Thursday, August 5, 2021

Summer Viewing: Film and Fiction

 


We’ve made recommendations for summer reading in July 2021. But people enjoy seeing movies in the summer as well. So here are some questions that relate and that you might want to respond to in the comments on this blog:

First, have you seen any films lately that you’d like to recommend to others?

Second, are there some films you consider classics or so great that they make your list of best films ever?

Third, do you think that films based on novels or plays are of better quality than those written as original screenplays?

 

I can’t answer the first question fairly because since COVID hit we haven’t been going out to theatres. I do see a lot of Hallmark movies on TV which are a somewhat pleasant diversion.

 

Second, besides film classics like Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Twelve Angry Men, Inherit the Wind, Pygmalion, Mrs. Miniver, which I have watched on Turner Classic TV, there are some memorable more recent films like October Sky and Hugo which I consider special.

 

Regarding the third question, if I read a book prior to seeing the film version, I am often disappointed by the movie. I believe this is because my imagination envisions differently than the cinematographers. An example of this would be The Godfather, a much-acclaimed film. I still prefer the novel.

 

What are your thoughts? What films do you consider memorable? Were they movie versions of books or short stories? Which did you prefer? Let’s compare.