insideKENT Magazine Issue 45 - December 2015 | Page 22

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

FROM PAGE TO SCREEN
LIFE IS BETTER WITH A BOOK; SINKING INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD, LIVING
THE EXPERIENCES WITH THE CHARACTERS—IT’S A MAGICAL THING. BUT
SOMETIMES IT’S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO REALLY KICK BACK AND RELAX WITH
A FILM, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT’S A LOT EASIER TO SHARE THE MOVIE-GOING
EXPERIENCE WITH FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES.

Since the beginning of cinema,
filmmakers have used books as
their inspiration, sometimes creating
exact copies from page to screen,
and sometimes taking some fairly
extreme liberties when it comes to
the storyline of our much-loved
stories. It’s always interesting to see
a film based on a well-read book,
but it’s equally intriguing to discover
that a favourite film has its origins
in an obscure paperback.
The age-old debate of whether it is
better to read the book or see the
film first still rages. The truth is, it
depends. Sometimes reading the
book first is an excellent idea; after
all, there is only so much story a

There is another side to the argument. Seeing the movie before reading the
book means you can enjoy the film with no spoilers, so it’s more suspenseful.
You can also draw your own conclusions about plot and characters without
having been influenced by the author. Seeing the film first also means you
are less likely to be ‘disappointed’ or bored (disappointed because some
scenes were missed out, perhaps even your favourite, or bored because
every scene was put in so you know exactly what is going to happen next).

film can contain, being limited in its
timings (how can a 400-page novel
be squeezed into two hours of
screen time?), so unless the film is
split into parts, some things will
need to be missed out. Knowing
the book means you get an inside,
deeper glimpse into the story. It
makes it easier to understand. The
same goes for characters; a great
actor can bring life to a famous
literary name, but it takes talent and
time, and occasionally these things
are lacking in a movie adaptation.
If you’ve read the book you already
know what the character is like, so
you don’t need to rely on the actor
drawing him or her for you.

Whichever you prefer to do, there are some great book-to-movie adaptations
out there that this wintery weather gives you the perfect excuse to snuggle
up and read or watch.
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings is actually a trilogy, and a sequel to Tolkien’s 1937
novel, The Hobbit. So when filmmakers decided to create an adaptation,
they too went for the trilogy idea. The books, and the films, are entitled The
Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The
films were made between 2001 and 2003 and star Elijah Wood as Frodo
and Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf.

22