Just yesterday I heard my friend say he only watched movies and never read books (apart from academic ones). He even argued that there is nothing you can get from a book that a movie or a documentary does not give you. He believed that as an artist, expressing yourself using video would be easier and more liberating than text. And better means of expression meant that you convey more and in a better way, hence the receiver would be more enriched when they watch video. Though I could not summon an argument right there, below is my rebuttal.
Technically the information available in a book could be reproduced in any kind of video medium, maybe even in more splendour. However, the take home from a book reading is not just what the author wants to say, it is also what you make of it. Personally, when I see things in text, it gives me the freedom to make my own pictures and audio. I absorb it into my fantasy world, which is far more beautiful than what any video medium can show. I shall quote Aamir Khan from Taare Zameen Par - "...the table is too weak to hold the burden of your imagination...", in response to a kid asking him why there was no model on the table for him to imitate while painting. In this context I mean to say that 2-D TV and Dolby Digital are far too limited to portray what your thoughts can show you. And the exercise of making a picture out of text is crucial and probably far more enriching than directly having the pictures spoon-fed. Waiting to hear people's thoughts...
23 comments:
YAAAEYY! :D
i don't read books :P...so can't comment anything other than the usual :P
- "great going abhiram" :D
Thanks Ashwin :)
I agree. Books leave you with a better experience than a movie.
I believe there's a lot of effort put into building atmosphere in a book that cannot be captured on film. For instance, say a vista is described or the turmoil of a person running the gamut of emotions is described in text. These would be just a single shot on film and would fail to produce the intended effect on the viewer.
@Prashanth: Glad you agree
@Arun: True. Something like "At the passing of the breeze, the fir-trees sob and moan no less distinctly than they rock; the holly whistles as it battles with itself; the ash hisses amid its quiverings...." etc can never be shown via video.
lovely! very well put! i agree.. when i read harry potter what i had imagined was more colorful and creative than what was there in the movie!!
@Pavi: Thanks :)
The main reason I'd love to read a book is because it lets your thoughts flow. A movie is very fast. You keep watching and it gets over.
A book, is bliss. You can put it down and think. Imagine. Form your own picture. And a book takes long enough to read so that it forms a strong impact on you. Recently, I read a book about a boy. He was a champion boxer. I've started punching in the air after that, for no reason. :D Watching five Rocky's didn't do anything close to that.
Long comment. :P Agree, agree and agree, but. :)
True. Books let the emotions and thoughts seep in and blend in with you. Movies is just like instant gratification. Books tease you ...
And the smell of old books.... Nothing like that. :-)
I'm the other extreme; I generally don't watch a movie till I've read the book it's based on. Your arguments and your commenters' are all correct.
@Akshay: Good for you. Glad you agree that books are more fun.
There may be a paragraph that makes u jump off u r bed sit and start reading with a smile but this paragraph may pass of as a two second silence in the movie.
Burli: True.
I would agree with you but sometimes a movie would be,could be a very satifying experience,more satisfying experience than the book.If good,a movie can move you on to the book on which it is based.This has been my experience with both Rebecca and Gone with the Wind. Sometimes I feel that the movie can enrich your reading experience and assist you in imagination. Amma
@Mom: Firstly, I am honoured to have you comment on my post :)
When I say Movies vs Books, I do not mean adaptations of the same stories. I am only talking about Movies in General vs Books in General; as to which one would be a more enriching experience.
You are right in saying that movies are satisfying sometimes. But in general, I am sure you would agree that books give your imagination more exercise than movies.
spot on. movies nowhere near books. haven't been much impressed with HP movie series compared to the novels but say i liked the LOTR movie series (i have not read the books though).
I met an old Norwegian professor who said LOTR books are way better than the movie series! there you go
@dolphin: I am a loser, have not seen LOTR movie or read the books. I know the HP books inside out though. They rock as much as the movie sucks.
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