Is there a movie better than the book? And name a book that you think defies adaptation?
Good Monday morning - Brenda here.
A subjective kind of question this week. I'm often amazed at how one person can love a book or movie that another avidly dislikes. For me, the book and movie experiences are completely different kettles of fish. As a rule, I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie and have been excited to see the adaptation for those books I've really enjoyed.
I remember reading Gone With the Wind (a verrry long book) in high school and then going to see the movie soon afterward. I found the movie boring because the story was still so fresh in my mind. Note to self: leave some time in between reading and watching.
I'm trying to think of a movie I liked better than the book. My book club read Bridget Jones's Diary and enjoyed it enough that we all went to the movie in a theatre together. We enjoyed the movie as much, if not more, than the book, particularly because one member found the movie hilarious and got us all laughing because she was laughing. This same book club rented Pride and Prejudice and from all accounts replayed Mr. Darcy diving bare-chested into the pond several times (I missed the meeting), so perhaps our standards for what's entertaining might differ from others. That said, I think some of the period novels translate very well to the screen - visual extravaganzas.
I loved reading the Giles Blunt's Cardinal crime fiction series, which was made into a television series. The screen writers changed the plots, not for the better in my opinion. I much preferred the books. Same with Louise Penny's books, which didn't translate as well to the screen, I think because there is so much beauty in her writing that is lost.
One television series I enjoyed on the screen, mainly because I like Kenneth Branagh, is the Wallander books. I'd say I enjoyed the tv series more than Henning Mankell's books. The director captured the Swedish setting beautifully, and of course, there's Branagh.
As for a book that I believe defies adaptation, it would be a book with a plot I didn't enjoy. I'm not a big fan of serial killers on the screen, so maybe those books don't translate well for me, although others like this kind of movie. I find some of the cozy mysteries too simplistic for adaptation, but others love these too.
So, I've bobbed and weaved my way through this week's question. Let me know if there's a movie you've liked as much or more than the book - all suggestions welcome!
Website: www.brendachapman.ca
Facebook & Instagram & Threads: BrendaChapmanAuthor
Bluesky: @brendachapman.bsky.social
4 comments:
Since it's not my week and I don't need to keep my thoughts for my own blog: I thought Emma Thompson's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility improved the book - heresy, right? - and I Capture The Castle is my favourite example of a great film from a book I love. Silence of the Lambs too.
I'll have to check out I Capture the Castle. The other two movies you mention are great.
I loved the scenery in the films Where The Crawdads Sing and The Marsh King's Daughter. It made me want to go to those places. But I think the authors did a perfect job of describing it too. So although I liked the films, if I had to choose between reading the book again or watching the film, I'd read the book. The Louise Penny adaptation sounds intriguing.
Poppy, I loved the book version of Where the Crawdads Sing and thought the movie was very good too. I'd read or watch again anytime!
Post a Comment