By Kirsty Taylor
Janurary 2013
I have a great love for literature, and I also have a great love of films. Merging the two doesn't always work, and often leaves me feeling disappointed, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower has managed this successfully.
Since the inception of film, directors have been using beloved stories or novels to make films people will understand and recognise, especially as sound was introduced much later.
Many people never realise how often their favourite films or tv shows are actually based on a book. Awareness of this has increased most recently due to large franchises (such as Harry Potter, Twilight and Lord of the Rings) taking over the cinema world and encouraging people to use their imagination and get reading again. Not every director manages that transition between book and film with success.
I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower recently. The cover always struck my attention in the book shop and the story sounded intriguing. It’s quite short, so I thought I'd trust my gut feelings and give it a read.
From the first few pages I fell in love with Charlie, the most endearing, heart warming character I have come across. I absolutely love it when a writer tries something different with their writing. Stephen Chbosky has definitely achieved this. Each chapter is actually a letter Charlie has written to a mysterious recipient. He is telling us and the person he is sending the letters to about his life, his troubles and his journey through school making new friends and feeling 'infinite'.
The film, is also directed by Stephen and he has done so well. The cast is beyond brilliant, Logan Lehman (The Three Musketeers), Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Ezra Miller (We need to talk about Kevin) are absolutely inspiring and it’s completely true to the story. He managed the transition successfully carrying across all the emotions you receive from reading the book; laughter, tears, intrigue and many more.
I urge you to read the book first and then watch the film. You will fall in love with Charlie as much as I did, I can promise you that.
Book & DVD are available for purchase.
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
