J.C. Comeau #15, Myths Medium

One interesting point of discussion in class revolved around the difference between books and movies.  Does one medium lend itself better to the elements of storytelling?  I’ve heard that both Lewis and Tolkien did not want their works to be made into film.  They did not think that movies could tell the stories they wanted to tell.  They though that the technology used in movies was insufficient as a tool for telling such works of fantasy.  In that time period, they were correct, but movies have evolved.  The technology in movies has made astounding advances; computers can generate an image of an animal that seems indistinguishable from the real thing.  But we still must ask, even with the advances, were Tolkien and Lewis right in their restriction of their material to books?  Legions of fans would say no, while others still hold the books up as far better.  Movies do the imagining for us, the voices, the landscapes, the characters.  In some respect, they create a fuller world that is readily available.  However, I think the nature of books gives the reader a more active role in the process.  The reader must be engaged in the book in a way that only the best movies simulate.  A reader must create and invest in the world while they read; they cannot rely on the provisions of a director.  Movies have made remarkable advances, but it seems doubtful that they will ever replace books.  Movies engage our senses, but books engage our imagination; books give us the opportunity to create alongside the author, not merely watch something unfold.