The Movie vs. Book

Discuss the December 2013 book of the month, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak
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SharisseEM
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Re: The Movie vs. Book

Post by SharisseEM »

I enjoyed both. The director had a slightly different take on the book and I thought that was pretty all right. Creative freedom, I guess. And it wasn't like he butchered the book. He actually did pretty well which is rare for books turned into movies. I prefer to watch the movie and then read the books to keep my disappointment on the down low after watching the movie.
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Post by newcement »

I can't recall - was the grim reaper as much a part of the movie as he was in the book? I appreciated the unique narrative voice of the Reaper in the book.
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Post by Bubamdk2 »

I have found that books, in general, are always better then the movies. My two daughters and I usually make it a practice to read the book first, then watch the movie. Personally, I have found that I really don't even want to watch the movie after reading the book. The book has an incredible ability to give me insight on emotions, feelings, and a depth to the characters and storyline that the movie cannot reach. To me the difference is fundamental. Reading a book is like digging a trench and building a house from nothing while watching the movie is like using a kit from a box with prefabricated parts and following directions - much is missed with the fine details. I definitely vote for Book over movie every time.
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Post by Miri Faye »

I thought both the movie and the book were awesome. The book was kind of hard to understand, and watching the movie really helped. But, I would definitely watch the movie and read the book again.
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Post by ejcogan »

I liked the book better than the movie which is almost always the case with me. There are time restrictions in movies that can't involve all the details that a book delivers. I often find myself irked during a book based movie because they change things that happened in the book. I wind up dwelling on this and miss parts of the movie. I'm not saying the movies aren't good, because "The Book Thief" was an excellent movie, they just aren't as involved with the characters as I am when I'm reading. Make sense?
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Post by Peaceplank1 »

I just finished the book and am going to try and rent the movie this weekend. I am looking forward to seeing the director's take on the novel.
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Post by melbuhtoast »

I like to judge the books and movies separately. In this case, I adored the book and wasn't sure how easily it could be translated to film. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the film's execution. I really liked that there weren't many well-known actors (except Geoffrey Rush, of course), and thought that the girl who played Liesel was perfect.
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Post by DalekPrideParade »

The book is better than the movie. Aren't the books always better than the movies?

-- 02 Feb 2015, 22:51 --

I have to read this book, unfortunately my list is of books to read is really long.
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Post by Duende Knocking »

I preferred the book for this one (though I usually prefer books so that isn't too surprising). I felt that the movie's diminished portrayal of Death's role was really...a bit of a detriment, as it was such an important aspect of the book. It also seemed a bit less traumatic than the book.
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Post by olyazhuk »

In my opinion the book is always better because it is more descriptive and you get lost in it more. Though movies are interesting because you get to see what you visualized. Sometimes when movies are produced based on a good it misses important parts but I actually thought the movie was well produced and was interesting (:
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Post by Alexavier-Taiga »

I read the book years ago, and although I dot actually remember much of it, I know I loved it. But I really wasn't impressed by the film. It was beautifully made, but I almost left the cinema multipul times simply because I wasn't interested
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Post by glassfable5 »

I haven't read the Book Thief yet, but I would like to. It's on my list. I did see the movie and it certainly wasn't what I had expected, but I did like it. I do wonder how the book will compare to the movie. In my experience the books are always far better than the movies and usually I read the books before I see the movie...so this will be interesting.
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Post by Jesska6029 »

9 times out of 10 I think the book is better than the movie. I just think there are details in books that do not translate well on screen. I really liked The Book Thief movie, but I enjoyed the book a lot more. I just think there was a type of magic in the book, but the movie couldn't quite capture it.
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Post by Scorsee »

I actually avoided watching the movie for a really long time because I was worried that it would be a terrible representation of the book. But, I thought that the movie did the book justice. I still think the book is far superior since it allows you to really delve into the thoughts of death and deeper into the minds of the characters.

I also love Marcus Zusak's book "I am the Messenger". Fantastic book.
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Post by steinhm »

I almost never say this.... but I thought the movie was better. There is rarely a time I think that, and I'm struggling to think of any other example of it, but I just couldn't get into the book.

I started the book a few times and never made it more than 20 pages in. I don't know why, I just couldn't do it. I really like historical fiction and books about WWII so I thought this book would be right up my ally. Maybe it was and maybe it just had a slow start, but I really struggled.

I found it easier to watch the movie, and maybe part of that was because a movie is rarely more than 2 hours long, whereas a book you have to put in a week or more of your time into. I did like the storyline and I suspect I would have liked it if I stayed with it but I did prefer the movie. *shock horror*
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