I consider myself a person with discerning tastes, but I yield a relatively open sense of flexibility when it comes to the Arts. However, it has recently come to my attention that movies are all too often lackluster, particularly those from book adaptations.
Last night I popped in the DVD The Princess Bride. I had finished reading the book a couple of months ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sadly, the movie did not meet my expectations. In fact, in every case where the literary experience preceded the theatrical one, I was always greatly disappointed.
With The Princess Bride, it was like watching an abbreviated version of the story. It moved too quickly, and seemed to conceal some of the less favorable happenings from the book.
When I read Thomas Harris' Hannibal, I actually went to see the movie with low expectations. It was a fairly graphic novel, and I was unable to imagine that any director had the gall to reproduce any of the gory scenes. Surprisingly, Director Ridley Scott executed much of the terrific bloodiness, including the protagonist detective's demise where he is hung by his feet off of a balcony as his viscera shoots out on to the street below. In a story like Hannibal, such details are not to be compromised. Ultimately, however, the conclusion of this story was sanitized to Hollywood standards, and I left the theater with a heavy heart. I will spare the details of the story's ending, and urge you to pick up the book. Then, check out the DVD to compare - just keep in mind that the movie went soft at the end, like a bad sexual experience.
The screen adaptation of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code was also executed very close to the book, with the ending modified for cinematic reasons. The book ending was far more satisfying, and the meat of the story provided more scientific, philosophic, and religious background. Consequently, this is where my problem lies. When it comes to movies, I want the details: the before, the after, and all of the subtleties in between. The least any of these screenwriters can do is stay true to the books. It's really not too much to ask.
The movie Choke, based on the Chuck Palahniuk book of the same name is due out in theaters in the next few weeks. I think I may forgo this movie to preserve the satisfaction of the story as I read it. Although the book is simplistic in its plot and in its comedy, the probability that it will fail by my expectations is strong. I've already seen the movie in my own imagination after all, and any other version than that would be disastrous.
When I read Thomas Harris' Hannibal, I actually went to see the movie with low expectations. It was a fairly graphic novel, and I was unable to imagine that any director had the gall to reproduce any of the gory scenes. Surprisingly, Director Ridley Scott executed much of the terrific bloodiness, including the protagonist detective's demise where he is hung by his feet off of a balcony as his viscera shoots out on to the street below. In a story like Hannibal, such details are not to be compromised. Ultimately, however, the conclusion of this story was sanitized to Hollywood standards, and I left the theater with a heavy heart. I will spare the details of the story's ending, and urge you to pick up the book. Then, check out the DVD to compare - just keep in mind that the movie went soft at the end, like a bad sexual experience.
The screen adaptation of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code was also executed very close to the book, with the ending modified for cinematic reasons. The book ending was far more satisfying, and the meat of the story provided more scientific, philosophic, and religious background. Consequently, this is where my problem lies. When it comes to movies, I want the details: the before, the after, and all of the subtleties in between. The least any of these screenwriters can do is stay true to the books. It's really not too much to ask.
The movie Choke, based on the Chuck Palahniuk book of the same name is due out in theaters in the next few weeks. I think I may forgo this movie to preserve the satisfaction of the story as I read it. Although the book is simplistic in its plot and in its comedy, the probability that it will fail by my expectations is strong. I've already seen the movie in my own imagination after all, and any other version than that would be disastrous.
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