I love to read and I love to watch movies, but I can't stand it when they turn books into movies. It is very few that actually are good adaptations. I dont know why they even bother anymore. What are your guy's thoughts on this.

I think that short stories and novellas tend to make better films, such as the Stephen King adaptations 'The Body' (Stand By Me) and 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption' (The Shawshank Redemption). Novels tend to have way too much plot and characterisation to successfully fit into a 2 hour movie. There are some exceptions of course, 'The Godfather' was in the opinion of many actually a rather poor book, and I personally thought that the film adaptation of 'American Psycho' was superior to the novel.

I agree with the above statement, a lot of novels are simply too long to be squeezed into 2hrs, that's one of the many reasons why the film version of Pride and Prejudice was so pants, that and Keira Knightly.

There is also the problem that a lot more tends to be left to interpretation in a book, and it is impossible for someone else's interpretation to be identical to yours, so the film will usually disappoint. I also hate it when film makers change things just for the sake of it.

Some adaptations are good though, I thought Attonement was a very good adaptation of the book, even if it did have my aformentioned least favourite actress in it.

There are a couple that I like and few that I don't. I think The Divinci Code was a poor excuse for a movie. But I really liked Prozac Nation and Girl Interrupted. I'm in the middle of reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter and I saw that they are making THAT into a movie so I'm kind of excited about it.

The Da Vinci Code was a poor excuse for a book too.

Although the film was indeed awful.

I'm re-reading A Clockwork Orange at the moment and that's one film adaptation which improves on the novel. They're two very different mediums,and generally novels make bad adaptations for films, and some should never get made, Ulysses being a perfect example.

Oh man Clockwork Orange is probably my favorite book to film!

rockintheskies I thought that they were going to make The Memory Keepers Daughter into a silver screen film, but found out that its going to be on TV. Lifetime's airing it this Sunday at 9pm...I'm pretty stoked about it.

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Originally posted by genesis porridge:
I'm re-reading A Clockwork Orange at the moment and that's one film adaptation which improves on the novel. They're two very different mediums,and generally novels make bad adaptations for films, and some should never get made, Ulysses being a perfect example.

I agree that it' an excellent movie but personally I don't think a film can ever improve on the book. Even though the action in a movie is more hardhitting (the Singing in the Rain scene for example) you can never truely get inside the characters mind like you can in a book. No matter how good the movie there can be no imrovement for me!

I think that the film versions of Lord of the Rings stack up pretty well compared to the novels.

I think a person often favours the one they read (or saw) first.
Many film makers seem unable to resist the temptation to meddle too much.

Without doubt for me the best adaptation is Brokeback Mountain, from Annie Proulx short story.

quote:

Originally posted by SmileReal:

rockintheskies I thought that they were going to make The Memory Keepers Daughter into a silver screen film, but found out that its going to be on TV. Lifetime's airing it this Sunday at 9pm...I'm pretty stoked about it.

The movie is actually going to be on Saturday night at 9pm. Figured I'd tell you so you didn't miss it.

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Originally posted by Sumthin4Me:

quote:

Originally posted by SmileReal:

rockintheskies I thought that they were going to make The Memory Keepers Daughter into a silver screen film, but found out that its going to be on TV. Lifetime's airing it this Sunday at 9pm...I'm pretty stoked about it.

The movie is actually going to be on Saturday night at 9pm. Figured I'd tell you so you didn't miss it.

Did anyone catch this over the weekend. i missed the first one but it was on quite a few more times. It's been a while since I read the book so I couldn't really make a comparison.

I really liked it for what it was. It was a very touching and heartfelt story.

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Originally posted by Cloud Strife:
I think that the film versions of Lord of the Rings stack up pretty well compared to the novels.

gotta admit a good adaption but a lot was missed out or changed tbh...


scouring of the shire 4 one was completely missed out n only future flashed 2 in the fellowship of the ring as a possible future in wood elves water mirror

sarumans death was changed 2 orthanc

where was tom bombadil?

i could go on n on ...but yeh was a decent adaption sure

bladerunner was magnificant based on do androids dream of electric sheep by philip k. dick...imense adaption again i suppose some characters were changed but hey ho still better than the actual novel

Sometimes it does work really well, The Shining worked well, although the book is better, but the film is different from the book anyway.
Sin City and The Fountain were based on graphic novels and both those films are fantastic.
I think that what does ruin a book to a film is when, they try and make the film exactly the same as the book. Whereas if they take a new slant on it and change bits of it, it tends to be better.

Plus look at all the Marvel films they have made based off comics, they work well...

It always depends who is making the film as well I think, the director and writer of the film have to have read the book and understand what the writer of that were trying to get across.