Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.
And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!
Question: What are your favourite and least favourite book to film adaptations, and why?
Book to film adaptations are notoriously bad, my friends. I mean, seriously…who are we kidding here? There are so many films that just have not lived up to their literary counterparts that I often forget that there can be good ones. You guys know the bad ones I’m talking about; those movies that take excessive liberties, completely conceal the plot and spin the story into something that’s merely a shadow of what the book once was? Do I really need to illustrate those for you? Probably not, but here are some of the worst ones I’ve ever seen…EVER.
That said, there are (occasionally) those book to film adaptations that actually manage to impress me. Now, that’s no small feat, mind you because when they do it’s because of a few things.
1. They don’t deviate too far from the book’s storyline.
2. The actors actually fit their literary counterparts and do them justice.
3. The movie doesn’t skimp on the book’s details simply for shock value or ratings.
Yes, I know. I’m picky. But hey, when you like a book, do you really want to see that book have a crappy film fail at its sad attempt to do it justice? The answer’s no, and you know it. The point is, I can probably count on two hands the number of films that have measured up, but below are my top three.
What do they have in common? They run in the same vein as the books, which is like gold to me. I seriously love them. The fact of the matter is that while I allow for creative freedom, I love a book for a reason, and it saddens me when films lose that reason.
