Favourite Movie Adaptation of a Book

[Pancake]

Pretty straightforward, what is your favourite movie adaptation of a book? And why? Because it was the most accurate? Because it elaborated on the story? Because of how it felt to see your favourite book on screen? Because the casting was perfect?

I’ve spent hours this evening reading on Reddit and then chatting with a friend about the worst adaptations, and we all know the usual suspects, so I need to purge those from my brain with a list of good ones.

 

[Isabeau]

Two at the tof my head this “I’m still asleep” morning, Lord of the Rings and Pride and Prejudice.

Casting is really important to me. If I loved a book, I’ve imagined the characters so thoroughly it’s hard to see a movie where everyone looks different. When the actors are good, though, even if they don’t look exactly like I imagined, they can embody the character (as the writer intended) so well it makes all the difference.

There are many versions of Pride an Prejudice but since we’re talking about movies, in the relatively recent one, I found the casting of all the characters perfect. Of course it’s a movie, so all the details can’t be included, and some characters were left out, but the director added tiny details (not in the book) to allude to what was missing, or inner thoughts, which I found brilliant.

Maybe less about the characters and more for the settings/visual, I read Lord of the Rings in (French) secondary school advanced English class. We pretty much only read books and played games. When I went to see the movie, it was like the book had come alive. It all looked exactly as how I had imagined. I remember being blown away.

 

[Beebo Brink]

The HBO version of His Dark Materials captured the look of the novels beautifully, and I thought almost all the casting was perfect (I'm not so fond of one of the minor kid actors). It's been so long since I read the books that I can't speak to whether the adaptation did the narrative line justice, but all the major scenes I remember were there.

 

[Tirellia]

The Third Man by Graham Greene. The acting was fantastic but the direction, editing and lighting were amazing. It didn't hurt that Greene wrote the screenplay.

Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard. I discovered Ballard through his weird science fiction, then I read this autobiographical work which was incredibly moving. The film was just excellent. Young Christian Bale and Spielberg managing not to Americanise everything!

Most Shakespeare adaptations are terrible but a couple of exceptions are:

Romeo and Juliet, the 1968 Zeffirelli version. Perfect young lead actors, some Laurence Olivier voice acting, sumptuous costumes, beautiful locations. It would take something special to make a better adaptation than this one.

Henry V, the Kenneth Branagh version. The cast was just dripping with talent, the production was suitably sombre and tense and the acting lived up to the hype of the cast. It took some courage to set out to improve on the old Laurence Olivier film that 'everyone' regarded as being near perfection. Branagh did better than just improve on it, he set a standard that anyone trying to adapt Shakespeare has to live up to.

 

[Rose Karuna]

Starship Troopers - I loved the campy, crazy style of the movie. Particularly the reports that would come in and the reporter that got munched while he was reporting. I bought the movie just so I could watch it more than once.

The Shinning - Even though Steven King hated this adaptation, I have to say I loved it. Jack Nicholson rocked.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - just loved all the characters in the movie.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Henry V, the Kenneth Branagh version. The cast was just dripping with talent, the production was suitably sombre and tense and the acting lived up to the hype of the cast. It took some courage to set out to improve on the old Laurence Olivier film that 'everyone' regarded as being near perfection. Branagh did better than just improve on it, he set a standard that anyone trying to adapt Shakespeare has to live up to.

I saw the movie in theatre at least 3 or 4 times, and I own the DVD of it. Also one of the best movie scores of all time.

I was so enthralled by the film that I persuaded one of my co-workers to go with me to one of the showings. She was a young woman not that familiar with Shakespeare and a little dubious about its entertainment value. I stopped worrying when -- at the end of the St. Crispin's Day speech -- she leaned over to me and whispered urgently in my ear "Who wins?"

 

[Pancake]

For me, it's Polansky's adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles. The Polansky ick factor aside, and honestly when I watched this movie I was unaware of it, the movie really impacted me. It was probably one of the darkest and saddest books I had ever read up until that point, and the movie version did an amazing job channeling that, even if some parts were left out. I think 100 years later, and the medium, allowed Polansky to be a little less subtle than Hardy had to be.

Not a movie, so I'm already off topic, but the mini series adaptation of Atwood's Alias Grace was phenomenal. Again, a bit dark, but it's one of the few adaptations that I felt did a better job than the book. Don't get me wrong, I love the book, but the cast, both minor and major, brought those characters to life. The pacing and sequence of the mini series did not follow the books exactly, but it's still the same story, just told in an order that makes more sense visually.

 

[Beebo Brink]

To Kill a Mockingbird -- How could I have forgotten that?

 

[Tirellia]

A few in the Foreign Language category:

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. I like Lehane's writing style and this film carried it over really well. I also like Eastwood's directing style, he seems to let his actors get on with their jobs and he doesn't fuss around with scripts, he finds ones he likes and sets about making the films. As is always the case with Lehane it's a horrible story and it's captured perfectly in the dull, grey unpleasantness of the sets and locations and the very believable performances of the actors..

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. More unpleasantness from Lehane. Restrained directing from Scorsese and anything but restraint from Leonardo DiCaprio and the sinister scientists Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow. It's horrifying and captivating.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. More Leonardo DiCaprio. He's one of my favourite actors because he always delivers a theatrical performance that's believable and sympathetic. He even made me like Jordan Belfort. This is one of the great American novels and the film is as good as the book, but only because of Leo.

