By Bernarda Castillo-Matute, PR & Marketing Coordinator ~
“Harry Potter,” “Little Women,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: all came to life in books before they appeared on the silver screen. It is not rare for popular books to go on to be adapted into movies or shows.
According to Tom Ashford, in The Most Successful Book to Movie Adaptations, “two of the earliest book adaptations for the screen were in 1899 by Georges Méliès – “Cinderella” (based on the Brothers Grimm story) and “King John” (the first-ever Shakespeare adaptation).”
Hollywood has realized the major market when it comes to book adaptations — books are crucial in this generation for the entertainment industry. There have even been instances where movie rights are sold before the publications of the books themselves.
In general, book adaptations will always attract a multitude of different crowds, ranging from loyal readers to non-readers to the general public, all with different reasons to be drawn to the screen.
However, there always seems to be a battle between those die-hard readers and the film itself. No matter what, someone will always be displeased with the outcome of any sort of film adaptation. Relationships with books are more intertwined with a personal attachment due to a reader’s knowledge of them.
Book-lovers are going into the experience of watching a movie or show already knowing the storyline of it. A good way to think of it is as a court case. The reader = the judge, the adaptation = defendant, which leaves the book a questionable victim.
Why questionable? Well, simply because there have been some adaptations fulfilling its original content.
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As a book lover and movie/show fanatic I decided to see Penn State students’ opinions on this matter:
Madison Fisher, sophomore, had some thoughts on the disconnect between book to film expectations. “Film adaptations can see what you visually imagined in your head from reading a book,” she said. “If it’s an enjoyable novel, it’s possible for a bigger expansion, which could lead to success or failure, also risking the possibility of staining the book’s reputation.”
Fisher then gave an incredible example from the “Twilight” series. “Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Part 2, for instance, originally just one book, got broken down into two parts,” she explained. “I will say the “Twilight” films were enjoyable to watch. It was just near the end that I felt they were trying to tie in loose ends they missed from the original book series — like Bella’s famous nightmare scene is completely different.”
After our chat, I did my own research on this discrepancy. Originally, in the Breaking Dawn book, Bella has a prescient dream about her future child and having to protect them from the Valtori. Contrary to the novel, the movie changes her nightmare to a wedding day disaster.
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Joao Santos, junior, agrees that adaptation can ruin a book’s entire reputation, “For example, in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the main details are omitted,” he said. “There was a major scene that got cut out of the film. That scene was an existential part that played into Harry leaving Hogwarts and not returning for his seventh year.”
Santos explained, “stories are altered to please the masses, regardless if it will affect those loyal readers.”
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Lilian Reshetnev, sophomore, expressed her anger towards book adaptations. As a book fanatic, she said she feels like these types of situations are like sending in sheep to get slaughtered. Resehtnev went on to explained “a novel’s greatness is dictated by the talent of its writer, the words and images. However, many more factors come into play when discussing a film. I would say the most important factor would be a skilled scriptwriter along with a great ensemble cast.”
Reshetnev said she understands the purpose of such adaptations is done for the enjoyment of its loyal readers. On the other hand, she wishes “books would just stay as books.”
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Isabella Lopes, sophomore, agreed with all previous statements made. She said she understands the difficulty of having to “turn a 600+ page book into a 2-hour film, while keeping it interesting.” Lopes went on to state she doesn’t quite like all adaptations but she understands the hard process one must go through to make it.
“I feel like historical based novels tend to be more accurately made into great films,” Lopes said. “‘Little Women’ would be a good example. The 2019 version did a great job in bringing back Louisa May Alcott’s view on women’s strength.”
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My POV:
As I stated before, I love books, movies and shows. However, there have been instances where I feel like a movie completely murders the way a book has made me feel. For example, Jenny Hans’ “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before “(2014). That book opened my heart and made me think of the idea of love. Her words captured my entire soul. So, when I found out it was going to be turned into a film (2018), I was thrilled!
My expectations were shut down completely once I watched it. I was personally devastated. I even looked to see who had written the script, and it was Jenny Han herself! I was in complete shock. I didn’t expect to see so many pop culture references in the film, considering they are both only four years apart.
Not only that, but the cast just simply did not meet my expectations. For instance, Kitty, the main character’s little sister, had more petty motives for her actions in the novel, whereas in the movie, they try to make her seem “loving” and “caring.”
I think what did it for me was not being able to see a cute Halloween scene they share in the book, which was an essential moment when the main character realized she was falling in love.
I couldn’t watch the movie through new eyes simply because I had experienced falling in love with the words within the book itself.
Contrary to To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” got the respect it deserved when turned into an adaptation.
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” film, starring the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn, is simply exquisite. All expectations were met. The cast was exactly how I pictured them, and the storyline stayed completely true to its novel.
In conclusion, I will say adaptations have a variations of feelings. Some might be loved, some hated. This just goes to show people’s personal preferences.
Bernarda Castillo-Matute, or Berny, is sophomore criminology major and English minor. Bernarda got a taste of working with PR and Social Media when she interned with Top Pop Soda. While she plans to attend law school after graduating from Penn State, Berny dreams of writing a biography about Peter Schub. Her favorite genre is anything to do with crime or horror. However, she occasionally enjoys some romance (as long as it isn’t too cheesy). Currently Sunday is her favorite day of the week — simply because she gets to relax with her friends and watch “Attack On Titan” and “Euphoria.”