---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I see films made from books, I make…"
description: "\"When I see films made from books, I make a huge effort not to remember the book. It's important to see the film as a film.\" — Kazuo Ishiguro"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make_1716176.jpg"
---

#  When I see films made from books, I make a huge effort not…

![“When I see films made from books, I make a huge effort not to remember the book. It's important to see the film as a film.” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make_1716176.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make_1716176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make_1716176.jpg)

> “When I see films made from books, I make a huge effort not to remember the book. It's important to see the film as a film.”

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He advises viewers to treat adaptations as independent works, setting aside the source material to experience the film on its own terms.

**In simple terms:** Watch film as its own art.

Key Takeaway

Separate film from its book source.

Themes

adaptation perception film literature interpretation

Mood

critical open-minded

Type

analytical contemplative

When to use this quote

- movie nights
- film studies classes
- director discussions

Key Concepts

cognitive bias creative freedom visual storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- How does ignoring the book affect your appreciation?
- Can a film stand alone without its source?

A Different Perspective

Risk of missing literary nuances.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-film/) [Films Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films-books-1157503/) [Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-film/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-book-962733/)

## Related quotes

> [I look at him, look at the book, remember, this book, this moment, the first book I ever loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-look-at-him-look-at-the-book-remember-this-book-this-moment-the/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“I remember the book I was reading. Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector. I remember because there were so many things in Hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/i-remember-the-book-i-was-reading-hour-of-the-star-by-clarice/)

[Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/)

> [I honestly don't remember the book well enough to register any surprise about anything. I don't remember anything being shocking to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/i-honestly-don-t-remember-the-book-well-enough-to-register-any/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [“Remember that the book which bores you when you are twenty or thirty will open doors for you when you are forty or fifty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/remember-that-the-book-which-bores-you-when-you-are-twenty-or-thirty/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [Remember, a book is always a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-hay/remember-a-book-is-always-a-gift/)

[Sheridan Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-hay/)

> [“At that moment her eyes rested on a certain leather-bound volume that had broken its sides, and she reached for it. “Have your thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pansy/at-that-moment-her-eyes-rested-on-a-certain-leather-bound-volume-that/)

[Pansy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pansy/)

> [Keep reading books, but remember that a book’s only a book, and you should learn to think for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/keep-reading-books-but-remember-that-a-book-s-only-a-book-and-you/)

[Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/)

> [I can't remember the last book that taught me so much, and so well, about what it means to be human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/i-can-t-remember-the-last-book-that-taught-me-so-much-and-so-well/)

[James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/)

> [Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/let-us-remember-one-book-one-pen-one-child-and-one-teacher-can-change/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [When a book comes from the publisher and you see it for the first time... Of course it's not remotely like seeing a baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/when-a-book-comes-from-the-publisher-and-you-see-it-for-the-first/)

[Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [When confronted with a birthday in a week I will remember that a book can be a really good present, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/when-confronted-with-a-birthday-in-a-week-i-will-remember-that-a-book/)

[Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/)

> [The books of our childhood offer a vivid door to our own pasts, and not necessarily for the stories we read there, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-buzbee/the-books-of-our-childhood-offer-a-vivid-door-to-our-own-pasts-and/)

[Lewis Buzbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-buzbee/)

> [Remember that the book which bores you when you are twenty or thirty will open doors for you when you are forty or fifty-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/remember-that-the-book-which-bores-you-when-you-are-twenty-or-thirty-2/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I recently found out that the print of my first film 'Utrada Rathri,' released in 1978, is damaged beyond repair. So the only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balachandra-menon/i-recently-found-out-that-the-print-of-my-first-film-utrada-rathri/)

[Balachandra Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balachandra-menon/)

> [I was very influenced by films and books like 'Serpico,' 'The French Connection,' and 'Prince of the City.' They were some of the reasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/i-was-very-influenced-by-films-and-books-like-serpico-the-french/)

[Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/)

## More by Kazuo Ishiguro

> [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

[Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I see films made from books, I make a huge effort not to remember the book. It's important to see the film as a film.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kazuo Ishiguro"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make-a-huge-effort-not-to-remember/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make-a-huge-effort-not-to-remember/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make_1716176.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make_1716176.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make_1716176.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I see films made from books, I make a huge effort not to remember the book. It's important to see the…” — Kazuo Ishiguro",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kazuo Ishiguro",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I see films made from...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make-a-huge-effort-not-to-remember/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-i-see-films-made-from-books-i-make-a-huge-effort-not-to-remember/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
