Hilary Korabik
Saturday, October 9, 2010
What is with all these books being made into movies!?!
Have any of you read Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower? I read it a few years ago and loved it. Now, it is apparently becoming a movie with Logan Lerman as Charlie and EMMA WATSON as Sam. There are no trailers out, but it is supposed to come out in sometime in 2011. According to IMDb, Stephen Chbosky himself is directing the film, which is what I think might be it's saving grace. Although I always get excited when my favorite books are made into movies, I am always somewhat disappointed. As we talked about in class, we all read for something different and get something different out of every book we read. Even rereading a book we get something different than we did the first time. Movies made from books encompass only one person's vision and therefore can hurt our reading experience. I've found that I have to go into a movie thinking of it as entirely separate from the book, no connections at all, or else I will be disappointed in it. I do, however, think it's really great that the author himself is directing it because he of all people will be able to maintain the dignity of the book.
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Hilary, it is so true, so many movies distort my favorite books. However, I personally try my best to read a book before I will see the movie, as a consequence I have read lots of books that I probably would have never read because of their exposure as a movie. But when a book is already near and dear to your heart it is really hard to see a different image of it up on the big screen. One of my favorite adaptations from film to screen was Where the Wild Things Are, it was my favorite book when I was really little, and there was something in the directors vision that captured the magic of the book, while expanding the storyline to allow for a full length movie. Where is the line between staying true to a book and making it adaptable for those who haven't read it? Directors are stuck with this tough question and many others. It is ultimately a balancing act that is failed most of the time.
ReplyDeleteOh, no! Perks is probably one of my favorite books ever! I think it's definitely going to lose a lot of the heart of the book when you won't be able to read Charlie's intimate letters. Of course, I'm going to have to see it to satisfy my curiosity.
ReplyDeleteHilary,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. I have never read that book, but I have definitely heard of it and know people who have read it. I know The Hunger Games will be a movie, and It's Kind of a Funny Story is coming out soon. I know numerous people become frustrated when books are turned into movies. Sometimes I get frustrated because I have read a book, and I will see the movie and become upset that they did a bad job portraying it. However, I think this can be good if books are made into movies because it can increase popularity of the actual book. Think of Twilight. I believe if they were not turned into movies, the books would not be as popular as they are. Also, this spring I read The Last Song and then saw the movie. My sister saw the movie, and because she liked it so much, she wanted to read the book right away. I know this can also bring up the issue of being disappointed after reading the book when seeing the movie first, or even having that character’s appearance ruin your image of the character while reading. Finally, as an author, I would be honored if someone wanted to make my book into a movie. I would want to make sure I had some say in it to make sure it was being portrayed as close to the book as possible
-Abby Kilian
I almost never go into a movie with the expectation that it is ever going to top what the author portrayed in the book. Harry Potter is one exception. The books were amazing, and with all of the popularity the movies were able to be made with incredible budgets. It's so true what you said in this post about the movies being the portrayal of one person's vision. Being in this class and talking about the books we've read has definitely enforced how differently people are impacted by books. Even after talking in a group about a back, the impact it made on me can begin to change based on what somebody else took away from it.
ReplyDeleteI do think that it is always fun and interesting when I get to see the movie version of the book, but the biggest problem I have is that when I reread the book after seeing the movie, I almost always picture the story the same way it was portrayed in the movie, not in my own imaginary way.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate how much more popular books can become and the honor that is given to the author when a book is made into a movie, but at the same time it commercializes the book and makes it less special. Have you ever had a favorite band that you knew about for years and then all the sudden everyone you know becomes obsessed with it? Don't you kind of feel possessive over it? That is how I feel with books. I love showing them to other people, and I love finding people who like the same books as me, but when they are popular beyond what is normal it makes them a little less precious to me.
At the same time, if I were the author and saw the changes that were made in my book as it was adapted into a movie, I would probably be hurt or sad. My writing is like a baby to me! Nobody wants someone else to take over their baby to make "improvements." I suppose, however, that is the risk they take when selling the rights to their book.