Seeing the movie before reading the book

[Dark Muse]

There is one thing I have noticed about myself. It seems that when a movie comes out made after a book, even if it is a book I had wanted to read prior to the movie, if I see the movie first I end up stalling when it comes to reading the book and never quite get around to it.

This is what happend to me with The Girl With the Peral Earing I first saw this book before I new anything about the movie, and wanted to read it, but at the time I was unable to get it, and than by the time I could aquire a copy of the book, the movie was already coming out.

I did not want to wait to see the movie, but did not have time to get the book finnished in time, so I ended up seeing the movie first, and sense than the book has just been siting on my shelf, and though I often think to myself that I shoudl read it, and I still want to, whenever it comes time to choosing a new book to read, I pass that one up for something else and always put it off.

Or, what happend to me with Gangs of New York I did not know about the book untill the movie came out, and I saw the movie and really liked it and that made me want to read the book but than when I got the book again becasue I had seen the movie I end up stalling on reading it and just let it sit there on the shelf.

Also sometimes I will see a moive like Prefume and after seeing the movie, I will be interested in the book, yet whenever I happen to see the book at the store I debate about getting it and up deciding not to in the end.

And I know the books are always different than the movies are, and are so much more envolved, but I just have this mental block about reading a book after I have seen the movie.

So I was just currious how does seeing a movie prior to reading the book affect your reading habbits?

[Shalot]

With certain books, it helps me to have seen the movie beforehand. I am thinking of high school, when there were certain classics I had to read for a test. There were often movie versions of those stories, and if I watched the movies, it helped me get through the book I didn't want to read. I know, that's terrible, but it often worked out that way. I would read the book, and have the faces of those actors in mind, and then the differences between the movie version and the book version always stood out. And those movies helped me pass the test.

But, if you read a book, and love it, and then watch the movie, the movie is always disappointing and the actors never measure up the to the image of the character you imagined in your head.

[Dark Muse]

Yes that is very true, I remember, I saw the movie Interview with a Vampire a couple years before I started reading Anne Rice and when I began to read the books, I was amazed by how different they were and how better the book was compared to the moive, and than when Queen of the Damaned came out, I had read the book before the movie, and I just could not beleive by how much the movie got it messed up.

[Joreads]

I always try to read the book before I see the movie before I see the film because if the film lets me down I won't read the book but if I love the movie I read the book. I am a member of a book club and we went as a group to see The Jane Austen Book Club - I really wanted to read the book but simply ran out of time. I loved the movie so much I rushed out and got the book and read it.

I don't mind a movie being different from a book i realise that you can not put in a movie what you can in a book.

[Dark Muse]

I have the book the Jane Austen Book club, and now the DVD is coming out soon for it, but now its like I don't want to see it untill I read the book or I am afraid I won't get around to reading the book if I see the movie first.

[Joreads]

You really have to do both they are both fab in there own way. If you think that you won't read the book if you see the movie read the book first you will not be sorry. I loved the movie to I will be getting it on DVD when it is out here.

I have also been inspired to read all of my Jane Austen books again

[Quinn_]

-----

[Dark Muse]

You really have to do both they are both fab in there own way. If you think that you won't read the book if you see the movie read the book first you will not be sorry. I loved the movie to I will be getting it on DVD when it is out here.

I have also been inspired to read all of my Jane Austen books again

Hehe yes I do want to see the movie, but I plan to wait untill after I have read the book before I do so.

[Weisinheimer]

If there's a movie out of book I want to read, I will purposely not watch the movie till I've read the book. I find that seeing the movie beforehand ruins the book for me.

[Annamariah]

If I see a movie that is based on a book, it is very probable that I'll read the book too, unless the movie was very bad.

And if I have read a book and liked it at all, I'll probably go and see the movie, too :)

[amalia1985]

I agree with Annamariah. It works as a combination for me. I must admit, though, that usually, I am disappointed by the way books are treated when they decide to transfer them to the big screen.

