CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Same goes for LOTR. Film is an entirely different medium and needs to be judged on its own merits. As films they work and do what they need to do very well. If you were to go in for a 'proper' adaption, warts and all, like some Merchant-Ivory production, these movies would never have been made. The books just can't be translated onto screen as they are and need meddling with. Whether or not you buy into it is another thing but I don't think the criticism of 'doing justice to the book' is fair when judging a film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Same goes for LOTR. Film is an entirely different medium and needs to be judged on its own merits. As films they work and do what they need to do very well. If you were to go in for a 'proper' adaption, warts and all, like some Merchant-Ivory production, these movies would never have been made. The books just can't be translated onto screen as they are and need meddling with. Whether or not you buy into it is another thing but I don't think the criticism of 'doing justice to the book' is fair when judging a film. I just think the books have a quality that doesn’t appear in the film, and its just not the nature of the transfer to the different medium. The film is overtly elaborate, and I suspect its aim is not to make the best adaption, but the most commercially successful film. The films are charmless in my opinion. Now in part that is fantasy is hard to turn into a movie; CGI for all its wonders, cannot make up for the lack of imagination it would seem of the operators. If its travel pornography of New Zealand that is what people want, then its a masterpiece. To me these should be a backdrop, not the main thing. My wife went to see the movie and was listening to me reading it to our youngest and said how much richer the book was. She had never read the book, and I am not the best narrator. A bombastic movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted December 18, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2012 I'm a **** brilliant narrator (he said modestly). I read first The Hobbit, and then LOTR (a few pages each night, for about a year) to my daughters when they were little, and I enjoyed doing the voices etc., as much as they enjoyed listening to it. They insisted on the whole book, with no skipping over any perceived 'dull' bits. On the bit with Frodo and the barrow wights (which was left out of the film), I made it so creepy I actually scared myself, so God knows how they slept afterwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted December 18, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2012 I'm a **** brilliant narrator (he said modestly). I read first The Hobbit, and then LOTR (a few pages each night, for about a year) to my daughters when they were little, and I enjoyed doing the voices etc., as much as they enjoyed listening to it. They insisted on the whole book, with no skipping over any perceived 'dull' bits. On the bit with Frodo and the barrow wights (which was left out of the film), I made it so creepy I actually scared myself, so God knows how they slept afterwards! Doing that exact thing with my youngest daughter at the moment. Its great because I've been meaning to revisit it (The Hobbit) for a couple of years so this is a perfect excuse. She's absolutely captivated by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 18, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2012 I'm rereading the Hobbit currently as well. It's been so long since i read it I'd forgotten a lot of the prose and how it is very much a storytellers tale, the narrator clearly talking to the audience. The film can't capture that, without being worse for it i think. The film is a family fun modern action-y take on the story and I'd fine for what it is, a few indulgent flaws aside. I do think the coming films will be better, they're much more inherently action focused and shouldn't require much to be added to pad out the action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 The question is why a medium length book is turned into a saga? Most adaptions have to cut; this expands and expands and it seems for no good reason, bar the greed of the studio and egotism of the director. The realities are that all of Tolkein’s stories have a subtlety that has been lost, as I would argue in his Tintin film. I wonder what the Dambusters will be like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Anyone seen "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Anyone seen "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"? Yeah, thought it was quite good.. Found it hard to follow sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted December 18, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2012 Anyone seen "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"? Hated every second of it. But a lot of people love it so I think it's a bit of a marmite film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 i really liked it but for some reason have never got round to watching it again since the opening weekend not sure of its because i didnt fully understand it (i felt like i did) but i didnt see the ending coming, but when it does its a proper penny dropper, the answer was right in front of you the whole time, i love films like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshVilla Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Inception 6/10 It was worse the 2nd time i watched it I must have been dreaming the first time round Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted December 18, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2012 Anyone seen "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"? Thought it was superb to be honest. Cracking ensemble cast and a top performance as usual from Gary Oldman. Although of course, Alec Guinness will always be George Smiley to me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Heh. It does sound a bit similar to Eva, but I believe its supposed to be a homage of sorts to mecha shows and stuff. Might be awwright~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Anyone seen "Moonrise Kingdom"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshVilla Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Heh. It does sound a bit similar to Eva, but I believe its supposed to be a homage of sorts to mecha shows and stuff. Might be awwright~ Yes im keeping my eyes on this as well Del Toro directing with Charlie Hunnam playing a leading role Should be interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted December 18, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2012 Anyone seen "Moonrise Kingdom"? Yup. If you like Wes Anderson films you'll like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted December 19, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 19, 2012 Just watched The Tillman Story. Docco about an NFL footballer who quit to join the forces. Killed in action and turned into a poster boy by the authorities, against the families wishes, only to have his mother investigate his death to find out it was fratricide which the army had covered up. Really interesting insight into how the authorities rode roughshod over the family to make most use of the fabricated story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaForever1970 Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Travesty of book to film >" I am legend " - by all means update it - but the end in the film is rubbish - it renders the title 'I am legend' redundant. .....and for no good reason. Read the1954 book ! Anyone seen 'life of pi' yet ? - great book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I've been meaning to read Life of Pi for ages but I have a strong dislike of spiritual musings and that book seems full of them. I'll probably give the movie a miss too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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