Book to Film Club August 2011: The Three Musketeers (Book)

I'm spilling a little bit into early September with the Book to Film wrap up of our August book, but considering it was a long one I think all will appreciate those few extra days of our August selection for the Book to Film Club!

August 2011 Book: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
All for one, one for all! Classic adventure tale that has seen many, many adaptations (so much so that Wikipedia has a dedicated page just to film adaptations), but I'm sure this one will be the first one in 3D! It's actually our first book to film selection that will be in 3D but it's our second French translation (along with Bel Ami) and it's easily the largest and most dense of the year. I started it a bit early and it was still a challenge to get though, one of the hardest ones of the book selections, but I did really like the adventurous & spirit characters, which made it very mush worth it!

Things to ponder on the book:

• Did you enjoy reading it?
• Was it a challenge to get through?
  
• Was it what you were expecting?
• What did you know about the book before reading it?
• Did you enjoy the settings & time period?
• How was it reading a translation? Or did you brave reading it in the original French?
• Why do you think this book has stayed with us for over 100 years?
• What did you take away from reading the book?
• Who would you recommend the book to?

About the upcoming film adaptations:

• How do you feel about the casting of the film (see Wikipedia for descriptive cast & character list)?
• What do you hope to be the focus of the film?
• What do you think is essential to keep from the book in the film?
• What do you think they can trim away from the book to the film?
• What do you think the challenges of the adaptation may be?
• Do you have any hesitations on the adaptation?
• If you've seen other film adaptations, how do you think this one will be different?
  
• What are you most looking forward to about the film adaptation?

If this was a re-read:

• How did reading it this time compare with your previous time reading it?
• Did you notice anything different this time round?
• Did your interest and focus stay on the same characters and moments, or shift?

If you choose to shelf this out one:

• Was there a barrier (genre, focus, time period, density)?
• Would you consider trying it later?
• Have you already read it?
• Will you join us again in September for The Invention of Hugo Cabret (I hope you do - and it's less dense and has lots of pictures :)

Book reviews from Book to Film Clubbers:

• Shannon

Film Adaptation
The film will star Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief), Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson (King Arthur, Kill the Irishman), Luke Evans (Tamara Drewe, Immortals), Milla Jovovich (Fifth Element, Resident Evil), Juno Temple (Kaboom), Mads Mikkelsen (After the Wedding / Efter brylluppet, Valhalla Rising), Christoph Watlz (Water for Elephants) and Orlando Bloom, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Death Race (2008), AVP: Alien vs Predator).
The film adaptation of The Three Musketeers will be widely released on October 14, 2011 (see trailer here)

If you haven't yet joined the Book to Film Club, you can hop on the fun train at any time! Sign up for updates here. Our next book selection for September 2011 is The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.