Movies and books WAS: Re: What should we do next?

[dumbledore11214]

> Magpie:
> Many adaptations do do that, though. I think what Steve V. might be 
> saying is just that the movies stand on their own. Surely we've all 
> seen plenty of movies that were based on books without ever reading 
> the book. You shouldn't need to do both. Though they're both for 
> entertainment.
>

Alla:

Well, yes of course. Movies stand up on their own as finished 
products and one should not need to read books to enjoy movies.

However, while I cannot speak for Geoff, this is not exactly what I 
was saying. I was saying (or trying to say) that while one does not 
need to read the books which are the basis for the movies, one should 
acknowledge the fact (simply because it is a fact) that books are 
primary basis for these movies, you know?

You (hypothetical you) does not need to read the books or enjoy them, 
but to deny that movies would not have existed without the books 
being in existence seems a bit strange to me. And that is what I read 
in Steve's post when he said that the books are merely based on 
movies, you know? Maybe I misread what he was saying, sorry if I did.


Steve Van now: 

I don't hold the opinion that one must read the HP Books in order to 
enjoy the
movies. As Magpie put and did so well I do believe the movies stand 
on their own
as far as entertainment goes for me.


Alla:

And nowhere in my post I said that one must read HP books to enjoy 
the movies, of course not. But what I am saying that the fact that 
without HP books HP movies had never existed in the first place is a 
fact.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I usually much prefer the book to the movie 
it was based on. However, I was able to come up with one movie or 
more precisely TV series where I preferred them to the book it was 
based on. I adore Horratio Hornblower TV series, however, I found 
Horatio Hornblower books to be extremely dry and of course I thought 
that bumping up Archie Kennedy's character to the status of Horatio's 
best friend was the best decision filmmakers made. Now, granted I 
tried reading the books, but I read I think half a book, or maybe two 
thirds of one book. And those series have many books, so I think it 
is fair to say that I almost did  not read them and do not have an 
opinion about other books, only first one.

But I would never say that the books are anything else but primary 
source for the movies and I would certainly acknowledge that without 
the books movies would have never existed. Therefore even though I 
did not like the first book and have no opinions about other books of 
the series, I respect the books if for nothing else but for the fact 
that thanks to those books I was able to enjoy the TV series so much. 
Does it make sense?