Movie versions of books often disappoint readers because they cannot convey everything from the book, casting decisions may not match readers’ expectations, important material may be omitted or changed, and each person has their own mental version of the story. However, some movies, such as The Godfather, A Clockwork Orange, and Jaws, are considered better than the books.
People who love to read are often disappointed with the movie versions of their favorite books. There have been some great movies made from the books, but generally the movie versions of the books tend to frustrate readers because they’re not quite like the book. When a director works from an adapted script, the results are not the same as reading the book, for various reasons. For example, a film that follows a novel exactly would probably be too long for most audiences to attend a single screening, so some things need to be left out. Also, a book can easily convey things to the reader that are much more difficult for a film to convey, such as background information about the setting, the history and nature of the characters’ relationships, or even what the characters are thinking at certain moments.
The importance of imagination
Books and movies are very different entities. Movies leave little to the imagination of viewers. When reading, a person is creating their own film in a sense and deciding many of the important parts: how the characters speak, what they look like, and what their surroundings look like. This process of imagining and interpreting as a reader is a creative process that is distinctly different from watching a film.
Casting decisions
When directors choose roles for movies, the actor or actress inevitably doesn’t look like most readers of the book had envisioned the character. For example, casting Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci Code was considered a significant mistake by many people. In fact, the book depicts Langdon as a Harrison Ford-like actor, who bears no resemblance to Hanks.
Other types of casting decisions that often disappoint viewers are when an actor or actress who is known for comedic roles is cast in a dramatic role, or when an actor or actress is given a lead role in a major motion picture despite has acting skills that are considered less than stellar. No matter how the actor or actress performs in the film, it can be difficult for viewers who know him from other films to ignore their previous impressions. An actor or actress who speaks with an accent that doesn’t fit the role – either because the character should have a particular accent or because the actor or actress does it when the character shouldn’t – can also be disappointing to people who “heard” the voice differently while reading the book.
Missing material
A classic complaint about film versions involves the omission of material that the reader finds important. If the director has to make a film the right length for a theatrical release, there’s no way to include everything, especially when it’s a long novel. The film version of Gone with the Wind, for example, omits the fact that Scarlett O’Hara fathered two children by her first two husbands, and she disliked her children.
Perhaps the director wanted to make Scarlett more sympathetic and knew that playing this dislike would make Scarlett hate her. It’s an important aspect of the book and it turns her character into a much more complex person. The movie, for many people, is better than the book, but for other people, it’s a good movie but not a faithful representation of the book.
Making changes
Another thing that might annoy people about movie versions of their favorite books is adding material to the story or changing material. There are many such complaints about Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, for example. Important material, such as the battle in the Shire at the end of the last book, is deleted, and other material that was not written by JRR Tolkien has been added to the films. These changes include Arwen leaving for the Gray Havens and then dying, Aragorn’s flirtation with Eowyn, Sauruman’s death by falling from the tower of Isengard, and Frodo abandoning Sam before crossing Mordor. Other additions included Faramir torturing Gollum and kidnapping Frodo and Sam, as well as Faramir’s intention to seize Frodo’s ring.
Different interpretations
Despite complaints about differences from Tolkien’s books, Jackson’s films are widely considered to be quite good. The problem for Jackson and other filmmakers is that their interpretation of a book is not the same as anyone else’s. In the end, no director can please everyone who reads the book, because he’s working on his own interpretation, may have time constraints, and is working in an entirely different medium. Each person creates a mental version while reading a book, and no film version can live up to everyone’s mental vision.
exceptions
Not all of the film versions could be considered worse than the books. For example, many people believe that the film The Godfather is better than the Mario Puzo novel on which it is based. For many Godfather fans, director Francis Ford Coppola significantly improved the book and pulled out a lot of material written by Puzo that wasn’t particularly relevant to the main story. Other popular movies that many people consider better than the book versions include A Clockwork Orange, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Shining, Psycho, and Jaws.
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