With the all of the excitement over the pending release of The Hunger Games movie, I want to ask you all, which do you usually like better, the book or the movie version of a story?
Now any Word Nerd worth his or her sobriquet (see last week’s post for a review of this vocab word) will tell you the book is ALWAYS better. At the tender age of eight, my daughter had figured this out while she read the early Harry Potter books. When I asked her why she liked the books better, she said, “There’s more stuff going on, and I KNOW what Harry is thinking.”
Exactly. Books give us more detail than movies ever could. So here are my top reasons why books are a much better investment of time than movies:
· We get more details, specifically sensory details, than we do in the visually focused cinematic world. Better to imagine how Harry’s scar burns his forehead, or how sweet Edward Cullen smells.
· On screen, we can only see a character cry; with a book, we often know the thoughts running through the character’s mind while she cries, which hits us much harder. Of course, if you’re a sap like me, you will shed tears in either situation.
· A movie lasts, at best (or worst?) two hours, but even the fastest reader gets to spend much more time with the story and characters of a book.
· Most importantly, watching movies will NOT improve your vocabulary. Undoubtedly, reading will.
Now, we have ALL seen BAD movie adaptations of the books we love. But, sometimes movies do compliment their literary counterparts and offer worthwhile entertainment. For example, Peter Jackson’s excellent Lord of the Rings trilogy opened up the world of Middle Earth for millions who might not have otherwise dared to pick up Tolkien’s dense books. (A true Tolkien fan will, of course, still read the entire collection, including The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and all the related appendixes, and will know how to pronounce Celeborn correctly in proper elvish. Yes, I’m one of those fans.)
Also, buzz in the media credits successful movie franchises like Harry Potter and Twilight with bringing more kids, particularly that prickly population known as “teenagers”back into the library.
Finally, watching the movie after reading the book offers the opportunity for great discussion. How are the characters different in the film and the book? How did the film capture the story? After watching all of the commentaries for the Twilight movies (I needed something to distract me while I was on the “dreadmill”), I have a better appreciation for why some things cannot transfer to the screen well. But I get tense when films alter characters too much. For instance, when in The Two Towers movie, Frodo offers a Ringwraith the One Ring. He NEVER does this in the book, and that scene undermines his inherent strength.
Can you recommend any movies that have adapted well from page to screen? I suggest Water for Elephants. Some characters have changed, but the essence of the plot remains, and the setting, a Depression Era circus, lends itself well to visual media. Besides, I don’t want to smell the animal poop.
Please add your movie recommendations, as well as your thoughts on the books vs. movies debate, by clicking the comments link below, and thanks for stopping by!
Julia
Becoming a word nerd sounds fun. I hope I’ll slip into the routine. I’m kind of tired of the same old words that I have been using for so long. New words can create a sense of freshness to the lives of many. @marcuspalmeri #Jteng111
It is fun, and I do hope you come back.
Gone With the Wind was magnificent to read, but watching it on screen…breathtaking as well. I’m a purist in the sense that one should always read the book first, though I’ve broken that rule. Sometimes the movie makes me want to read the book as it was with Jane Eyre only a few years ago. My daughter is enraged when movies don’t follow the books. She’s still mad about The Tale of Despereaux, but she does love the Harry Potter movies and she’s a die-hard literary fan. Good post!
Amy, Great example of a “screen worthy” book to movie transition! The landscape of the south during civi war offers lots of visual detail- perfect for a movie. GWTW is also such a BIG book that it might scare people away; I bet the movie encourages more reading of the book. My book club is reading / watching Jane Eyre later this year… we’ll have to catch up after that. Thanks for stopping by!
I much prefer reading the book before going to the movie (which costs WAY too much, imo). One of my favorite recent book/movie combos was The Help. While I loved the characters in the movie, I had a better time reading the book.
Yes, I forgot to mention that I think it’s important to read the book BEFORE seeing the movie as well; I ask my kids to do the same. I’ve heard good things about The Help; thanks for confirming the recommendations! I too think movies cost too much, so I’m glad The Help is out on DVD. Thanks Susan!