These are my TOP 3 movie/book combos:
1. A Clockwork Orange: If you read only the book or see only the movie, you have very little understanding of just how brilliant this work is. I first picked up the book version of A Clockwork Orange when I was sixteen, and I'll be honest, I stopped reading, because I didn't understand a word of it.
Then, I bought the DVD at a flea market, because I knew it was a Kubrick classic. I turned it off after 15 minutes; the "ultraviolence" was a little too much for me. Yet, there was something still strangely alluring about it. I watched the trailer about five times on YouTube, and I couldn't get the image of Alex's eyes peeled open during the Ludovico Technique out of my head.
Then, I found a vinyl of the soundtrack (yet another flea market find). It was basically all classical Beethoven, but the image on the cover was what got me: Alex in the orange triangle. It reminded me of the music video for The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army, so I knew I had to give it another shot.
Then, I actually watched the film. It may have been on the long side (could you expect anything else from Kubrick?), but it was so fast-paced. I loved everything about it: the thrilling take on violence, the humor, the characters...I found myself so drawn to and rooting for Alex, which was odd, because that guy is a vicious, evil person. Yet, he was so charming, so there was no way you couldn't help feeling guilty for feeling sorry for him.
After that, I read the book, with the record as my soundtrack to the movie. It was a lot different from the film, in how it dealt more with the punky kids (who were much younger seeming in the book than the movie) being against reading; in fact, that was where most of their violent tendencies came from. And I read the British version, which has a VERY different ending than the movie. SPOILER ALERT- Alex sees the error of his ways and changes. So then of course, I read the American version with my Beethoven MP3s to figure out which ending is better. I still am on the fence about which I prefer.
A lot of people are turned off from A Clockwork Orange because of the violence. I can understand that, but once you realize how it is actually an "anti-violence" work and that the main purpose is to establish the importance of free choice, you can really appreciate it. To me, Burgess and Kubrick are the perfect pairing, even though Burgess wasn't crazy about Kubrick's film (what was he, crazy?). The characters, comedy, message, dialogue, setting, EVERYTHING are just so PERFECT. There is truly no other book/movie combo like it. And I'd really like a Durango '95.
2. Fight Club: My dad made me watch the movie when I was a tween before I could truly appreciate Brad Pitt's perfectly sculpted jawline. When I started watching, I kept complaining about how he was making me watch a "boy movie," but Dad insisted I keep watching. He knew the types of movies I liked. As the movie went on, I began to see this was no boy movie; this was a human interest movie. As if the brilliant "twist" wasn't enough, what this movie said about society and it's obsession with consumerism, the cinematography, and the characters were just amazing. Of course, I had to read the book.
So, I got the CD soundtrack with music by the Dust Brothers and an MP3 of Where is my Mind by the Pixies and got to reading. The book was so short, I finished it in the same time it took to watch the movie. The book is even darker than the film and has a lot of really gory imagery (if you thought soap made out of fat was bad, you should see what Palahniuk included in this thing!) And it jumped from one scene to another; you really had to concentrate, which I loved. The best part, though, was the ending....much different from the visually stunning movie ending. SPOILER ALERT: Jack wakes up in a mental institution thinking he's dead! Which makes so much sense...even though Jack and Marla watching those buildings blow up to Where is my Mind is one of my favorite scenes in movie history.
Really, the book just made me appreciate the movie so much more. The anti-consumerism message is so clear and the societal ideas are brilliant. Plus, it's just dark and fun: the perfect kind of mind-bending thriller.
3. Kickass: OK, so technically this is a graphic novel (comic?), but I am counting it. I saw the movie not expecting much. But it made me cry SPOILER ALERT when Big Daddy was set on fire, so I knew this was no ordinary movie. You see, I don't cry during movies...I don't cry much period. I didn't cry when Jack died in Titanic or even when Bambi's mother got shot. Sure, I felt bad for them, but no tears formed like they did in Kickass.
Kickass is funny and original. Again, you really get into the characters. I love the whole idea of a nerd becoming a superhero. I mean, Stan Lee kind of established that concept when he created Spiderman (which I also LOVE), but this was a new spin on it. AND, there has never been a badder superhero than Hit Girl. She is AWESOME.
That's when I got the graphic novel from the comic shop down the street from my college, and of course, read the whole thing in one sitting. I played Gangster's Paradise on repeat (I don't know why I thought that song was so fitting for Kickass, but somehow it works) and the theme song, which was also used in 28 Days Later. The comic was so similar to the movie, but there were some lines of dialogue not included in the movie, which was really awesome. It also gave a new side to the characters that was really admirable. Plus, seeing drawings of the violence, kind of tones them down, so you can focus more on the story and characters than the action of the movie.
Final Word: There are so many good movie/book combos, but these are the ones that were, as I like to say, "most transportive," meaning reading, watching, and listening was an actual experience. But I know there are so many other good ones.
These ALMOST made the list: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Diary of Anne Frank, My Sister's Keeper, Name of the Rose, The Outsiders, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I'd have written about these too, but I wrote so much for my top three, I wanted to give your eyes a break.
And I know there are so many more. What are some of your favorites? Leave a comment!
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