MovieChat Forums > Watership Down (1978) Discussion > The Book

The Book

posted 5 years ago by harro (509)
6 replies | jump to latest

I've just seen the film for the first time in my life and it was fascinating. But the thing is I remember seeing the book in my primary school, it was a massive book and it took one of my friends (who was quite smart) about 2 months to read it (during school reading times). I vaguely remember that I was going to start reading it myself, but had to abandon it, because it was too close to the end of the year to finish such a massive book. So I never have read it, but just looked up on google that it was 476 pages long. I guess the main question I have of those who have actually read the book is, did they cut a lot out of the story to make the film only 91 minutes long ?

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Start reading the book and never let the number of pages discourage you.

[–] harro (509) 5 years ago

I do vaguely remember seeing some illustrations from the book including a sad picture of a rabbit that appeared to be caught in some barbed wire. Of course that was depicted in the movie in a slightly less gruesome manner. But your right, I will have to make the effort to read the book to satisfy my curiosity.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I have also been meaning to check out the book.

[–] rudeboymurray (3290) 5 years ago

I read the book when I was at school, which is a very long time ago. It’s huge and dense and not always an easy read, as I recall, but I certainly did enjoy it. The film, which I still like today (like so many of my generation I was both enthralled and traumatised by it as a child) trims our an awful lot of detail but is a fine adaptation in its own right.

This thread has made me keen to read the novel again after all these years.

[–] Esterhowse (468) 4 years ago

" But the thing is I remember seeing the book in my primary school, it was a massive book"

It is just over 400 pages. It isn't that fucking big...

It is an easy read and engrossing story. You will be 100 pages into it before you know it.

[–] TearofLys (2666) 4 months ago

Well, I hope you have read it by now. I read the book when I was a kid and enjoyed it a great deal. I've never seen the movie, so I can't contrast and compare.