Good or poor film adaptations of famous novels

Hammer Michael

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Not sure how this came into my head, but was thinking about film adaptations of novels.

At the moment I can only think of two absolute howlers as examples:

Absolute Beginners (novel by Colin MacInnes) Loved the book, the film was awful

The Bonfire of the Vanities (novel by Tom Wolfe) Again, fantastic book, shite adaptation.

Any more, good or bad?
 
Wasn't Great Expectations with Paltrow and De Niro meant to be shit? Never saw it but was meant to have been kak.
The problem is with reading a book before you see a film is you get an idea in your head of how you see it, then the film is ultimately a dissapointment.
I did actually like The Da Vinci Code book despite people saying it was shite but the movie for me was average at best.
Also, I read Papillon before I saw the film which was nothing like the book.
 
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Brilliant book and not as good film. Not a howler mind.
Catch 22 - Brilliant book and utterly useless film.
Red Dragon - Good book and poor film
Silence Of the Lambs - Brilliant book and decent if cliqued and overacted film.
Blood Work - Decent crime thriller made into a deeply ordinary film with Clint Eastwood trying to play a role that was meant to be a man 20/30 years younger.
Presumed Innocent - Brilliant crime novel and very decent film version with Harrison Ford.
The Shining - One of Stephen Kings best books and a piss poor film version with Jack Nicholson overacting as usual thus making it a chase horror clique instead of the creepy suspense film it could have been.
Snow Falling On Cedars - Brilliant film version of an even better book.
Blade Runner - The book was interesting but not actually very well written. The film was far far better.
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - Possibly my favorite book(s) ever but the film was utter bilge. So bad it was unbelievable. If they wanted to make Men In Black 3 (the idea for which was probably "borrowed" from DNA when Ivan Reitman had an option on THHGTTG) why didn't they just do so rather than take a hilarious book and remove all the humour?
Shawshank Redemption - Decent short story from Stephen King made into a very decent film.
The Green Mile - Excellent serial novel and a very decent film if a tad Hollywood.
Cold Mountain - Ordinary novel, ordinary film.
LOTR - brilliant books and films.
All The President's Men - Great film but has anyone actually read the book?
The Power Of One - Very good novel from Bryce Courtney and a not bad effort at the film.
Trainspotting - Novel and film both really good.
 
not a classic but loved Deane Koonz The watchers but the film was crap

alo all adaptations of Pride and Prejudice have been crap (best of a bad bunch was the BBC version )
 
The Shawshank Redemption was an adaption of a novella by Stephen King, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"

great film, never read the book
 
Wibble said:
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Brilliant book and not as good film. Not a howler mind.
Catch 22 - Brilliant book and utterly useless film.
Red Dragon - Good book and poor film
Silence Of the Lambs - Brilliant book and decent if cliqued and overacted film.
Blood Work - Decent crime thriller made into a deeply ordinary film with Clint Eastwood trying to play a role that was meant to be a man 20/30 years younger.
Presumed Innocent - Brilliant crime novel and very decent film version with Harrison Ford.
The Shining - One of Stephen Kings best books and a piss poor film version with Jack Nicholson overacting as usual thus making it a chase horror clique instead of the creepy suspense film it could have been.
Snow Falling On Cedars - Brilliant film version of an even better book.
Blade Runner - The book was interesting but not actually very well written. The film was far far better.
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - Possibly my favorite book(s) ever but the film was utter bilge. So bad it was unbelievable. If they wanted to make Men In Black 3 (the idea for which was probably "borrowed" from DNA when Ivan Reitman had an option on THHGTTG) why didn't they just do so rather than take a hilarious book and remove all the humour?
Shawshank Redemption - Decent short story from Stephen King made into a very decent film.
The Green Mile - Excellent serial novel and a very decent film if a tad Hollywood.
Cold Mountain - Ordinary novel, ordinary film.
LOTR - brilliant books and films.
All The President's Men - Great film but has anyone actually read the book?
The Power Of One - Very good novel from Bryce Courtney and a not bad effort at the film.
Trainspotting - Novel and film both really good.
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Watched Shawshank in bed a few weeks ago, first watched it ont he plane home to Manchester from Sydney in Jan 1995 when I was nearly fifteen, brilliant then, brilliant now.
Cold Mountain was disapointing although I thought it was a great story not told in the best way. I am always sceptical about actors attaempting accents not of their own, why not employ real Americans in the lead instead of Jude Law and Nicole Kidman, they made it shonky and drivel when it could have been more gritty and realistic.
And I'd love to twat that Renee Zellwegger; her face annoys me.
 
