| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/26/2009 12:17:44 AM | Children of Men, not that I found the book all that great but the movie just sucked.
I Am Legend, yeah the book was rather hokey but the ending in the book made a lot more sense than the rotten ending in the movie with Will Smith. That movie started out so good then blah. The other two movies were a j0ke.
I think my favorite book and movie that both worked very well has to be To Kill A Mockingbird.
I like to read the book first, then I know what's going on in the movie as movies often lack any sense of order, but then I'm pissy about it not following the book. Sometimes you know why it was changed but mostly, you think, WTF???, and haven't a clue what they were thinking.
Talking about Stephen King, his books are almost always better than his movies, but The Shining and the first movie were great, then King didn't like the movie and did his own, which sucked big time. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/26/2009 12:51:30 AM | Well it's obvious that the vast majority prefer the novel over its film adaptation, but I don't think many feel that way for the right reasons.
Case in point: The Lord of the Rings movies. All three of them hit the three hour mark. Then they released the "extended" additions, and each broke FOUR hours. And yet they still removed characters, changed events, moved storypoints around and otherwise edited the content. $200,000,000 and many people still complained that the movies were an insult to J.R.R. Tolkien, although most worshipped Peter Jackson as their new god. Not having read the books, and really not having the time, I can't comment personally on this matter.
Movies and books are immensely different mediums. It would be impossible to turn a book you read over the course of a couple days into a single two hour show. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/26/2009 4:23:21 AM | Because the morons that run Hollywood studios care less about art and literature than they do about what the distributors and test audience think. The only thing they are concerned about is the cash they will make on that big opening weekend and the people they target demand colour and movement and endless car-chases, heaven-forbid they might be required to think and immerse themselves in a story.
I once did a project with an editor who told me he'd worked in New Zealand on a video Peter Jackson used to pitch 'The Lord of the Rings' to the studios. There was an executive in the edit suite with him and, in all seriousness, he suggested they cut the members of the Fellowship of the Ring from 9 down to 3 and turn the whole thing into a 'buddy movie'. That was the limit of this bloke's creative vision, a 'buddy movie'. Jackson had to fight for his vision, fight for it to be made in New Zealand and fight for it to remain as faithful as possible to the book.
The result was a 3-movie cinematic triumph and the Academy Award for the third of the trilogy, not to mention the massive financial success for the studio.
Jackson's passion was the difference between the mediocre the studio wanted and a celluloid masterpiece. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 3:43:57 AM |
FRIG!!!!!!!!! I had had a COMPLETELY different character in my head, and she pretty much RUINED the book until he got killed. lol
Perhaps you read a different "Jurassic Park" novel than I did, but in the Michael Chichton book, he didn't die. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 4:17:45 AM | Films are mostly eye-candy for the impatient and illiterate... Short term memory geeks...
Not to say that I don't relish a well scripted film... Yet nothing beats a good book...
Why rely on film makers to plant visions in your head?... When your own imagination rocks?... | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 10:12:56 AM | Big disappointment: Out of Africa. The book - wonderful. The movie - a second-rate romance whose only relation to the book is that it takes place in Kenya.
Another: House of the Spirits. The novel - fabulous. The movie - anh! Not that impressive.
The Handmaid's Tale: couldn't hardly put the book down. Terrible movie.
One film that *did* do justice to the story: Babette's Feast. Both of them exceptional. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 10:34:37 AM |
Frank Herbert's "Dune" series was an awesome written work. The TV, well, I stuck to the books
I actually enjoyed the television version, but that David Lynch piece of shyte from 1985 (or so) was deplorably bad! "And how can this be?...for he IS the Kwisatz Haderach!" Oh, please!!! | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 11:24:19 AM | If there is a book and a film, I usually watch the movie first because I know that the book will be much more indepth and 9x out of 10 I find the book to be much more enjoyable.
