The order of things

My theory is that if one wishes to enjoy a book and its film version to the fullest, one ought always to see the film first. That way the film is seen without any preconceptions of what characters or locations should look like, or what the plot should be - one can enjoy the film for what it is. Then one is able to read the book, marvel at how much richer and fuller it is, and forgive the movie for all the changes it made because you already loved it.

I was in the wonderful position of having read neither Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, nor Fellowship of the Ring when I saw the films, and I enjoyed them both immensely. Of course having read those first books, I could hardly wait until the film versions of all the others came out to read the rest, so I was last year, and am again this year, about to see a film of a book I love. I didn't enjoy watching the Two Towers. Some people found my reaction to it amusing, and some, annoying. I'll try to explain.

I see books as the truth. I don't mean to say that I think Middle Earth is a real place, or that Harry Potter is a real boy. I mean that when I read a book, I don't think about other ways the author could have done things, or that certain things should be different - they are the way they are, the reality for that book. Many people said that The Order of the Phoenix was too long, that Hagrid should have been left out, that the person who died (in case someone hasn't read it yet) should not have. I don't think that way, so when things are portrayed differently in the films, even if I understand why, it irritates or even offends me.

I realise that films cannot be word for word representations of the book. I expect omissions, large and small, character amalgamations and minor plot changes, but when characters are fundamentally different, or do the complete opposite of what they were meant to do, I find it hard to watch. That said, the documentaries on the Two Towers extended version DVD, have helped me come to terms with some of the problems.

So, that is why no-one wants to see Return of the King with me, and why I should also see Prisoner of Azkaban by myself in June - I should be able to see it several times before the baby is born. Thankfully, I love going to the movies by myself, it makes me feel free to react as strongly as I like, cry as much as I would like to. I'll tell you how many tissues I get through when I finally get to see it.