A couple of books I really love are currently being turned into films. 1. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak and 2. Divergent by Veronica Roth. I’m very, very nervous about the outcome.
Let’s face it; there have been a number of books that have been thoroughly mauled by the film industry. Poor old Stephen King, for example, could only count on one hand the number of his works that have made it through relatively unscathed. Most of his books had me pinned to my seat. Most of the films had me trying to stay awake. (The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption and Misery were the exceptions. Can anyone suggest any more?)
The Book Thief is such a masterpiece of exquisite writing. How will that translate into cinematography? I’ve heard that Death is taking a back seat and the little girl will be the main character. See! Already something is lost.
I’m more confident that Divergent will translate into film quite well. It helps that there is plenty of action that will give the film some zing. But, will they capture the world in all its complexity? Will they get the nuances right?
I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy on the big screen, but there were moments of, “That’s not right”. And, although I thoroughly enjoyed the first instalment of The Hobbit, it wasn’t quite as I remember the book.
Or, perhaps it’s that it wasn’t quite as I saw it in my imagination as I read them. Perhaps it’s the books that have the elements of fantasy and magic that are difficult to put into film. After all, Schindler’s List worked very well on the big screen.
I don’t know why I’m worrying. I rarely go the cinema, so I’ll probably not see what they do to Zuzak’s masterpiece. Crisis averted.
I’m currently watching Under the Dome to see if it turns out okay or falls into the came hole as Lost, Carnivale and the others. There are definitely things that TV or movies can’t handle.
I thought the Hobbit was a bridge too far. They should not have made it. A trilogy pushes it beyond its natural expression and our age could only turn it into a slasher flick. Another boring blockbuster.
I, too, was shocked to see that The Hobbit had been cut up into three parts. It worked with Lord of the Rings because there are actually three books, but The Hobbit is only one. I’m going to watch the rest because I want to see what they do with Smaug. He was the first dragon I ever encountered in a book and it had a significant effect on me. I’ve been fascinated with the creatures ever since.