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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:
Melty · 04/02/2012 19:15

Shawshank Redemption is a good film. Excellent film even, but it was spoiled for me because in the short story, Red, played by Morgan Freeman is called Red because he is a red headed Irish Guy.
I just couldnt get over that.
Loved the Time Travellers wife book, the film was dreadfu, trulyl dreadful. The acting was awful and every time Eric Bana opened his mouth I just heard voiceover man. (You know the one that does the voice overs for all the trailers.)
Misery by Stephen King was rather good though, both book and film, although they changed a few bits.
Cold mountain is a brilliant book, but Nicole Kidman was completely wrong for it, and Renee Zweilwegger, while very good in the film was not Ruby. Ruby was a young black maid in the book.

MrsWembley · 04/02/2012 19:15

Captain Corelli... grrAngry

The Golden Compass... grrrrAngryAngry

Pride & Prejudice (Keira's version)... oh dear godSadAngrySad

ButWhyIsTheGinGone · 04/02/2012 19:30

I second the Misery vote - it was good despite the changes.
Disappointed at MrsWembly's verdict of Pride and Prejudice - I have it right here in front of me ready to watch tonight. Obviously not expecting it to match up to the series but had a glimmering hope it might not be appalling....!

Oh GOD I know another one for the thread. Adrian Mole. The books are depressingly, cringily brilliant, but the TV adaptations have been just crap. (IMHO).

Conversely, I found the book of Birdsong to be utter drivel, but the recent TV drama really good. (Absolutely nothing to do with the beautiful Eddie Redmayne, obviously.) I had to read the novel for my A Level English Lit. Genuinely though, something about the drama made me just cry from start to finish, while the book made me think "FFS get over yourself."

MrsWembley · 04/02/2012 19:48

BlushSorry Gin You never know, you may like it...

It's just that P&P would probably be my Desert Island book. So anyone (anyoneAngry) tampering with it would bring on my wrath. Just remember, they made it with an illiterate, American audience in mind...

squeakytoy · 04/02/2012 19:48

I third Misery.. that was pretty accurate.

However Cujo failed miserably, probably because it is impossible to portray on film, the inside of a dog's mind.

Angels & Demons was a good adaptation, but I could not get into the book of Da Vinci Code, and enjoyed the film.

MrsWembley · 04/02/2012 19:48

anyone

MrsWembley · 04/02/2012 19:50

Oh, but in Angels and Demons they missed the best most ludicrous part of the book! I only watched the film to see a man fly!Wink

ButWhyIsTheGinGone · 04/02/2012 19:52

It's ok MrsWembley - I will most likely agree with you, and haven't even started watching yet, as snowball making is proving far too entertaining!

bettybat · 04/02/2012 19:55

Fight Club is a much much better film than book. Hands down. It is true, in the film, they usually mess the story up stupidly and incomprehensibly. But Fight Club was just such an awesome, awesome film, it surpassed Chuck Palian-wotsit's original idea and writing.

The English Patient was at least equal too. Gorgeous book, gorgeous film.

CrystalQueen · 04/02/2012 20:01

It's always a mistake to watch a film of a book you love. It's inevitable that the filmmakers will emphasise different aspects of the story even in a good adaptation. Bad adaptations (Captain Corelli I am looking at you) will totally miss the point (and change the ending for no obvious reason).

On the other hand I have read books after watching the film and found that I can appreciate both the film and the book.

bettybat · 04/02/2012 20:07

I think also - the 25th Hour did a really, really decent job of the book. I'm sensing a theme..maybe it's just that Ed Norton is incredible.

No. David Fincher had a whole lot to do with the brilliance of Fight Club.

This is sort of sounding like actually film adaptations aren't so bad. The reality is, most of them are shocking.

TheSurgeonsMate · 04/02/2012 20:08

Master & Commander certainly does the books justice. I say books, because the plot isn't from Master & Commander, it's a later one in the series and incidents have been harvested from a number of the other books in the series. There is a major plot change. The boat they were chasing in the book was American. The baddies in the film are, of course, French. It's great though, the detail is superb. Peter Weir must have been a real fan.

cheekyseamonkey · 04/02/2012 20:11

Definitely DON'T warch The Time Traveller's Wife then!

pointythings · 04/02/2012 22:08

I thought the film of Dune was much better than the book, but apart from that I have to agree with the OP.

StellaNova · 04/02/2012 22:46

I have thought this from an early age when I was saddened by the travesty (IMyoungO) that was the TV adaptation of my favourite book at the time The Children of Green Knowe. Nothing since has really changed my mind, although I remember not hating The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe.

OTOH I loved the TV adaptation of The Box Of Delights, and didn't like the book so much when I read it. going back a bit

StellaNova · 04/02/2012 22:46

Sorry, didn't mean to bold that last bit...

Grumpla · 04/02/2012 22:49

Brokeback Mountain? I do love Annie Proulx (sp?!?) but thought the film added so much more to the story.

Maybe "films of short stories" are destined to be better than "films of novels" because there isn't the same need to compress / simplify?

loopydoo · 04/02/2012 22:50

I gave up on the TTW book - I just couldn't get into it yet I absolutely loved the film.

The same is true for others - especially Jane Austin stuff.

Flowers In The Attic was almost exactly like the book - totally fab and the exact characters I'd imagined in my head.

I'm hoping they do a movie of the 13th Tale - I thought the book was very film worthy.

loopydoo · 04/02/2012 22:51

Oh gosh yes - Misery - exactly the same as book.

southeastastra · 04/02/2012 22:54

i suppose it depends on whether you prefer films or books!

i prefer films alot more than books as i just like to look at things Grin i think sometimes there is a certain snobbery about books over films but stories are made up stories however you are entertained by them

saintmerryweather · 04/02/2012 22:54

The Lord of the Rings films are a million times better than the books - the books are among the worst I have ever read (I used to love them but have since read far, far better authors than Tolkien!)

GoingToBedfordshire · 04/02/2012 22:54

YABU

The Reader - film and book both fantastic
Revolutionary Road also.

Am not Kate Winslet btw

paulapantsdown · 04/02/2012 22:56

Brokeback Mountain is a pretty interesting short story, and a bloody amazing film I think.

The Colour Purple film is quite different to the book (not so lesbo), but is my favourite film of all time.

I too was very very cross about Captain Correlli, and cannot look at that eejit Cage since.

jollyboysmum · 04/02/2012 22:57

Eat Drink Love -is that its name? - cheesy annoying book but I actually quite enjoyed the film! 'One Day' the film made me so fed up, as I loved the book, that I will never see 'The Help' as I loved the novel so so much.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 04/02/2012 22:57

Sometimes the films can do justice, but it's rare.

I've just seen that Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close has been made into a film and I'm really in two minds about seeing it. I loved the book and weirdly so much of it played out in my mind like a film. I had this image of watching Oscar walk over a bridge from a very, very high angle above and slightly to the right of him, with the sun coming in on the left but with everything wet from rain that had recently stopped and Simon and Garfunkel singing The Only Living Boy in New York as the soundtrack. I never normally imagine film moments when I am reading a book but if that scene isn't in the film it will annoy me because it was my favourite image of the book. And if the song isn't in it they have missed a trick because that book was written to have that song played as it's soundtrack.

Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock are not the parents I imagined for Oscar either.