Filmed adaptations of novels

[Emil Miller]

I was interested to read on a recent thread the discussion on the merits, or otherwise, of The Sun Also Rises and a number of posts mentioned the filmed adaptation. What do members think are the most successful cinematic recreations of novels they have read?

[dfloyd]

I'll just list a few and the decade they were made in -

1930s

A Tale of Two Cities - Ronald Coleman
Lost Horizon - Ronald Coleman
The Count of Monte Cristo - Robert Donat
Goodbte, Mr Chips - Robert Donat
Mutiny on the Bounty - Charles Laughton and Clark Gable
Gone wth the Wind - Clark Gable et al
Camille - Robert Taylor and Greta Garbo
Anna Karenina - Frederic March and Greta Garbo
Wuthering Heights Laurence Olivia
All Quiet on the Western Front - Lew Ayres
Captain Blood - Erroll Flynn

1940s
Rebecca - Laurence Olivia and Joan Fontaine
Oliver Twist - Alec Guiness, directed by David Lean
Great Expectations -John MIlls and Alec Guiness, directed by David Lean
Of Mice and Men - Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr.
Grapes of Wrath - Henry Fonda and John Carradine
The Razor's Edge - Tyrone Power
The Moon and Sixpence - George Sanders
Captain from Castile - Tyrone Power and Caesar Romero
The Maltese Falcon - Humphrey Bogart et al
The Big Sleep - Humphrey Bogart et al
Murder My Sweet (Farewell, My Lovely) - Dick Powell

1950s
East of Eden - Carl Malden and James Dean
A Streetcar Named Desire - Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh (play)
The Sun Also Rises - Tyrone Power and Ava Gardner
Witness for the Prosecution - Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich
A Place in the Sun (An American Tragedy) - Mpntgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor
The Brothers Karamazov - Lee J Cobb et al
The Lord of the Flies British cast
Scaramouche - Stewart Granger
From Here to Eternity - Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra et al
The Young Lions - Dean Martin et al

1960s
The Leopard - Burt Lancaster
Lolita - James Mason and Sue Lyon
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (play) - Paul Newman and Elizabet Taylor
The Scapegoat - Alec Guiness
Billy Budd - Peter Ustinov
The Prisoner of Zenda - Stewart Granger
Some Came Running - Frank and Dean and Shirley

1970s
The Godfather - Marlon Brando
The Collector - Terrence Stamp
A Clockwork Orange - Malcom ????


1980s
The French Lieutenant's Woman - Jeremy Irons and Meryll Streep
The Age of Innocence
The Last of the Mohicans

Masterpeace Theatre
Bleak House
Martin Chizzlwhitt
Our Mutual Froend
Middlemarch
The Turn of the Screw
I, Claudius
The Golden Bowl

And many, many more which I can't remember.

[bounty]

i thought the cartoon version of watership down was great...

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

A few random selections:

Victor Hugo's - "The Hunchback of Notre Dame":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0c3hvZYKGk&feature=related

Ayn Rand's - "Fountainhead":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc7oZ9yWqO4

Jonathan Swift's - "Gulliver's Travels":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-JKqG9vmQk&feature=PlayList&p=025328A5C3F23E3E&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=27

[kiki1982]

Adaptations, adaptations, dont we all love them (and hate them)?

Here come the costume dramas:

Pride and Prejudie 1995. A&E BBC Definitive. Agreed on by many. Although, it could have had that little bit more humour, but then te truth would have gone astray probably. Well anyway, we love Colin Firth still to the detriment of him :D.
Persuasion 1995 A&E

The Three Musketeers, Russian Version. Very Dumas-esk with a lot of humour, but with a Russian twist: a lot of music (quite horribly seventees too, but also typical singing). 1978 (original title: D'Artagnan i tri musketera (D'artagnan and the Three Musketeers)

Le Comte de Monte Cristo 1998, Josée Dayan
Les Misérables 2000, Josée Dayan

That I find the best. For some there is still something to say, but they are either too short, miss something, are a little odd, or something like that...

[jadrianne]

I Claudius (Derek Jacobi ) 1976

Forsyte Saga ( 1967)

Cyrano de Bergerac ( Gerard Depardieu -1990)

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

The Agony and The ecstasy (1965)

[janesmith]

The French Lieutenant's Woman- Meryl Streep/Jeremy Irons
Jude- Kate Winslet/ Christopher Eccleston
Tess- Roman Polanski's version
A Room With a View- Helena Bonham Carter

[Lokasenna]

I usually try to avoid them...hmm...

Oh, Atonement was a really good film - actually much better than the novel, though that may be more to do with my dislike of McEwan's style...

