by Ruby Jinga

Created on: April 29, 2008

As an avid book-lover, I would say read the book first, then watch the movie. I love both mediums but have always enjoyed the book more than the movie. Examples include The Devil Wears Prada, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series... I could go on and on.

When reading a book, the limit is my imagination. Scenes play out in my head as I see them. I dress the characters, colour in the scenery, smell the spices, hear the song.

I often find that film makers take great liberties with a book. They give certain characters a bigger part than the author intended. Sometimes, like in the case of The Other Boleyn Girl, they chop it up and turn it around so that scenes that were in the middle of the story appear at the start!

There is also never enough time in a film which usually runs for 150 minutes to show the whole story. Think of the compressed version of the book that was the latest Harry Potter film. Even the 3 hour sagas of the Lord of the Rings trilogy failed to do the books justice. I must say though, that the films were beautiful creations in themselves and I thoroughly enjoyed them (even though I was sore after each one, from sitting still for all that time).

I have a few books waiting to be read, that were turned into movies: Atonement, The Kite Runner, The Jane Austen Book Club. I refuse to watch any of these until I've read the book. Though it might take me a while to get to Atonement as the subject matter seems a bit heavy.

In all fairness to the movies, I must say that they offer an easy way for people to sample an author's work. I would never have read Gone With The Wind if I had not watched the movie (and fell in love with Rhett Butler!). Movies also allow me to see what life was like in times gone by, from their clothes to their mannerisms. While these may be perfectly described by the author, a picture often says in two seconds what might take a person one paragraph.

Reading makes a person think, while most films cater for the couch potato audience who want to be entertained (and they do suceed in this!). I have explored many worlds through my books, from 16th century England to modern day India. From Salman Rushdie to Jane Austen, these books are companions for life, and the best films are often those played out in my head.

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