(I just couldn't edit this picture - the socks add so much interest)
I just read “The Swiss Family Robinson” for the first time (and when I say “read” I mean “listened to” because I do most of my recreational reading by listening to audio books during my commute). Not to offend anyone who has read this book* and loved it, but I like the movie version much better than the book*.
Typically, when I watch a movie and read the book it was based on (or visa versa), I like the book better. There's always more fascinating details and anecdotes in the book. This book* is the exception for me.
Here are a few comparisons of the more notable differences...
- The family has many conveniences including a mill, a yacht, lots of animals, farms, several dwellings, tons of food, etc.
- They are on the island for ten years.
- There are no pirates.
- There is no tiger in a pit.
- They shoot and kill about every type of animal that they encounter on the island.
- The girl's disguise doesn't fool anyone, but they pretend to be fooled for a short time. And her name is Jenny.
- There are four sons.
- The family doesn't have near as much stuff. They do have an awesome tree house that makes you think they must be related to Macgyver, several animals, a raft, etc.
- They are on the island for maybe a couple years.
- They fight pirates.
- They catch a tiger in a pit which becomes a booby-trap for the pirates (Go to 3:53 in this video).
- The girl's disguise fools them and they are very surprised to learn the truth. And her name is Roberta.
- There are three sons.
* When I was putting this post together, I noticed that there are actually several versions of this book. I only read/listened to one of them, so I can't actually speak for the others, but I believe they are more like each other than like the movie. The version I read/listened to is the one I linked to above.
3 comments:
I also just read it for the first time for my bookclub. We were all disappointed. No pirates, no race on the beach. The characters were flat and all a little too idealistic. They spent most of the time living in their cave not their treehouse. A friend had a version where there was a tiger and they get attacked by savages twice. It sounded better. I read the Disney version story as a kid. I was disappointed. I'll go back to the movie as well.
There was actually a race in the book as part of the "Grand Display of Athletic Sports" competition between the boys, but that was before Jenny showed up (unlike the movie when Roberta was in the race).
I have loved the movie since I was a young boy. Thanks for saving me from reading something that doesn't include coconut bombs and booby traps.
Post a Comment