#{I FINALLY WATCHED BLINDNESS(_

I just watched Blindness after having read the book by José Saramago. I enjoyed the film I really did. The cinematography was amazing, I loved some of the shot choices and how everything related to the idea of not being able to see but also giving you as a spectator the feeling of what it is to see, how much you gain by it and how an advantage sight can be. It really made you aware of your ability to see. So overall me, personally, I thought the film was good. However, I've read some opinions from people on the message board of the film on Imdb.com and a lot of people who had not read the book first didn't like the movie and didn't understand why the main character decided not to act more strongly in some of the situations she and the others are put in. This is where the book really provides you with a lot of background. It seems that the makers of the film didn't really think a lot about how an audience who has not read the book would react to certain events in the story. The book explains a lot, gives insight on characters' intentions where the film does not. It might be the makers didn't really worry about some of the aspects and thought the information they provide would be enough and acceptable for spectators. But apparently, for most people it was not. So maybe I have had a major advantage of reading the book first, it could be. So my perception of the film is completely different as I'm able to fill up those little holes immediately myself 'cause I already happen to know the characters and am able to understand how they feel and what made them respond to certain events the way they did. Though, I think if I would not have read the book I would have still be able to udnerstand the characters' decisions, though I can't be sure 'cause I did indeed read the book first. But maybe that's what the movie wanted to do. Maybe the makers deliberately gave not too much info just so you as a spectator could go into the situation 'blind' like the characters do. Not giving away too much of the intentions of the characters. Perhaps they wanted to force the spectator to really experience the situation like the characters did and have them create their own opinions or to see if the spectators would be able to fully understand the circumstances themselves. When you havent'read the book first I guess you are really able to explore all of that yourself, figure things out on your own like the characters in the movie. You don't know what's going on or what is going to happen. I who had read the book, I did know what was going on as well as what was going to happen so I guess I saw things differently. I feel the movie and the book work very well together and perhaps people should take them as such. Sometimes people wonder if a book can get translated well onto the screen and most of the time they feel the movie still lacks something which I guess is because the two are very different things and are handled differently. I think you should just take them together and have both add their own things to the story. There are things the movie might do better, things the book does better. Just watch the movie, read the book, let both add their own things to the story. I loved the book and I enjoyed the movie which might be because I read the book first. But just read the book and watch the movie too, experience both.