Nina Guilbeau's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-help"
When Good Books become Good Movies
When Good Books become Good Movies
Have you ever learned one of your favorite books is being made into a movie? The excitement, the anticipation, the rush to the theater and then …the disappointment. Sometimes it’s because the characters don't look they way you've imagined them, or your favorite scene was cut, or a host of other reasons as individual as we are.
Although, transitioning from the author's written vision to a director's visual storytelling can be difficult for some readers, it becomes impossible if readers feel as if the essence of the story is missing. In fact, there are some movie versions that are so different from the book that they are nearly unrecognizable. However on some occasions, both the book and the movie (even when they have different artistic visions), are worth the trouble.
Here are a few:
The Millennium Trilogy (Swedish Version) – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest– All three of the Swedish movie versions closely aligned themselves with the book. They are well acted and very entertaining.
The Help – Thanks in great part to the actors’ portrayals of the characters, the movie is as satisfying as the book. The Women's Fiction Club enjoyed both the book and movie equally.
The Road – The book and the movie are both absolutely fabulous. The writing style in the book is a bit odd, but it does not distract from the emotion of the story. As a matter of fact, it adds to the overall vision of this apocalyptic story. Good book club selection!
Jurassic Park – This title is a little dated, but both the book and the movie were enjoyable. Although, some may disagree, the film is a little better than the book
.
Of Mice and Men – Now a classic, Steinbeck’s book has hit the movie screen more than once. The 1992 film version starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise is a nice tribute to the original story.
No Country for Old Men – Very loyal to book. If you like the book, you will like the movie. Actor Javier Bardem absolutely deserved his Oscar. He is downright scary in the film.
I’m sure there are others – what did I miss?
For the book clubs:
If you want to read the book and also see the movie, what should you do first? My choice is to see the movie first. The movie will usually be edited so you won't know what you're missing and can judge it fairly on its own merit. When you read the book it will most likely be richer in details and even have additional story lines. So, reading the book later can enhance the story you already know.
Have you ever learned one of your favorite books is being made into a movie? The excitement, the anticipation, the rush to the theater and then …the disappointment. Sometimes it’s because the characters don't look they way you've imagined them, or your favorite scene was cut, or a host of other reasons as individual as we are.
Although, transitioning from the author's written vision to a director's visual storytelling can be difficult for some readers, it becomes impossible if readers feel as if the essence of the story is missing. In fact, there are some movie versions that are so different from the book that they are nearly unrecognizable. However on some occasions, both the book and the movie (even when they have different artistic visions), are worth the trouble.
Here are a few:
The Millennium Trilogy (Swedish Version) – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest– All three of the Swedish movie versions closely aligned themselves with the book. They are well acted and very entertaining.
The Help – Thanks in great part to the actors’ portrayals of the characters, the movie is as satisfying as the book. The Women's Fiction Club enjoyed both the book and movie equally.
The Road – The book and the movie are both absolutely fabulous. The writing style in the book is a bit odd, but it does not distract from the emotion of the story. As a matter of fact, it adds to the overall vision of this apocalyptic story. Good book club selection!
Jurassic Park – This title is a little dated, but both the book and the movie were enjoyable. Although, some may disagree, the film is a little better than the book
.
Of Mice and Men – Now a classic, Steinbeck’s book has hit the movie screen more than once. The 1992 film version starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise is a nice tribute to the original story.
No Country for Old Men – Very loyal to book. If you like the book, you will like the movie. Actor Javier Bardem absolutely deserved his Oscar. He is downright scary in the film.
I’m sure there are others – what did I miss?
For the book clubs:
If you want to read the book and also see the movie, what should you do first? My choice is to see the movie first. The movie will usually be edited so you won't know what you're missing and can judge it fairly on its own merit. When you read the book it will most likely be richer in details and even have additional story lines. So, reading the book later can enhance the story you already know.
