A majority of the movies made nowadays are based on books, some famous examples include the Harry Potter series and *ahem* the Twilight Saga. Whenever such a movie comes out, the first question most viewers and reviewers ask/discuss is “Which is better – the book or the movie?”
The pro-book stance is usually the result of readers building up/visualising the book in their minds. We all do it. When we read a book, we create a mental picture to accompany it, and more often than not the movie adaptation doesn’t live up to what is the consequence of our vivid imaginations.
The pro-movie point of view is usually adopted by people who haven’t read the book or even heard of it before the movie. After seeing it up on big screen in about 2 hours, it just seems like an ordeal to sit and spend a considerable amount of time reading a book of which you already know the end.
The following are some well known book to movie adaptations and what I think of them.
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The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling:
(Movie series by Warner Bros.- Various Directors)
The books were definitely better. The movies so far have been dissatisfactory, often eliminating or changing parts of the story. However, this might change because the trailers of the seventh movie-parts 1&2 are looking very, very good. This might have something to do with the fact that J.K. Rowling is producing both. Fingers crossed.
[Edited to add: Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a lot better than all the other movies. There are scenes directly from the book! Awesomeness.]
[Edited to add: Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a lot better than all the other movies. There are scenes directly from the book! Awesomeness.]
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Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen:
(Various movie versions)
There’s no contest about this one. The movies could never quite get the essence of Austen right although the BBC miniseries adaptation came quite close. And Keira Knightley as Elizabeth didn’t feel right at all.
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vs. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein:
(Film adaptation by Peter Jackson)
These movies were made brilliantly. Although there were some changes and deviations from the plot, as a whole these movies brought the books to life, while retaining a separate yet complementary identity for itself. With an excellent cast and Peter Jackson at the helm, these movies are bound to become classics.
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960):
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960):
(Film by Robert Mulligan- 1962)
A great book and a great movie. The book won the Pulitzer and the movie won three Oscars, including a Best Actor for Gregory Peck.
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Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (1993):
(Film adaptation by Danny Boyle- 1996)
Have you tried reading the book? At the very least, it’s difficult to read and keep at without losing your patience. The film however, is an excellent adaptation, retaining the feel of the book at all times with a standout performance by Ewan McGregor and brilliant direction by Danny Boyle.
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The Shining by Stephen King (1977):
(Film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick- 1980)
“HERE’S JOHNNY!” Jack Nicholson’s creepy brilliant acting along with Kubrick’s direction made the film a legend in pop culture references.
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The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003):
(Film adaptation by Mira Nair- 2006)
This film had a lot of expectations to live up to. And in my opinion, it did. With brilliant acting and direction, this film brings the novel to life, in a good way.
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The Twilight Saga:
Neither. ‘Nuff said.
1 comment:
i totally agree on deathly hallows...it was shockingly awesome. :) another book to movie adaptation which i really love is erich segal's 'Man, Woman and Child' into 'Masoom' (Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Jugal Hansraj :D )
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