For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a reader. Books have always opened up new worlds for me. One of my favorite books, as a child, was “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.” I’ll never forget how amazed and taken aback I felt, at nine years old, when I first saw the movie, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (the Gene Wilder version). The producers captured exactly the world I had imagined when I read the book.

Recently, I have not been as happy with the movies made of the books I have loved. I read “The Hunger Games” last summer, along with my step-son, and was surprised by how much I loved the books. I recently have watched the movie version of the first book and found myself disappointed.

My frustration was not with the production of the movie but rather, with facts that differed between the book and the movie. Without giving anything important away, in the first book Katniss, the main character, receives a pin that becomes symbolic in the second and third books. In the book the manner in which Katniss is given the pin is, to me, extremely poignant and meaningful. In a clear effort to save time and money, the movie alters this scene significantly, key characters and their plot lines are omitted from the story, and the manner in which Katniss receives the pin is meaningless. 

I understand that, when movies are made, factors such as funding and time limitations must be considered when telling the story. But it’s been a long time since a movie version of a story moved me in the same manner as the literary version. How about you?