Library Director’s Notebook
November, 2013
While I am certainly a strong proponent of the belief that the book is always better than the movie , I have many times been pleasantly surprised by watching the movie first, and then following up by reading the book. This would seem counter-intuitive to some—if the book is always better, why not read the book first? Well, for one thing, I often will see a movie and not realize it is based on a book (rather than being an original screenplay) until after I have read the movie credits at the end! For another, all too often we are disappointed when we have loved a book only to find the movie adaptation leaves out our favorite characters, or our favorite scene, or the general flavor of the book. When you start with the movie, however, reading the book afterwards cannot help but be a richer, more complex, ultimately more satisfying experience.
While I’m really not trying to make any converts here; I will just give an example in this month’s column where reading the book after seeing the movie made for a very satisfying experience with both forms of media. Recently I read the book The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach. I had thoroughly enjoyed the movie starring some of Britain’s best actors (Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson) nearly a year ago. To me the movie flowed very smoothly, with the proper balance of sweetness and sadness and a definite dash of good humor as well. I was completely satisfied with the movie, with no sense of dissatisfaction that any element was missing or had not been thoroughly explored.
What a surprise then to realize after reading the book that many of the characters had been changed, including their age, motivation, problems, and relationships from the book to the movie. There were many more characters in the book than in the movie (not surprising at all), and the relationships in the book were more complex and at the same time the various characters not always as engaging or likeable as in the movie (again not a surprise). However, because I saw the movie first, I was able to love it as it stands on its own and not consider it a pale shadow of the original book.
For those of you not familiar with the story The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel it is a tale of several retired men and women who for one reason or the other (poor health ,lack of money, or lack of loving family) are finding it untenable to continue living a comfortable life in the England of the 21st century. The in-law of one of them decides to go into business with his dubious, entrepreneurial relative to start a community for just such cash-strapped elders in Banglore, India. With the low cost of living in India and an abundance of supposedly well-trained staff, the English seniors hope to live a life of ease and luxury at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. But the best laid plans of mice, pensioners, or over-reaching entrepreneurs often go astray!
Yet despite musty rooms, leaking plumbing, over-worked staff, ubiquitous beggars, and questionable food, the residents of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel find friendship, personal growth, and even love in unexpected places. As several people remark in the book, no one who visits India for any length of time can remain unchanged. Whether you choose the book, movie, or both, I think you will discover an engrossing and satisfying experience.