The biggest complaint I have though is "My Sister's Keeper"...OMG!!! Really, Hollywood? Really??? They f-ked that up big time. I read the book first (oops!) and was looking forward to seeing it play out on the big screen...*sigh* I am not going to say anything about either version because I don't want to ruin it if you haven't seen or read it. Do the book in my opinion. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 4:56:07 PM | The novel JAWS was much better than the film.]
In the novel:
1. Hooper has a romantic fling with ELLEN BRODY.
2. The ORCA (Quint's Boat) made more than 1 trip to catch the shark.
3. The shark was over 20 feet (close to MAGALADON size).
4. The shark kills HOOPER.
5. The shark dies from blood loss.
6. The shark kills QUINT when his leg gets caught in the harpoon rope and he
is dragged under water.
7. More than just a hand is found ( head and torso )from the female victim at the
beginning. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 7:08:01 PM | Oh, dear goddess, don't EVEN get me going on this.
While I admit I am often more familiar with ancient writing that modern American novels, ] my derriere is still totally frosted over what Hollywood did to Beowulf and the THING that tries to pass for The Iliad aka Troy.
Sorry, I am too distraught to talk. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 8:04:46 PM | | There were definitely correlations between the book and the film, but "Love In The Time Of Cholera" was a wonderful book, whereas it fell flat as a pancake on the screen. What a downer of an experience that was. I had a hunch it was going to suck going into it, and it didn't let me down. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 9:04:00 PM | Demi Moore's version of The Scarlett Letter, the DaVinci Code (I knew I wouldn't like it as soon as I heard Tom Hanks was cast; Colm Feore would have been perfect), Queen of the Damned, Eragon, The Count of Monte Cristo with Guy Pearce, White Oleander, The Cat in the Hat, Ella Enchanted....
So many bad movie adaptations, so little time.... | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 9:26:14 PM | I was motivated to search for Worst Movie Adaptations. I came up with this list - Please note that Fever Pitch is the American version. The British one is great:
1. The Golden Compass
2. The Da Vinci Code
3. Fever Pitch
4. Memoirs Of A Geisha
5. A Sound Of Thunder
6. Troy
7. Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason
8. Vanity Fair
9. The Human Stain
10. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
11. The Rules Of Attraction
12. Planet Of The Apes
13. Prozac Nation
14. The Musketeer
15. Eyes Wide Shut
16. Bicentennial Man
17. Simon Birch
18. Sphere
19. The Scarlet Letter
20. The Bonfire Of The Vanities
21. The Running Man
22. The Cotton Club
I haven't seen many of the movies nor read the books they were based on. Unfortunately DaVinci Code is one of the books I've read - there's no way a movie could ever be as bad as the book. I don't care if Paulie Shore played the idiot and Fran Dresher played the slut; it would still have to be better than the book.
I agree that Golden Compass is the most disappointing. Until I can think of another one - I haven't seen Choke, but it's supposed to be really bad and it is one of my favourite books. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/30/2009 11:00:17 PM | Memoirs Of A Geisha What a wonderful book! And what a disappointing movie. I don't know if I would have liked the movie if I hadn't read the book first, but I was stunned at how much was left out and how awful the changes were!
I didn't mind Tom Hanks being in The Da Vinci Code I just hated the love scenes in both the book and the movie, good gawd, forget the boring old man/younger woman crap and get on with the story! But that's a personal pet peeve of mine, I hate romances that drag on when the real story has nothing to do with the coupling.
Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason I absolutely love Bridget Jones's Diary so I really looked forward to the [i[The Edge of Reason, what a dud that movie was! The book is cute and fun, the movie sucked dirty socks.
The Bonfire Of The Vanities I actually really liked that movie, haven't read the book. I think I'll see if I can find that book. Thanks | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/31/2009 2:32:47 AM | ^^^^^^^I only read afew chapters of Memoirs of a Geisha and started finding the book a bit slow. So I did the unthinkable and hired the movie because I wanted to know how the story ended. I loved the film and the book (still not finished) and actually it has motivated me to continue reading the novel.