[PeterL]

Some books are better to watch than to read, but there aren't many of those. The biggest problem that I have with movies is that a one and a half to two hour movie means a novel that was 20,000 to 30,000 words, and most books are longer than that, so something was dropped. The only movie and novel that I can think of that were equivalent was "The Maltese Falcon", which is a short novel.

[Aiculík]

When I see a movie that really impress me (which happens very rarely), I usually read the book as well. And very often I found the book even better.

I discovered few of my favourite books and writers this way, e.g. Marquez, Moravia or Tolkien (I mean Bakshi's animated adaptatio, not Jackson's movies).

If I do eat other way, first read the book and then watch the movie, I'm usually very disappointed. Probably greatest failure for me was Clockwork Orange, which was much more absurd and sex-oriented than the book and Name of the Rose, which was simply bad.

[kandaurov]

PeterL, I guess you're right. As for successful transpositions of literary works to films, two more occur to me: Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility and The Crucible (you can tell that Arthur Miller himself wrote the screenplay).

I never see the movie if I intend to read the novel, and usually try to see the movie once I've read the novel.

[PeterL]

PeterL, I guess you're right. As for successful transpositions of literary works to films, two more occur to me: Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility and The Crucible (you can tell that Arthur Miller himself wrote the screenplay).


I forgot about movies written by the author of the book. There are a fair number of that sort. The Thin Man comes to mind. Hammett wrote the screenplays for the later Thin Man series, but they were not written as novels. Faulkner wrote quite a few screenplays, but I don't know if he did any for his own fiction.

[bounty]

i saw watership down, the hunt for red october, the world according to garp, the firm, the pelican brief, patriot games, clear and present danger, forrest gump, (maybe) the hotel new hampshire, and probably a few other movies before i read the books and i think in each case, it was my enjoying the movie that made me want to read the book---the only thing that lightly sticks out is casting willam defoe as john clark in patriot games---bad casting! other than that, i was pretty much okay with "seeing" the movie characters in my mind's eye as i was reading the books. (oh, also---the forrest gump in the book doesnt really look like tom hanks at all) and never had any problems working through a book after seeing the movie. one thing i enjoy is seeing how the book is different. now, when that happens the other way around, when the movie is different than the book, we dont like that so well....smiles....

[Sarasvati21]

It feels like cheating, somehow, to see the movie before reading the book. I've never done it, because I find that I always like the version I see in my head as I read better than the version the producers create. And part of the fun in reading a book is not knowing what's going to happen next...I don't want to spoil it, I guess, by watching it first.

[Erichtho]

I am the same. When I see a film before having read the book, I know I won't read the book anymore. Mostly I was also not too interested in the book in the first place, but sometimes it keeps me from reading. Thus, if I know a book I want to read is being filmed, I make sure to read it as soon as I can.

[DapperDrake]

I have the book the Jane Austen Book club, and now the DVD is coming out soon for it, but now its like I don't want to see it untill I read the book or I am afraid I won't get around to reading the book if I see the movie first.

Well don't beat yourself up about it, its not exactly a great film.

On the whole I will avoid a movie if its based on a book that I think I might want to read, or even if its based on a book that I liked very much.
The lord of the rings for example, I first read it when I was 11 and loved it, when the movie's came out I avoided them for as long as possible and when I did first see one all I can remember is being incredulous and angry at how they had butchered the plot. Once I've read a book it becomes something personal, and quite often I feel almost violated seeing it on screen.

However I do like to see a play at the theatre if at all possible before reading it, brings it to life and helps dissolve any language difficulties (Shakespear) - but then, the play will always be exactly the same as the script.

[curlyqlink]

These discussions are usually based on the (entirely reasonable) assumption that the movie is based on the book. What about the reverse case, when the book is a novelization of the movie?

Okay, these are usually terrible... both the movie and the book. Action/SciFi type crap. I confess these are some of my guilty pleasures... like Joss Whedon's Serenity, a movie and paperback based on a TV series. I watched/read all three...

Sometimes these penny dreadfuls make quite good page-turners. I enjoyed the pulp Ultraviolet, a movie novelization (never saw the film).

I'd say 2001 A Space Odyssey the movie was better than the book.

