Ooooh, is the movie out on the 13th? Excellent. I tried to catch it in the cinema and never did manage it. I can bung that on my b/day list. :-)
I know exactly what you mean about the book. I quite liked it but it took me forever to read it and I have *no idea* why. And weirdly, even though I quite liked it, I've not felt inclined to grab book 2 from the library and there is also a book 3 now. Strange isn't it?
That's exactly how I feel about it! I mean, I did quite like it, but... not in a way that made me pick it up and keep reading... And that feels wrong, because it should work...
Will love to know what you think of the film! Despite throwing in the American Hero I thought it was beautifully done!
Hm. Okay, a) I haven't seen the movie (and I'm not really sure I want to see it) and b) I don't know how good or bad the English translation is. I've read the book in the German original and I absolutely loved it. *shrugs*
Oh the movie's wonderful - for Paul Bettany's amazing Dustfinger anyway! *g* And actually the others are great too - I love Jim Broadbent, and Helen Mirren is fab, and... they're all pretty good, even the American Hero. *g*
I did wonder if it might be something to do with the translation, because I feel like I so should have loved the book - in fact I did the first few chapters, but somehow after that... very strange. If you do ever see the vid though, I'd be fascinated to hear what you think of the translation there - I believe Cornelia Funke was present the whole way through, and she thought Bettany, for instance was the living incarnation of Dustfinger. So maybe the film holds truer to the original German version than the English translation manages to do...
Yeah, it would be interesting to compare the translation with the original. Sometimes the word play just doesn't translate - that's why I'd never read Harry Potter in German for example! And as far as I know, Cornelia Funke had a say in which actor would play which character. So I might give the movie a try. But I really loved the book, I even read it twice, I really only do that with books I love. I just bought the other two books in the series, hopefully I can start reading soon...
I'd really like to read the next two books, because I know there's more of Dustfinger's story there, but... *sighs* Maybe I should learn German... Quite right about word play often not translating - I've even noticed that in Prosfic between eg UKEnglish-AmericanEnglish!
I remember your entry! I totally do! I was part way through reading Inkheart when you wrote it I think - or maybe just about to start or summat...
I do wonder if the translation to English affected the readability of the book, although you could also be right about the monotone redundancy. I definitely felt more for Dustfinger, thought I knew him better at the end of the film than from the book, and perhaps that was because Bettany added to the character, whereas Funke never really took him much further (in the first book, anyway) - or any of the others. I didn't feel that I knew them particularly deeply in fact, although I knew about them... Hmmn - interesting!
You did well to read all three despite your cursing, mind! My only sorrow is that presumably there won't be any more films of the books because they changed the ending in the film and gave Dustfinger a happy-Hollywood cutesy cottage and wife to return to - grrr!
They could make other films. If you find it in yourself to read the second book, you'll see how they can bridge it with the film. I think, anyway :D
And yes, you know 'about' the characters, but nothing ever more than that. The plot moves on, but for the most part, the characters stay as they are all throughout (and that works for all three books, although slightly less for the last one, but just temporarily). I think Dustfinger comes across as the most interesting because he is the only one with layers of which you get a glimpse of. Dustfinger is the only one whi is not monochromatic, so to speak. (imo!) :D
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I know exactly what you mean about the book. I quite liked it but it took me forever to read it and I have *no idea* why. And weirdly, even though I quite liked it, I've not felt inclined to grab book 2 from the library and there is also a book 3 now. Strange isn't it?
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Will love to know what you think of the film! Despite throwing in the American Hero I thought it was beautifully done!
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I did wonder if it might be something to do with the translation, because I feel like I so should have loved the book - in fact I did the first few chapters, but somehow after that... very strange. If you do ever see the vid though, I'd be fascinated to hear what you think of the translation there - I believe Cornelia Funke was present the whole way through, and she thought Bettany, for instance was the living incarnation of Dustfinger. So maybe the film holds truer to the original German version than the English translation manages to do...
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I do wonder if the translation to English affected the readability of the book, although you could also be right about the monotone redundancy. I definitely felt more for Dustfinger, thought I knew him better at the end of the film than from the book, and perhaps that was because Bettany added to the character, whereas Funke never really took him much further (in the first book, anyway) - or any of the others. I didn't feel that I knew them particularly deeply in fact, although I knew about them... Hmmn - interesting!
You did well to read all three despite your cursing, mind! My only sorrow is that presumably there won't be any more films of the books because they changed the ending in the film and gave Dustfinger a happy-Hollywood cutesy cottage and wife to return to - grrr!
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And yes, you know 'about' the characters, but nothing ever more than that. The plot moves on, but for the most part, the characters stay as they are all throughout (and that works for all three books, although slightly less for the last one, but just temporarily). I think Dustfinger comes across as the most interesting because he is the only one with layers of which you get a glimpse of. Dustfinger is the only one whi is not monochromatic, so to speak. (imo!) :D
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