

Q: Why is the main character holding firm to his "word of honor"?
A: Because his value system puts loyalty to his troops ahead of his disgust with the crimes they committed. It's not uncommon among soldiers or, in fact, any men in uniform. It is similar to the "blue wall of silence" among police officers.