It's a classic assignment - read a fictional text, analyse it and identify its key themes. Then, once you've read the book, watch a movie based on the text, analyse it, identify its key themes and describe what (if any) changes have been made in the film adaptation, and why.
I have a rule for my own children - if a movie is based on a book, they have to read the book first. There's so much more 'story' included in books. The characters can be developed more deeply. Multiple plot threads can be woven together, creating more complex plotlines and twists. The author's voice and tone develop and become familiar to the reader. Film adaptations inevitably (and understandably) choose one main plot. Time constraints limit character development, and sometimes characters are eliminated entirely. The Harry Potter movies are classic examples of this. There are even films which change the setting of a book in order to make a more film more relatable to contemporary audiences, such as Fahrenheit 451. While these changes can be frustrating to book purists, there is something interesting in the process of analysing why the changes have been made.
In this video, Jane gives a brief explanation of how to analyse a book and a film based on the same text. If you still have questions about this process after watching the video, please comment below or on the video itself and Jane will get back to you!
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