[kelby_lake]

Pride and Prejudice (the BBC, not the 2005 film. It was a nice enough story but had none of the book's spirit)
Rebecca (the Hitchcock film. I just think it's great and Mrs Danvers is seriously creepy)
Most chick lit books work better on screen
Black Narcissus (just a fabulous film)

I'll try and think of more.

[keilj]

I thought the film version of Les Mis with Liam Neesom was just outstanding - top notch

Last of the Mohicans is one of my favorite movies of all time


Greystoke Legend of Tarzan was a really, really good movie


Also (chick flick alert) - I thought The Other Boylyn Girl was a fascinating movie

[Satan]

The Godfather
The Shawshank Redemption (short story)
Lolita
Of Mice and Men
Into the Wild
Silence of the Lambs
A Clockwork Orange
Apocalypse Now (Heart of Darkness)
The Cement Garden
Great Expectations
The Day of the Jackal (one of the best!)
The Remains of the Day
Dangerous Liaisons
Naked Lunch

A pity I haven't read American Psycho and Fight Club yet.

[Emil Miller]

Some interesting examples. My own would be:

Oliver Twist with Alec Guiness and Robert Newton.

The Third Man with Orson Wells and Joseph Cotten.

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold with Richard Burton, Claire Bloom.

The last being an amazingly accurate transition from book to film with sterling contributions from all concerned.

[Satan]

I forgot these:

Where Eagles Dare
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Dracula
The English Patient
Seven Years in Tibet (non-fiction, but great adaptation nonetheless)

[janesmith]

Can't believe that I forgot "The English Patient"- good shout!

[kelby_lake]

The film adaptation looked pretty and was okay...I suppose it's a hard novel to film. A Place in The Sun was dull- I don't know how good the book is but the film was dull. The only nice character died.

Brighton Rock is brilliant and I enjoyed the film of Vanity Fair

[Emil Miller]

The film adaptation looked pretty and was okay...I suppose it's a hard novel to film. A Place in The Sun was dull- I don't know how good the book is but the film was dull. The only nice character died.

Brighton Rock is brilliant and I enjoyed the film of Vanity Fair

I haven't seen A Place in the Sun but the book on which it is based , An American Tragedy, is marvellous.

I should have added Brighton Rock to my own list. You are right, it is brilliant even if the ending is slightly different to the book.

[*Classic*Charm*]

A Place in The Sun was dull- I don't know how good the book is but the film was dull. The only nice character died.


Agreed. The only thing that kept it interesting was watching Elizabeth Taylor flit about, and even she could save it. I fell asleep haha

[Cygnus X-2112]

I think the two recent Cormac McCarthy adaptions (No Country For Old Men and The Road) have both been great films and did a good job of capturing the tone of the novels.

[dfloyd]

An American Tragedy is a great book which has become a modern classic. Dresier's Sister Carrie and American Tragedy were early modernist novels which paved the way for Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway. The film, A Place in the Sun, was a good adaptation of the novel as it replicated the spirit of the book. The cast of Montgomery Clift, Eizabeth Talor, Shelley Winters, and Raymond Burr did justice to the novel. Finding this film dull has more to do with your age and life experience than any fault with the film. You are the same person who has a problem with Hemingway. You should examine your attitudes more carefully before making blatant statements. I'm not attacking you. Just suggesting you examine your thoughts more carefully before criticizing books and films which many have enjoyed. As you mature, you'll find your opinions will change.

[Sebas. Melmoth]

Kubrick's film version of Burgess' A Clockwork Orange is very faithful to the novel--indeed, virtually identical.

[kelby_lake]

I haven't seen A Place in the Sun but the book on which it is based , An American Tragedy, is marvellous.

I should have added Brighton Rock to my own list. You are right, it is brilliant even if the ending is slightly different to the book.

I haven't read An American Tragedy but from reviews, etc. it looks like it's about greed. A Place in The Sun is dull and sentimental- he isn't in love with the rich girl; he wants her money, but the film tries to portray it as some sort of big romance. A film about abhorrent greed might be interesting but Hollywood went for the schmaltz. I'm not sure what else Clift was in but he was particularly dull.

[Emil Miller]

I haven't read An American Tragedy but from reviews, etc. it looks like it's about greed. A Place in The Sun is dull and sentimental- he isn't in love with the rich girl; he wants her money, but the film tries to portray it as some sort of big romance. A film about abhorrent greed might be interesting but Hollywood went for the schmaltz. I'm not sure what else Clift was in but he was particularly dull.

Well, as I said, I haven't seen the film, but checking out the Radio Times Guide to films 2007, I see that it won six Oscars in 1951, including one for best director. That was when Oscars meant something, whereas now they are given to those whose appeal is to teenagers of all ages who make up the bulk of the cinema going public.

