I suppose there is an importance to having multiple versions of the same story. In the case of folk-tales and fairytales, these stories have been adapted through word-of-mouth, stage, and literature to reach different audiences and age groups. In the case of ancient literature, and foreign language novels - many have been adapted and translated and warranted different interpretations. Whether or not these interpretations are high in quality, or popular amongst the mass the original might've attracted - they do serve a purpose. Maybe they serve to the creator's ego, or reap the earnings off a major title. Maybe an artist just wants to express themselves, or a big-time director wants to make a successful film adaptation of a popular novel. The latter example is the case we're observing with our reading of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Recently concluding both the novel and film, I have noticed many differences between the way I reacted to major scenes and themes in both versions.
Everybody likes to slag off the movie version, or at least most people. While it's true that in many cases, the novel or story has been absolutely butchered; there are always pros and cons to both. Basically put. The common opinion is that movies often portray more emotion, as the viewer is able to feel more empathetic to a living, breathing person. This is entirely dependent on who the viewer is, however. But in summary and to generalize, films help a viewer feel what's going on; and by association, relate and learn from whatever the message being pushed is. Another reason film adaptations shouldn't be overlooked is their appeal to a broader audience. For many people, watching a movie is much easier and more entertaining that reading a novel, or watching a play, or sitting and listening to a word-of-mouth story. This makes them very important, especially if they have controversial or important themes.
Novels and other written (and oral) works are important in the sense that the reader gets "the full picture". There's not as many limitations in writing and speaking, so characters and themes are developed deeper. With written versions of stories, some readers may have a harder time putting themselves in the characters shoes, which complicates the reception of the piece. There may be more room for interpretation in written versions, as every line can be read into and there is little dispute about context. Personally, (
In the end, you get what you take out of each different version of a story. Some mediums are bigger (and more useful) than others.
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| By far the cheesiest cover I've found yet |
