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| lshap |
 Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:00 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
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| "If the book is the orange, then the film is the orange juice." - Richard Brooks |
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| dlhavard |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:01 pm |
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Joined: 24 May 2004
Posts: 1352
Location: Detroit (where the slow are run over)
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WELCOME!
The story behind this forum: I was watching a tv program "The Making of In Cold Blood" a few weeks ago. The director, Richard Brooks, made this observation "If the book is an orange, then the film is the orange juice."
I thought it was rather profound (well it was really late at night) and decided my forum would be about movies adapted from books. I have a small list of books-to-movies and would welcome suggestions. The only prerequisite is:
It has to be a movie that was ADAPTED FROM A BOOK, not a short story, novella or play - and definitely NOT a graphic novel or comic book!
I would appreciate that if you have read the book you would chime in with comments on the differences/similarities.
My list, thus far (alphabetically)
The African Queen
The Godfather
The Graduate
Grapes of Wrath
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
To Kill a Mockingbird
Wizard of Oz
?? |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:06 pm |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
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| I was very impressed with the film BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS. I read the book a few years ago and noticed that the blurb on the jkt. said that it would be made into a movie. I was doubtful of that at the time but found the film to be everything I could have possibly have hoped for. |
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| bocce |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:56 pm |
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Joined: 24 May 2004
Posts: 2428
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i'd bet that almost every member has a favorite author who'se been translated to film...
shakespeare
austen
hardy
hammit
cain
chandler
greene
le carre
leonard
and on the more pedestrian side...
conroy
clancy
woods
grisham
and, now the deadly dull, dan brown
but your list is fine and manageable. almost everybody has seen the films, tho i'm not too sure about having read the book.
this really deserves the full treatment (which i would strongly suggest since the SILENTS FORUM is winding down) but i'll go with the flow...
aw, bullshit...a month is not enough to cover this VERY important topic... |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:34 pm |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
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| A thought just popped into my head - what about Merchant-Ivory? They seem to have specialized in this type of film, esp. all the Henry James' adaptations. |
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| Melody |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:00 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2242
Location: TX
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| I agree with Bocce -- hi, babe! -- that this topic deserves the full treatment, because in order to discuss with any sort of authority, we'll have to have read the book, and more importantly, remember the damn thing. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:05 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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| How many movies would be considered better than the book? Or rather how few? |
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| bocce |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:13 pm |
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Joined: 24 May 2004
Posts: 2428
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well that would be up to lorne and dl...
a full blown genre forum is a bit more daunting than a month's chat. dl might not be up for two to two and ahalf months of moderating what could become a free for all of book lovers who've seen their individual dreams dashed or apeothised.
on the other hand, if we stuck to authors who have had MANY books made into film, we'd be going in the right direction. it would be dl's problem to sort it out (assuming she'll take it on), but it's a doable genre forum. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:19 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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Last year's Pride & Prejudice could serve as a model for all future adapted screenplays. I read the book right before seeing the movie, and it was a sustained joy to compare and contrast the two.
The 1940 film version, OTOH, was an abomination. I couldn't believe Aldous Huxley had a hand in it. All that wonderful Austen dialogue was thrown out, in favor of pure '40's Hollywood crap. They even made Lady Catherine de Bourg into a Ms.Goody-Two Shoes. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:29 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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| How come no one mentioned Dickens? |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:31 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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| 'Cause we're just getting started. BTW, I've rented Polanski's Oliver Twist. Any good? |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:39 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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| I missed that, but plan to rent it. The old one with Alec Guiness, directed by David Lean, was excellent. |
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| bocce |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:44 pm |
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Joined: 24 May 2004
Posts: 2428
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Melody wrote: I agree with Bocce -- hi, babe! -- .
sorry, i can't help it. it was the gam shot with the hot shoes and the sheers that did me in... |
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| Earl |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:46 pm |
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Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
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bocce wrote: i'd bet that almost every member has a favorite author who'se been translated to film...
shakespeare...
I'd be all for including Shakespeare in the discussion, but DL's specs were adaptations from books, not plays, and DL's the boss of this thread. |
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| Earl |
| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:53 pm |
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Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
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Ghulam wrote: How many movies would be considered better than the book? Or rather how few?
The first that came to mind when I read this was Rice's Interview With the Vampire. I enjoyed the book and loved the movie even more. The movie had Cruise delivering a great closing line: SPOILER"Louis, Louis, Louis. Still whining after all these years!"END SPOILER |
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"I have a suspicion that you are all mad," said Dr. Renard, smiling sociably; "but God forbid that madness should in any way interrupt friendship." |
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