A Movie Weekend

In a last hurrah for summer, I went and saw two movies this weekend. They were both based on books I had read, and I actually had not planned to go see them. Generally speaking, I like the book better than the movie. For this reason, I find that seeing the movies is usually disappointing. There are some exceptions - I love Gone With the Wind - book and movie. And I loved Giant - book and movie.

I read The Help and enjoyed it while I was reading it. After I had finished, though, I found myself feeling like the story was not truly a depiction of the civil rights movement, and in fact had been somewhat disingenuous. There is lots of current controversy on both sides - especially since the movie has been such a big hit. But it was not quite "gritty" enough as a book. The movie, on the other hand, focused more on the individuals and their relationships with one another. I think this factor helped the movie succeed where the book did not.

A couple of years ago, we decided to read this as a kind of family "book group" reading - and to compare it to Suite Francaise - since it covers the same time period in France. After reading the book - which was compelling in its own way - I felt manipulated by the author. The ending was "pat," the story was a little hackneyed, and you knew how it would end after you read the first chapter.

Suite Francaise, on the other hand, was a much more nuanced depiction. You were caught up in the events as they unfolded, the writing was excellent, and the story rang true.

That being said, the film version of Sarah's Key was much better than the book. The filmmakers took the story line and gave it substance and meaning. The parts added up to more than the whole. The acting was good and the back and forth with subtitles was handled well.

I'd recommend both movies. And one book!