Post by Teahouse Keeper on Mar 1, 2006 1:41:25 GMT -5
Have finished Howl's Moving Castle finally, after reading all the comments about the movie and the book 
Was wondering if the book was better & found that.....*thinks*
I think the movie is better in terms of plot & grab factor. I realised that what Miyazaki did was to take the best elements of the book, merge them together in his own unique vision & viola....something that is pretty much his own.
Biggest difference in the book is the war which is only in the movie. And it serves as a focus point for the love of Howl and Sophie.
Becoz of the war, Howl now has a reason to protect the person he loves and stops running away. And their love is what Miyazaki focuses on right from the start unlike in the book where it's not clear whether the couple are in love. Throughout the book, they argue a lot and that's about it until the last chapter when things are resolved & they smile at each other, suddenly becoming aware that they love each other.
Instead of a war, the book has the war between Howl and the Witch of the Waste which ultimately climaxes in a.....roughing out.....with her fire demon that appears in the form of a lovely schoolteacher by the name of Miss Angorian.
The King also has a brother (Prince Justin), Wizard Suliman is a man (rather than woman as in the movie), Howl's sensei is Mrs Pentstemmon (rather than Suliman in the movie) and there's a dog called Percival that is really Wizard Suliman. As for the scarecrow, it wasn't really welcomed by Sophie coz it terrified the hell out of her and was really the prince or parts of him....
And Calcifer is not a kawaii red little flame like in the movie...he's described as having a long, thin blue face, purple mouth with savage teeth, orange eyes wth purple pupils....
Mm...the scene where Calcifer is set free is better in the movie, where he is set free while Howl's heart is being put back. In the book, he is set free first by being nipped off by Sophie and then the heart is put back.
Of course, the book explained a few things more clearly, like how they acquired the hat shop again so that Howl was able to move the castle into it.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the movie would be the wonderful subtle changes in Sophie's appearance and movements as she turns from young to old and young again. It's not like this in the book coz the spell is simply gone at the last chapter and she is herself again. Miyazaki made it truly remarkable and more than magical. It's really magnificient vision on his part and terrific idea.
Surprisingly, Howl is quite a naughty lecher in the book....brilliant older man compared to his movie version (who is more like a boy). He is the one who accosts Sophie instead of rescuing her from a couple of soldiers in the movie. And whether he was investigating something or not, he did check Miss Angorian out in a manly sort of way....hehehehe.....
In the book, he's about 27 (ten thousand days old), compared to the movie where he looks about early 20s or even younger. But the movie has captured the gist of him rather well. He is less harsh in the movie, less insulting and perhaps less of a strong character compared to the book.
Castle in the Air is the book sequel, which I haven't read. But from the pages I've flipped and read a bit, there's not much Howl or Sophie in there except for the other characters that are new and make up the story. So....I hope it's good but not having high expectations for it.
Was wondering if the book was better & found that.....*thinks*I think the movie is better in terms of plot & grab factor. I realised that what Miyazaki did was to take the best elements of the book, merge them together in his own unique vision & viola....something that is pretty much his own.
Biggest difference in the book is the war which is only in the movie. And it serves as a focus point for the love of Howl and Sophie.
Becoz of the war, Howl now has a reason to protect the person he loves and stops running away. And their love is what Miyazaki focuses on right from the start unlike in the book where it's not clear whether the couple are in love. Throughout the book, they argue a lot and that's about it until the last chapter when things are resolved & they smile at each other, suddenly becoming aware that they love each other.
Instead of a war, the book has the war between Howl and the Witch of the Waste which ultimately climaxes in a.....roughing out.....with her fire demon that appears in the form of a lovely schoolteacher by the name of Miss Angorian.
The King also has a brother (Prince Justin), Wizard Suliman is a man (rather than woman as in the movie), Howl's sensei is Mrs Pentstemmon (rather than Suliman in the movie) and there's a dog called Percival that is really Wizard Suliman. As for the scarecrow, it wasn't really welcomed by Sophie coz it terrified the hell out of her and was really the prince or parts of him....
And Calcifer is not a kawaii red little flame like in the movie...he's described as having a long, thin blue face, purple mouth with savage teeth, orange eyes wth purple pupils....
Mm...the scene where Calcifer is set free is better in the movie, where he is set free while Howl's heart is being put back. In the book, he is set free first by being nipped off by Sophie and then the heart is put back.
Of course, the book explained a few things more clearly, like how they acquired the hat shop again so that Howl was able to move the castle into it.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the movie would be the wonderful subtle changes in Sophie's appearance and movements as she turns from young to old and young again. It's not like this in the book coz the spell is simply gone at the last chapter and she is herself again. Miyazaki made it truly remarkable and more than magical. It's really magnificient vision on his part and terrific idea.
Surprisingly, Howl is quite a naughty lecher in the book....brilliant older man compared to his movie version (who is more like a boy). He is the one who accosts Sophie instead of rescuing her from a couple of soldiers in the movie. And whether he was investigating something or not, he did check Miss Angorian out in a manly sort of way....hehehehe.....
In the book, he's about 27 (ten thousand days old), compared to the movie where he looks about early 20s or even younger. But the movie has captured the gist of him rather well. He is less harsh in the movie, less insulting and perhaps less of a strong character compared to the book.
Castle in the Air is the book sequel, which I haven't read. But from the pages I've flipped and read a bit, there's not much Howl or Sophie in there except for the other characters that are new and make up the story. So....I hope it's good but not having high expectations for it.