Last week we were thrilled to welcome Erika to this column with a Q&A about movie adaptations. We had such a great conversation going that it spilled over into this week (and even two weeks couldn’t hold it — I’ve posted the overflow at my own blog today).
JD: Do you ever see a movie first, and then go back and read the book it was based on? How does this differ from seeing a beloved book made into a movie?
Well, when a beloved book is made into a movie, you have a ton of trepidations about what the screenwriter and director have done with the characters you love. So I go into a theater for those kind of adaptations filled with nervousness, low expectations and — against my better judgment — a glimmer of hope that everything will be just as I’d imagined it. If you’ve never read the book, then there are simply no expectations or fears about what might or not have have been changed, and you’re probably bound to have a better moviegoing experience!
As far as seeing a movie first goes, yes, I’ve done that a few times… the most memorable is with The Princess Bride, which, as you noted on your site earlier this year, most people don’t even know was originally a book. I saw the movie when it first came out in the 80s and fell in love with it — it’s actually my #1 favorite film. Then I sought out the novel and devoured it… but still prefer the movie version. I think the biggest difference is that when you see the film version of a story first, everything about its characters and their universe is laid out there for you. You don’t get to envision exactly what Westley looks like or how an attack by Rodents of Unusual Size might transpire because you SAW Westley on the big screen and you already watched him tussle with the gigantic rat-like creatures. (On a side note, this is what the Harry Potter films got right — I’d say 85% of the characters (and definitely all of the main characters) look exactly as I’d pictured them, as did Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, etc., etc.)
(The rest of this answer is posted on my blog).
JD: After seeing a movie without reading the novel upon which it was based first, have you ever felt that you now have absolutely no reason to read the book? Did you regret not reading the book first?
EO: I’m probably going to get in trouble for this one, but I gotta keep it real: once I saw Atonement, I knew I’d never pick up the novel, even though I have many friends who begged me to give it a chance. Some stories — especially those that have any sort of twist — are just too hard to “go backward” with, for lack of a better phrase. In addition, I’ve never been able to get into Ian McEwan’s other works, so I figured that a little exposure to one of his stories — by way of an adaptation — would be better than nothing.
While I didn’t regret not reading Atonement before I saw the film, there are some cases — like with Slumdog Millionaire — where I would go back and do things differently if I had the chance. I didn’t even realize that this Oscar-winner was based on the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup until I saw that note in its credits. Oops. But I doubt I’ll ever take the time to read the original story at this point; something’s lost once you know what happens how everything gets wrapped up. That’s why whenever I see a movie trailer for something that really intrigues me and I know it’s based on a book I haven’t been able to read yet, that book will jump to the top of my queue. I’d still rather read a book right before its movie version comes out (even with all the issues that come along with doing so, like we talked about last week) than risk never wanting to read it at all once I’ve watched the film.
Then there are some books that never interested me in the first place, so I’m fine with seeing the movies first. Confessions of a Shopaholic (linked to my review), The Devil Wears Prada and Bridget Jones’s Diary fall into this category. I don’t seek out a lot of chick lit, but I have no problems watching something fluffy and fun on the big screen!
Q. Are there any books you are scared to see adapted?
A. Oh, definitely. One of my favorite books is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, and now that buzz has kicked up again about a possible adaptation (as either a film or a miniseries), I’m on high alert. This is a case where I totally realize that there’s no way the film could (or should) stick straight to the story, so my hesitancy doesn’t come from fear of what they might change or leave out. It’s really a bigger question of “Should this book be made into a movie at all — in any way, shape or form?” There’s a small piece of me that’s so curious to see if anyone could pull it off that I almost want it to happen… but for the most part I still hope that nothing comes of the latest rumors. The Atlas Shrugged movie project has been batted about Hollywood for over forty years, so I’m not going to get all freaked out about it just yet.
One book I really enjoyed that IS eventually coming to theaters is Life of Pi. Director Ang Lee (who knows a thing or two about adaptations from his work on Sense and Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain) is on board, which gives me reason to be cautiously optimistic. I think there’s great potential for this novel to be a stellar film — one that its fans will be pleased with. But of course it could also go horribly awry… especially if Lee chooses to have Pi stranded with CGI animals rather than real ones. I’m hoping for the best on this one, though I haven’t heard any status updates on it for awhile.
Finally, I have some trepidations about the upcoming movie version of Eat, Pray, Love. I’m not even really a fan of the book (I thought it was OK, but not spectacular), it’s just that — by and large — I do not like Julia Roberts and think she is completely wrong for the leading role. If they’d picked someone else to play author Elizabeth Gilbert (best case scenario would’ve been an unknown actress) there was a good chance I might’ve liked the film more than the book. But now I highly doubt that will be the case — it looks like they’re going for star power over substance. Sigh.
Q:I’ve liked movies better than the book when I’ve read the book after seeing a movie I loved (Beaches comes to mind), but I don’t know if I’ve ever loved a movie more than the book when the book is planted in my heart first. What about you?
A: I have to agree with you on this one… it’s really hard for a movie to trump its literary twin if you’ve read the book first. Fellowship of the Ring comes closest for me, but it’s probably a tie — I love the book and the movie equally, but for totally different reasons.
Readers–join in with your thoughts on any of these questions. We want to hear from you!
Erika Olson is a freelance writer. She writes about movies and DVDs on redblog, runs Long Live Locke, an extremely popular site dedicated to the TV series Lost, and also blogs about completely random topics (including books she’s read) on her other site, According to e.
Oh, this was a wealth of information, especially since I had no idea that Life of Pi was being made into a movie– that gives me great trepidation! I loved that book, but it was so surreal that I have a hard time imagining it done well on the big screen.
And, while we’re at it, does anyone else think it was just a HUGE mistake to make a movie out of Where the Wild Things Are?? Even just the trailer makes me sigh and long for the good old days of beloved children’s books simply staying beloved children’s books!
I agree with so many of these thoughts. If I know I will be seeing a movie based on a book, I almost always read the book first. If I see the movie first, I usually have no desire to commit myself to reading the story as well. I’ll look forward to seeing Life of Pi as a movie. It will have been a long time since I read the book, so I will be much less critical of the film, I’m sure. Thanks for the great interview. I enjoyed reading it!
Thanks again for joining us Erika!
I have to say that I do sort of see Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert. I listened to the audiobook version of that book, and the author read it, so I feel like I “know” her even more than reading her journey in her book.
I have to say that some of the films made from books were totally disappointing (mainly The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies) while others were fabulous (LOTR). I did read the books first on both.
The ones I’ve seen where the film has outshined the book was Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Of course, I loved Billie Piper on Doctor Who, so I’m a bit biased, but the series is infinitely better than the book. This also happened with Sex and the City for me, which I enjoyed the series more than the book it was based on.
That’s a really interesting take on Atonement…your not wanting to read the book now. I haven’t read the book OR watched the movie and I can’t decide which to do so I found that part of this interview fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
great post! i love reading Erika’s post on Redblog so this was a great crossover. 🙂
I agree, I can only handle movie adaptations if I haven’t read the book. I did this with “Howard’s End” and actually liked the movie better! First time ever.
The only one I like both movie and book of is “Unbearable Lightness of Being” and that’s because the movie took only a small part of the book to make the movie out of.
I, unlike apparently everyone else in the world, did not like what Peter Jackson did to the LOTR trilogy. I don’t imagine Tolkein had Thomas Kinkade in mind when he imagined Rivendell, and his dwarves had some dignity not just comic relief.