[MarkBastable]

I'd suggest the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which may not be up to much but they do offer a way to get the gist of the story without having to plough through Tolkien's godawful over-engineered prose.

[kelby_lake]

Well, as I said, I haven't seen the film, but checking out the Radio Times Guide to films 2007, I see that it won six Oscars in 1951, including one for best director. That was when Oscars meant something, whereas now they are given to those whose appeal is to teenagers of all ages who make up the bulk of the cinema going public.

A total travesty that Streetcar didn't get the best picture and director and scoring. Kazan's directing was spot on- there's a reason why Streetcar always makes best films lists and A Place in The Sun doesn't. None of A Place in The Sun's awards were won for acting, and in the end that it was keeps you watching a film.

It amazes me how it won 6 Oscars.

[Emil Miller]

A total travesty that Streetcar didn't get the best picture and director and scoring. Kazan's directing was spot on- there's a reason why Streetcar always makes best films lists and A Place in The Sun doesn't. None of A Place in The Sun's awards were won for acting, and in the end that it was keeps you watching a film.

It amazes me how it won 6 Oscars.

Well, there are other people involved in the success or failure of a film than the actors alone and, although nominated, neither Montgomery Clift nor Shelley Winters won. I have just checked it out in Halliwell and he was of a similar opinion to yourself; which only goes to show how subjective different people's views can be.
As for A Streetcar Named Desire, it was awarded four Oscars although, according to the Radio Times film guide, Marlon Brando was beaten by Humphrey Bogart's performance in The African Queen.
Interestingly, Halliwell damns Streetcar with faint praise and gives it two stars out of a possible five just as he does with A Place in the Sun.

[kelby_lake]

Well, there are other people involved in the success or failure of a film than the actors alone and, although nominated, neither Montgomery Clift nor Shelley Winters won. I have just checked it out in Halliwell and he was of a similar opinion to yourself; which only goes to show how subjective different people's views can be.
As for A Streetcar Named Desire, it was awarded four Oscars although, according to the Radio Times film guide, Marlon Brando was beaten by Humphrey Bogart's performance in The African Queen.
Interestingly, Halliwell damns Streetcar with faint praise and gives it two stars out of a possible five just as he does with A Place in the Sun.

The Halliwell Guide is pretty strict, but a bit strange, seeing as he gives Night of The Iguana 3 stars (meaning a film made to a very high quality), even though that's not a particularly famous Williams adaptation. There's definitely a lot of personal opinion in there as well. In the Guide, 2 stars means that there's two reasons to like the film and that as a whole it's generally a success.

[Brad Coelho]

i thought the cartoon version of watership down was great...

Great examples thus far- but this, for personal reasons, really pleased me to see. Watership Down was one of the first real literary works I enjoyed & I found the film to share all its heart & spirit.

I'm also impressed to see someone mention Naked Lunch- the unfilmable of unfilmables; though Cronenberg smartly made it a bit more a detail of 'Junky' while attempting to write Naked Lunch.

Personally, I'm hardpressed to see a film capture the essence of a book any better than to Kill A Mockingbird. Even Harper Lee (who turned down opportunities to convert the book into plays, tv or musicals) called the film 'A Work of Art.' Adaptation praise to film doesn't get much higher than that.

[kelby_lake]

Watership Down is a terrifying film.

[SwedishDemocrac]

I usually try to avoid them...hmm...

Oh, Atonement was a really good film - actually much better than the novel, though that may be more to do with my dislike of McEwan's style...

I agree. Atonement was a great film.

[Emil Miller]

The Halliwell Guide is pretty strict, but a bit strange, seeing as he gives Night of The Iguana 3 stars (meaning a film made to a very high quality), even though that's not a particularly famous Williams adaptation. There's definitely a lot of personal opinion in there as well. In the Guide, 2 stars means that there's two reasons to like the film and that as a whole it's generally a success.

I haven't seen Night of the Iguana, but having just read in Halliwell that it concerns a defrocked clergyman who becomes a travel courier in Mexico and is sexually desired by a teenage nymphomaniac, a middle-aged hotel owner and a frustrated itinerant artist, and that the publicity for the film was 'One man...three women...one night!' I'm beginning to wish I had.:D

[bouquin]

So far, the only movie adaptation that I consider to be better than the book is Into The Wild.

[Drkshadow03]

I was interested to read on a recent thread the discussion on the merits, or otherwise, of The Sun Also Rises and a number of posts mentioned the filmed adaptation. What do members think are the most successful cinematic recreations of novels they have read?

I admit I haven't read the book, but most people I've talked to who have read the book said the Forest Gump film is vastly superior to the book that spawned it.

