Movie vs. Book: Ella Enchanted
Once upon a time, I discovered a wonderful, wonderful book. Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted is immerses you in Ella’s world, giving you a best friend as well as an adventure.
Then Hollywood got their hands on it. And THEY RAPED IT.
Below is an off-the-cuff rant I wrote in 2004, before the movie was even released. I watched it a year or so ago when it ran on TV, and I maintain my position–they bastardized a mature, excellent story. They completely killed the ending, which I had imagined in my head a dozen times.
Anyway, here is some of that screaming.
They RAPED Ella Enchanted!!!!!!!!! BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go ahead- watch the trailer. This is NOTHING like the bloody book! They RAPED IT. RAPERAPERAPRAPERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE! *sobs uncontrollably*
This is murder and I shall not stand for it.
What’s the same:
- Ella herself
- Lucinda (although I don’t remember her being black)
- Ella’s Mum?
- Dame Olga & daughter
- Prince Char (I likes him vereh much)
- The book
What has been RAPED:
- The book TALKS now and has a personality (Eric Idle? Its only hope for survival now)
- Char has a FANCLUB. Since WHEN?
- Ella says “cool”
- She ‘meets an elf and an ogre’? That sounds like she’s going to hang out with them. NO.
- No centaur
- Everyone has a British accent but Ella
- They have ‘Medieval Teen’ magazine?It gets worse.
- Some duke-ish person wants to kill Char.
- Ella and co. have to save the kingdom during Char’s coronation.
- Ella now knows kung-fu.
This is HORRIFIC! It was all RIGHT THERE for them and now it’s been turned into a COMPLETELY different story! I mean, I didn’t particularly like the idea of Anne Hathaway playing Ella, but I could deal with that. *sniffle* I’m going to see it for sexy prince Char and then vomit in the corner for the rape of a fabulous book.
I am NEVER, EVER giving up the rights to any of my books.
[...] no, we are not going to talk about that travesty of a sham of a movie. Share/Bookmark Tagged with: Gail Carson [...]
Well, I just re-watched the movie a couple weeks ago. I couldn’t finished it. I felt robbed and hurt and confused. This was not MY Ella, this was not MY Char, this was not the story in the book that I loved.
I was furious.
But after reading this, and the comment above I decided to search to see what Gail Carlson Levine herself thought of the movie. It’s very very interesting.
I’d check out this link http://gailcarsonlevine.blogspot.com/2009/09/ella-enchanted-movie.html