Nov 25 2008
Read The Book First!: A Film Review
Yesterday I watched the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s Atonement after reviewing the book last week (click here to read Post 1 , Post 2 ).
The movie, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, got rave reviews and Oscar nods, but I thought it was just okay. I wonder if I spoiled it for myself by reading the book first. However, I highly suggest you do the same, because the storyline is carried much more effectively in the written form. The film felt rushed.
My husband said he was confused by the tendency to skip around between time and place. He had no idea what was going on throughout most of the film, or even how some of the characters were related.
The book does skip around a great deal, but this strategy works well in literature because it builds suspense. I didn’t think it worked well in the movie. Also, there wasn’t the opportunity for the degree of character development necessary to the book.
I liked some thoughtful details about the film, and the acting was quite good. The cinematography was, perhaps, the most redeeming quality in my opinion.
Overall, I think the film adaptation of Atonement can never live up to the novel because there simply isn’t time to develop the characterization and relationships that become a source of tension in the book.
Some stories cannot be cut and pasted into a comfortable two-hour sitting. I believe Atonement is one of those.
Read the book first. Please!
It sounds like the book worked well better than the film but its good the film builds suspense.
I rarely want to see a movie of a book that I’ve already read because I know it will be inferior to the book. I prefer to see the movie first and be able to enjoy it (or not) without making comparisons. Sometimes I like the movie, no matter how different from the book it turns out to be, but sometimes not. I didn’t like the film of The English Patient much, and liked it even less after I read the book.
Thanks for your comments. No doubt, if I had reviewed the film first, I would have liked it better than I did. Catana—you didn’t like the English Patient? I loved the film, but I didn’t care much for the book. Funny how these things work out.
I’ve only read 2 chapters of Atonement and I want to stay home and keep reading. The author grabbed my attention from the first line. I haven’t decided what’s different, but unlike most literature I read, I’m unusually aware of the storyteller; .. I hear his voice,telling me a story, creating amazing word pictures and complex characters as he moves forward .
Reading The English Patient is somewhat difficult because of Ondaatje’s writing style. He’s a poet as well as a novelist, and that comes through clearly in the novel. It’s also a big part of what was lost in the movie. Also, the secondary characters were reduced in importance to make more room for the love story.