ESL Discussion

Movie or Book

Posted by Michelle Regno on January 8, 2018 in General Discussion

There are some books which are made into movies. While I enjoy reading, I also enjoy watching movies. 

There is one book that I enjoyed reading. It's 'Eat, Pray, Love'. And when the movie was out, I was excited to watch it. However, I was disappointed because I felt the book was better.

This is not a generalization. There are fantastic movies based on books.

How about you? Which do you prefer? Book or its movie version? Why? Share your favorite movie/s.

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  • MARY January 13, 2018 19:49

    Btw, some examples, in my opinion, of movies based on books that I've read and they are as good (or almost as good) as the book: Trainspotting, Misery, The Princess Bride, Apocalypse Now (based on Heart of Darkness), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, A Clockwork Orange, The Exorcist, The Grapes of Wrath, Wonder Boys, The Ice Storm, Short Cuts, Dangerous Liaisons...

    But still, there I couldn't say which one is better, but I'd say both are good in their different 'fields'.

  • MARY January 13, 2018 19:18

    Well, both are different 'languages' and the movie it's just the film director and screenwriters' adaptation that usually has to fit with many other things (production, time...) My personal opinion is that when the movie adaptation has to do more with a personal film director's view, the movie usually is good too. But when it has to be adapted pretending to get a 'blockbuster'... then it sucks big time. 

    In any case, even if most of the times we say that 'the book is better than the movie', I repeat we have to take in mind that both are different ways to tell a story (one with words, the other with images)

  • A738a January 11, 2018 20:19

    Books... hands down.tumblr_mwxukgqcxk1t11q4bo1_250.gif

  • Michelle Regno January 10, 2018 9:06

    Hi, Rosemary,

    Yes, when the story is exciting and we could not wait to see its climax, even the ending, we tend to look for a faster way to satisfy our curiosity. Just like me, I was frustrated with some movies based on my favourite books, however, I should say that reading it brought me to another dimension, anyway. So my frustration with the movie version dies down. 

    So it all depends on the kind of movie or book, in your case, I should say.

    Wonderful thoughts. Thanks for sharing!

    Cheers!

    • hayat :) > Michelle Regno January 10, 2018 11:38

         I wish if u could share some of ur books and movies with us here  , we will be delighted because  they are one of the way we can learn English in :) . 

    • Michelle Regno > hayat :) January 11, 2018 3:42

      Hi, Rosemary,

      There are books I have read that were not made into movies. Like: The Marble Collector, The 7 Habits of Effective People, The 8 Habits of Effective People, The Power of Positive, Chicken for the Soul series, Unlimited Power, The Last Call, Tuesdays with Morrie, among others. They are easy read books that can help you.

      There is one book that I particularly like 'The King's Speech'. It was made into a movie and I also like it. I like both- book and movie. You can give it a try, too.

      Happy reading!!

      Cheers!

  • hayat :) January 10, 2018 6:46

    The 2 things are closely related and coexist together . Actually many great movies were essentially books before they were showed in the screen .
    I like reading books let me say novels , however , sometimes the text is too long for me to finish so , I rush to the youtube to see the movie and know the end of it .
    One the other hand , I immerse myself in a novel and to all of its details and discover after ward that it will turn out to be a movie or a TV series , I wait to see my favorite book on screen and there i feel frustrated because I enjoyed reading the book more , thinking about it and drawing the characters by my own imagination .
    The 3rd case is seeing the movie first and get that wow feeling , this will surely stop me from looking for the book .

  • Michelle Regno January 10, 2018 6:44

    Hi, Ishtar.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You must be a bookworm. ;)) Good to hear! You obviously also have good book choices. 

    The Great Gatsby is a wonderful movie. I have read the book partly and switched to the movie instead ;))

    Maybe you can share about 'Carol' next time.

    Cheers!

  • Michelle Regno January 10, 2018 6:40

    Hi, Mishaikh! Thanks for the comment. Yes, there are some movies based on books that exactly show what was written. At the same time, they provide visual interpretations that are within our expectations. 

    You have a fantastic example. Thanks for sharing!!!

    Happy reading!

  • Ishtar January 10, 2018 3:00

    Up to now I haven't found a movie that's better than the book, really. 
    One that I especially dislike is the movie of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
    One that I particularly like is the movie of The Great Gatsby, and Anna Karenina (though I still prefer the books)

    Mmh now that I'm thinking about it, I might slightly prefer the movie of Carol than the book.

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