Tag: Hollywood

Would You Rather Read the Book or Watch the Movie Adaptation?

~ The Regal Writer ~ 1 Comment
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

No, it’s not your imagination. There are numerous adaptations of books being turned into films or mini-series lately, more than other years. From Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gamus premiering on Apple TV+ to true crime Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann currently being shown in theaters,  published works are being retold for the screen. In fact, many stories we see on the big screen or via streaming services are based on top-selling books.

For a great list of books turned into films, check out this story on Stylist.

But is one storytelling experience better than the other? Is it better to read the book first or to view the film adaptation? It’s a decades-long debate with no real answer. It’s more a matter of personal preference.

Hollywood often looks to newer book releases for inspiration for films. Some of the most popular films can be traced back to its written version. One that comes to mind is Field of Dreams, based on the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella. Though lesser known than the film, the book is just as good, though it contains a couple of characters and a subplot that doesn’t appear on screen.

Many readers swear that books are better than the film version. I’ve read many books that were turned into films that I found lacking in substance. The books were still better. Bee Season was a decent book, but the film adaptation wasn’t nearly as compelling. While The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri was made into a movie, the literary novel that it was based on provided more depth.

The reverse can also be true, that film adaptations bring the written story to life and make it better, more believable. Field of Dreams is one example of that. And though I never read the original story of The Graduate by Charles Webb, it went on to become one of the best films of all time.

There are several reasons for enjoying books over the movie or mini-series:

  • Books allow the imagination to run free and paint pictures in our minds.
  • Books provide more plot details, subplots and secondary characters
  • Books provide more backstory than films might be able to do.
  • Books allow readers to experience the story at their own pace; there are no time constraints as there might be in films.
  • Books allow readers to think more deeply about what they’ve read

Conversely, films offer a few advantages of their own:

  • Films are more visually appealing; you see the action as it happens and it leaves nothing to the imagination.
  • Films provide a more streamlined experience because they focus on the major events and characters of the story, while subplots and secondary characters are often cut.
  • Viewing films can be enjoyed alone or with others. It can be a shared experience.
  • It takes less time to experience the story—two to three hours compared to several days or weeks for a novel.

There are other factors that contribute to the choice of reading the book versus watching the movie. Many people are more visual by nature, so they prefer watching films. Or perhaps they’re simply not book readers.

Can reading ruin your experience of the film? That depends on who you ask. I still enjoyed watching the Harry Potter films—all eight of them—and I will watch them over and over. The books are just as good if not more so because of the added layers of plot.

Some readers claim that seeing the film first can enhance their reading experience. The film gives them a cursory idea of the story, while the book fills in more of the details and provides more backstory. On the other hand, some film adaptations are so far removed from the original that it can ruin the original meaning.

It all comes down to personal preference. I myself prefer the book reading experience. I feel I get more out of the story that way. But really, there is no right or wrong way. Whether you read the book or watch the movie or both, you’re still enjoying the power of story no matter what form is takes.

Movie Review: La La Land Straddles the Line Between Fantasy and Reality

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Highly-touted film is creativity in motion.

It’s being billed as a top contender for the Academy Award for Best Picture, earned numerous SAG and Golden Globe nominations and has already garnered Critics Choice awards for Best Picture and Best Director. La La Land, (http://www.lalaland.movie/) directed by Damien Chazelle (who also directed Whiplash), takes us on a musical adventure in the city of big dreams, Los Angeles. From the opening dance sequence on a southern California freeway to a duet while floating among the stars, the entertainment never stops.

La La Land tells the story of two aspiring young artists who cross paths while stuck in a freeway traffic jam. Emma Stone plays a budding actress who has confidence issues, and Ryan Gosling is a struggling jazz musician who stubbornly refuses to sell out on his dream of owning his own jazz club. As their lives cross paths, the audience is taken along on their journey, with every joy and heartache the characters experience along the way.

The film is defined best by its dance sequences, which are both entertaining and magical, and the special effects add a fantasy-like charm. Stone and Gosling prove to be surprisingly good singers. If you enjoy the musicals from the golden age of the 1950s and 1960s, La La Land is certain to please you. I don’t want to spoil all the fun but you can watch the trailer here.

As Stone and Gosling’s goals begin to conflict with one another and their paths diverge, reality begins to settle in. Each came to LA with a vision for their career, which altered with each failed audition or as new opportunities arose. When confronted with each challenge, their characters re-assessed and questioned their paths. Just like in the real world

In one scene, for example, Gosling is approached by an old musical acquaintance (played by John Legend) who invites him to join his band. Gosling hesitates at first, but later changes his mind. As he stands up on stage playing music that runs counter to his jazz background, Stone and the movie audience is left wondering if he sold out on his dream. Or did he catch a glimpse of his own reality, that he would never open his own jazz club without a cash cow to support him? In relaxing his own stubborn stance on jazz, he opened up to an opportunity – as distasteful as it was — that gave him a path toward his dream.

Sound familiar? How many of us as struggling artists or disgruntled business owners have found ourselves hitting the pavement in search of more steady, secure work. There is something to be said for security, especially when you come from nothing and are barely making ends meet. At those times, realism sets in; the fantasy has to be set aside for the time being.

And that message may be both a strength and a weakness of La La Land. This film does such a wonderful job building the fantasy, creating dream sequences that transport us to an alternate reality, that it can be difficult to accept the harsh truth of reality when we come face to face with it. Many people may find the film’s ending a bit disappointing, a letdown after the joyous highs of the film. The truth is, it ended the only way it could.

Stone and Gosling do live happily ever after – just not in the way we expect. Reality can be difficult to accept when you’ve been living in La La Land.