[kelby_lake]

I haven't seen Night of the Iguana, but having just read in Halliwell that it concerns a defrocked clergyman who becomes a travel courier in Mexico and is sexually desired by a teenage nymphomaniac, a middle-aged hotel owner and a frustrated itinerant artist, and that the publicity for the film was 'One man...three women...one night!' I'm beginning to wish I had.:D

It is enjoyable and you've got a starry cast- Richard Burton, Ava Gardener and Deborah Kerr, plus Sue Lyons (AKA Kubrick's Lolita).

[Emil Miller]

It is enjoyable and you've got a starry cast- Richard Burton, Ava Gardener and Deborah Kerr, plus Sue Lyons (AKA Kubrick's Lolita).

I'll bet Richard Burton was feeling a bit tired by the morning.

[bouquin]

Two goats break into the projection room of a cinema house and start munching on the spools of film. "By golly, this film is good," says the first goat; the second replies, "Yeah, but I thought the book was better." :biggrin5:

[Silvia]

I think A Portrait of a Lady by Jane Campion and Sense and Sensibility by Ang Lee (and screenplayed by Emma Thompson) are two of the best novel adaptations I can think of. A Beautiful Mind is very good too.

[dfloyd]

Is that they don't have enough time to tell the novel. One of the longest adaptations was Gone with the Wind which was 3-1/2 hours long. TV has soved this problem to some extent. Masterpiece Theatre solved this problemto by creating a miniseries from a novel. I have seen all the Masterpiece adaptations of Dickens' novels, and you have to hand it to the English .... they really know how to create something that is 9 or 10 hours long that holds your attention. Of course, their adaptation of the two Robert Graves' novels, I,Claudius and Claudius the God, is the most famous Masterpiece Theatre adaptation.

[kelby_lake]

Is that they don't have enough time to tell the novel. One of the longest adaptations was Gone with the Wind which was 3-1/2 hours long. TV has soved this problem to some extent. Masterpiece Theatre solved this problemto by creating a miniseries from a novel. I have seen all the Masterpiece adaptations of Dickens' novels, and you have to hand it to the English .... they really know how to create something that is 9 or 10 hours long that holds your attention. Of course, their adaptation of the two Robert Graves' novels, I,Claudius and Claudius the God, is the most famous Masterpiece Theatre adaptation.

The Brideshead Revisited adaptation is great :D
Jewel in The Crown is very good too.

Masterpiece Theatre...is that what they call the BBC productions in America?

[OrphanPip]

Watership Down is a terrifying film.

You should see Rosen's adaptation of Adams' Plague Dogs, strangely dark movies for adaptations of children's novels.

Edit: If I had seen this as a child I would have been traumatized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp5mcc47xD8

[kelby_lake]

I just saw it. Nasty!

[Sebas. Melmoth]

Watership Down is a terrifying film.

True!--I almost went tharn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check the film version of A. S. Bayatt's Angels and Insects.

Didn't they do a film version of another of Bayatt's books?
(Can't think of the title...)

[LMK]

I generally do not watch a film made from a book; prefering the images and characters from my memory. That is not to say I never have or never will, just my preference.

[Seasider]

I so loved The Shipping News. One of the best things about it for me was her demonstration of the Newfie argot. This was impossible to translate to film and I missed that whole reason for enjoying it. Much as I love Judi Dench her part was very minimal and unsubtle in the film compared with the book.I should have stuck with my own mental version.

I liked the film of Orlando and although I am a big fan of Virginia Woolf I thought the visualisation of some of the scenes were almost better than her descriptions. And Quentin Crisp...what can I say?
I thought The Big Sleep was tremendous for about 2/3rds of the story and then the desire to big up the Lauren Bacall part ruined it for me. Where was Silverwig??
After I saw Gone With the Wind I had no desire to read the book.
I am wondering what I will make of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
I enjoyed the book immensely.

[Persuasion]

I have seen “Pelican Brief " and "Rain Maker" movies but reading the novels was much better, more detail and suspense.

But other movies like "Bridget Jones Diary" and The "Shawshank Redemption" were better than the novels.

[DonovanTalbot]

Tho a piece of nonfiction, Scorsese's Goodfellas is way better than Nicolas Pileggi's Wise Guy upon which it was adapted. I found Wise Guy to be a pretty dull, plodding yet short read.

[hillwalker]

J G Ballard's 'Empire of the Sun' - brilliant novel, equalled by Spielberg in his movie adaptation.

[kelby_lake]

I generally do not watch a film made from a book; prefering the images and characters from my memory. That is not to say I never have or never will, just my preference.

I always consider the film a separate entity from the book. Both can be appreciated for different reasons.