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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In believing that a film of a book never dies it justice?

143 replies

ohdearwhatdoidonow · 04/02/2012 18:26

Am about to stop watching films of the books I've read!

I particularly hated the film version of "my Sisters Keeper" and more recently "One Day"

Now "We need to talk about Kevin" was one of my favourite books from the last 10 yrs. AIBU in avoiding the film like the plague?

OP posts:
Original poster
ohdearwhatdoidonow · 04/02/2012 18:27

%23does%23 not dies! Durrrrrrr

OP posts:
Kytti · 04/02/2012 18:42

Well... I have to agree with you. You have to try to see them as separate things, imo. It's a rare thing for a book to translate into a film for so many reasons, but that doesn't mean the films are always bad.

Kytti · 04/02/2012 18:43

translate really well, even. Oops, long day!

lostboysfallin · 04/02/2012 18:45

A couple have been ok

Green mile
A time to kill
La confidential

But they usually change something.

BaggyAndWrinkled · 04/02/2012 18:45

Agree, but you do get some exceptions.

Shawshank Redemption being one. A truly phenomenal film.

Xmasbaby11 · 04/02/2012 18:46

Often this is the case, but We need to talk about Kevin is a fantastic film!

tabulahrasa · 04/02/2012 18:49

I found the film of we need to talk about kevin weird and confusing - even though I'd read the book, so keep on avoiding it...well unless you watch it trying to spot all the imagery that's shoved in, how many times can someone be covered in red liquids? Lol

gazzalw · 04/02/2012 18:49

I haven't read the book of We Need To Talk About Kevin but found the film quite brilliant

But agree with you about others - Birdsong being a recent example of one which failed to do the book justice and definitely The Time Traveller's Wife (which is on TV tomorrow evening at 9.00 pm!)

Xiaoxiong · 04/02/2012 18:51

Not always - the tv adaptation of Game of Thrones is a thousand times better than the books.

mrscumberbatch · 04/02/2012 18:52

The Green Mile was pretty good. The casting was perfect.

GlitterKitty · 04/02/2012 18:53

The English Patient was as good as the book.

mmmmm

SlinkingOutsideInFrocks · 04/02/2012 18:53

The Kevin film is meant to be amazing - can't wait to see it.

BBC Pride and Prejudice was fab, but it was a series and could include so much more of the story than a 2-hour film allows.

The Shawshank Redemption also fantastic.

Other than that, I couldn't agree more.

WitchOfEndor · 04/02/2012 18:54

Goodfellas was almost word for word the same asthe book, both were brilliant. Most others don't match how I see the book in my imagination.

squeakytoy · 04/02/2012 18:55

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is superb as a film.

squeakytoy · 04/02/2012 18:56

The Lynda la Plantes on tv are usually fairly true to the books too.

Beamur · 04/02/2012 18:56

Room with a view was about a perfect an adaptation as I could hope for.

BoringSchoolChoiceNickname · 04/02/2012 18:56

Crap books can be great films - The Godfather and Jaws are prime example, and I'd say Gone With The Wind is as good, or better, than the book, ditto The Shining. The Princess Bride is much better than the book.

Of the books I actually loved, very few have been filmed, and of those only The Lord of The Rings comes close to matching the book.

Haziedoll · 04/02/2012 18:59

Generally speaking I would agree with you. The exception to this is The Time Traveler's Wife, I couldn't get into the book at all, gave up halfway through but thought the film was beautiful.

ButWhyIsTheGinGone · 04/02/2012 18:59

Captain Corelli was the most appallingadaptation ever. I truly love the book, I still bloody cry at it. But the film was some hideously abridged bastardization with the half-witted Nicholas Cage gurning at the camera every five minutes....

Can you tell I'm still pissed off?!

Agree with comments about Shawshank and Green mile, however.

weblette · 04/02/2012 19:00

Atonement was pretty good

BendyBob · 04/02/2012 19:03

I was really looking forward to the forthcoming Woman In Black but on the Review programme I watched last night they were saying the story has been significantly messed about with.

Why?? Why not just tell it as it's written?! The story makes more sense in the original format. I feel quite enraged about it actuallyAngry

SlinkingOutsideInFrocks · 04/02/2012 19:06

Captain Corelli was a shocker! I came out of the movie irrationally enraged as well.

GWTW was a fantastic film, but it left out vast swathes of the (huge) book, not least two of Scarlett's children and loads of stuff of historical significance and interest.

runningwilde · 04/02/2012 19:10

Yabu
The Godfather
Lord of the Rings
Far better than the books

But yes. In some cases they don't half ruin them... The Beach is an amazing book but the film is horrible!

louisianablue2000 · 04/02/2012 19:12

The Shawshank Redemption was actually a short story though, and I think they translate better. The English Patient was good because it added to the book because the emphasis was slightly different. I don't think it is as simple as the book always being better but it generally helps if you've not read the book for a while so you miss all the subtle differences. Long and complicated 19th century novels are always better than the film, TV does them better because it has the time for the plot twists. But some modern novels benefit from the additional editing of the plot when they are translated to film.

mayorquimby · 04/02/2012 19:12

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