Okay, so we felt like it was about time that we touch on the age old topic of the movie versions of books. We saw Water for Elephants this past weekend without having read the book. Right after the movie, I promptly bought the book. The same thing happened when we saw the movie version of I Am Number Four (which we've heard was a lot better than the book--full report after said book is read)...and of course this occurs the other way around, too. We read and love Twilight, we saw the movie. We read and love The Hunger Games, so we plan to see the movie. You get the point.
Sometimes movies and books work hand in hand, helping each other sell (cha-ching) and bringing the movie/book to a wider audience. On some occasions you get situations where the book is better than the movie (okay that happens on MOST occasions), but we wonder...are there ever times where the movie is better than the book?
When we were younger we couldn't get through the book Gone With the Wind, but we watched the movie with intensity. Is that an age thing or was the movie better than the book? Pipe in--can you think of occasions where the movie was able to outdo those things that we love and hold dear (books, people-duh!)??
14 comments:
I'm a staunch "I must read the book before I see the movie" kind of girl. I've only failed once, and that was with Lord of the Rings. I repeatedly tried to read those before the movies came out, and I just couldn't get through them. So that's my only entry in 'the movie was better' contest. :)
I like to read the book before I see the movie, too, although I'm not a stickler for it. GWTW is one of my favorite books - I read it every summer as an 11, 12, 13 year old - but GREAT EXPECTATIONS? Literally couldn't get through it. Liked the movie though (and it saved me from getting a bad grade on my accellerated reader test!).
By the way, Bear just bought me WATER FOR ELEPHANTS for my birthday! My plan is to read it and then see it while it's still in theatres, but we'll see... :D
I'm a huge fan of reading the books before watching the movies, but I don't always manage it. Can you BELIEVE I still haven't seen Gone With The Wind??? *blushes* Please find it in your hearts to forgive me...
Anyway, I've been trying to think of a movie that outdoes the book, but can't quite come up with one. Film is such a contained medium, you can only fit what's crucial, so books have more freedom to explore.
Great post!
I can't think of an instance of movie trumping book. Wait, I can! Youth in Revolt. I couldn't get through the book AT ALL but I did manage to finish the movie.
Big Fish! That movie was SO MUCH better than the book.
I used to read Gone With the Wind once a year too, but kind of hate the movie...
It's really hard for me to think of a movie that's better than the book. Being in someone's head for 300 pages will almost always beat seeing the events from the outside, no matter how good the movie is. The only movie I can think of that comes close to the book is Romeo & Juliet. But I might be biased since I'm 13 and in love with Leonard DiCaprio.
Lol, Tracey--I still SWOON over Leo. *sighs* Whenever I see that the movie's on TV, I'll turn to it--despite the fact that I have the special edition DVD. :)
Pam is def. telling the truth about the Romeo and Juliet situation. It was my downfall in 9th grade English b/c I thought watching the movie with her would help me ace the tests...big mistake. Thanks for weighing in everyone!
It (almost) never fails that if I've read the book first, I'm disappointed in the movie. If I watch the movie first, I'm pleasantly surprised the book is better.
I've heard some comments about I Am Number Four that the movie is better, but I haven't seen or read it (my son and also a good friend were the commenters).
I was super sick with stomach flu as a teenager and my aunt turned on Gone With the Wind and kept the remote out of my reach as an attempt to force me into some type of culture. Not sure if it was the sickness or the forced watching, but I can't stand that movie and won't read the book. ;)
erica
I'm so glad someone mentioned Romeo and Juliet. The entire aquarium scene with the gorgeous Kissing You love theme in the background. Claire Danes. Leo. I love you both!
I usually read the book after (I know, terrible!), but Water for Elephants was the flip-flop. I would've paid more money to see Pattinson with a monkey, because there were some super cute scenes with a monkey.
Great post!
Marie at the Cheetah
Interesting. I've never seen a movie that was better than the book. In fact, I usually think the movie sucks in comparison to the book. The Other Boleyn Girl was a huge disappointment. The book was so good and the movie just ruined the experience of the story. There are two books that I think had equally good movies. The Notebook and Pride and Prejudice. I think Pride and Prejudice is the best movie adaptation I've seen. :)
I always expect the book to be better than the movie, but it can still be fun to watch the movie. I recently read Water for Elephants but want to wait a while before seeing the movie so the book isn't so fresh in my mind! :)
Hmm. I tend to think books are better than the movies about 99-100% of the time. I'm trying to think of a movie I liked better than a book, and I'm scratching my head over here. Thoughts?
I just read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (finished it last night), because I think the movie looks like it's going to be the bomb diggity and I've been *meaning* to read the book forever -- and, well, I was nervous that, with RPattz in it, the movie was going to be hyped beyond belief and then I'd not want to read the book or something. I don't know.
But I'm excited for the movie now. I think you're right -- sometimes they can go hand in hand! Harry Potter did that for me, I think. While I know they "yadda yaddaed" or just plain skipped some stuff (otherwise, the movies would have probably all been six hours long), I am able to enjoy both for different reasons. They both highlight and expound upon things that their counterparts don't.
Anyway, that's just my two cents.
Interested to hear what you guys think of W4E book v. movie! Be sure to post after you read it!
Post a Comment