It's that time of year again, when movie studios bust out sweeping epics and dramas in hopes of enticing crowds and nabbing Oscar nods. In a quest to win over the hearts of both viewers and critics, movie producers often turn to books.
This fall movie season is no different, with adaptations of Love in the Time of Cholera,"" ""The Kite Runner"" and even ""Beowulf"" coming out in the next couple months.
Fans often have mixed feelings when a favorite book comes to the big screen. There's the anticipation of seeing characters and plot brought to life and experiencing the story on a visual, sensory level. However, there is also the dread that the adaptation could massacre the book in a number of ways, such as miscasting, bad acting, cutting out too much or taking liberties with the plot. Plus, there's a certain sense of personal connection and ownership when one reads, and watching a beloved book play out on the screen along with a full audience can leave a feeling of violation.
Because of this, I am excited, yet somewhat leery of the December release of ""The Golden Compass,"" based on the book of the same name by Phillip Pullman. Like many fans of Pullman's fantasy trilogy ""His Dark Materials,"" of which ""The Golden Compass"" is the first volume, these books impacted me greatly in my adolescence, providing an intelligent, imaginative haven from the plethora of trite, condescending teenage lit.
I hope this intelligence isn't lost in translation from book to screen, and I also hope an emphasis on visuals is balanced with depth of story and character. ""The Golden Compass"" is precious to not only me but a multitude of fans, so there is even more pressure for the movie version to succeed.
This extra pressure comes naturally when adapting any book to screen because of the devoted fan base, so one might think this would discourage production of literary adaptations. Yet, nearly every book I own - and that's a lot - has been adapted in some capacity, whether into a mini-series, TV-movie or theatrical release. Perhaps it's because of this that when I read a new book, I naturally imagine what it would be like as a movie.
For instance, Michael Chabon's ""The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay"" just screams to be made into a movie. Its atmospheric setting and comic book theme would lend itself to pop-art inspired visuals, perhaps mixing animation with colorful live-action. And the part of brooding, artistic Kavalier could easily be played by some Johnny Deppesque type with a foreign accent.
In fact, there was buzz several years back of such an adaptation with Chabon writing the screenplay himself, but it has since been stalled indefinitely. If it ever does make it to the screen, though, I'll definitely buy a ticket. Unfortunately, if one little aspect of the film doesn't meet my expectations, I'll loudly complain. Ah, the fickleness of a book lover!
Hopefully, though, I'll be spared such complaining when ""The Golden Compass"" comes to theaters, and instead I'll leave the theater feeling the integrity of the book was kept intact.
If you would like to see your favorite book made into a film, share your thoughts with Anna at akwilliams1@wisc.edu. _Who knows, she may even write the screenplay for you._
