From: dspeters at mcpl.lib.wi.us <dspeters>
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 20:17:25 -0500

Kristin Cashore wrote: To suggest that a film is less capable of psychological insight, interesting details, beautiful language, side details, etc. seems decidedly unfair. A masterly film combines music, language, photography, movement, sound and silence, color, acting, you name it-- and creates something different, but just as right and true, as a masterly book.

I totally agree with you. Before my graduate work in library and information studies, I was a communications major, and spent endless hours in film screenings, analyzing the various nuances created by shot composition, angle, color, casting, camera movements, editing, background music and sound effects, etc. There are so many elements involved that it can really be quite wonderful to see them all come together into a final artistic creation. As librarians, it seems almost sacrilege to promote anything that involves sitting and watching something on a screen, but there are some wonderful experiences that can be encountered through the medium of film.

If the film is based upon a book, having read the book first will almost always enhance the theater experience. While readers will almost always say that "the book was better than the movie," they would probably also agree that the movie was more enjoyable because they first read the book, while non-readers may be encouraged to read the book after enjoying the movie.

Time to go get in line for Seabiscuit!

 Peterson Wausau, WI
Received on Thu 07 Aug 2003 08:17:25 PM CDT