And the Damned By Faint Praise Award goes to:

The Andromeda Strain, Coma, Jurassic park etc by Michael Crichton because the books are just third rate pulp hackery not worth the paper they were printed on, but the films are amazing!

 

[Pancake]

I left this out of my original reply, but what the heck, it is a good adaptation even for those not a fan of the book or movie.

Copolla's adaptation of The Outsiders was so true to source that I recall watching it in high school in class along with the book study. While the performances are a bit cheesy when you look back on it, I don't know that it would hold up and impact today's youth the way it did my peer group at the time, it was well done.

 

[Cristiano]

One of my favorites is the adaptation of My Week With Marilyn by Colin Clark:


I don't tend to rewatch movies but I've seen it probably five times, and I notice things each time I didn't notice before. Wonderful book and it was really brought to life by Michelle Wiliams performance. She became Marilyn.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

'Ready Player One', imho, was improved significantly in movie form. I enjoyed the book, despite a few parts that really did not work for me, but loved the movie so much that I went back and watched it in the theater maybe like 5 or 6 times. More than I've done with any other movie.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

So, I'll start with my bad list is Lord of the Rings, so obviously we're not all on the same page.

My criteria for a good movie from book is that it doesn't make any major changes not authorized by the creator. I'm stupid picky. Also, it helps for me if I see the movie first then read the book [and not have read the books 50+ times!], so...

The Wizard of Oz - not a very true adaptation but I saw it as a child, and I loved it so it is grandfathered in.
Mary Poppins - Saw before reading the book, was why I read the book.
Harry Potter - while I don't like Rowling at all anymore, the books were good, and any adjustments were authorized.
Hitchiker's Guide movies - even though the last one didn't fit previous ones or the books all -that- well, Adams loved mucking with stuff, and changing it up, so again.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - also a fairly decent adaptation.

Normally though, people who know me just won't let me see movies based on books I've read, because well.... its not pretty if its poorly done. Is why I still haven't seen the 80s Dune movie, even though Sting.... my parents went came home and said 'You don't want to see it'.

 

[Pancake]

'Ready Player One', imho, was improved significantly in movie form. I enjoyed the book, despite a few parts that really did not work for me, but loved the movie so much that I went back and watched it in the theater maybe like 5 or 6 times. More than I've done with any other movie.

I was wondering if Ready Player One would come up.
I have to say that it's my probably my favorite movie in recent years. Every time I catch it on TV, no matter what scene or part it's at, I'll stop and watch for while and never fails to give me a big grin. I never read the book though, so I also wondered how it compared. I didn't want to risk reading it in case it might ruin how I much I enjoy the movie.

 

[Free]

How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Not the 2000 film debacle but the original animated 1966 TV special. That counts, right? Having Chuck Jones as one of the directors, Boris Karloff's voice over, the music - oh, the music!

 

[Cristiano]

Another for me is Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. The movie managed to perfectly capture how magical the book was, and the sensuality of it all.

 

[Pancake]

Another for me is Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. The movie managed to perfectly capture how magical the book was, and the sensuality of it all.

Definitely agree, loved the book, and the movie just felt sooooo good, but I wonder if someone watched the movie without the book if it would have the same impact. As a stand alone movie, I'm not sure if it held up for audiences.

 

[Khamon]

Rebecca, though her circumstances of death are different, both book and movie are enjoyable.

Pride and Prejudice (and Zombies), does not closely follow the novel plot, but it's a great fun movie and I'm willing to accept judgement for enjoying the book a few decades ago.

The Egyptian is interesting fiction and one of those grand sweeping saga films, with a cast of thousands, repurposed sets, and the cheesiest music evah, but sticks fairly closely to the written plot and expresses the same general disillusionment. So, not really a favourite movie, but I do like the book.

Doyle's Sherlock Holmes collection and particularly the Rathbone movies for nostalgia's sake. Also Christie's Poirot stories and, particularly, the Ustinov movies for brilliant character portrayals across the board. Jackson did a good job of envisioning Middle Earth along the lines of my imagination when reading the books.

 

[Maggy Hazelnut]

Ok you guys are listing all your favorite movies that are GOOD versions. I'm gonna tell you my favorite BAD movie adapted from a book. The book is "She" by H. Rider Haggard. The movie is the 1984 version with Sandahl Bergman & it's the absolutely worst movie of any kind of all time! Which is why I love it so & have seen it about half a dozen times so far. haha

This is a post-apocalyptic version of "She" & it has so many goodies that it's impossible to list them all. They include a psychic communist, zombies, mutant Egyptian mummies, Nazis, toga-wearing werewolves, a giant in a pink tutu, gladiators, a mad scientist & a scantily clad Sandahl Bergman. And of course there's romance with her thrown in! You have to watch this movie! Do not confuse it with any other version of "She" because it doesn't even remotely resemble other versions. haha

This movie makes any Ed Wood movie an Academy Award winner! It shows it's available on Amazon Prime Video tho the only times I've seen it were on late late night tv. Be sure to watch the 1984 version of "She"!

 

[Pancake]

... They include a psychic communist, zombies, mutant Egyptian mummies, Nazis, toga-wearing werewolves, a giant in a pink tutu, gladiators, a mad scientist & a scantily clad Sandahl Bergman.

Sounds like a Second Life gathering or event.