Movie vs Book
How different is this movie from the book it was based on? I just finished reading the book for my Religion class and thought that I could use the movie as a review tool for me in the fall when I most likely will be tested on it.
shareI thought the movie was quite a bit better. I had to read the book for class at my old school and i thought is was like death on pages (not even exagerating) when i found out that in the SELECTIVE school i am now attending didn't read that book for another 3 years i could have died. but i watched the movie because of Bobby Benson AKA Danny Saunders and it was much bearable to watch. i know i am tellign you this a lot late but oh well.
shareto be honest, i rather much enjoyed the book and it's in fact one of my favorites! i even went farther and read the sequel to the chosen which is called "the promise." not as good as the original - of course! lol but the movie does bring the book to life!
shareI loved the book. We read it sophomore year and it is one of my favorite books still.
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Yeah, I had to read The Chosen for summer reading too! I was kinda mad at first cause the normal freshman classes got to pick from like five books and because I'm in honors, we had to read this and 1984, but I really ended up enjoying the book. It was difficult to understand because I really didn't know about all of the Jewish problems/words, but it is very deep~ I'm going to rent the movie now!
sharei first saw the movie in 6th grade in class. it sparked my interest and on my on decided to read the book. (good thing i did cause in hs i was required to read "the promise" for summer reading) I think the book and the movie are very similar. in fact today in class (junior year of college, in rls 101) we actually are watching it. its a good way to expose people who otherwise would never have the experiance of seeing or meeting with people from such a communtiy.
to this day its one of my favorite books and movie... the promise however, unless you are required to read it, can be skipped
I haven't seen the movie, but I found the book to be very interesting. I thought Chaim Potok (sp.?) did a very good job at communicating the feelings and events the main character was going through. I have forgotten most of it, though. I read it in 5th grade.
shareSo, the movie is as good as the book? I recently read the book and was wondering if I should watch the movie or not. I wasn't required to read it, just found it for a a quarter in a used book bin at a store.
*I love that the movies I like get horrible reviews. It makes them come out on DVD earlier.*
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I've read both The Chosen and The Promise, and both are very good books (I prefer the first one, though). The movie isn't quite as good as the book, but it doesn't completely ruin everything like some movies based off books.
It was actually very interesting... I imagined Danny looking something like Robby Benson (I'd never heard of him before seeing the movie, though) and was really pleased that they had casted him because it sort of brought the book to life.
If that makes sense...
I just read the first chapter of the book yesterday and... it's pretty awful. That's why I'm here, because I couldn't believe they had made it into a movie. If the chapter I read had been written by a high school student, and I was his teacher, I'd probably suggest that he study science or math.
SOrry to nitpick, but the entire first chapter is supposed to depict a softball/baseball game, and you can't help but wonder if Potok has ever actually seen a game softball played. At one point the narrator/protagonist is trying to explain how the opposing team plays wretched defense. He hits a ground ball to the left side with runners on second and third with one out, and he gleefully rebukes the fielder for trying to throw him out at first... instead of throwing the ball to second base?!?!?!
I read that sentence like five times. I have no idea what he was trying to communicate. Again, sorry to nitpick. That was just one example of one relatively small problem with the chapter. It's so schmaltzy and melodramatic, and repetitive, and ham-handedly foreshadowed. There were numerous passages that were "so bad they were good."
Maybe if I had read it as a boy I'd feel differently. I wouldn't recommend it for adults.
I love the book "The Chosen". Chaim Potok is a unique author and certainly not everyone's cup of tea. His prose is sparse, but it contains great feeling. I have read all of his books--he's one of my favorite authors. I would encourage everyone to at least give "The Chosen" a try. As for the movie, it's okay, but not as good as the book.
shareThe book is better. However, the movie is underrated. Extraordinary story! Jews and baseball - what else do you need?! Anyone who can read above the 4th grade level should check out Chaim Potok.
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