Recently, in pop culture history, it’s becoming more and more of a norm to adapt books into films. Currently in theaters, Agatha Christie’s brilliant novels have been receiving film adaptations. However, it’s become apparent that not all of these movies are made the same; some are excellent, and are made with lots of love for the original novel and all that it offers. Yet, some have been a little more poorly done, as they clearly don’t have the legacy of the original novel in mind and are simply a heartless cash grab. In order to determine what the Fenwick community’s opinion is on the topic, I decided to interview fellow students on the subject to truly decide which is better: the original book, or the movie adaptation?
Sophomore and fellow Wick writer Landen Camacho said, “Movie adaptations are helpful because they help build the image of the setting. Although they sometimes lack information about the actual book, and normally leave out a lot of details. The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of what I’m saying.” When we asked fellow sophomore Leah Reynoso, she pointed out the pros and cons of the topic. For the pros, Reynoso stated that different actors have the opportunity to play the iconic roles, it opens up the novel and author to a wider audience, it appeals visually, and gives people different perspectives on the book and the morals it teaches. However, for the cons, she pointed out that the risk of making the same movie over and over again is fair game, and that there might be challenges trying to accurately display the overall book. Finally, Fenwick sophomore Cecilia Andino, a member of The Black Friars Guild (BFG), says “I think movie adaptations show other people’s interpretations of a book in many ways. It’s all about interpretation and how far a director or producer will go to meet the same expectations as the book.” Lastly, senior BFG member Rowan Auriemma said that “In general, movie adaptations, when done right, can be very helpful in expanding the interest in knowledge of classic books. For example, I watched Pride and Prejudice and then I read the book. I loved both of them.”
Clearly there is a great division between what the Fenwick family thinks about books and movie adaptations. Some love them, while others are more critical. Personally, I think that the good outweighs the bad, as they can be a great way to expand the audience of the original book. However, I have a feeling that this will be a debate that never truly ends.
