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What do yo think about movies that are based on important literary novels? Could they be in any way advantageous to literature or do they ruin it?

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Question ajoutée par Mariam Eid , Marketing and Communications Manager , Executive Solutions
Date de publication: 2016/08/04
مها شرف
par مها شرف , معلمة لغة عربية , وزارة التربية السورية

The transition from novel to film is not easy, and more than often the film comes out as a reduced and meagre adaption of a great story , film and literature are two completely different ways of telling a story. They both have their advantages compared to the other. But when a film sets out to tell the same story that you have read in a book, there are certain elements that will define the outcome of such a transition. The result may be good or bad, but it certainly will be different. For many authors it is flattering to be asked and probably tempting to approve of a film version, since it is an opportunity to reach a bigger audience. But it is a fact that many authors have become quite dissatisfied with the way their literary work has turned out on the screen as a commercial light-version they hardly recognise. Perhaps that is why J.D. Salinger who wrote “The Catcher in The Rye” (1945) never allowed his famous novel to be turned into a movie, even though it is a very visual story, and many directors have wanted to do it. He probably did not want to let a film maker distort the images his book had created in the minds of his readers.

Ahmad Saleh
par Ahmad Saleh , Part-time English Teacher , ITA

I think that most of these movies have been detrimental to literature. For example, every time I watch Wuthering heights, Great Expectations, and Pride and Prejudice, the gap between what I read and what I see only widens.No wonder! As most of these works are somewhat handled subjectively when turned into movies. I think the best thing is to leave such works for the readers to picture and decide the settings for themselves, and to give them the freedom to be the only directors.

Abdulrahman  Dhaher
par Abdulrahman Dhaher , Oral /text Translation , Raytheon Mideast, Riyadh

These movies are the best . They enhance the public literary taste and depict literature beauty.

Sherome Rogers
par Sherome Rogers , ESL Lecturer , University of Hafr Al-Batin

When we were reading Shakespeare in school, I found that watching the movies really brought the Shakespeare books to live and made it easier to understand.  Shakespeare use to be quite challenging to read and very difficult to understand, especially when you exposed to it at a young age.  So I really think that it is advantageous to watch movies based on literature.

However this is not true for all novels.  For example movies like The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mocking Bird did not express the books so well.  So I guess, it depends on how good the movie is directed.

Ghalib Masri
par Ghalib Masri , Translator , Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR)

They can complement, but not replace, the literary works. They also help you to see with your eyes the events, not only imagine them, though imagination and viewing each has its own enjoyment and lessons.

Tariq Sha'ar
par Tariq Sha'ar , Translator , Abu Dhabi Legal Translation Center (ADLTC)

If we look at movies that are based on novels or literary works we notice that most of them have been highly successful in terms of how well they perform at the box office and how the audiences receive them. I can't say that such movies benefit literature especially given the fact that movies can't fully or adequately reflect the content of novels. Moreover, those who read novels and watch the movies that are based on them notice a big difference in content, tone, themes...etc, which makes them feel as if the novel has been betrayed. However, if you look at the general audience, they seem to love these movies, which explains the often high box office numbers, and in some cases, critical acclaim, that such movies garner (Lord of the Rings as an example).

Movies may benefit literature in that they familiarize the general public with the themes and ideas that novels have and encourage them to read such works. But again, in my opinion, literature and film are very different fields of art each with its own tools and methods. Some people don't like to read and prefer visual representation of literature, science, history, philosophy...etc, while others are avid readers by nature.

Mohammad Alabsai
par Mohammad Alabsai , Receptionist , Bhaa-alden Almadinah Hotel

It depends on the screenwriter. Some writers know what to pull out from a novel into the big screen. For example, the movie "No Country for Old Men" is an astonishing movie in which some critics think it is better than the novel it was based from. 

Ali AlGhazzal
par Ali AlGhazzal , Accounts Officer , AlMutlaq Real Estate Investment Co

Most of time the movies only shows the good side, so i do not think they are any advantageous.

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Utilisateur supprimé
par Utilisateur supprimé

It all depends. Many films are inferior to those books they are vased on, but sometimes are equal like with Stephen King's oueuvre, or even better like with Jaws

Taqiyyah Yasin
par Taqiyyah Yasin , Behavior Interventionist , Alternative Behavior Strategies

Movies can play an important role in developing language.I think with the proper guidance, movies that are based on important novels, can be very advantageous.

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