I was lucky enough to see an advance screening, along with a WORD alumnus, Sandhya. I hope I can put into words how terrific an experience it was!

You should know that I am a huge Persepolis fan. I've given the books to friends for birthdays and giddily got Satrapi’s autograph when she spoke at a local university last year. (Her French accent is so lovely!) I even own a copy of her picture book, Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon. (It's not as visceral or funny as the Persepolis books, but Satrapi's illustrations are just as pleasing.)

So I was worried about the big-screen version being a disappointment. I should have known better, though. As the co-director, Satrapi kept careful control; after all, Persepolis is her memoir, so naturally she'd want to make sure the film reflected her true self. In press notes handed out at the screening, she says that she received all kinds of pitches from Hollywood about adapting the book--including "a Beverly Hills, 90210–type TV show and a movie featuring Jennifer Lopez as my mother and Brad Pitt as my father." Yikes!

There was nothing I didn't like in the film that actually got made--well, OK, Sandhya and I agreed it ran a little long, but that's to be expected. After all, Persepolis follows Satrapi from age 9 to age 24, during which she lived through a political revolution, an eight-year-long war, and journeyed from Iran to Austria and back before finally emigrating to France. Also, like the book, the first portion spends a good deal of time explaining Iran's recent political history and how it affected Satrapi's family. (I thought the movie did a good job of making this information understandable; when I first picked up the book, it took me a few re-reads to get everything clear.)

From the opening title sequence, with its gently cascading flowers and stars, the film was a truly wonderful visual experience. It is animated but not cartoony because the animation was done the old-fashioned way, not using computer-generated images like, say, the upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks. Everything is in black-and-white, just like the books, except the present-day scenes. The graphics, which in the book are powerful for their simplicity, become even more dynamic when motion is added to them! (The war sequences and "Eye of the Tiger" scene in particular bring the story to life.)

One thing I didn't expect when I stepped into the screening room was just how much the addition of sound would bring to the narrative. When bombs crashed or punk bands blared, I felt the story in a way that I wasn't able to when I just held a two-dimensional image in my hands. And it was interesting to actually hear the characters speak. Granted, they spoke French, which I don't (thank goodness for subtitles). But since French is the language Satrapi's been fluent in ever since she studied at the Lycée Français in Tehran as a girl, it felt authentic to her experience. (An English-language version is apparently in the works, but I actually enjoyed seeing it in French.)

I was pleased that the movie didn't stray very far from the books. A few threads were condensed just for timing, I assume; for example, when a young Satrapi sees the aftermath of a bombing, she is horrified (and the audience along with her). But the film leaves out some backstory, so viewers don't realize that one of Satrapi's friends is among the victims. The cuts--like details about her ever-changing living arrangements in Vienna, or about her art-school project--didn't affect the story much at all, and I didn't really miss them.

Sandhya and I stayed through the closing credits and left the theater elated and inspired. I actually am hoping to see the movie again, it was so much fun, and well worth the price of a ticket. If you've never read the Persepolis books, you’ll want to after seeing this eye-opening and entertaining film. And if, like me, you're a Satrapi devotee, I think you will be very happy with the way her story comes across on the silver screen.

If you go to see Persepolis, check back in with WORD and let us know what you think. And have you read any of the other books that are being turned into movies? (The Golden Compass? I Am Legend? The Mist? The Water Horse?) How well do you think these stories survived the translation to film?

Editor's Note: Look for an excerpt of Persepolis in READ magazine this March!