Books to Movies

[atgcpaul]

To add to the other two posts of TV to movies, how about books to movies?

I am not a big reader but an ex-girlfriend was an English major so during the
summers in college I'd read a lot of SciFi.

The best thing to come of that relationship was reading "Snowcrash" by
Neal Stephenson. It's an amazing book with such detailed and vivid
descriptions. I always thought it would make a great movie and have some
very well developed characters. I think it would work better as an anime
movie, though.

Another book I read during that time was "The Postman" by David Brin. How
psyched was I when I saw the first billboard that it was being made into a
movie with Kevin Costner, no less? I couldn't even finish the movie because
Costner was horrible (he usually is) and the movie was nothing like the book.

What's on your wishlist?

[docrowan]

One of my favorite SciFi books is Battlefield Earth. I was extremely pumped for the movie with John Travolta when the trailers came out, to the point I recommended it to people I worked with. I had to hide my face in shame at how awful it was. I would love to see someone remake it and do it right.

I understand it may be hard to condense a book into a movie, but why does Hollywood so many times feel the need to change a successful book to such point that it is barely recognizable? If it was a good story as a book, surely it can be a good story as a movie?

[jspelbring]

Stephenson

One of my favorites by him is "The Diamond Age". I've heard rumors that the Sci-Fi channel is making a mini-series out of it. Good or bad, as a Sci-Fi-Guy, I'll have to watch it.

To add to the other two posts of TV to movies, how about books to movies?

I am not a big reader but an ex-girlfriend was an English major so during the
summers in college I'd read a lot of SciFi.

The best thing to come of that relationship was reading "Snowcrash" by
Neal Stephenson. It's an amazing book with such detailed and vivid
descriptions. I always thought it would make a great movie and have some
very well developed characters. I think it would work better as an anime
movie, though.

Another book I read during that time was "The Postman" by David Brin. How
psyched was I when I saw the first billboard that it was being made into a
movie with Kevin Costner, no less? I couldn't even finish the movie because
Costner was horrible (he usually is) and the movie was nothing like the book.

What's on your wishlist?

[LarryG]

If it was a good story as a book, surely it can be a good story as a movie?

Excepting very rare cases -- no. Broadly speaking, it cannot be. The recipe for what makes a good book good, and for what makes a good movie good, are entirely different, to the point of being almost mutually exclusive. The mediums are different. The senses used to experience them are different. What we know about the characters and their motivations are received, and therefore perceived, differently. It takes an extraordinarily sensitive director and a highly accomplished actor to convey visually what a relatively ordinary writer can explain in a few simple words. On the other hand, even the best of writers might bore us to tears by the time he paints the kind of fully-formed mental image that a dramatic camera shot can convey in a split second.

I think most of the changes Hollywood makes to books are because a story played out on the silver screen exactly as it unfolded in the book it was based on would tend to be pretty dull ... the sort of movie about which audiences are likely to say, "It was okay, but it was kinda slow." That, or "It was awfully long." The reverse of this can often be seen in novelizations of successful movies -- those books that come out after the movie was a big hit, rather the the more common sequence of book first, movie second. Even when the movie/book is not necessarily action-oriented, the novelization tends to read like a juvenile title, or even a comic book -- and not an especially good one at that.

I'm not trying to waylay the thread here, because the underlying question (books vs movies) is an interesting one. But I do think comparing books and movies is almost like comparing, say, a good auto race to a good baseball game. Other than both being sporting events, they really have very little in common.

[germdoc]

Sometimes the book is better than the movie, sometimes the other way around, sometimes they're each good in their own way.

I haven't read "No Country for Old Men"--heard it's a great book--but it's hard to imagine the book being any better than the movie. Ditto for Cold Mountain.

Most really great books, however, resist being made into good movies. There's never been a good movie based on books by Hemingway or Faulkner for instance. There have been a lot of good movies on Dickens--the last Oliver Twist movie or the musical for instance.

The Godfather books were pretty mediocre but were turned into gems (at least parts 1 and 2) by Francis Coppola. Same with Goodfellas.

Lolita was a GREAT book that was made into 2 really fine movies, each good in its own way.

I'd like to see a movie version of Pete Dexter's Deadwood, which I'm currently reading. I know the series was out, but it varies quite a bit (and is not based on) Dexter's reportedly highly accurate account of life in the old west town. I'd like to see a good version of Catch-22 and Michael Herr's Dispatches (Vietnam War).

[Richard in Smithville]

Some time ago, I read "Sahara" by Clive Cussler. It was made into an enjoyable movie. Unfortunately it didn't fair too well in the theaters so I doubt there will be any other Cusler books turned into a movie. Shame, they're good stories( although a little stretched)

[JoeyGee]

I love the Bourne Identity movies. I figured I would read the books. I have been trying to read the 1st book for the past 6 months. It is so god-awfully BORING. I realize the action and chases aren't going to be in a book, but this book is bad.

Of course, the movie and book are 2 completely different stories.

[MilDoc]

I love the Bourne Identity movies.

Me too, but I was a bit disappointed in the last one. 95% action, 5% plot. I think the series has run it's course.

NOT that I'm complaining about the action, however!

[JoeyGee]

Paul, I agree on the last movie. I think what they should do now is go back and tell the story of Bourne's origins fully. It would be fun to see him as a bad guy.

OK, I'm done hijacking now. Continue on with the books to movie thread...

[LinuxRandal]

Bourne was decent (never read the books), Sahara, left out a plot twist that I liked. (the Lincoln storyline)
Brother said I might like the Wizard of Earthsea movie. Dune I never read, but most I have talked to, prefer the first one (wasn't supposed to be exactly the book, like they made the second one out to be, aka go for enjoyment, don't look for mistakes).

When I was 13, Something wicked this way comes, came out. I loved the movie, still haven't read the book (never find the time).

There has been a fair bit of the cyberpunk genre, based on Neil Stephenson's books. While the book was a slow start, I ended up loving Cryptonomicon, and would love to see it in movie form.

The one book that I couldn't put down, read in less then 24 hours after not picking up a non technical manual, for years, was awful as a movie. The Davinci code.

[Warren]

"We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young"

Only one I know of that made to the screen fairly intact.