"The book is always better than the movie."
*raises both hands*
Most of us readers have probably said this at least a half dozen times, but have you ever had the reverse situation? You know, where the movie was actually better than the book?
I have - and it always surprises people, but yes, I can definitively tell you of a movie that was better than the book.
For me, it's The Princess Diaries.
I read the first book when it came out, and thought it was fun and cute - I loved the idea of a "normal" American teenage girl finding out she was the crown princess of a tiny European nation. Total fairy tale stuff, right? I kept reading the series as it grew, and while still enjoyable, it started to lose something as the series continued.
Enter the movie - and the serene elegance of Julie Andrews's Queen Clarice and the completely relatable klutziness of Anne Hathaway's Mia - and suddenly I had the version of the story I didn't know I wanted. (The incredibly gorgeous score cannot be ignored either).
Even when the second movie deviated from the base story, I loved it as much as the first. It felt right. And while I revisit the movies on a fairly regular basis, I never felt the need to reread the books. The movie is simply better.
Sidenote: I also enjoyed the movie versions of Ella Enchanted and The Devil Wears Prada far more than the books. Perhaps it's an Anne Hathaway thing?
In other situations I find myself enjoying books and their movies equally. Even when the screen version changes things, I'm able to separate the experience. (Plus, let's be honest: Nobody would be able to replicate exactly what I see in my head when I read. Not to mention, every one of us sees/reads our own version of a book, so of course a movie can't be exactly like the book).
Many of my favorite, repeat-viewing movies, are based on books I've also read and loved. *cough*Jane Austen*cough* I love the stories, no matter the format, and often have different favorite parts depending on whether I'm rereading the novel or which movie version I'm watching.
There's a unique pleasure to the experience - seeing how someone else interpreted what they read, how they developed a certain character or if they included this minor detail or excluded that one. Especially in the case of Jane Austen's novels, or Little Women, classics that have endured for so many years and been read and reread, and screened and re-screened, so many times. These stories somehow grow with every telling, and I love seeing how my understanding and appreciation of the original evolves as I encounter new versions of the familiar tale.
As I've been binge-watching my way through several shows over the last few months, I've noticed nearly all of them are based on books. Some I've read, others I have not (and may never pick up), but all based on books - usually a series of books. It's an interesting entertainment development, and one that intrigues me as a reader. Now that I've noticed, I'm seeing more and more book-to-screen adaptations occurring - some with more buzz than others (e.g. Where the Crawdads Sing). There is also an increasing number of YA books being adapted for the screen, and I am loving this trend. Stay tuned for another post (Part 2) that will focus on these YA adaptations!
In the meantime ... Do you think the book or movie is better?
Or, like me, do you have examples of both?
What is your favorite book-based movie or show?
