So, yeah, everyone has their own opinion on this but seriously, is making books into films a good idea?
Does it discourage reading because someone can just see the film instead?

Which films are particularly good transfers and which ones were mutilated entirely?

Does it leave too much out?

Any books you think would make particularly good movies?

Are there some directors that make this transition smoother than others?

Harry pootter is a good example...
i didnt read the books though, just watched the movies
but heard that the books give much more than the movies

Lord of the Rings....struggled for years to read the book..but the films were majestic epics, visually stunning and so exciting.
Just finished wonderful dark fantasy, Blood Tears by Raven Dane, incredibly cinematic from start to finish. It would make an amazing film in the right hands but destroyed completely with the wrong director.Cant think of any books I've read where that has happened off hand..bet other people can think of many though!

The Dumas Club novel was turned into The Ninth Gate starring Depp and while not as good as the book the movie is excellent. The movie left whole sections / sub plots of the book out but this is probably nesercary when turning some books into movies.

The Bourne Idenity series of books and movies probably make better movies than they do books.

Matthew Reilly's books should make good movies - Scarecrow, Ice Station, Area 7, etc... I'll bet they're probably already nearly in production somewhere though. Not his 7 Deadly Wonders novel though that's rubbish, he's gone off the boil.

Michael Crichton's work - Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure, Timeline, etc. A great writer, always great books and good movies too. There's still some of his novels to be turned into movies.

There's plenty of room in the world to turn books into movies but I'm tempted to say they shouldn't have done it with Harry Potter as those books were an incentive to get children reading. They know they can just wait for the movie now. What are the book sales like compared with the cinema ticket sales and the DVDs? Some people would see it at the cinema and buy the DVD so you'll have to take that into account when trying to work out the figures.

I agree with you re Michael Crichton and I had the same reservations over Harry Potter, though I think the explosion in children's reading is still a great and positive thing. My son wont watch the films as being too scarey but loves the books. Interview with the Vampire worked better as a film, because the director cut right back on the stodgy plotlines and turgid prose of the book. And I still don't understand the end of Ninth Gate- can you enlighten me?

quote:

Originally posted by SnowAngel:
I agree with you re Michael Crichton and I had the same reservations over Harry Potter, though I think the explosion in children's reading is still a great and positive thing. My son wont watch the films as being too scarey but loves the books. Interview with the Vampire worked better as a film, because the director cut right back on the stodgy plotlines and turgid prose of the book. And I still don't understand the end of Ninth Gate- can you enlighten me?

It's a given in the story, either book or movie, that if you were to find all the orginal drawings of the book by Lucifer you could call up Lucifer, The Devil, and sell him your soul for power, wealth, a beautiful woman, etc...

In the book Depp's character finds Balkan at the end trying to call on the Devil. He is unable to do this and is going mad, or has already gone mad in the process. Depp's character walks away assuming that the true original drawings are lost after all and therefore you won't be able to call up Satan.

The film is a bit more vague, some people say it's meant to be vague so you can come to your own conclusion. So Depp's character finds and fights Balkan as Balkan tries to raise The Devil. He defeats Balkan and as he looks around at the littered drawings he seems to realise something. In my mind the ending suggests that Depp's character has noticed something in the room and has worked out the correct way to raise the devil and as the film ends with the light breaking over the castle, or is it through the castle's gate that he opens the ninth gate and sells his soul to The Devil.

I could be wrong though.

I should add that in Depp's character's journey to find all three remaining copies of the book that he completes all the steps required to call on The Devil. The steps being depicted in the drawings from the book.

I love this film.

The Harry Potter films are brilliant but the books are way way better - I think it depends on the person but most of the time it will encourage someone to read the book.

Thanks Martin, I enjoyed the film very much too but the ambiguity of the ending puzzled me. Thanks for clearing up a few points...
And you are right Librakitten,a good film often triggers people to read the orginal book, which must be a good thing, especially for kids.

