Seeing the movie before reading the book

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....

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by LadyWentworth

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.

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

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Originally Posted by LadyWentworth

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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by bounty

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

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Originally Posted by papayahed

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

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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.

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Originally Posted by papayahed

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.

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

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by LadyWentworth

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

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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.

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.