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

[ohdearwhatdoidonow]

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?

The Cider House Rules worked for me. I loved time travellers wife, and was looking forward to watching it tonight... after reading this thread i think i will leave it!

I loved the way the film of The Beach gave me the same creepy feelings as the book. I also thought the film of Chocolat was good visually and the setting was just as I'd imagined.

I really like:
About A Boy
High Fidelity
Girl with A Pearl Earring
Great Expectations (the Lean one)
Rebecca
The Maltese Falcon
Room with a View

I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on DVD and ended up turning it off halfway through as I found it so tedious, despite starring Brad Pitt.

Some time later I read the short story on which it's based and really enjoyed it. The concept of the story (ageing backwards) is intriguing but doesn't really stand up to very close examination so works much better as a short story than as a 166 minute film. It might have worked as a short film.

I agree with too many other posters to mention!

LOTR - I dreaded the films coming out as I love the books but thought they were brilliant adaptations. I loved the way they got some of the best of the narrative in by translating it to dialogue - like Gandalf's speech about the swift sunrise. Lots of film adaptations fall flat because some of the best of the writing is lost but LOTR got round that.

The Last Unicorn - loved both book and film equally

The Princess Bride - the film narrowly wins

The Dark is Rising - saw 5 minutes and nearly threw something at the screen!

Children of Green Knowe - loved both

Box of Delights - ditto

Time Traveller's Wife - loved the book, found the film tedious

Sleepers - good book and film

Alex Cross films - agree that Morgan Freeman just isn't right

My Sister's Keeper - good book, pointlessly altered film

Twilight - books were enjoyable rubbish, films were just rubbish

Harry Potter - books much better than films, particularly the last one

The Lovely Bones - daren't watch it!

Oh, and Goodnight Mr Tom - both book and film were brilliant.

I agree, actors can surpprise. I hate Tom Hanks with a passion, and watch Tom Hanks films muttering under my breath but he surprises me by actually being a good actor.
The thing about Tom Cruise for Jack Reacher is not that he can't act, he is a very good actor; but Jack Reacher is this tall muscle bound loner, who is a shit-hot ex military tough guy. Tom Cruise he is not.
Mind you Vin Diesel is wrong for the part too -can't act although he can do the tough guy thing well.

Ohh thank you all.

For those wanting a "morally superior argument" you won't get one from me. I love film as much as I love books. Just live in hope that the books I actually love will one day have a really good adaption.

Perhaps I should follow my own rules - If I watch and love a film, I don't read the book. Perhaps I should just accept and do the same in reverse.

Agree with the posters above who said mentioned Brokeback Mountain. Film and book versions both great.

I detested the film of Brokeback Mountain - the scenery was the only decent actor in it. Dreadful mumbling rubbish.

I loved the film dances with wolves and subsequently read the book. They are virtually identical (as far as I remember) bbut I was always led to believe this is because the book was written after the film came out son the back of its popularity so it probably doesn't count

I don't mind reading a book after I've seen the film, as the picture I have in my mind is the one from the film, so, unless it's been changed wildly from the book, it's fine that way round. The trouble with reading the book first is that each and every one of us will "draw" the characters, the scenery, etc. in our own minds, and probably will have 1000 different images between us, so not many people are ever going to agree with the Director / screenplay writer / set designer or setting finder / person that chooses the actors.

I'm a huge Dick Francis fan, so when dh saw a boxed set of 3 DVDS of film versions of three of his books he thought he was treating me by buying them. Well they were completely abysmal, I think they'd just taken the names of the books and put their own plots to them, plus they'd made them all americanised sort of 'Dallas' type eighties glam. And talk about wooden acting! When I tell you that the main character in all of them was that bloke who played Lovejoy you will know how bad they were.
Anyway, yes I was disappointed but it was so hilariously bad that I didn't really mind.

On the other hand, I was reluctant to watch 'The Mists of Avalon' because I'd read it as a teenager and really loved it, but actually the film turned out to be excellent and very true to the book.

Agree about A Room With A View. The best film adaptation IMO. Beautiful!

I watched The Time Travellers Wife tonight, with my Mum, who spent most of the film saying "so which one is he...if he's back why are they worried...no I still don't get it" and then at the end said "well if you say the book was good..." in a tone that meant "But I very much doubt it." The wedding and the ending had her very confused.

I didn't mind it too much once it got going, but I was very annoyed at the beginning. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are not my Henry and Clare.

And I hate it when films miss out a great deal of the book or want to explain something quickly that was revealed slowly in the book, so they have a character do it too quickly in a couple of sentences.

The Time Travellers Wife had Older Henry explain things to Younger Henry right at the start in a very quick "Look I'm you, you time travel, I'm you grown up, bye" kind of way that sounded really false and self conscious because the actor knows he's talking to the viewers not the other people in the film.

Another one that did this is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when they are riding on the Hippogriff. "So you see Hermione, it was me all along blah blah." It sounds false and rushed when you know the book did it differently.

I thought of another that wasn't a bad adaptation .. Jilly coopers RIders.. that was fairly well done.

I watched Time Traveller's Wife last night too, having read the book and found it better than I had expected it to be. The film, I thought, was really rather flat and fairly dull; I did miss the first 20 minutes but I suspect that made little difference.

Yes, its not exactly Tom Cruise is it...

I know the hair and eyes isnt Vin Diesel, but at least he looks physically capable of the job! I love those books though, and I am just expecting the film to be a complete let down..

ComposHat - there is also the wonderful music with the film of The Third Man!

Have steered well clear of the film of Never Let Me Go. Loved the film of Atonement, the pace of it was fine as I found the book dragged. On the whole, if I've really enjoyed the book I'm reluctant to see the film - too little time on my hands to spend it in that way.

Yes! Good zither playing throughout!

Good for the German too . . . "Sie kommen um zehn Minuten zu spaet." Might have to watch it again tonight if I can get the video player to work.

Morgan Freeman as 'Red' in Shawshank redemption although he is a good actor it just seemed wrong In my head he is red haired irish american man!

Usually with Stephen King films they do the colour switch the other way [dolores claibourne-she was black in the book]

Chocolat LOVE the book, I get lost in it. The film was sooo disappointing.

Oh I am so glad someone has already mentioned the travesty that is Tom Cruise casting himself as Jack Reacher. And why are they starting with the 9th book? It's not even first in the "in-universe" chronology

On a slightly different note I am torn about going to see War Horse at the cinema because the magic of the show was that I forgot that the horses were puppets, it'll just be a big old Spielberg Smaltzfest in live action surely?