[LadyWentworth]

There have been a lot of movies that I have seen without ever having read the books first. If I ended up really liking the movie, then I'll generally read the book afterwards. But if I didn't care for the film, I do admit to never reading the book then. Of course, if I didn't like the movie, the story is generally going to be the major reason for me. If I didn't like the story depicted on the screen, there is absolutely no way that I am going to care to read the book to see if it was better.

I always like to mention the movie "Field of Dreams". The book that it was adapted from is "Shoeless Joe". I am absolutely crazy about this movie. I finally decided to read the book. The book has a lot of differences compared to the film, but that really doesn't bother me all that much as long as the main point of the story is still there. Anyway, I always say that I probably never would've watched "Field of Dreams", one of my all-time favorite movies, had I read "Shoeless Joe" first. I found the book just downright dull and boring.

So, I have no problem reading a book first. The only time it has ever bothered me is when I have seen a really good suspense film. Then I am a little annoyed that I didn't read it first. Basically when I know that outcome to those stories, I don't care to read it again because the "surprise" is now gone for me.

[bounty]

I always like to mention the movie "Field of Dreams". The book that it was adapted from is "Shoeless Joe". I am absolutely crazy about this movie. I finally decided to read the book. The book has a lot of differences compared to the film, but that really doesn't bother me all that much as long as the main point of the story is still there. Anyway, I always say that I probably never would've watched "Field of Dreams", one of my all-time favorite movies, had I read "Shoeless Joe" first. I found the book just downright dull and boring.


thats interesting---i enjoyed shoeless joe very much...

[papayahed]

I always like to mention the movie "Field of Dreams". The book that it was adapted from is "Shoeless Joe". I am absolutely crazy about this movie. I finally decided to read the book. The book has a lot of differences compared to the film, but that really doesn't bother me all that much as long as the main point of the story is still there. Anyway, I always say that I probably never would've watched "Field of Dreams", one of my all-time favorite movies, had I read "Shoeless Joe" first. I found the book just downright dull and boring.


Interesting, Shoeless Joe has been on my to read list forever.


I saw the film Rebecca which lead me to read the book. Like LadyWW if I would have read the book first I probably would have never seen the movie. I found the book maddening however I loved the movie.

[LadyWentworth]

thats interesting---i enjoyed shoeless joe very much...


Interesting, Shoeless Joe has been on my to read list forever.

At some point I figure that I will give it another chance. I don't know, though. Maybe I was just in a funny mood then. :) It wasn't a bad book, I just didn't find it interesting. Yeah, maybe someday I will read it again.



I saw the film Rebecca which lead me to read the book. Like LadyWW if I would have read the book first I probably would have never seen the movie. I found the book maddening however I loved the movie.
The movie was good then? I will have to watch it at some point. I basically avoided it because of the book.

[Drummergal42]

I hate seeing movies before I read a book that I want to read. If I see the movie, I still want to read the book. Then, when I read the book, I only see the faces of the charactures as I've seen them in the movie. I don't like to read the book before the movie either because it ruins the book for me. If I don't plan on ever reading a book, but the movie looks good, I will watch the movie, and occasionaly end up reading the book.

[Rakthor]

I personally prefer to read it before I watch it. I just don't like being part of the follow-up crowd. You know the type. The people who immediately buy the book after the movie gets big. I don't precisely know why, but I hate being like that. Thus, the book first, and then the movie.

[papayahed]

The movie was good then? I will have to watch it at some point. I basically avoided it because of the book.

The movie was good, but the scene that made me go out any buy the book was between the second Mrs. DeWinter and the maid (can't remember her name) in Rebeccas bedroom. The maid was trying to convince second to jump. Brilliant.

[Guinivere]

I think for me it is like cheating, seeing the move before reading the book. i am cheating myself out of the experiance of creating the people and places in my own head. I recently discovered Elmore Leonard. And so far I've read Out of Sight which is a really good book, at least the dialogue is cracking, but I can't get rid of George Clooney (well, he's ok I guess), but worse Jennifer Lopez. So it really ruined it for me.

