Considering that film and literature are two of my favorite things, it is quite difficult to just come up with an examples in which I love a film more than its source and vice versa. This is compounded with my predilection towards indecisiveness. There are many books and films that I like equally, such as Pride and Prejudice and its many adaptations, The Lord of the Rings trilogy’s and Peter Jackson’s reverent adaptation, and Cloud Atlas with the Wachowskis’ riveting and enchanting take on David Mitchell’s grandiose and innovative text. I sway between both extremes with no clear winner at whatever particular time.

And then there is that whole literary view that books are always better than the films. I feel this is a tired prejudice that most filmmakers prove erroneous through their films. Still, there are the likes of The Hobbit which leaves me wondering what went wrong. Now don’t get me wrong, these are not bad films and the aural and visual aspect is outstanding, but as an adaptation, it is too liberal with the source and certain spots are simply meandering.

Interestingly enough, my opinion on a film I enjoyed more than its corresponding text deals with a graphic novel, which I feel is literature since it draws me in, provokes and stimulates, and reflects the human condition, all things that art should deliver. The film is V for Vendetta. Alan Moore’s graphic novel deals with a dystopian future in which a fascist police state governs society through fear and force, reflecting and commenting on the burgeoning “Thatcherism” that was dominating British society in the late 80s. While the book is an invigorating and provocative read, the film brings the story into the Bush era where surveillance and paranoia permeated throughout the world. In a world in which terrorism is the blight of civilization, the movie dared to make a terrorist the antihero of the story. Whereas real world terrorism is used to scare people into submission, much like religion did in antiquated times, the terrorism in the film is employed to sever society from fascism. After 9-11, skepticism became un-American and dissent treason, yet the film dared to question the chaotic world we lived in. For this reason, and much more, I believe the film to be superior to the book, even though Alan Moore would severely disagree with my assessment. I feel that though the adaptation changed the time and setting, the spirit of the text remains alive through the revolutionary ideas presented in the screen.

Conversely, a book that I enjoyed more than its corresponding movie is, without a doubt, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. What the !@#$? Where to begin? I saw the film before I ever read the book and it turned me off from ever reading the actual text. Thus, when it came time to read it for school, I definitely skipped it and bid my time seeking the cheap thrills of I found playing my SNES. My first chance to read it again was during my undergraduate course on American Literature. With a better perspective, and a profound love for the book, I can clearly see the egregious folly that was produced. To begin with, Demi Moore is clearly out of her element and the introduction of a steamy bath scene is unintentionally hilarious. It is unfortunate that Gary Oldman, a favorite actor of mine, is attached to this nightmare. And what is up with the drummer boy that follows her whenever she goes to town? I’m all for liberal takes on texts, but when it doesn’t add to the art, it only serves to spoil the work. And then there’s the whole Algonquian Native Americans sub story that steals the focus of the real story and the happy ending that defeats Hawthorne’s original lamentation of the human condition. The film is a “stellar” example of failure.

As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and whatever turns on the beholder is the spark that gives life meaning. There can be no doubt that one form of art influences another, and art is a source of our humanity. My best advice is to simply open your mind and allow the works to flow within. The soul will know which puzzle piece and which doesn’t. My opinions are simply mine and mine alone. What I consider to be better is a completely worthless estimation to another. As it should be.