I know! People always post "the book was better than the movie."
But if you watch the DVD extras the book's author is explaining her reaction to the movie and not only was thrilled, but said she wish she could re-write the book and include some things that the scriptwriter included in the movie. IOW, the book's author thinks the movie is better than the book!
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I had a very difficult time with the book, to the point of not even finishing it. Hardly a complicated or overlong read, but I couldn't visualize anything that I was reading. I'm not lacking imagination but it really tripped me up. I couldn't visualize the world or the characters being described, didn't (and still don't) totally understand the power/magic/? that the Giver has and gives to Jonas.
This movie, while not completely answering my questions, did give me more to work with. I don't know if it's really consistent to the book, because again I didn't understand the book. But the futuristic timeline and modern, tech-y society helped and is interesting. I didn't know why the landscapes were so beautiful, I guess I would have expected it to be more bland especially at the start of the story but whatever.
The acting and cinematography was good. Diehard fans of books are rarely pleased. For an ignorant like me, I thought it was perfectly fine. Katie Holmes was the only strike against it, her delivery of lines was terrible and she always looks like she just had a run-in with a ghost. Really unclear on why she got the part in this.
How interesting that you say that of the book. I just finished it a few minutes ago and I saw everything... mainly from an emotional tone though. The lack of emotional depth, and then the expansion of consciousness to include that depth.
shareLike she was going to say that the film did not live up to her expectations either in public arenas to tout the movie or in the DVD discussions?
There may have been some places where she thought certain aspects of characters were going to inspire her. That would happen in most movies made by major studios. One thing she liked was more of a friction between the Giver and the Chief Elder and wished she could have added it in, but that would have been a bit more difficult as the book was completely in Jonas' POV.
I did not watch this as I could not get over the aging up of the characters. That changed everything.
Bob
The books and the films are intended for a completely different age. People talk now as if Lois Lowery's book was meant to be young adult fiction. It wasn't. It was (and is) a kids book. I came across it in the kids (not even teens, but kids) section of the library when I was a kid, and I read it, and I really enjoyed it. Jonas had just turned twelve and hit puberty. It was a good way of discussing futuristic, dystopian ideas for those too young for something like 1984. It was a good way of encouraging kids to think about serious issues like memories, emotions, love, choices, the price of freedom, the price of peace, the value of life, etc. It would be a really lame, bland way to present it to older teens or adults, but it was never meant to.
The film is for young adults. Jonas was a young adult. The onset of puberty was so long ago that he could barely remember it. He did things and thought things that twelve year olds wouldn't do and think. It explored the same deep and serious ideas to a more mature audience, and it did a good job of it. They added ideas and subplots that are appropriate for older viewers. Maybe since kids grow up so fast now, and there's such a market for teen fiction, if Lois Lowry were re-writing the book (not that that's practical) she would gear it toward teens and use ideas from the film.
"The Giver" is a young adult book. You generally will find it located in the young adult or kids' section of stores as it is a Newbery Medal book and all of those are sold in the YA section. I have also seen it in the Teens section.
The reading comprehension level is late fifth grade, but the interest level goes up into thirteen years old. This is used in fifth through eighth grade classrooms for introductions to dystpias. The movie is PG 13, which means it is intended more for teens. This is why they aged Jonas up so much--they wanted eye candy for the older audiences they weer expecting.
Lois Lowry writes YA books, not teen books, although The Giver has the youngest of protaginists in the Giver quartet.
Bob
No, the author might like to add some things the scriptwriter thought of, but not make all the changes that were in the script (additions, deletions, changes). That doesn't even begin to address the director's (and editor's, producers' etc.) decisions about how the script ended up as a movie.
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I consider the book overrated, and too sad and disturbing for the age group it is aimed at; but the movie, while aged up in some ways, cops out of every difficulty and just goes for the typical Hollywood ending. So I would consider the book a little bit better.
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I also think the book is overrated. I was an adult when I read it so maybe that contributed to my view. I can see why preteens are drawn to it for its semi-taboo content (in their view), but it is too depressing and its world too abstract for that age.
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