Adaptations

I was by no means disappointed with the adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird, but I was struck by my feelings while watching it.  I fully understand that it is nearly impossible to include every detail of a book in a movie, unless it is made into a miniseries that spans 6 hours, but with this movie I really missed some of the finer details.  When it comes to adaptations, I find that it is best not to read a book right before seeing the movie because you are more aware of what is missing or what is changed, and it can ruin the film for you.  I also feel that movie adaptations should be treated separately from the novel based on the time constraints, and also because films are in their own right an artistic medium.  When I see a film based on a novel, I usually don’t compare it to the novel, because the film is an interpretation, and I do not consider it in direct correlation to the film.  I love the Harry Potter books, but I also love the movies, and I don’t judge the movies on the books because the movies are their own stories.  I think that’s the point of adaptations, they are based off of short stories or novels, but they are in their own right a story completely different from the original. It’s all about interpretation and analysis.

As I was watching To Kill A Mockingbird, I found that I really wanted there to be some of the more minor details, such as Scout’s first day of school and her interactions with the teacher, or some more of the interactions between Dill, Jem and Scout.  I also felt that Calpurnia should have been incorporated a little more.  The movie made me appreciate the rich details of the story even more because so much was lost in the film.  The film tried to incorporate the most important aspects of the storyline, the trial and Boo Radley, but I really missed some of the finer details.   I love the film as it stands on its own and I think the story it tells is quite good, but for some reason I was having trouble separating it from the book when I was watching it on Monday.