Comments on: Books On Screen: What Is Your Policy?

By: Classics Bookclub: Hamlet Preview

Classics Bookclub: Hamlet Preview — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:44:11 +0000

[...] that I may resort to checking out a movie before I read it to help me with the plot and story. Lauren mentioned that she found watching Jane Austen movies aided in reading the unfamiliar [...]

By: mamacita tina

mamacita tina — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:46:44 +0000

I'm usually disappointed in the movies if I've read the book first. This especially was the case after I read The Devil Wears Prada. I'm starting to think I should watch the movie first, and then really enjoy the story by reading the book.

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:30:42 +0000

Oh no — I must must must read the book before I see teh movie.

By: gail

gail — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:39:29 +0000

fun topic! i used to be a voracious reader, fiction and nonfiction. slowly i stopped reading so much and became more of a movie viewer. a voracious movie hound. i challenged myself this summer to read the LOTR series. i had read them in jr high and loved them. then watched them when they came out and have watched them on DVD too. i finished the first and now am on the 2nd. i'm amazed at how different they are from the movies and how much the movies left out. i must confess, i enjoyed the movies more than i'm enjoying the books, tho some of the dialogue and writing is quite poignant and makes you sit up and take notice.

i have watched some of the classics and enjoyed them, but am not sure i'd enjoy reading them now that i have the actors in mind. i really enjoy shakespear and have enjoyed reading them more than the movies, so go figure …

By: Tameka

Tameka — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:09:05 +0000

I usually prefer to read the book first & picture the story in my mind. However, that always makes for the movie never being half as good as what I made up in my own head. lol. I thought about watching Pride & Predjudice actually for the same reasons that you said though. But I decided against it. I'm going to finish the book first & then catch the movie.

By: Michele

Michele — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:33:40 +0000

I prefer to try to read the book before watching the movie version. A lot of the time the books are just so much better. I love all of the details reading provides, some times you cannot capture that on the big screen.

By: Shauna@Shaunarumbling

Shauna@Shaunarumbling — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:45:01 +0000

I almost always like the book better regardless of whether I read it before or after seeing the movie, but watching the movie after reading the book tends to be more disappointing. I can only think of two exceptions–The Princess Bride and Sense & Sensibility, which I preferred on screen.

I did implement a new personal rule after watching a horrible BBC adaptation of The Woman in White immediately after reading the book, and now I try to wait at least a year after reading a book to see a movie adaptation of it (no reading a book right before the film comes out for me!). I don't mind doing this so much if it's a children's book that I watch and discuss with my kids after reading it with them, though.

By: Alexia

Alexia — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:33:18 +0000

I almost always read the books first. And it generally ruins most of the movies for me, because the book was soooo much better.

By: Lisa @ Pockets of Time

Lisa @ Pockets of Time — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:14:13 +0000

I read the book first and then watch the movie. I tend to like the book better because of the rich detail and added scenes that cannot be contained in the movie version.

By: lace

lace — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:50:01 +0000

I prefer to read a book first and then see the movie as well. I don't like to know the ending of books first and if I've seen the movie, I've seen the ending. Now I don't want to take the time to read the book because I know what's happened.

By: nicole

nicole — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:07:39 +0000

Oh, you should definitely read the Lehane books. They are so much better than the movies. There is a depth to the characters that the movies just don't convey adequately.

By: nicole

nicole — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:04:00 +0000

I usually read the book first, but that might be after I have seen previews for the movie, so I find myself imagining the actors anyway. Sometimes I don't realize there is a book to be read until after I have watched the movie too. So, I prefer reading first, but don't mind the other way. My favorites are books and movies that don't take away from each other. It is difficult to do. The best are the LOTR books and movies and HP. You can watch the movies and lvoe them, without ever cracking open the book. But you can have read the book and still love the movies. Rare indeed.

By: mari

mari — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:28:09 +0000

I usually try to read the books first and for the most part, I have. A few get by me, though.

I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time right before the movies were released. Recently I finished Holes and can finally rent the movie. I bought the book when the movie came out but had put off reading it so missed seeing the movie.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:18:58 +0000

It depends on which I've seen or read first. Lately I like to read the book first and then I watch the movie.

By: Jennifer, Snapshot

Jennifer, Snapshot — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:51:54 +0000

Great comments here!

Sometimes I never knew a movie was based on a book, and I'll often read it later. Generally I like to read the book first.

In fact, I'm so weird, that I like to read it first, and then let some time pass (at least 2 months), so it's not too "fresh." I'm weird.

One movie that I saw first and fell in love with was Beaches. When I read the book (which was quite different), it just didn't compare. That's one of the only times I think that's happened.