Reading a Book or Watching Its Adaptation: Which Is Better?
Reading a book or watching its adaptation: Which is better?
When a film is made from a book, it is called an adaptation. From the beginning, film-makers have made films based on novels, short stories, biographies and plays; of these adaptations, novels have always been the most popular choice (Difference).
And what are the main differences between books and adaptations? Films have limited time, whereas books can be lengthy, so books can develop more of a plot and characterization. A classic complaint about movie versions concerns the omission of material that the reader finds important. If the director must make a film that is the proper length for a theatrical release, there is no way to include everything, especially when it comes from a long novel. Some people consider this an advantage of adaptations; others, on the contrary, find it a great disadvantage. Here are two opinions of people discussing Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring in the comments on “WiseGEEK” website. Anon272367 writes: “Imagine, for example, a “Fellowship of the Ring” [sic] movie that covered every single damn detail in the book. Trust me when I say this: I wouldn 't watch it” (Better). His opponent, anon260109, writes: “Jackson 's ear was deaf to Tolkien 's elaborately crafted back story of ancient mysteries and he threw away their music, not realising that the books are unlike any other fantasy novel in that they were written by a man who constructed them on an intimate knowledge of the Old English language, mythology and storytelling” (Better).
One more difference is that books require the reader to use his or her imagination to visualize what is happening while films normally visualize it for the viewer. Films leave little to viewers ' imaginations. When reading, a person is creating his or her own movie in a sense, and he or she decides many of the important parts: how the characters speak, what they look like, and what their surroundings look like. Hr30 expresses the same
When a film is made from a book, it is called an adaptation. From the beginning, film-makers have made films based on novels, short stories, biographies and plays; of these adaptations, novels have always been the most popular choice (Difference).
And what are the main differences between books and adaptations? Films have limited time, whereas books can be lengthy, so books can develop more of a plot and characterization. A classic complaint about movie versions concerns the omission of material that the reader finds important. If the director must make a film that is the proper length for a theatrical release, there is no way to include everything, especially when it comes from a long novel. Some people consider this an advantage of adaptations; others, on the contrary, find it a great disadvantage. Here are two opinions of people discussing Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring in the comments on “WiseGEEK” website. Anon272367 writes: “Imagine, for example, a “Fellowship of the Ring” [sic] movie that covered every single damn detail in the book. Trust me when I say this: I wouldn 't watch it” (Better). His opponent, anon260109, writes: “Jackson 's ear was deaf to Tolkien 's elaborately crafted back story of ancient mysteries and he threw away their music, not realising that the books are unlike any other fantasy novel in that they were written by a man who constructed them on an intimate knowledge of the Old English language, mythology and storytelling” (Better).
One more difference is that books require the reader to use his or her imagination to visualize what is happening while films normally visualize it for the viewer. Films leave little to viewers ' imaginations. When reading, a person is creating his or her own movie in a sense, and he or she decides many of the important parts: how the characters speak, what they look like, and what their surroundings look like. Hr30 expresses the same
Cited: 1) “Book Adaptations: From the Page to the Big Screen.” Bookosaur. Web. 17 Nov. 2012 <http://www.thebookosaur.com/2012/01/book-adaptations-from-the-page-to-the-big-screen/> 2) “Books vs. Movie Adaptations - which do you prefer?” The Student Room. Web. 17 Nov. 2012 <http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t =1982240> 3) “What is the difference between books and films?” Kvenno Web. 17 Nov. 2012 <http://www.kvenno.is/englishmovies/Adaptation.htm> 4) “Why Are Books Always Better than the Movie Versions?” WiseGEEK. Web. 17 Nov. 2012 <http://www.wisegeek.com/why-are-books-always-better-than-the-movie-versions.htm>