Reading a Book or Watching Its Adaptation: Which Is Better?

Reading a book or watching its adaptation:  Which  is better? When a film is made from a book, it is called  Ã‚  an adaptation. From the beginning, film-makers have  made films based on novels, short stories, biographies and plays;  of these adaptations,  Ã‚  novels  have always been the most popular choice (Difference). And what are the main differences between books and adaptations? Films have limited time, whereas books can be lengthy, so books can develop more of a plot and characterization.A classic complaint about movie versions concerns the omission of material that the reader finds important. If the director must make a film that is the proper length for a theatrical release, there is no way to include everything, especially when it comes from a long novel. Some people consider this an advantage of adaptations; others, on the contrary, find it a great disadvantage. Here are two opinions of people discussing Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring in the co mments on â€Å"WiseGEEK† website.Anon272367 writes: â€Å"Imagine, for example, a â€Å"Fellowship of the Ring† [sic] movie that covered every single damn detail in the book. Trust me when I say this: I wouldn't watch it† (Better). His opponent, anon260109, writes: â€Å"Jackson's ear was deaf to Tolkien's elaborately crafted back story of ancient mysteries and he threw away their music, not realising that the books are unlike any other fantasy novel in that they were written by a man who constructed them on an intimate knowledge of the Old English language, mythology and storytelling† (Better).One more difference is that books require the reader to use his or her imagination to visualize what is happening while films normally visualize it for the viewer. Films leave little to viewers' imaginations. When reading, a person is creating his or her own movie in a sense, and he or she decides many of the important parts: how the characters speak, what they lo ok like, and what their surroundings look like. Hr30 expresses the same opinion: â€Å"Often when a writer uses description, the way I imagined it is far different to the way it is interpreted in the film.I think the beauty of books is that you can develop your own way of thinking about them, whereas often (though not always) a film directs you into one way of thinking† (Prefer). Films have one thing that is a book cannot: sound. Music, environmental sounds and sound effects make adaptations thrilling and interesting. Even some boring (in my personal opinion) episodes from books, such as battles of war, look fascinating in films. There is no right answer to the question stated in the title of this text, and there is no common opinion.There are people who prefer books; for example lou1987 wrote the following: â€Å"I prefer the books. I suppose, [sic] one of the main reasons is that the books are what the films are based on, and so contain far more detail than can ever be por trayed in a film. Also, films present to you what is happening visually, and for me, I prefer to read a book and create the setting and build characters in my head† (Prefer). Some people, though there are few of them, choose films. Anon122072 writes: â€Å"i [sic] think movies are better because it's easier with a visual aid† (Better).But the majority of people like both books and their adaptations. Anon272367: â€Å"Reading for me is not more enjoyable than watching a movie. They are on 100 percent equal footing. Why would anyone ever in a million years walk into a theater and expect a similar experience to opening a book? It's foolish to expect them to be the same† (Better). Sometimes people who prefer books admit that there are good adaptations: â€Å"I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes  movies  do  get it right.There are quite a few examples that fall into this category: The  Wizard of Oz,  The Lord of the Rings, and  Gone Wit h the Wind  are ones that spring to mind† (Page). To my mind, books are better than films because watching a movie is almost always a passive experience, so there is far less thought process involved. I like closing the book and thinking about the problems it deals with. Don't get me wrong; I love watching movies, but nine times out of ten, watching movie adaptations is disappointing. Sometimes it is bad to read a book before watching its adaptation, but it is even worse to read after you’ve watched  the movie.So I still read books and watch adaptations and try to find something good in every version. Works Cited 1) â€Å"Book Adaptations: From the Page to the Big Screen. † Bookosaur. Web. 17 Nov. 2012 ;http://www. thebookosaur. com/2012/01/book-adaptations-from-the-page-to-the-big-screen/; 2) â€Å"Books vs. Movie Adaptations – which do you prefer? † The Student Room. Web. 17 Nov. 2012 ;http://www. thestudentroom. co. uk/showthread. php? t =198 2240; 3) â€Å"What is the difference between books and films? † Kvenno Web. 17 Nov.