In class we talked a lot about turning books into movies. We also talked a lot about how movies can ruin books, or even change the image you had of the book. I have learned to completely separate books and movies. If you do not, you end up always saying how this could have been better, or how this changed, or even how the characters do not match. So, a question I have is how can movies do a better job of portraying the books without changing them?
I believe that "Hollywood" needs to stop changing the books when they are turned into movies to be more attractive for viewers. If the people liked the book, then the directors do not need to change it to be more appealing to the audience. The audience does not want the book to change. They want it to be the book. The more the movie is changed the more upset and disappointed the audience who read the book gets.
My advice for the people who read the books and then go see the movie is to completely disconnect the two. If you do not you will never be happy with the outcome of the movie. By disconnecting the two I have learned to accept the movies and do not compare the two.
I agree that the best way to enjoy both the book and the movie is to disconnect the two, but I find it to be much easier said then done. The biggest problem I have is comparing how I pictured the characters in my own mind, to the actors selected to play the role. Whenever I read a book, I picture each character in my head. When the book is turned into a movie and the actors/actresses look nothing like what I had pictured...it is the worst! Unfortunately, I do not think there is a good way in fixing this problem because obviously everyone imagines the characters differently. On the other hand, I do love reading a book and going to watch a movie that portrays the novel as accurately as possible. I just think this is a really hard task.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult because I find myself at times excited for a book to turn into a movie but other times annoyed that they would even think about it! However, I do my best to separate it as you said, and I have learned that if the movie trailer sounds really interesting I will always read the book first!!!! I find it much easier to live with the fact that the movie "messed up" my idea of the characters. It is always unsettling but I think it's much better than seeing the movie and reading with "perfect" actors in mind.
ReplyDeleteThere have been some movie trailers I see that look really good so it makes me want to read the book (like Water for Elephants). I guess I owe it to some of those movies because I wouldn't have found the book without them!