After class today, I was thinking about all of the movies I had seen that had previously been books. Usually, my reaction to these films has always been, “oh, well, the book was way better.” Of course there is always indignation at the filmmaker for cutting out your favorite quip or butchering your favorite line. I had never really thought about the artistic elements of adapting a book into a movie before.

My mission? To go to these next two movie screenings with an open mind and sharp eyes. I’m going to try and figure out what the filmmakers were trying to do with my favorite book.

If anyone else has a favorite book that was turned into a movie (or even just a book that you liked) I’d like to know your thoughts on all of this. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone speak up in favor of the movie, only ever in favor of the book.

Also, along the same thought process: Harry Potter. The last book is coming out soon, as is the fifth movie. Great if you’re a Harry Potter fan, like me. Even better now that I’m think about adaptation. I have always loved the Harry Potter books, ever since I first read them in the sixth grade (wow, was I that long ago…). The movies I thought were great visually, everything looked just like I saw it in my head, but I was always disappointed with how the plot had changed. I then decided to not even connect the movies to the books, but rather to view them as separate entities. I now judge the Harry Potter films by completely different criteria than I use to judge the books. I now think that that was a bad decision on my part.

Here’s my challenge to everyone who has ever had a favorite book “butchered” by Hollywood: go and watch the movie again, this time keeping in mind what we learned about adaptation in class. I have a feeling that I’m going to be surprised at my increase in appreciation for movies I have previously disliked.