I also agree with your earlier comments re To Kill a Mockingbird. A rare thing for the book and film to both be amazing.
It is true that sadly alot of Stephen King stories become a disaster once they reach the screen, however the following have all been exceptions, in my opinion.................The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and Misery. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 10/31/2009 8:04:46 AM | In most cases the books are better and often very different from the movie because it's often hard to turn a 500 page book into a less than 2 hour movie. One of the best attempts was Stephen king's "The Stand". A 4 part mini-series was made from the book,and it was nearly exact.
One of the best attempts at a Dean Koontz book was the movie "Whispers". It was almost exactly as the book was written. "Intensity" was great too,but the the attempts at "Watchers" truly sucked. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 11/1/2009 10:45:39 PM | Girl Interrupted: The movie version was radically different from the novel, which was auto-biographical. I guess it made for better movie-material to have the life-or-death situations and homicidal mental patients, which weren't in the book, and to leave out much of the soul-searching that was.
I actually liked the "Bridget Jones, Beyond Reason" movie version better than the book. In the book, Bridget's love interest is seduced by Rebecca before he and Bridget find each other again. (I'm sorry, but the leading man having sex with another woman ruins the "love story" for me.) In the movie, Rebecca is his room mate and not his lover, being a lesbian and having a crush on Bridget. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 11/1/2009 11:45:12 PM | I agree as well. I love Nick Hornby's books because they're usually very witty and humorous but the movie didn't do justice to it.
I think though you have to be a bit lenient with some movie adaptations due to time contraints, length etc. Like movies that are based on book series are bound to leave out many details. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 11/2/2009 5:46:17 AM | Halftimedad...
5. A Sound Of Thunder
Right - I completely forgot about that one. (Traumatic amnesia...?  )
Considering how short the original story was... it might have made a better 'Outer Limits' episode than a full-blown movie. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 11/2/2009 9:51:26 AM | A SOUND OF THUNDER definitely would have been better as a TWILIGHT ZONE or OUTER LIMITS episode.
It is very hard to make a film out of a short story. BUTTON BUTTON was portrayed as a TWILIGHT ZONE episode and it was very close, except for the ending.
Just by seeing the trailer for THE BOX, I can tell the story was destroyed. It still might be a great movie though.
In my opinion, short stories can never translate well into films. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 11/2/2009 11:13:38 AM | In my opinion, short stories can never translate well into films.
I have to disagree there. Shawshank Redemption and The Snows of Kilaminjaro come to mind immediately. Many of Somerset Maugham's short stories have been turned into great movies. I know there must be others, but those just are the first to pop into my mind.
I think it's a lot easier to make a great film from a short story than a novel.
Edit: Field of Dreams; All About Eve; Meet John Doe; Psycho; Brokeback Mountain. | |
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| SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE SNOWS OF KILAMINJARO
Posted: 11/2/2009 12:19:05 PM | The Shawshank Redemption followed the literary work very closely, but it is not a short story. It is a novella.
In THE SNOWS OF KILAMINJARO, Harry does not die in the film, but dies in the short story. | |
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| Novels that are dramatically different from the films
Posted: 11/2/2009 8:44:55 PM | Halftimedad-your list didnt mention which versions of the movie you were using for example. The Musketeer, The Scarlet Letter, Planet of the apes, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas all have multiple versions. Much like The Fly, Frankenstein, or the perrenial favorite The Journey to the Center of the Earth.
One other I thought of, though it was based on a poem-not a book. Mulan. Then again Disney's recent cartoon adaptations of books have been horrid (The Hunchback of Notre Dame anyone?).
I think the big difference in quality/similarities from book to movie depend on when the movie makers truly appreciate the book and work to make it like it was intended, and when the book is cranked out into a movie just to make money. | |
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