Read and watch?
... or watch and read? What do you do when a movie comes out depicting a book you also want to read? Read the book quickly and then head to the theatre, or watch the movie then tear through the book? I support watching the movie first, and here's why:
People who read the book first and love the story will ALMOST ALWAYS be dissapointed with what they see on screen. Why? Because a film cannot capture the depth or bredth of a 300-page book. So some of the intensity of the book will be lost in the film rendition. Second: Does the book help you understand the movie? Not usually. Can a movie help you understand a book? Depends. Have defined characters in my mind always helps me picture the scenes in a book. I don't need that aid in a movie. Third: Knowing the plot of a movie is a terrible way to enjoy it the first time. Knowing the plot of a book is less of a disaster as the book has plenty more storyline to surprise you.
So, I say watch the movie, read the book and watch the movie again. It's the path with the least dissapointment.
4 Comments:
I say read then watch. I don't read that many books, anyway, and it always takes me a while to get through it because I pick it up and put it down too much. Why would I wait a month or so to watch a movie that I really want to see just so I can read the book first?? In that case, I would just see the movie and not read the book at all.
I guess the real controversy comes when you don't know much about a book and then they make it into a movie. But you usually know that the movie will be coming out, so you can read the book before it's even in the theaters.
What a dilemma??!!
mercedes
While I am quite sure that our president would say watch the movie and burn . . . er, forget the book, I think the first lady would definitely encourage you to read the book.
I always read first. I like to see the characters and scenes the way the reader depicts them, not the way the producer does. And say I'm reading a book like The Shining (which I recently read so I could watch the movie with Robby) where the twists at the ending are a big part of enjoying the book. Do I want that ruined for me when I'm clearly going to enjoy the book more? No way. I'd rather have the ending of the movie ruined. That's just me. My way does have disadvantages because I really didn't like Friday Night Lights, the movie.
Anonymous said: "While I am quite sure that our president would say watch the movie and burn."
Uh... what do you mean?
Post a Comment
<< Home