Hello again everyone!
Blog # 5 is a little different from the others. It is more personal related, which I enjoy.
People who love reading are often disappointed by the movie versions of their favourite books. There have been many great films made from books, but usually movie versions of books never seem to satisfy the readers because it’s “just not the same.” We are all aware that Sara Gruen’s Water For Elephants is a very popular novel and film. Although I enjoyed the film, it was not nearly as good as the book, so i’m going to have to agree with the readers on this one! I find that this is the case with most novels that are turned into movies. For instance, I have read Twilight, and also watched the film. Although I am a big fan of the movie, I found the book was a lot more interesting.
I find that if you read the book first, you are presented to so many details, which broaden your imagination. Films leave little to viewers’ imaginations. When you read a book, what you’re really doing is you’re creating your own movie in your head and decide the most important parts like how the characters speak, what they look like, what their surroundings are like, etc. This process of imagining and visualizing as reader is a creative process significantly different from viewing a film. Books allow a narrative voice to carry the reader along or to fill in gaps in the readers knowledge. Movies also tend to cut out very important parts and sometimes even characters that the readers are probably looking forward to. For example, in Water for Elephants, the movie didn’t have Uncle Al, which was a main character in the novel. Instead, they kind of made August and him into one character. Although the acting in the movie was fantastic, it would have been interesting to see the two characters and how they interacted with each other.
Books also have a clearer and better explanation if or when there is a flashback moment. For instance, in Water for Elephants, whenever Jacob would flash back to his life in the nursing home, it would be clear that the setting changed from the moment you started reading. This is also another part that the movie left out, which made me a little disappointed. It would have been nice to see Jacob’s life in the old-age home, and his interactions with the different nurses, including Rosemary. Books also provide a better understanding of the history leading up to the main event. The movie started off a bit confusing. The audience didn’t know that he was a man in an old-age home until a couple minutes in when he explained himself, which also lasted only a couple minutes.
All and all, movies and books are always going to be different. People usually tend to like the book more, but I am open minded to both, meaning I won’t go into a movie automatically thinking it’s not going to be as good. I liked both the Twilight book and movie, but in this case, the book satisfied me more. Books seem to have more ideas for your imagination to work with. Don’t get me wrong, movies are also great for your imagination, but just not as much.
Anyway, hope you all have a good weekend and I look forward to reading your thoughts as well!
– Victoria M
Hi Victoria!
Can’t believe we’ve finished our last blog! I’ve enjoyed reading each of your entries. Your writing was always very concise, clear, and you always provided great insight 🙂
I read Twilight, too, and the books are far superior to the movie adaptations. After seeing the movie version of “Water for Elephants,” I can’t help but be disappointed that the Twilight directors aren’t letting Robert Pattinson show off his true acting abilities. I thought he was great in “Water for Elephants!”
What you said about books presenting you with so much detail is very true – with films, you’re limited to what the directors want you to see, and your imagination is restricted in a sense (though some films do a great job with bringing the settings to life). I liked how you described the “process of imagining and visualizing” – I think we all do that, and that’s why film adaptations can either be very frustrating or satisfying, depending on whether or not the directors had the same interpretation as us. And I agree with you about Al and August – I would have loved to see who they would have cast Al as, but the actor for August was fantastic, and he did a great job portraying aspects of both characters 🙂
I also missed Rosemary – she was a wonderful character and I was looking forward to her and Jacob’s scenes. I found it confusing, too, that the movie started with the book’s ending.
As always, terrific writing, Victoria!
Hope your weekend’s going well, too 🙂
~ Kayla 🙂
Hi Victoria!
Thanks for commenting on my 5th blog 🙂 And for your compliment 🙂
One of the things I always admired about your writing is how clear and concise you are – that’s such an important skill to have, and you’re excellent at that!
Good luck studying for final exams 🙂
~ Kayla 🙂
Thanks Kayla! I really appreciate all your positive comments throughout the semester. You are a great writer as well!
I love your enthusiastic attitude towards all of the entries. Your hard work has definitely paid off!
See you on exam day, happy studying!