Book to Movie: Winter's Tale
I recently had
the opportunity to attend a pre-screening of the film Winter’s Tale prior to its release in
theaters on February 14th. Winter’s Tale
stars Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Russell Crowe, and is based on
Mark Helprin’s novel of the same name.
Helprin’s novel, published in 1985, weaves a tale about a mythic New York City at the turn of the century and a curious battle between good and evil. Described by some as a novel of magic realism, it spans two centuries and has an array of unique characters. It even has an average rating of 4.04 stars on Goodreads, and overall very positive reviews. However, I, unfortunately, did not have the chance to read the novel before I saw the film this past week.
That being said,
after viewing the film, I’m glad that I didn’t read the novel first. While the
trailers for Winter’s Tale seemed
promising, the film did not live up to my expectations. The theater was filled
with laughter for the entirety of the screening as the audience made fun of the
film’s oddities, including strange lines of dialogue and awkward character
interactions. I found myself focusing very hard on understanding what the
film’s plot was even about, and while there were redeeming moments sprinkled
throughout the film, overall Winter’s
Tale felt forced.
