In terms of how I thought the film compared to the graphic novel, I’d say hands down there was no comparison. Usually I’m a sucker for the movie version of any good book, but in terms of Persepolis, I thought the novel blew away the movie version. Personally, I felt cheated by the movie. In my opinion it left out a lot of the key moments that made the book such a powerful piece of literature. For instance, I felt like Marjane’s time spent in Austria was an essential part of her transformation and to me the movie version didn’t spend enough time capturing that part of the novel. Granted, if the movie had touched on every single aspect and followed exactly the way the novel was shaped, it would be a 4 or 5 hour film. However, if they would have tweaked it a little bit I would have been more involved, but I sensed from the very beginning that it wouldn’t compare in the slightest to the book. I guess the old adage is right concerning movies and novels; the novels are usually better. If I were grading the movie on a scale from 1-10 I would have to give it a 3. I thought it was extremely boring, sorry, and the “Eye of the Tiger” solo was brutal.
This is my second experience reading a graphic novel and I will say this, the more expose I have to the graphic novel the more and more I’m starting to see the power in the combination of image and language as opposed to just language. I love literature and I love exploring the many different varieties that exist, because the more diverse I become as a read the more I will be able to share with others who want suggestions about what to read. In closing I just want to say that reading Persepolis was a worthwhile experience and if down the road I feel the urge to pick up a graphic novel I might start with Persepolis as a refresher. It was full of social issues that we talked about all semester and showed the many different stages of life girls through, from childhood, to adolescence, to adulthood. I’m taking away more from this book then just it being my second ever graphic novel. I am much more knowledgeable about Iran and the difficulties and hardships it went through during the revolution and I have a greater respect for the Iranian society in general.
Brian Pullyblank
I agree with Brian on this. The graphic novel was definitely better than the movie. It left out a lot of parts from the book that were vital in showing Marjane's story. What i also thought the movie glossed over was her growth as a person. The movie seemed to be almost an outline to the book. Showing what happened but leaving out certain things. Im not sure if it was for legal reasons, time issues or because she wanted to keep a certain rating (I forgot if it was stated in class what the rating was) but the material left out made the movie less dramatic and effective than the graphic novel. But that's pretty much always the case with all books turned to movies.
ReplyDeleteBut in any case I'm glad I got to read the book and see the movie. It wasn't something I'd typically pick off the shelf without some type of recommendation from someone. It was a refreshing new look into something I had little information on and has opened my eyes to what the media doesn't show.
-Adolfo