Quote:
Originally Posted by Solicitous
...However if I happen to watch a movie and then read the book after (something I try and avoid) I find myself not imagining the story in my own mind, I tend to reflect on scenes from the movie. Unfortunately I don't tend to enjoy the book as much.
|
For me, it depends on the book and/or the movie. A really good movie that does a reasonably good job of following the book (which rarely happens anymore) will enhance how I visualize the book. A bad movie gets forgotten and replaced by my own visualization if the book is better. Many books I feel I enjoyed better having seen the movie first. Some will have a slow beginning I might have been reluctant to wade through had I not had a "preview" of what was to come. Others, the movie was just a spoiler. With some books, such as Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club," the movie enhances understanding and visualization of the book and the book enhances the movie. One scene, for example, in the movie flashes back to on of the aunts who drowned her baby in an anger and hatred driven psychotic episode. In the movie, I was able to see why she did so (her husband treated her horribly and she her husband in the baby) but was horrified by it and felt no compassion for the aunt. Once I read the book, I more fully understood the reason why (it delves more into the cultural backgrouund, etc. than movie could)and, even though it was a horrible act, I was more understanding and compassionate towards the aunt. At the same time, having seen it on screen, I was able to more vividly visualize (both visually and emotionally) what was happening. My appreciation for the book and the movie were vastly enhanced by experiencing both (it's the kind of story--actually a collection of stories loosely connected--one experiences rather merely views or reads).
Of course, the first Harry Potter movies heavily influenced how I visulaized the books that came out after the movie.