Would you be *as* obsessed over just the movie???

[scoundrel]

Happyozzie: why should anyone be upset? What you have to say is probably a view quite widely held among people who came to the books after seeing the movie versions, because there are a lot of divergences between film and book here, much more so I think than between the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings film trilogy and JRR Tolkien's original books. Coming to the films after having read the books, I am probably guilty of disliking the films for not being what they are not instead of sufficiently appreciating them for being what they are. You do pick up on some of the key divergences, especially Bella's deep rooted feeling of alienation, her lack of self-esteem as you quite accurately describe it.

Does it strike you that people who lack self-esteem are often life's victims; their neediness and hunger for positive reinforcement makes them easy to exploit, deceive and maltreat? Not so in Bella's case. Book-Bella is intensely proud and as independent as any cat. When the boys at Forks High School start to chase her, she is completely unaccustomed to the attention, but instead of feeling flattered or gratified by her new feminine power, let alone trying to execise it, she is mortified. There's more than a hint of Greta Garbo's "I want to be alone" in Book-Bella. It is her violent hormonal reaction to Edward, the demi-God, which breaks her barriers down instantly; there's a real point behind her obsessing over the beauty of Edward's face. Incidentally, Bella is not a push-over, even for the glorious Edward. She does assert herself regularly and often, despite the massive imbalance of power in their relationship. There is a whole string of clashes between Bella and Edward (Bella and Jacob Black too) which stem from these two bossing Bella about and Bella putting her foot down. Low self-esteem or not, Book-Bella is full of fight and nobody's doormat.

One of Bella's most potent weapons of self-defence is mockery and satire; I very seldom got any equivalent sense of Film-Bella making fun of Edward, or any of the other mythical creatures who co-opted her into their world. I think we lose some of this because the films, particularly the first one, maintain radio-silence on Bella's stream of diverting thoughts. For example, the exquisite reflections when Bella is preparing for the sudden twist of meeting Edwards's family:

It was hard to decide what to wear. I doubted there were any etiquette books detailing how to dress when your vampire sweetheart takes you home to meet his vampire family.

That's the dry humour, the inwardly mocking while outwardly demure Bella who reminded me so potently of Elizabeth Bennet from Austen's Pride and Prejudice in the parallel which Stephenie Meyer intentionally drew. When I watch Twilight or New Moon I wonder where the laughs are, because the books, even New Moon, are funny.

BTW I emphatically agree with you that Alice and Jasper ought to have more to say, although Jasper's chief missing moment for me is the pivotal part he plays in the Phoenix section. He doesn't talk much anyway, but whenever he talks you'd better listen because he's got something to say. He was a tower of strength, a rock, at that ghastly hour in Bella's life, and Bella never forgot it. I didn't get any sense of that in the first film. But downsizing Alice's part hurts the films even more. We lose a lot of the humour instantly with the editorial decision to drastically downsize the Alice Cullen part; how ironic and undeserved it was that Ashley Greene's excellent performance and undeniable good looks were one of the chief strengths of the films and absolutely helped to draw a male audience. The worst damage is in New Moon where the film leaves out so much of what is said between Alice and Bella, the kitchen conversation between Alice and Charlie, the entire flight to Italy...I thought that was just criminal. However I also agree that leaving Alice's back-story out of James' dialogue with Bella in the ballet studio was a crass and amateurish decision.

I like the point which you made that without the films to encourage you, you would not have read the books. That's the best defence of these films for me, because having read the books first the films disappointed me; but all the marketing around the films raised the profile of the books. In a way, I too am a beneficiary; I first learned of the existence of the books in a review of Twilight in the London Evening Standard in 2006, but although it was favourable, it did not inspire me to try the book itself. By the time my local supermarket did a cut-price offer on the set, the film marketing had saturated the airwaves to the point where even I had a pretty good idea what I was buying; but I also remembered the LES reviewer had mentioned that the first book is a very good story in its own right.

[Happyozzie]

Scoundrel - Thank you for your kind words about not getting killed. I do agree with some of your points about Bella there were parts of book Bella that were so strong that I loved but parts I didn't love. I just felt for me the movie made it a more balanced relationship. I do agree that she used satire and self-mockery and I love the way she stood by her love of Edward. I suppose I just didn't like how she made Edward everything and cut most of the people out of her life espect for Jacob that fact that she keep him in her life at all costs made me love but everyone else pretty went. I suppose another thing that bothered me coming from a single mother-daughter relationship was that she so easliy gave up the relationship with her mother and her mother pretty much disappeared from her life when they had been that close. I have to disagree about people with low self-esteem being life's victims yes it some cases that can be true but I don't always think that is the case and I know you didn't say it was aways either. I do sort of get your point about the inward mockey of Elizabeth Bennet but can see no other comparision between Jane Austin's characters and Bella. Jane's are just such strong women especially for the times they are in. I suppose while I did like parts of book Bella there were parts that just annoyed me and I think I liked Kristen's Bella better. The rest of characters in the book and movies I feel where pretty close to each other its just Bella I felt was different and I do remember reading that the screen writer changed a few things. I love the world Stephanie Meyer created with Twilight I just wanted Bella to love herself even half as much as Edward and the rest of the people in the book did thats all.

I agree about leaving the Charlie and Alice part out the movies make it look like the first time they really meet is in Esclipse I would liked to have seen that in New Moon. I completely agree with you about Jasper too. I get that for alot of the fans that read the book it would feel like the movie butchered the books a bit. Its hard in such a short window of time to get everything in and that was on of the good parts of the LOTR's movies in the fact that Peter Jackson made them longer and then especially with the extended versions of those films her put even more in. You can see in those films that he had such respect for Tolkien and had been a fan for many years. With Twilight you don't have that but then Peter Jackson himself is pretty special in his own way and was so aware of not upsetting the LOTR fans.

[Briar]

I know exactly what you mean about Bella's character, Ozzie. I love Bella to bits but there are things about her that almost drove me crazy.

The movies failed to do justice to Stephenie's stories in my opinion but if I hadn't seen the movie first, I may not have enjoyed the books at all. I think Bella's obsession with Edward and her self loathing might have disgusted me if the movie hadn't provided the balance I needed to overlook those nagging issues. I'll be forever grateful to Catherine Hardwicke

<3 xxx

[Happyozzie]

Briar - I agree with your points. I also think that while the movie might not have done justice its also very hard for movies to be like the books and in all the book/movies I have ever read/watched the closest I have found in LOTR. I have to say that some of Edwards control issues also concerned me especially when it come to young girls reading the books. I loved Edward and Bella together something about both Stephanie's writing and the movies just made them seem perfect together but I don't know if I would want someone watching me sleep.

[emeraldeyes82]

I think I would like the movie, but I wouldn't be as "obsessed" over it if I had never read the book. The movies aren't as amazing as the books, but they do a good job for the most part.

[Cynnamon]

Funny thing the way I was turned onto this series. My friend raved about the book(s) before the 1st movie came out. I caught the movie and felt intrigued, so I began to read the books. Boy am I ever glad I did that, the books are so much more... engrossing.

[AraT]

No way!!! The movies don't do a good job at developing the relationship between Bella and Edward. Had I not read the books I wouldn't have understood why such a strong attraction between them. As much as I love the movies they simply leave too much unexplained.

[TwilightTulip]

NO WAY - I adore the books. I enjoy the movies for what they are, but the books are what make me a fanatic.