I LOVE them (well, most of them). I mean who's going to forget Colin Firth as Mr Darcy coming out of the lake in that white shirt (even if it didn't feature in the book)?
And what's not to love about all the Harry Potter movies?
Years ago I remember watching the first part of an adaptation of Rebecca (which I hadn't read) and rushing out to buy the book because I couldn't wait until the following week to see what happened.
I'm never sure whether I'd rather read a book first or see the adaptation first. If I read the book and I have an image of a character in my head and it's not the same in the movie then it bothers me. If I watch something then I automatically see that person when I read the book... then I get bothered if the movie/series isn't the same as the book (which it invariably isn't).
So what about you.... which are your favorites adaptations and do you prefer to read the book first or second?
Posts
10 comments:
I really like Mansfield Park (with Johnny Lee Miller) and Northanger Abbey (with JJ Field). Oh and also 'All of Summer in a Day'--the short movie based on the even shorter story by Ray Bradbury. The Halloween Tree is also really good!
Er.
The recent Legend of the Seeker TV series, based on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series is also really good to me.
I try to think of them as separate, otherwise I get bogged down in nitpicking things you know?
I definitely prefer to read a book first before seeing the movie, which means sometimes I am disappointed by the movie.
The Outsiders has always been a favorite. To Kill a Mockingbird is another adaptation that came out great.
I've always been disappointed with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland adaptations, but high hopes for the new one coming out from Tim Burton.
Lexie, we've been watching the Legend of the Seeker, and loving it. We haven't read the book though.
Yes, Alissa I'm also looking forward to the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland.
I only read the books after I saw the first season and the books are...well very different. they're good, but different. and there's a lot of them XD
Some of my favorite adaptations are: Bridget Jones Diary, About A Boy, True Blood (haven't read the books yet, but really really want to!), and I absolutely cannot wait for the Lovely Bones!
Usually, I prefer to read the books first, but lately, I have so little time for reading I'm getting very far behind, which means I'll probably see the Time Traveler's Wife, long before I ever pick up my copy!
I prefer to read the books first so that I can shred the movie or series down to a wire frame of nothing MWUAHAHAHA! I was horribly disgusted and disappointed with the True Blood adaptation. We bought HBO for it and then just laughed in our face! Looking forward to Alice in Wonderland and the very last Harry Potter.
I much prefer to read the books before seeing the movie. Its something my mom did when Disney's Pocahantas came out - way different from her real life!
I love, or at least enjoy, most adaptations. However, I get into a rage when poor attempts are made. Not so much that the story line gets too compressed, but that there are blatant and unnecessary changes.
Example: I couldn't stand Eragon. He shouldn't have been blonde, b/c most of Carvahall was brunette. Arya was too young and short, and blonde instead of black haired. The towns and cities looked ridiculous, unlike anything that was described. Angela was plain stupid, nothing alike to her cooky, crass personality in the books.
I'll stop there. I do love the Lord of the Rings, so well done and a strong attempt to stick with the series. Harry Potter - I prefer one or two over the rest, and I'm glad the actors have developed their craft. Twilight, well, could have been better, but wasn't bad. Kristin Stewart needs to work on her character, her attitude, and her public persona. So many others, I can't remember them all!
Above all, any adaptation needs to stay true to its book(s), or you run the risk of losing the essence of the story, and with that, the audience.
No one is going to forget Colin Firth coming out of the lake! That is forever lodged firmly in my mind AND all the Harry Potter movies. I've read all the books as well. Once the first Potter movie came out it was easy to visualize all others when reading the book.
I prefer to read the book first. If it's worthy then I'll see the the movie and hopefully it will be done well.
I recently read a book of my daughters called Rumer & Qix by Kathleen S. Wilson. It was a good futuristic fiction book about a young girl that helps to save the world and make it a better place. As I finished reading it my mind began visualizing it as a movie. Who knows ...it could be.
I often am a reluctant reader of classics. So watching the movie is a way to get the plot in my mind, the characters...it helps me get through language that isn't contemporary or plot lines that don't jump off the page. I am proud that I have read Dumas' Three Musketeers and yes, of course it is very different from the Disney version with Charlie Sheen, but watching the movie gave me a frame.
My favorite adaptation: Persuasion, the 1995 BBC version. Persuasion is now my favorite Austen--before this I wasn't in love with Jane, as P&P is not my fave.
I tend to watch movies over and over and read books again and again. I like adaptations b/c you get to see the book through the director's eyes. I can have my idea of the book, AND enjoy the director's view, and I often get details that I might have missed or nuances that I did miss.
As a librarian, I rarely if never meet anyone that reads the book after. But I almost always do.
xo,
SL
Post a Comment