Narnia, Mona Lisa Smile, and My Sister's Keeper

Narnia, what a fantastic series! I read these books a long time ago, and now want to reread them all. I think the first movie was made fantastically well, and I've see the second one, but only once in the theater, so I plan to rent it soon. I remember it being good, but that it wasn't completely with the books, which I've heard is true about the other Narnia movies. But the more I read and watch, and study film through my class, the more I learn that the original material for movies comes from books more often than not. So we get mad that a movie changes the material from a popular book, but forget about the little books that didn't make it, but then became something because a movie was made about it. I've learned that I can no longer judge a movie to its book. It will always be different. It is absolutely impossible to create a film completely based off a book unless they want a 8-12 hour long film. Now even though I would enjoy watching that long of a film, I'm thinking sales might go down in the theater. I credit the writers and directors who do their best to follow the books, and honor the authors for creating the original material, but I also know they have to do something to create shorter films while making sense of the material for the audience. It is only when a film follows everything to a T, but then changes the ending that I get a bit upset (My Sister's Keeper). But even with that, I've learned about creative privileges. Time and time again we recreate art. Sometimes the original is better, and sometimes the new is more well liked. Generations determines this, professionals, class, gender, etc. all determine which should be better. We get upset when the new version comes out, but fail to realize that we can never create something original in art again. I was told this once in a English course, that nothing will ever be original again, it has all been done before. Think about it, every story, movie, musical lyric, everything has technically already been created, we just rearrange the original to make something new. It is sad in a way, but then it also gives us that wonderful thing, creative privilege. In 'Mona Lisa Smile' Julia Robert's character pays notice to this pondering thought. "What is art, and who decides?" Her character challenges her students to see view to new ways in life and in art, but in the end are we to conform or be ourselves? So the film maker of, 'My Sister's Keeper', decided to change the ending from the book. I thought it was rude, and inconsiderate, but he took his right to creative privilege and created the ending we all expected in the end, the one we thought would happen in the book, the less shocking and complex for all viewers. Was he right? Was his ending better? Did he create a more realistic film compared to the romantic ending in the book? Look at a film separate from its book, it really can create a whole new meaning, a two sided view on the same topic, and an equally entertaining and enlightening experience.