Films based on Novels

When I watched 'Count of Monte Cristo' recently with Depardieu as Edmund Dantes, this French movie wrote in a girl friend for Dantes and he got together with Mercedes in the end. This total rearrangement of the story ruined the movie for me. Many Hollywood movies totally change the action. It is like the screen writers are thinking nobody has ever read this book, so let's do this.

If you saw the Masterpiece Theatre 'The Last of the Mohicans"; then you watched the Daniel Day Lewis Hollywood version, you would swear they were two different stories. The latter wasn't a bad movie, but for me, totally aware of Fenimore Cooper's works, it was a mish mash.

It is even worse when Hollywood changes history. It's bad enough when they rewrite fiction, but when they change historical facts or chronology, it's terrible.

APOCALYPSE NOW is one of the best adaptations i've ever seen

Cronenberg's CRASH and NAKED LUNCH are awesome too.

based on a novel by Hrabal

1. My Sweet Little Village
2. Closely Guarded Trains

Stalker by Tarkovsky based on a short story

Apu's Triology by Satyajit Ray based on a Novel


Oh there are so many of them

Perfume. It's one of my favourite movies of all time, for some reason. I really never liked the way they called it Perfume: The Story Of A MURDERER though. Honestly, why would you do that?! I know it was originally called The Perfumer - maybe they thought it was misleading, or that it didn't get people interested enough.

[QUOTE=dfloyd;798567]When I watched 'Count of Monte Cristo' recently with Depardieu as Edmund Dantes, this French movie wrote in a girl friend for Dantes and he got together with Mercedes in the end. This total rearrangement of the story ruined the movie for me. Many Hollywood movies totally change the action. It is like the screen writers are thinking nobody has ever read this book, so let's do this.
QUOTE]

I was completely confused by that movie too. I used to feel the same way when the screenwriters rewrote stories that didn't need rewriting.. But I've come to kind of appreciate that sort of movie - what I mean is, it's interesting to see how different people interpret things. But that only works for me because I try NEVER to watch a movie if I'm expecting it to stay true to the book. They rarely ever do. *sigh*

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Originally Posted by dfloyd

When I watched 'Count of Monte Cristo' recently with Depardieu as Edmund Dantes, this French movie wrote in a girl friend for Dantes and he got together with Mercedes in the end. This total rearrangement of the story ruined the movie for me. Many Hollywood movies totally change the action. It is like the screen writers are thinking nobody has ever read this book, so let's do this.

If you saw the Masterpiece Theatre 'The Last of the Mohicans"; then you watched the Daniel Day Lewis Hollywood version, you would swear they were two different stories. The latter wasn't a bad movie, but for me, totally aware of Fenimore Cooper's works, it was a mish mash.

It is even worse when Hollywood changes history. It's bad enough when they rewrite fiction, but when they change historical facts or chronology, it's terrible.

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I was completely confused by that movie too. I used to feel the same way when the screenwriters rewrote stories that didn't need rewriting.. But I've come to kind of appreciate that sort of movie - what I mean is, it's interesting to see how different people interpret things. But that only works for me because I try NEVER to watch a movie if I'm expecting it to stay true to the book. They rarely ever do. *sigh*

You know, Stanley Kubrick said something of the like that the best adaptions are of novels that aren't classics. Which is true really, a widely-read beloved novel would just end up being too superior for the director's interpritation. That's why the only novel Kubrick adapted which could be considered a classic was Lolita.

In truth, there are many many films which come out each year based on novels. In fact probably 40% of all the movies ever made are based on novels. Even to the point in which the line between an adapted film and a film with an original screenplay begins to disappear. Who would think of the difference between The Third Man and Citizen Kane was that one was adapted and one was not? Cinematic adaptions as a genre is too general a catagorization, for I would merely be listing about half of my favorite films of all time.

As for cinematic adaptions of classic novels, then I can say that I've seen a few which may stand up.

The Grapes of Wrath - John Ford (from Steinbeck's novel)
Aguirre, The Wrath of God - Werner Herzog (from Conrad's Heart of Darkness)
Apocolaypse Now - Francis Ford Coppla (also from Conrad's novella)

Here are what I think are two of the best Shakespeare adaptions.

Chimes at Midnight - Orson Welles (from Shakespeare's Henry IV)
Hamlet - Laurence Oliver

I enjoyed 1984 staring John Hurt and Richard Burton (released in 1984).
It might not be perfect but I think it caught the atmosphere of Orwell’s book well.
I also like Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V.

Though I have to say, many years ago, I was shot down by an old English teacher when he asked who’d read a particular book.
From the back of the class I stuck my hand up and proudly said that I had seen the film.
He was not at all amused. I guess he didn’t think the two were related.