Not that there is anything wrong with the movie -- it's a favorite, but if you are going to write a book forward, it should be about the book, not the movie.
I agree with you completely there. My personal preference is for the movie (since I'm a Joseph L. Mankiewicz fan as well as a film lover), but the novel exists independently of the film; and in this case, the novel came first. For a book's foreword to slight the novel it accompanies, in favor of the movie which it inspired, is dismissive to the author.
And thanks for the word about the e-book, ghostfan; but I acquired a 1960s paperback edition of the novel from eBay about 12-14 years ago. An eBay search took me to a listing for a stack of about a dozen romance novels that included a copy of
Ghost and Mrs. Muir). There was one bidder already; so rather than get into a bidding war, I just let the auction end. Then -- back when eBay still allowed this -- I offered the buyer $10 for
Mrs. Muir alone. That was more than half what she paid for the lot, so happily she gave up that one title!
Me with e-books? No, holding a physical book in my hands is an ingrained part of my pleasure in reading. I also like watching a movie projected from film.
Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get.
reply
share
ghostfan
10 years ago
I try to treat them all as their own universe - rather like you have to with fan fiction. Each story is separate to itself.
I am very fond of the book, though -- except I had read it twice (after having seen the TV show at age 11 and seen the movie a year later) before I realized that in the book she never SEES him! But I did like that he came back after ten years... and was with her when she died, and that he made her apologize to Martha for being snappy.
How sad, that you were not born in my time, nor I, in yours.
reply
share