Movie is nothing compared to book

[Dani]

I enjoyed both the book as well as the movie, but I personally found the book to be quite superior compared to the movie. Like others, I found the movie to be a sad attempt to copy the book. I was greatly disappointed when,after watching the movie, I read the book and found them to be a far cry from being anywhere close to the same thing. I would recommend reading the book first, especially since some people cannot read a book after seeing the movie based on it. I understand how people could find it to be a difficult read. I started reading it about 2 or 3 times before I finally read all of it; and sadly, the only reason for my reading all of it was because I used it for a book report and HAD to read all of it. I definitely found it worth reading though!

[Reepicheep]

Some people call the book unreadable. I think you just have to muscle your way through the first twenty pages and then you get used to it. It's like a magic eye picture.

[IJustMadeThatUp]

I was seriously disappointed by the movie. I don't think it even deserves to have the same title as the book.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I hated the movie. The thought of even attempting to read the book makes me cringe.

And, welcome orther11.

[Natashvets]

Hi, I am new here and don't know which book and film you are discussing here but I think that sometimes it is nice to have films based on books. For exaple, I am teaching in high school (English and english Literature - second language) and we have only Literature one hour a week and a new author to disscuss every lesson. So I ask my students to watch film (at least if they don't want to read) I did so with Romeo and Juliete, Pride and Prejiduce, and am going to do so with Oliver Twist.

[Truthlover]

Movies and books are entirely different art forms; practically useless to compare them. Some movies may be better than the book they are trying to put on screen. But generally a book has much more time to deal with the subject matter. Imagine trying to pack all of Pride and Prejudice into a 2- or 3-hour movie. It's impossible, and even ridiculous in a case like Austen because 95% of the content in her books is made up of lengthy conversations. Sometimes we find excellent movies about stories that do not need lots of conversation. One very good movie was Jean de Florette and its sequel Manon of the Spring. As a movie, it was magnificent. The book-length form of it is its source. If the book is better than the movie (sorry I didn't read the book), it would stand or fall on its own merits. For example, how does it deal with character depth? Again, it may happen that a movie, even when based on a book, deals with the theme better than the book did. I say this is possible, even though it is much more difficult, especially if the book's author knows how to write well. If psychological depth is sought, any book has a tremendous advantage over a movie. Some great books have been ruined by movies because this depth is sacrificed for cartoon-like depictions that are a succession scenes. I found the movie version of The Lord of the Rings to be a good example of how a movie can give excellent depictions of the scenery as one actually imagines it while reading the book. But, the written story is 90% lost in the action-packed movie.

[hillwalker]

Film is a different art form to the written word - at best a movie can be inspired by a novel but neither is inter-changeable, one for the other. It's a bit like haviing to choose between poetry and architecture. Both have an exclusive right to exist.

This particular movie 'The Last of the Mohicans' indeed might not be as aesthetically pleasing as the book - after all one assumes it has to cater for a wider audience so has to conform to the studio's expectations that it will make money. And I agree that parts of it have been over-romanticised (that's Hollywood for you), but there are other parts that are still a creditable blend of music and image. The chase along the clifftop for instance and the almost balletic choreography as Alice challenges Magua before throwing herself to her death is a memorable moment.

H

[AuntShecky]

The thought of even attempting to read the book makes me cringe.

You and Mark Twain both, which would put you in distinguished company.

[Calidore]

I love Twain's piece on Cooper.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3172/3172-h/3172-h.htm

[bounty]

eleven years after the fact...

the last of the mohicans is one of my all-time favorite movies.

and though its challenging, I enjoy reading cooper. the complexity of his sentences makes me dig deeper to think and follow along. mark twain can stuff it.

for what its worth, I liked the deerslayer and the pathfinder better than the last of the mohicans