General Intro (No spoilers)
Inkheart, the first book in Cornelia Funke's Inkworld trilogy, is one of those books I had heard alot about. A few of my friends kept recommending that I try the series and from what I heard I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to try it - finding another good world to immerse myself in after the HP series ended sounded like a good plan. So I found the book in the library and began to read.
I rarely leave a book unfinished, even if I don't like it very much I usually give it a chance and stick to it, especially if I've already read a significant portion of it. With Inkheart, however, I found I just couldn't read it through to the end. It wasn't a bad story overall, and the world seemed well thought-out. I think the main issue for me was that plot meandered and kept twisting and turning with no apparent end. I mean, there's a specific location that the characters go to and leave and then go back to and then leave again and so on about four times. It gets tedious after a while and you start wishing it would just end, one way or another.
The characters were interesting too, which is why I made it past the halfway mark. (It's a thick book!) So I returned it to the library, a little annoyed, and wondering if, had I been able to read it in the original German, I might have been better able to stick with it. After all, translating a book is no easy feat and alot of the original poignancy of the text will inevitably be lost in the process.
Over a year later I found the DVD of the Inkheart film in the library. I decided to give it a try, because as I said, the original wasn't that bad and it had some good world-building elements and some interesting characters. I am very glad that I gave the movie a chance. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a movie adaptation more than a book before now, but the Inkheart movie definitely worked for me in a way that the book hadn't.
I ended up watching the movie a couple of times. The main bonus of the movie was that the plot was much tighter than in the book. I am assuming that they took alot out, but again it's been a while since my failed attempt at getting through the book. Also, in the movie it's easy to get the character from point A to point B and back in a short time whereas in the book the author would necessarily be forced to add a whole bunch of description and detail that might make it seem slow. Whatever the reason, the movie's pace was excellent and didn't drag at all.
As for the characters, I found most of them interesting, especially Dustfinger. I won't say much about the characters in the no-spoiler section, but I will say that the one scene I actually remember from the book was a scene with Dustfinger. That one scene was a great one for both characterization and world-building. I can still remember it quite clearly and although they didn't keep it exactly the same in the movie they did a good enough job of characterizing Dustfinger through other scenes and through awesome acting.
I will conclude by saying that the main idea behind the story, the concept of Silvertounges was really cool. It open up a world of possibilities and opens the door for some great world-building. The characters, as I said, are well done in both the movie and the book. While the book's plot meandered a little too much for my taste I found the movie satisfyingly paced. I would definitely recommend watching the movie. Perhaps one day if I have extra time on my hands and there's less chance of me giving up on it again I might give the book a second try and see if I make it through. (I did manage the Silmarillion, after all, but I was sick at the time and had nothing else to keep me entertained!)
I am interested in other people's opinions on Inkheart. Did anyone else find the book long and the plot a little drawn out or was it just me? I'm especially interested in hearing what anyone who speaks German thinks of the original book... how did you find the original compares with the English version?
And now I shall make some more detailed comments that include SPOILERS. Do not go beyond this point if you have not yet read the book or watched the movie! You have been warned!
A couple of detailed comments (SPOILER ALERT!)
Going back to my favorite character, Dustfinger, I want to talk about the scene I remember from the book and then a cool Dustfinger scene in the movie. First of all, the character of Dustfinger is interesting because he's conflicted. He's not a bad person, deep down, we get hints of that from the start, but he does have his own motivations and they don't exactly fit with the motivations or interests of the other characters. As a result he keeps changing his mind in an irritating and almost comical fashion. Sometimes he seems brave and moved to help others, sometimes he's a bit of a selfish coward. Particularly telling was the scene in the movie where he sees Resa trapped behind bars in some type of cellar but doesn't alert her husband and daughter - who are right next to him - of her presence. He does this because he has just found out that there may still be a chance of getting himself home, but he doesn't think Mortimer will help him get home if he knows his wife is safe. There's another scene where he leaves everyone and walks out of the village and then, on a bridge in the middle of nowhere, his conscience gets the better of him and he turns back yet again.
My favorite scene from the book, the one that I can still picture now, is the scene when he puts on a fire display in the Flocharts' backyard. He's a fire-eater from a medieval world and I found this scene almost took me to that world. It was a very poignant scene. Excellent world and character building.
In the movie there was a similar scene where he's in a marketplace and he sees modern busker-type fire-eaters. They remind him of home and we see a flashback of him back home, putting on his show. Then he joins them and we see him putting on his own show, that's when we see his coolest trick, the Dragon's breath, where he rubs his hands together and blows into them and fire comes out. The thing I liked most about this scene was the split second before he blows into his hands. For that minute space of time a look of extreme vulnerability flashes across his face. Talk about subtle acting, that hint of vulnerability was amazing for his characterization, and for humanizing him so that we understand him and understand his longing to get back to his world - even when he's being a selfish idiot.
I also really liked the stuttering silvertongue. The aunt I was entirely convinced by. She seemed a bit - I'm not sure exactly how to say this, but maybe forced is the best way to put it. I had trouble believing in the character as she was portrayed in the movie, I guess.
Capricorn (the villain) was delightful. I wouldn't have expected any less from the man who pulled off Gollum. He was the perfect slightly insane bad-guy. The duct tape line makes me smile every time.
Mo and Meggie were solid characters with believable motivations. The actor for Mo did a really good job with the whole Silvertongue thing - his reading voice is amazing and the scene where he is forced to read for Capricorn was amazingly done. Through a combination of his reading and the camera work it was a very believable scene - an awesome bit of movie world-building.
Speaking of that scene, that's the point when he brings Farid into the tale. I'm not 100% sure what to think of Farid. First of all, he shouldn't be able to speak English (or Italian, I guess since they're supposed to be in Italy in the book). Maybe the book explains this, but I really don't understand why he can communicate with them right from the start. And since he can why does he have to have such a thick accent? The audience doesn't need to be reminded of his origin, it was already clear enough from the reading scene where he came from and how he ended up there. The clothes were a little silly. Aladdin-style, you know, and no one who actually lived in the desert would be wearing such a skimpy outfit that exposes their whole body to the burning sun. Overall, though, his character wasn't too bad. I think credit has to be given to Funke for not writing a stereotypical character - I have rarely seen such a normal and positive portrayal of a Middle-Eastern character. The movie did mainly use him for comic relief, but compared to other portrayals his wasn't too bad.
Parts of the ending were a little too weird a little too fast. A great way to get rid of the villian and the shadow in one blow and a great scene for Meggie, who finds her strength at just the right time. The aunt seemed annoying and extraneous in this scene... I'd almost have rather she didn't show up here. Again, it may be the acting, or just that I didn't like the character. I thought Dustfinger was, again, awesome, and I loved what Farid did for him at the end. The ending where they decide to let Farid stay with them had me wondering what crazy things would happen in the sequel and I adored the sequence with Dustfinger finally getting home.
I think the whole reunion with the mother could have been a bit more well-done. The actress for the mother was great, but I felt she was underused and the ending was a little too full of hugs and stuff... there's got to be some awkwardness after so many years apart... or maybe that too will be revealed in the sequel when they're over the initial feelings of relief and trying to live with each other again?
I will definitely be looking out for the movie sequel when it comes out.
What are your thoughts? Favorite scenes? Scenes you found annoying? Please leave a comment and let me know!
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