n e r b l e

i refuse to go see a movie, even lotr if i haven't read the book yet. am i weird?

Crossbow

Depends on which I'm exposed to first. I wouldn't have read "The Witches of Eastwick" if I hadn't seen the movie. The book sucks, BTW. Don't read it.

On the other hand, I wouldn't have seen "Exit to Eden" if I hadn't read the book. The book was pretty bad, but since I could tell from the movie ads that that they had changed the plot entirely, I had to see it ourt of curiosity. Somehow, the movie managed to be even worse. At least the book made an attempt to say something.

- Sudy -

I like to read a book before seeing the mnovie because then I could judge the movie on how well it related to the book.

Soz

nerble, I don't think you are weird. I used to have to read the book before I saw the movie too and if the movie had a novelization, I had to read that.

Now, though, it depends on the book/movie because there are so many books I want to read and I read pretty slow now. I'm desperate to finish The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King before I see the movie. I want to have a unique experience for each book/movie. I read FOTR, but couldn't remember it too well, then I didn't read TTT before I saw the movie, so now I want to read ROTK and have it fresh in my mind for the movie.

evaki

There are many literary classics that I would have assumed to be generally inaccessible (specifically dense, difficult to understand language) had I not fallen in love with the movies and then decided to give the literary piece a go. Namely Shakespear and Austen. I even think having seen the movies multiple times and getting a feel for the flow of the language, actually helped me to understand them better. So no, I don't have to read a book first. I am willing to let film influence my reading choices. As it recently has with The Lord of the Rings. My intention is to read them AFTER I have seen all the movies.

That said, for many pieces of contempory literature the film adaptations do seem to be lacking. So I generally do not see films of current based on contemporary authors that I like and have read. If I haven't read it then it's still fair game to view, as I have nothing to compare it to.

Princess Bing

Ugh. Finally somebody touched this topic. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] This is actually the reason why I still haven't seen a lot of the classics and the lot. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] But then again, if you've already read the book, you'd usually be expecting too much of the movie. 99% of the time, you'll be disappointed. So far, only "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Gone With the Wind" didn't disappoint me.

goodnightboy

No I don't have to but generally I would prefer to read the book before watching the movie, so then I would be able to compare. Or at least have some idea of what's happening in the movie.

Starlightmint

I agree with you there. Also it never fails for producers or directors to change something from the book which often irks me. I usually prefer reading the book first though. Just for sheer bragging rights. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

PVCscully

I usually like to read a book first, but if seeing a movie inspires me to read, then that's good too. However, I hate buying books with the 'movie poster' cover on the front, I always like an original book.

Star5

I prefer to read the book after having seen the movie.

Profaine Angel

I guess I prefer to read the book first and then see the movie. It takes so much longer to read a book than to sit down and watch a film so I like to spend all the time reading it and then reward myself with the film at the end [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Even if often the film doesn't live up to the book [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] I find that if I see the movie first, it's harder to get into the book because I can already see what happens, or what is supposed to happen [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

Crossbow

Couldn't you judge the movie on its own merit?

spikenmefantasy

Well, I am freakish about this issue. Of course some movies, I could care less, but if it's something I get excited about just seeing the previews, then I HAVE to read the book first.

I can thoroughly enjoy a movie after reading the book (more so than not having read first) but I CANNOT enjoy a book after having seen the movie. Ruins it for me. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

And, although it is KILLING me, until I buy a used copy of The Return of the King and read it, I will not see the movie. I have read the first two books and seen the movies, and I just don't want to ruin this amazing trilogy.

On a side note, I wish I had read White Oleanderbefore seeing the movie. I enjoyed the movie, but I kept thinking, "This would make a bloody great book! I bet I am missing tons of internal dialogue!"

Laura

Starlightmint

That's true. A lot of people make the quick judgement of saying the movie sucks, the book is better. The thing is, the two are completely different art forms; literature is a different entity from film.

My friend for example read the first HP book like a day before the movie came out. Then afterwards she was like, the movie sucked. And I personally think that it is really unfounded for people to say things like that especially if the movie is good despite how different it is from the book. Although they may be different from one another, it doesn't automatically mean the movie would suck. It is entirely possible for a movie to be good on its own in spite of the fact that its adapted from a book. Just how similar or good the movie is compared to the book, shouldn't be the sole basis for judging whether a movie is good or not.

[ 12-13-2003: Message edited Starlightmint ]

Rachel

I completely agree. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Tolkien and Austen both, when I tried reading the books before I'd seen the movies, it was miserable (of course, I first tried reading Pride and Prejudice when I was 11 -- could be part of the problem). But once I'd seen the movies and could make sense of the characters and various scenes, the books were a whole lot easier to get through.

If I think a movie looks good, I'll go see it. Doesn't matter to me if it's been based on a book or not. If I absolutely love the movie and find out that it was based on a book, then I'll go find the book and read it. But I don't have any "rules" for myself, liking waiting to see a movie until I've read the book.

Also, if a book that I really like is made into a movie, I'll usually see it, because once I really like something, I want to get involved in every part of it. However, if a book I loved is made into a movie and it sounds like they've totally changed everything and made it into something I wouldn't go see on its own merit, I'll wait until it comes to video and rent it for 99 cents.
--Rachel