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I have a lot of goals for 2020. I guess you could say that I am a goal-oriented kind of person. Some of my goals are kind of random. For instance, I noticed several movie trailers around the holidays for movies based on books that I had read. Some of these books I hadn’t read since I was a kid, so I thought it would be a great idea to re-read some of them before seeing the movies… because I have to see the movies. I like to see ALL of the movies anyway, but if I read the book then I definitely have to see the movie. Here are my thoughts on the book-movie combos I have encountered so far this year. (Headers are links!)

*I started writing this post before social distancing.

Little Women

This was one of the first books that made me into a book-lover. I remember reading it in fifth grade and my mom telling me it was one of her favorite books. Re-reading the book all these years later, I realize how much of an effect this book had on me during my formative years. I was the youngest of four girls (plus a bonus little brother.) Was I a spoiled brat like Amy March? Probably. But I found something in each of the March sisters that I could relate to. Except maybe Beth, she likes to do chores, what the heck?! Of course, Jo is the one we are most meant to connect with, and I might blame her for the very bad poetry that I submitted to lit mags in my early teens.

This book was on a thirty-plus-year pedestal, so I was a little afraid to re-read it. I previously re-read A Wrinkle in Time before watching the movie and it was also a fifth grade love… and my adult brain did not find it so fascinating all these years later. Would Louisa May Alcott suffer a similar fate? Let’s just say there’s a reason Little Women has multiple movie iterations and Wrinkle doesn’t. It’s still a wonderful book. Even having grown up and turned into Marmee instead of any of the girls, it held up for me. In fact, Marmee must have been one of my earliest inspirations for single-motherhood. I found the economic aspects of the book even more relatable now, and I saw how much of a challenge this book was to social norms at the time (and still withstanding.)

I had heard that Greta Gerwig did some daring things with the new movie, so I was expecting it to vary greatly from the book. Nah! It’s very true to the story, but Greta does take a few opportunities to wave a red flag and say, “this book is 150 years old and women still face these challenges.” I thought it was brilliant and beautiful. The fact that the Academy snubbed her and all other female directors was just icing on the cake. Hollywood… we have a problem. This is why this book and movie are still relevant. The main difference between the two is the way the movie ends, which I think is absolutely brilliant in the context of Jo’s story. I loved it.

The Call of the Wild

I read White Fang and The Call of the Wild when I was in seventh grade. I loved Yukon adventures. My dad made me listen to a lot of Johnny Horton, so he is partly responsible. The books weren’t too long and the language felt accessible. I always remembered that I enjoyed them, but I didn’t remember many details. When I re-read The Call of the Wild ahead of seeing the film starring Harrison Ford, I was a little surprised by how brutal it was. Ford might be playing opposite a big, cuddly canine (computer animated) but this is not a warm, fuzzy story. Actually, the movie is a lot milder than the book. I’ve seen this attributed to it being a Disney film and going for a more family-friendly angle. Let’s just say I’m grateful Pixar wasn’t animating that dog. They know how to make a mama cry. The film version toned down the violence a lot. I enjoyed the dog being animated. It allows him to exhibit some of the characteristics that the book conveys via third person narration by showing us more than telling. I found it appropriate to the medium. This is another beautiful film. I don’t expect it to win any Oscars, but I would watch it again. The book is a quick read but asks a few big philosophical questions that are mainly glossed over in the movie, so read the book first. Always read the book first, if you can. One last word of caution: if you need to write a book report on TCOTW, don’t try to watch this movie instead, you will write the wrong paper.

The Turning

I didn’t read this one until college, and I went to college for a very long time, so this one was a fairly recent read for me. I had actually been thinking about it around the holidays and decided to re-read it then because it is one of those stories that begins with people sitting around the fire telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve. I learned about Christmas Eve being a time for ghosts in one of my Lit classes. It’s what prompted Charles Dickens to write A Christmas Carol. I took a whole semester on “ghosts and gender,” in which we read The Turn of the Screw. I was already planning to read it again because of the holiday connection when I saw a trailer for a creepy movie about a woman who goes to a mansion as teacher for two kids which lead me to remark, “This looks like a remake of The Turn of the Screw.” Then I was like “no,” and then the title was The Turning… alright then.

I talked my oldest kid into seeing The Turning with me. My youngest refused, partly because of a certain scene in the trailer that didn’t even make it into the film. This film had really bad reviews, but I didn’t think it was quite so terrible. One review site gave it an F, but I feel a C- or D+ is more in order. It’s not a very good movie, but it did have a few parts where I was on the edge of my seat then got jump-scared anyway. I am pretty easy to scare, but this could have been much worse. I think it might have been better if they just stuck with the original period setting but they stuck the movie in the 1990’s. There was no point to that except to allow for the protagonist to wear boots with her dress. And the ending… Huh? I’ve read the book a few times, and I like it, and I was looking forward to the ending, then…. yeah, well, only watch this one if you are looking for something to pick apart, or if you have never read the book and can muster some very low expectations.

And the winner is…

I love books, and I love movies. When someone turns a book into a film, it often reinvigorates interest in the book. My interest was sparked enough to reread three books so far this year, just so I could watch the movies. I also read Jane Austen’s Emma, which was the first time I read the book, and I have not seen the film yet. When it comes to books vs. movies, I think the winner is the audience. Even if the film adaptation is terrible, hopefully the audience’s curiosity is sparked and they will read the book for themselves. Whether you do it before or after seeing the movie… always read the book.

Do you have a favorite, or least favorite, book to film adaptation? Leave a comment and let me know!