"Marathon Man" written by William Goldman

The movie with Dustin Hoffman was very good.
 
There was a great film I saw called A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and it was written, produced and directed by the author of the book which was very unusual.
I then saw the book which is a few years old now in the bookshop and had a bit of a read and it was incredibly different to the movie which is based on the authors/directors own experiences but I saw no reason why a lot of the narrative in the movie was so different (ie; his real life friends killed in the mvie who are still alive in real life), it made no sense although it was a very good film.
 
Johnno said:
There was a great film I saw called A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and it was written, produced and directed by the author of the book which was very unusual.
I then saw the book which is a few years old now in the bookshop and had a bit of a read and it was incredibly different to the movie which is based on the authors/directors own experiences but I saw no reason why a lot of the narrative in the movie was so different (ie; his real life friends killed in the mvie who are still alive in real life), it made no sense although it was a very good film.
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Great Film.

Shia Lebeouf (sp) is good in that.
 
I'm nervous about how White Jazz will turn out. Didn't think The Black Dahlia was too bad, and pray that somebody decides to try and film American Tabloid/The Cold Six Thousand.
 
Wibble said:
Catch 22 - Brilliant book and utterly useless film.
Red Dragon - Good book and poor film
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You got there first on both of these, Catch 22 is my favourite book and is one of the biggest disappointments I've seen.

Also, you're spot on about Red Dragon, although I reckon Manhunter, the original film version is a great film and it also has the best screen version of Dr. Hannibal Lektor (sic).
 
Grinner said:
I'm nervous about how White Jazz will turn out. Didn't think The Black Dahlia was too bad, and pray that somebody decides to try and film American Tabloid/The Cold Six Thousand.
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With you on that one. So far the Ellroy adaptations have been pretty much spot on.

American Tabloid is one hell of a book - and might make a terrific film if handled in the same way as L.A Confidential. Been trying to finish the Cold Six Thousand for about two years now...just get caught up in other things.

If anyone hasn't yet seen L.A Confidential then it comes highly recommended.
 
Godfather
Silence Of the Lambs
Bourne ... series ( by Robert Ludlum )

All enjoyable read and watch
 
Hammer Michael said:
With you on that one. So far the Ellroy adaptations have been pretty much spot on.

American Tabloid is one hell of a book - and might make a terrific film if handled in the same way as L.A Confidential. Been trying to finish the Cold Six Thousand for about two years now...just get caught up in other things.

If anyone hasn't yet seen L.A Confidential then it comes highly recommended.
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The final part of the trilogy is due out any day now. I reread the others in preparation. Who do you reckon would play a good Pete Bondurant?
 
Most Bond films were nothing like the book, so in that sense are poor. From Russia With Love is about the only good adaptation. Also, most of the actors had the wrong personality for Bond, especially Roger Moore, so that didn't help either.
 
surf said:
Most Bond films were nothing like the book, so in that sense are poor. From Russia With Love is about the only good adaptation. Also, most of the actors had the wrong personality for Bond, especially Roger Moore, so that didn't help either.
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Agreed, especially in regards to Roger Moore, not a fan of Daniel Craig either
 
To Kill a Mockingbird

Excellent book, and from what I remember, decent film as well.
 
Spammy said:
Almost every Philip K Dick story has been raped and ruined, though there are notable exceptions.
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I watched a shithouse flick the other night, Paycheck with Ben Affleck, he did that didn't he? As well as Minority Report and Bladerunner and that? Actually, it wasn't that bad it was just very cheesy and could have been a lot better, Uma Thurman was pathetic and ugly in it
 
"Adaptation", based on the book The Orchid Thief.

Haven't read the book, but the movie was good.
 
Johnno said:
I watched a shithouse flick the other night, Paycheck with Ben Affleck, he did that didn't he? As well as Minority Report and Bladerunner and that? Actually, it wasn't that bad it was just very cheesy and could have been a lot better, Uma Thurman was pathetic and ugly in it
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Yeah, there's also films like Screamers, A Scanner Darkly, Total Recall and the dire Next (with my fave - Nicolas Cage). All are adaptations of his novels and short stories.
 
Sky1981 said:
I don't know whether the City of God was an adaptation, but the movie was great.
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Aye, it was fecking mint.
That little black kid in it was sadistic, especially the bit in the motel when he just laughs hysterically later on, crazy.
 
Johnno said:
Aye, it was fecking mint.
That little black kid in it was sadistic, especially the bit in the motel when he just laughs hysterically later on, crazy.
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Awesome, awesome film. I am going to the favella it is filmed in next November for a street party. I am avoiding my girlfriend watching the film until after!:lol:
 
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