Books vs Movies

I've seldom found a movie made from a book that surpassed the book. It's not that I don't like movies. I do.
But almost always, I find that I enjoy the book far more. I got to wondering the other day as to the reason for that.

The director and producers of the films made from books are free to interpret the story in any way they like. That sometimes means big changes from the original manuscript, which means people who view the movie leave the theater saying, "Well gee whiz, that wasn't like the  book at all. They changed the whole ending."

I think that is one reason I prefer the book. It allows me to interpret it for myself. It lets me use my own imagination when reading. I set the scene in my mind, and the movie scenes may be quite different. I also devise my own mental picture of each character, and maybe my heroine doesn't look like Meryl Streep.

Sometimes whole sections of a book are left out of the movie. Sacrilege! At least, it is to someone who writes words that are all deemed important and takes offense at them being sliced away. And I'm going to guess that isn't only me but just about all authors. Our words are precious to us but obviously not to the Hollywood crowd.

If I had to list books and movies in order of preference, books would definitely be number one. How many of you agree with me?