Books and the Big Screen
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April 2017 |
We know the debate. We all have heard the gasps when we dejectedly confess that we have not read the books. The ever-going back and forth between books and movies has existed for decades, especially since numerous movies that have dominated popular culture originate straight from novels. The entire Harry Potter novel, Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, The Da Vinci Code, The Notebook, The Help, The Devil Wears Prada... the list goes on and on. The clear winner? Usually books. If there is this seemingly unwavering support for books, why turn them into movies?
Turning a book into a movie is a lot like translating a poem into a different language. The movie that forms can be very different in the hands of different directors. Three hundred page novels cannot be shown in its entirety, so every director has to find a way to communicate the same plot line, with half of the time they would need. This involves cutting out scenes, reworking events, and essentially drifting away from the book slightly. With this freedom to morph the book, many directors lose avid readers. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the characters casted were way too old to play young teenagers, and Alexandra Daddario did not resemble the dumb blonde who is ironically smart that she was supposed to appear as when playing Annabeth.
Besides characters being cut, scenes can also be cut. Stories can genuinely get lost in translation when converted from book to film, and this can really infuriate those who know and love a favorite novel by heart. Certain people may watch the film to see an exact replication of the novel, but most people just want another chance to immerse themselves into a world they love so much. Even though a character may be different than what was expected or a scene is completely cut, viewers get to still see their favorite characters come to life and develop a charm of their own from the special touch of a director.
Although there is a slight disconnect between movies and films, the power of a film cannot be underestimated. Jurassic Park started off as a novel, but with the mention of the title, the film first comes to mind. It is a testament to the power of technology and animation that the movie has immortalized the plot. The Godfather is one of the greatest films of all times, and yet it started out as a novel. With the name Jaws, everyone can hear the two notes over and over in the back of their mind. This too started off as a novel. When asked about it, junior and avid moviegoer Maggie Tsai replied “Wow really? I’ve seen all of those films and I never knew that! Actually I knew about the Jurassic Park one but not the others.” Time and time again, the film has surpassed the novel, which goes to credit the argument that the book does not have to be better than the movie. Sometimes, it can genuinely be the other way around.
Movies also deserve commendation for their general helpfulness. People would not be exposed to amazing plots had they only existed in book form. Imagine Finding Nemo as a novel. What teenager or grown adult would pick up a novel about a dad sailing to Sydney to save his son? The movie, however, is a timeless classic. Besides showing a world to an audience that would have risked it in novel form, movies take a lot less time than novels, which is extremely important if the plot is not very good. Many people know the feeling of hitting the halfway point in the novel and realizing that it is not very good but being unable to just quit the book after all of the time given up for it. With movies, this is not an issue, because it is only two hours, versus the week’s worth of time dedicated to a novel.
Are books better than the movies? The answer genuinely depends on the directors and the authors. There are many ways for a story to come to life and each equally powerful and equally unique.
Turning a book into a movie is a lot like translating a poem into a different language. The movie that forms can be very different in the hands of different directors. Three hundred page novels cannot be shown in its entirety, so every director has to find a way to communicate the same plot line, with half of the time they would need. This involves cutting out scenes, reworking events, and essentially drifting away from the book slightly. With this freedom to morph the book, many directors lose avid readers. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the characters casted were way too old to play young teenagers, and Alexandra Daddario did not resemble the dumb blonde who is ironically smart that she was supposed to appear as when playing Annabeth.
Besides characters being cut, scenes can also be cut. Stories can genuinely get lost in translation when converted from book to film, and this can really infuriate those who know and love a favorite novel by heart. Certain people may watch the film to see an exact replication of the novel, but most people just want another chance to immerse themselves into a world they love so much. Even though a character may be different than what was expected or a scene is completely cut, viewers get to still see their favorite characters come to life and develop a charm of their own from the special touch of a director.
Although there is a slight disconnect between movies and films, the power of a film cannot be underestimated. Jurassic Park started off as a novel, but with the mention of the title, the film first comes to mind. It is a testament to the power of technology and animation that the movie has immortalized the plot. The Godfather is one of the greatest films of all times, and yet it started out as a novel. With the name Jaws, everyone can hear the two notes over and over in the back of their mind. This too started off as a novel. When asked about it, junior and avid moviegoer Maggie Tsai replied “Wow really? I’ve seen all of those films and I never knew that! Actually I knew about the Jurassic Park one but not the others.” Time and time again, the film has surpassed the novel, which goes to credit the argument that the book does not have to be better than the movie. Sometimes, it can genuinely be the other way around.
Movies also deserve commendation for their general helpfulness. People would not be exposed to amazing plots had they only existed in book form. Imagine Finding Nemo as a novel. What teenager or grown adult would pick up a novel about a dad sailing to Sydney to save his son? The movie, however, is a timeless classic. Besides showing a world to an audience that would have risked it in novel form, movies take a lot less time than novels, which is extremely important if the plot is not very good. Many people know the feeling of hitting the halfway point in the novel and realizing that it is not very good but being unable to just quit the book after all of the time given up for it. With movies, this is not an issue, because it is only two hours, versus the week’s worth of time dedicated to a novel.
Are books better than the movies? The answer genuinely depends on the directors and the authors. There are many ways for a story to come to life and each equally powerful and equally unique.