From: Jeffrey Canton <jeffrey_canton>
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 10:13:40 -0800 (PST)

I went to see The Seeker with the knowledge that it was not going to be The Dark is Rising but what I was unprepared for was not only the total disregard for the text on which it was based but, even more problmetic for me, the disregard for the viewing audience that this film aimed to reach. I think that it is interesting that adaptations like Bridge to Terebithia, for example, or The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe seem to be aimed at a totally different audience than Stuart Little, for example, or The Cat in the Hat.

And I am left asking the question why is that? I may be going out on a limb here but it seems to me that most of the films I see based on adult novels are a good deal more respectful of their audience even if the adaptations are not necessarily all that good. Is the fact that these are films are based on children's books indicative of that same kind of social attitude that whatever we give to kids will be good enough? It's an incredibly patronizing attitude but one that seems to me to inform all too many films of great children's books!
  Jeffrey Canton
 
--- Megan Schliesman <schliesman at education.wisc.edu> wrote:

> Let's start our discussion for the first part of
> November: Books on Film.
>
> We first discussed this topic in July of 2003. With
> the film adaptation
> of Susan Cooper?s /The Dark Is Rising /now out (not
> to mention
> additional Harry Potter movies and other movie
> adaptations in the past
> four years), we thought'd we'd take another look and
> talk about some of
> the newer releases that have delighted?or
> infuriated?lovers of the books
> on which they are based.
>
> Perhaps there also have been some television
> adaptations that captured
> your attention.
>
> What are your thoughts on some of the more recent
> "translations" of
> books into these media?
>
> Megan
>
> --
> Megan Schliesman, Librarian
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> School of Education
> University of Wisconsin-Madison
> 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> 608-262-9503
> 608-262-4933 (fax)
>
> schliesman at education.wisc.edu
>
> www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
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>


Jeffrey Canton 54 Fenwick Avenue Toronto, ON M4K 3H3 416-469-8290

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Received on Fri 09 Nov 2007 12:13:40 PM CST