What’s the worst book to film/tv adaption you’ve seen?

[Soubriquet]

Mine is Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children.

In the book, Emma controls fire. She’s sassy, strong, stands up for herself and calls out peoples shit.

In the film, she is lighter than air and defers to her male costar. I was really disappointed by this film

I wasn't much impressed by the first bridgerton series either, they completely lost the humour in the books and finding out who whistledown is in that way spoils the series going forward imo

Yes agree with Captain Corellis Mandolin. Throwing in a sex scene when it was central to the character that it didn't happen was such a terrible decision.

The Beach, changing the main character to US from British was bad enough but they changed the story too so he 'got the girl'. Fom recollection being single and feeling on the periphery cos his best friends were a couple was central to the character. He also had a major conflict with another older male character, kind of a power ego thing but in the movie they just hated each other cos one shagged the others girl.

How on earth can a team of people decide these changes are going to work?

I totally agree with the 'feel'.

For an example of good adaptations the TV series Sharpe. The TV series mostly followed the books and then Cornwell wrote some prequels. In the TV series they set them as later on.

Also Sharpe is a dark haired Londoner in the books and Sean Bean on TV.

But again they get the tone or the feel or the whatever right.

I have erased all memory of the film tbh. Did they expunge the homosexuality and Carlo's adoration for CC ?

@YourSnugHazelTraybake true. I think the second series annoyed me more because I'd not heard of or read the books until after I'd started watching the first series!

as amazing as the movie may be, read The Godfather and you’ll start questioning it.

the time Michael spent in Sicily is so beautifully described in the book, I could read a whole book just about that part.

Where the crawdads sing... terrible just terrible 😞

Re Mansfield Park, there have been several unsatisfactory adaptations. I particularly disliked the one where Frances O’Connor played Fanny. Must she keep self regardingly staring into the camera??

Agree! I didn't mind the first Divergent..missed Characters out okay but then came film 2 and that's when it seemed to become so far away from the books with the random box. And to split the 3rd book into 2 films..wasnt the most exciting book to start with. The again messed up with lots happening in part one and part two never happened. Been interesting to see if they changed the ending and all

@IvorTheEngineDriver I loved the Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy film! I guess the plot might have been tricky to follow if you hadn't read the book, but I thought they did a brilliant job in capturing the atmosphere of the book. I haven't watched the Alec Guinness adaptation though - it's on my list.

MrsLux, Mercychan -

I love the K Knightley P&P.

I agree that it's a bit too muddy and farmyardy
KK's hair is trulybterrible
Donald Sutherland's wandering accent is baffling
Rupert Friend is very stiff as Wickham I think he was miscast. Wickham needs to be much more with the deadly charm I thin

On the plus side

The music is great and Matthew Macfadyen is a wonderful Darcy apart from odd hair
Mr Bingley and Mrs Bennet - well cast.
The casting of Charlotte, Mr Collins and Lady Catherine is really strong and
I think the sense of the sisters being young women is strong.

I actually love that because Gary Oldman is just so amazing in the role of Smiley. It gave me a real chortle the first time I saw Slow Horses, as well. Smiley fallen upon lean times.

Matthew is amazing, I'll give you that. I just can't get over how bad Keira is. Not just her hair, the whole thing. She has never been able to act, she gets roles because she's pretty, end of story.

I hear you about KK. But I think she has got better over time. I think she is stronger in the Duchess?

MsLuxLisbon

She has never been able to act, she gets roles because she's pretty, end of story.

Quite.
I quite liked her when I first saw her in Dr Zhivago, but I realise now that she looked a bit like a older version of DD1 (who was then 8 and, imo, looks far better than KK now. Not that I'm biased...)

But her acting consists of simpering = happy (worst was the "l look quite pretty" bit in Love Actually) and hanging her mouth open = every other emotion.

World war z. Don't even resemble to book

THIS is what immediately came to mind when I saw the thread title.

Also the television adaptation of Agatha Christie's Endless Night. I've always loved the book because it's such a different 'voice' for Christie and feels like a gothic melodrama. I waited so long to see it adapted for the screen but the television version crowbarred Marple into the plot and totally diluted everything that had made it a chilling story. It was particularly annoying because the cast was excellent. Utter waste.

There was word of a movie version. Hopefully, that is in more careful hands.

True blood. No where near as good as the books and things majorly changed

Have you seen the 1972 version with Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett and Britt Ekland? That is far, far better than the Marple monstrosity. I really think it comes close to capturing the eeriness of the book, plus all the leads are beautiful and the acting and scenery are great.

ah, but have you seen the one with Billie Piper? as mentioned by @Fifthtimelucky and @MouseMinge

I mean, the woman tried her best, but...

The director quite obviously didn't get Fanny. She was not a bubbly character oppressed by her stuffy relations. She did not laugh when confused or embarrassed. And she and Edmund would not not not never in a million years have pioneered the waltz...

Firestarter is an abomination but then most of Stephen king's book to film adaptions are awful.. See The stand, I'm cringing inside out even thinking about it!

On a similar note, even I at 14 - a cinematic know-nothing with a highly undeveloped critical sense - was horrified by the Olivier version's decision to make Lady Catherine nice at the end

I have a funny feeling that I did when I was a little girl, now you've said that, yet I had no memory another version of Endless Night existed until just now. Will seek it out, thanks!

The Stand miniseries was so awful 😞 As for Ezra Miller’s performance ……I have no words.

Mrsluxlisbon
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