Never quite as it seems
I intensely dislike Disney’s A Little Mermaid, while I love the Hans Christian Anderson version. I remember that I traumatized a student once by telling her that the unnamed mermaid does not marry the prince, but dies. I’m not sure that she’s forgiven me yet, and I’ve had my niece ban me from telling her about books that were made into movies because I might cause her the same shock.
It’s true that I, like many other members of the book-loving public, am often disappointed by the film adaptations of my favourites. I understand, at least intellectually, that a book cannot be perfectly translated into a visual medium, and that there is a need to edit and adapt to fit the medium, running length, audience appeal, and a range of other factors. I accept that my tastes may not be the same as the general public or even others who are generally similar to me (my friends will tell you that I am never one to go to a “chick flick” with all the angst that accompanies the storyline). However, I have an ongoing gripe against the fundamental alterations in the story that sometimes accompany a film release. What do I mean? Follow along, and please share your thoughts!
My challenge relates to movie adaptations that skip over the consequences of actions. Battle and war scenes are exciting, and are fantastic for filler material. But the post-war period is equally important. How the soldier readjusts to civilian life; what changes occur when veterans come home and what are the results. Equally important are the times of character growth, such as the realization of something critical.
Among my favourite books is The Hobbit which is a lovely 3-part journey-quest story. I’ve read and reread it many times. So when there was a film adaptation I was thrilled... until I saw that it was spread over 3 3-hour movies, and omitted several lovely scenes that built on friendship and resolving conflicts that demonstrated significant character development. These were replaced by mind-numbingly dull battle sequences and prolonged video game material. My disappointment with The Lord of the Rings was the omission of the adaptation back to life after the journey. It’s a complex and difficult transition, which was completely skipped in the movie. Ender’s Game is a book, and series starter, that I found deeply touching. The movie adaptation left me cold. It spent a lot of time of battle sequences and none at all on the falling action of the story, which touched on the effects of decisions made. I, Robot bore no resemblance to the original text other than the name.
The other type that disappoints and frustrates me is the movie adaptation that trivializes the motivation of a central character. For me, the movie that best illustrates this is Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams. The book, and the novella that inspired it, is easily my favourite. It tells the story of a robot who makes himself human over the course of his 200 years of existence. The daughter of the family who owned him treated him as an equal and the family encouraged his development. He sought to be more than a device, and did all that he could to be recognized as human. The movie had him fall in love with the daughter and want to be human to marry her, which smacks of paedophilia to me. I was so disgusted with that movie that I have not watched another Robin Williams movie, including those that I had previously enjoyed. The Little Mermaid falls into this category.
OK, so I am nitpicking. But when I really enjoy a book, its world becomes real and vivid to me; the characters and their motivations move me and their challenges, triumphs and failures affect me. To have it reduced to a series of trivial events is tragic. Reading is my preferred form of entertainment, so I will have to continue deciding whether to be disappointed or to just suspend my expectations and try to enjoy the offering. I do, though, generally enjoy original movies which stand on their own.
It’s true that I, like many other members of the book-loving public, am often disappointed by the film adaptations of my favourites. I understand, at least intellectually, that a book cannot be perfectly translated into a visual medium, and that there is a need to edit and adapt to fit the medium, running length, audience appeal, and a range of other factors. I accept that my tastes may not be the same as the general public or even others who are generally similar to me (my friends will tell you that I am never one to go to a “chick flick” with all the angst that accompanies the storyline). However, I have an ongoing gripe against the fundamental alterations in the story that sometimes accompany a film release. What do I mean? Follow along, and please share your thoughts!
My challenge relates to movie adaptations that skip over the consequences of actions. Battle and war scenes are exciting, and are fantastic for filler material. But the post-war period is equally important. How the soldier readjusts to civilian life; what changes occur when veterans come home and what are the results. Equally important are the times of character growth, such as the realization of something critical.
Among my favourite books is The Hobbit which is a lovely 3-part journey-quest story. I’ve read and reread it many times. So when there was a film adaptation I was thrilled... until I saw that it was spread over 3 3-hour movies, and omitted several lovely scenes that built on friendship and resolving conflicts that demonstrated significant character development. These were replaced by mind-numbingly dull battle sequences and prolonged video game material. My disappointment with The Lord of the Rings was the omission of the adaptation back to life after the journey. It’s a complex and difficult transition, which was completely skipped in the movie. Ender’s Game is a book, and series starter, that I found deeply touching. The movie adaptation left me cold. It spent a lot of time of battle sequences and none at all on the falling action of the story, which touched on the effects of decisions made. I, Robot bore no resemblance to the original text other than the name.
The other type that disappoints and frustrates me is the movie adaptation that trivializes the motivation of a central character. For me, the movie that best illustrates this is Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams. The book, and the novella that inspired it, is easily my favourite. It tells the story of a robot who makes himself human over the course of his 200 years of existence. The daughter of the family who owned him treated him as an equal and the family encouraged his development. He sought to be more than a device, and did all that he could to be recognized as human. The movie had him fall in love with the daughter and want to be human to marry her, which smacks of paedophilia to me. I was so disgusted with that movie that I have not watched another Robin Williams movie, including those that I had previously enjoyed. The Little Mermaid falls into this category.
OK, so I am nitpicking. But when I really enjoy a book, its world becomes real and vivid to me; the characters and their motivations move me and their challenges, triumphs and failures affect me. To have it reduced to a series of trivial events is tragic. Reading is my preferred form of entertainment, so I will have to continue deciding whether to be disappointed or to just suspend my expectations and try to enjoy the offering. I do, though, generally enjoy original movies which stand on their own.
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