Hmm, I feel the harry potter films very poor and unentertaining but I am a MEGA fan of J.K.Rowling's writing and feel they were mutilated beyond character recognition to be honest. However the next one is looking up as the director (David Yates) is more into detail which should be helpful. I thought lord of the rings was relatively sucessful and the thief lord (you may have guessed I'm a sucker for kids films) was brilliantly close to the book which was fabulous.

harry Potter is wicked and is a real successful one. As well as Memoirs of a Geisha! Narnia for me was disappinting.

quote:

Originally posted by *Noni*:
harry Potter is wicked and is a real successful one. As well as Memoirs of a Geisha! Narnia for me was disappinting.

i sooo totally want to e=read that!
i watched the movie very, culteral.
it was brialliant but it wasnt my kind of film, you know

Of mice and men with Gary Sinese and mr malkovic.
Excellent film and acting.

Anthony Horowitz - Stormbreaker (Alex Rider)
the novel is better than the movie, cos some scenes were shortened

Trainspotting by Irving Welsh - Good Book, Great Film

Misery - good in both formats, I am still yet to see Dark Water but I loved Koji Suzuki's book, if you haven't read it buy it, its got about 10 different stories in one book which will keep you entertained.

Folk rarely seem to grasp the disparity between literate storytelling and cinematic, which is a pity because they discard one form based on the rules of another.

My favourite adaptation is probably Hitchcock's Rebecca. There are moments that could never be repeated by the written word.

i always thought artimis fowl would be made into films...

quote:

Originally posted by fantasy and comedy are all my joy:
Harry pootter is a good example...
i didnt read the books though, just watched the movies
but heard that the books give much more than the movies

The films were nothing compared to the books.
They miss wayyy too much out!!

When it comes to books I like being turned into films I'm so weak! Part of me doesn't want to see it in case it ruins it, but the other part (the part that wins!) is so curious about how it's handled.

Obviously books that are longer, nine times outta ten the film isn't gonna be all that great...especially if you love the book....cause it's bound to cut chunks out either for flow and/or for timing.

As mentioned I think the Harry Potter series on film aren't a patch on the books, they are good as stand alone films but after you've read the book they just can't compare. Plus the fact that Daniel Radcliff only learned to act in the fourth film (god bless Rupert Grint for being a big fat steel post to support him...). As the books get longer, I can only see the films getting worse (plus the fact that Gary Oldman is soon to be killed off, *sigh* how I love Gary Oldman as Sirius....ooh and Alan Rickman as Snape! Whenever I read HP pre-film I ALWAYS used to put Rickman's face to Snape...funny eh)

Also I think that High Fidelity is possibly the worst book-to-film adaptation ever. It ruined the book for me, John Cussack is only a ever so slightly saving factor (amazing actor) but hey theres only so much you can do with a script!

I think that the director of Enduring Love did a good job with what he had....but in all fairness I don't think the book is really that great in the first place. The opening is one of the best book openings I've ever read and it just loses it's spark along the way I think. Samantha Morton was a wrong cast choice in my opinion, although I loved Rhys Ifans' performance.

I haven't yet seen the Da Vinci Code....half eager too, but I have resisted thus far, the book is so anticipation filled it had me ripping pages to get to the next one, and really made you think. However much I love Tom Hanks I have a feeling I'd leave the cinema dissappointed. Views on this film anyone?

quote:

Originally posted by Polythene_Girl:
I haven't yet seen the Da Vinci Code....half eager too, but I have resisted thus far, the book is so anticipation filled it had me ripping pages to get to the next one, and really made you think. However much I love Tom Hanks I have a feeling I'd leave the cinema dissappointed. Views on this film anyone?

Neither have I. I really want to see it, the book was brilliant!

Great Expectations (Lean)
Gone with the Wind
The Grapes of Wrath
Ulysses(Strick)
Glen Garry Glen Ross
The Fallen Idol
Our Man in Havana
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
The Winslow Boy(Mamet)
A Scanner Darkly
Under the Volcano
The Trial(Welles)
Robinson Crusoe(Bunuel)
Naked Lunch(Cronenberg)
Crash(Cronenberg)
Fateless
Rebecca(Hitchcock)
Vertigo(Hitchcock)

I love Fight Club, I think this film was very well done

I would love to see 'Blackburn', by Bradley Denton adapted for the big screen.