Great stuff, thanks Anushree. I've seen the original Swedish version with (very popular Swedish actor) Rolf Lassgård and I loved it. It's quintessentially Swedish by which I mean, gentle, thoughtful and very "human". The film also sort of delves into Swedish themes of loneliness and solitude and societal change (it helps that I speak fluent Swedish).
I've seen a few Swedish films that have had the Hollywood makeover and I'm often disappointed about what gets lost in the translation. Låt Den Rätte Komma In (Let the right one in) is another that just didn't carry the themes across the filmic divide. The original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as well.
As far as book to film. I suffer from a (probably unfair) tendency to think that screenplays work as films and books as books. But I am VERY willing to have this tendency dismantled. There's so much mind-space allocated to imagining whilst reading a book. Such a interactive experience between the author and the manuscript and the reader and the manuscript that creates such incredible internal landscapes. Film always feels more passive. As if we're being told about things rather than invited to a conversation. But as I say, I'm willing to be moved on from this rather arbitrary position.
Thank you for reading and for a thoughtful comment, as always, Jonathan! I'm yet to see the Swedish version (need to see where I can watch it here in India), but have heard that it better retains the Backman essence than the, what you call, Hollywood makeover. Ah wow, how many languages are you fluent in?! Have you read Backman's works in the original Swedish, then?
There's an issue I'm working on about what you've shared in that last paragraph of your comment. The more I think about it, the more I have to say and discuss. So we'll see when it's ready to be shared!
Loved your summary/description of the book, Anu. I read the book just a few days ago and I remember not liking Ove for the first quarter of the book. I knew what the author was trying to do, by revealing Ove's story (and character) in a Matroska-esque fashion, but even the initial reveals seemed to make him out to be the cliched "brooding and intense man". It is Backman's genius to take that cliche and uppend it before the reader can see it coming. Anyone who is left dry-eyed by the end, has my respect.
I felt the movie was, not to be impolite, pretty meh. It just doesn't seem to flow the way the book does and a few of the changes to the script felt jarring.
Have you seen the Anxious People adaptation? I was equally let down by that as well.
Oh, and taking off on Jonathan's comment, would love to read an issue on adapted movies that are better than the original books. I can envision swords being drawn on that one!
Thanks for reading, and for the involved comment, Rohan! I agree with you about the experience of reading the book and how Backman's genius lies in uppending the cliche into something utterly genuine - I felt the same.
I think that the large time gap between when I read the book and this adaptation helped me to better appreciate the film on its own terms, in many ways. Though I did feel they aimed too "shallow" when it came to adapting all the layers present in the book.
I've stayed away from the Anxious People adaptation after my sister (a fellow Backman fan) warned me! I did her the same favour with Beartown which hurt me with how bad it was. Have you seen that?
Haha, I have an issue in the works about adapted films/tv shows. So you'll get your wish sooner than later!
Great stuff, thanks Anushree. I've seen the original Swedish version with (very popular Swedish actor) Rolf Lassgård and I loved it. It's quintessentially Swedish by which I mean, gentle, thoughtful and very "human". The film also sort of delves into Swedish themes of loneliness and solitude and societal change (it helps that I speak fluent Swedish).
I've seen a few Swedish films that have had the Hollywood makeover and I'm often disappointed about what gets lost in the translation. Låt Den Rätte Komma In (Let the right one in) is another that just didn't carry the themes across the filmic divide. The original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as well.
As far as book to film. I suffer from a (probably unfair) tendency to think that screenplays work as films and books as books. But I am VERY willing to have this tendency dismantled. There's so much mind-space allocated to imagining whilst reading a book. Such a interactive experience between the author and the manuscript and the reader and the manuscript that creates such incredible internal landscapes. Film always feels more passive. As if we're being told about things rather than invited to a conversation. But as I say, I'm willing to be moved on from this rather arbitrary position.
Thanks for the great read :)
Thank you for reading and for a thoughtful comment, as always, Jonathan! I'm yet to see the Swedish version (need to see where I can watch it here in India), but have heard that it better retains the Backman essence than the, what you call, Hollywood makeover. Ah wow, how many languages are you fluent in?! Have you read Backman's works in the original Swedish, then?
There's an issue I'm working on about what you've shared in that last paragraph of your comment. The more I think about it, the more I have to say and discuss. So we'll see when it's ready to be shared!
Loved your summary/description of the book, Anu. I read the book just a few days ago and I remember not liking Ove for the first quarter of the book. I knew what the author was trying to do, by revealing Ove's story (and character) in a Matroska-esque fashion, but even the initial reveals seemed to make him out to be the cliched "brooding and intense man". It is Backman's genius to take that cliche and uppend it before the reader can see it coming. Anyone who is left dry-eyed by the end, has my respect.
I felt the movie was, not to be impolite, pretty meh. It just doesn't seem to flow the way the book does and a few of the changes to the script felt jarring.
Have you seen the Anxious People adaptation? I was equally let down by that as well.
Oh, and taking off on Jonathan's comment, would love to read an issue on adapted movies that are better than the original books. I can envision swords being drawn on that one!
Thanks for reading, and for the involved comment, Rohan! I agree with you about the experience of reading the book and how Backman's genius lies in uppending the cliche into something utterly genuine - I felt the same.
I think that the large time gap between when I read the book and this adaptation helped me to better appreciate the film on its own terms, in many ways. Though I did feel they aimed too "shallow" when it came to adapting all the layers present in the book.
I've stayed away from the Anxious People adaptation after my sister (a fellow Backman fan) warned me! I did her the same favour with Beartown which hurt me with how bad it was. Have you seen that?
Haha, I have an issue in the works about adapted films/tv shows. So you'll get your wish sooner than later!