Book.
- because of the theme of female friendship (completely absent in the film where Edythe Dubarry is a villain)
- because there’s no man-stealing – the woman all play nicely (see first point)
- plot is far more intricate (and doesn’t rely on visual cues, as it does in the film)
- for its charming dialogue
Haven’t seen the film and I think I’ll give it a miss after reading your thoughts. The book is delightful!
A rare case of me seeing the film before reading the book. When I saw the film (years ago), I loved it – the sets and costumes are spectacular. But, after reading the book, I was surprised at how much of the plot they tweaked. Only small things but they changed the tone of the story.
Good to know as I have the book on my bedside table! I haven’t seen the film – is it worth watching?
I did really love the film when I first saw it (so much so that I bought my own copy) but the book is far, far better. And the changes made to the plot in the film will probably irritate you if you read the book first (which you will, obviously).
Stay tuned for my book review (although it’s an unhelpful literary mixtape).
I would agree with you but I also loved the film. I also saw film then read book. As much as I love comparing books to movies, etc, I never think of it as “skip the movie” when the book is better. Books just usually ARE better! and the fun is in how someone else did an interpretation.
That said, I wonder if I would be picky about the movie on a re-view. Even if I adore McDormand.
There’s lots I love about the movie (the sets! the soundtrack! the costumes!) and I think it was brilliantly cast, particularly McDormand – she was perfect. After reading the book and watching the movie for perhaps the fourth time (I’d seen it a few times before I read the book) I did wonder if the ideal medium would in fact be a play…
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