Review of To the Lighthouse

This long film ( almost two hours) should not have been made at all. Knowing very well the style and characteristics of Virginia Woolf as a writer, I think that her novels are not suitable to be put onto screen. They hardly have a plot, they put much emphasis on language ( which cannot be shown on screen—it is not by chance that in the film characters speak their thoughts—this is a literary device and I would say—a sign of weakness) and on perceptions, thoughts, associations, philosophical analysis etc. All this is impossible to show through images. Literature and cinema are two different kinds of art. Literature works with words and language, cinema –with images. No wonder this film is a failure. It is trivial and boring although the actors do their best. I have mixed feelings about Virginia Woolf as a writer. I like some features of her works and I do not like others. Still, I must say that her books are good literature. But they do not make good films—it is as simple as that. Movie directors should understand this and leave them alone.