[Tersely]

There is one thing I have noticed about myself. It seems that when a movie comes out made after a book, even if it is a book I had wanted to read prior to the movie, if I see the movie first I end up stalling when it comes to reading the book and never quite get around to it.


I'm the same way sometimes. It just depends on how interesting I find the movie. Take in point I just finished Chocolat the book after watching the movie like...jeez a year ago maybe? It just sat and sat, I think because I already knew the outcome. It wasn't really a surprise. The story was okay but nothing spectacular.
I can't toss movies from books because thats how I sometimes find an excellent read. I think its more or less how I respond to the characters and the premise. It has to be worth it either way for me to do both.

[armenian]

i dont mind it, its kinda cool, different from just reading the book because when you see the book first you kinda use their characters while your reading instead of imagining up your own
its like reliving the movie in my head for me, seeing it all again but with my imagination

[imperiex]

the Perfume movie, the one about the perfume maker who goes on killing virgins and has superhuman sense of smell and stuff, wasnt that based on a book too? read somewhere that the book was unfilmable because it deals too much with the sense of smell; intangible things. i didnt manage to read the original book till the end though.

Harry Potter's movies murdered the books, they cut too much from the original texts and expand on some trivial scenes like the broomstick flight over London in the third movie i think.

[kelby_lake]

In theory, I like to read the book prior to watching the film, as the film helps my understanding of the book and I like to see the interpretation.

[applepie]

I'm one to typically read the book first, but it often leaves me unimpressed with the movie. If I see the movie first, then I tend to get bored with the book. I already know the basic story, so it isn't as interesting to read anymore. More often than not I just try not to mix my movies and books. If I HAVE to see a movie, then I'll always be sure to read the book first. I would rather be disappointed with the movie than not be able to read the book.

[Equality72521]

I used to read the book first, but then I found that no harm can come from watching the movie first, actually it'd probably be best, because then you don't really get upset if the movie doesn't follow the book and just appriciate it for its cenematic quality...at least, I do...

[*Classic*Charm*]

Always watch the movie first, that way you can enjoy it, and then read the book and be even more blown away! If you read the book first, the films are always a let down.

[spookymulder93]

American Psycho the movie was better than the book. I remember one chapter he just talked about all the different albums he had.

Also, The song For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica is sooooooooooooooo much better than the book. I hate to say it ,but for the whole that book sucked. It had a few good parts but they were not enough to save that boring novel.

[Desolation]

Sometimes a terrible book can make an amazing movie, and sometimes an amazing book can make a terrible movie.

Often, I'm not even the least bit interested in books that movies have been made from, such as American Psycho, Fight Club, Shutter Island, The Shining, East of Eden, Into the Wild, The Graduate, and, of course, THE GODFATHER. Brilliant movies, but I doubt I'll ever read any of the books.

[Cazzasaurus]

In theory, I like to read the book prior to watching the film, as the film helps my understanding of the book and I like to see the interpretation.

I agree, but this often results in disappointment, as the movies are generally nothing compared to the books.
Something that comes to mind is Name of the Rose, as mentioned above. Sean Connery can only take a movie so far...:Yawn:

[janesmith]

I watched "Perfume:Story of a Murderer" a while ago- brilliant film by the way- but it took me ages to get around to reading the novel by Patrick Susskind. I've just finished it and I must admit it was much better than the film. Read it, it's fantastique!

[ktr]

I had no idea they made books out of the lord of the ring movies. I just picked up the first one from the library today, excited to read it.

[ThousandthIsle]

I personally prefer to read it before I watch it. I just don't like being part of the follow-up crowd. You know the type. The people who immediately buy the book after the movie gets big. I don't precisely know why, but I hate being like that. Thus, the book first, and then the movie.

I feel exactly the same, Rakthor. It's a pride issue for me.

I also can't bring myself to purchase the "movie" version of a book. For instance, I went online to order a pricey out-of-print, but thoroughly respectably-bound copy of Julia Child's My Life In France just to avoid the glossy paperback with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. I like both actresses, but come on, it's an autobiography! I also can't bear the shame of appearing to be one of those people who shop only from the NYT Bestsellers List or prominent shop displays. :wink5: