Over the weekend I saw Water for Elephants, a film based off of Sara Gruen's novel. Because we focused on films this semester, I started thinking about what makes a good movie. I noticed that a majority of the films that I enjoy are based off of novels. My rationale for more preference in movies was that authors have an intrinsic motivation when they publish a book; in other words, they don't expect to become millionaires from publishing, whereas directors and all those involved in making movies want to make as much money as possible. Now, I feel that I am wrong in my previous thinking because I can see how film is an art form of it's own.
Like authors, those involved in making movies are interested in reaching people through a different kind of text. I feel that their interest in making movies does not stem from money, but for the sake of telling a story through a different lens.
I also feel that movies based off of novels help the authors tremendously. For instance, I saw Harry Potter and Twilight before ever reading the books and after watching the movies, I could not wait to get my hands on the books. As a future teacher I could see this is a positive thing because maybe movies will make my students more interested in books.
At first these students may read the book because they want to know what happens in the sequel or what the movie left from the story and so on, but after a while I feel that students will come to appreciate both of these texts as an art form.
When I actually get around to reading Water for Elephants, I will not compare and contrast the two to see which one I like more, but I will focus on what each text has to offer as an art form of it's own.
Here is a trailer for the movie version that is in theaters now!
I really wanted to see this, and haven't gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I will soon! As someone who, for a long time, wanted to be a screenwriter (it's still something I hope to do one day), I appreciate the idea that movies are more about making money. I love that your perception has changed, though! A lot of film makers and people who are involved in the movie-making process really don't cash in; a lot of the time it IS just purely for the art of it. I love thinking of movies as stories, just like novels, and I really enjoyed reading your post and seeing that I'm not the only one who does this.
ReplyDeleteI really wanted to see this film, and I had no clue that it was based off of a novel. I really want to read the book now, and I like your approach on analyzing the two media. It is great to view each as a separate art,and not as one better than the other. They each offer so many different attributes, and they should be recognized and appreciated for what they are worth.
ReplyDeleteI have the book on my pile labeled "books I want to read before I see the movie". I like to read the books before I see the movies. I have a hard time reading a book if I already know what is going to happen. But I don't mind watching a movie if I already know what is going to happen. Other books I have that I want to read before I see the movies are "Eat, Pray, Love" and "The Time Travelers Wife".
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