1. MidnightPhoenix

    MidnightPhoenix New Member

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    What the best book that was made into a flim?

    Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by MidnightPhoenix, Mar 25, 2011.

    What the best book that come out, that also come into a film? Which one did you prefer?
     
  2. ojduffelworth

    ojduffelworth New Member

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    The Last Temptation of Christ
     
  3. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    Lonesome Dove. They made it into a mini series, which is the only way it could have been properly accomplished. I would say that both are on equal footing.
     
  4. funkybassmannick

    funkybassmannick New Member

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    The obvious answer: The Lord of the Rings. I mean, can anyone name any other movie that was arguably better than the book? (or at least more likable). From the meticulous attention to detail, to how true it stays to the books, this epic adaptation stands out as the clear champion among books-to-movies.

    One movie worth noting is "Adaptation". Charlie Kaufman was commisioned to adapt Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief to movie, but after dealing with writer's block, instead wrote a script about his difficulty adapting the book to a movie. Also interesting, in the script, he adds a fictitious twin brother, Donald, that was intended to represent the hollywood sell-out side that Charlie is battling. In the actual credits Donald Kaufman, though a fictitious character, is credited for writing the movie alongside Charlie. The credits close with the words, "In loving memory of Donald Kaufman." When the movie was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for "Best Film Adaptation", both Charlie and Donald were credited as co-writers.
     
  5. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    are you asking only for which book that was ever made into a movie was the best book of all books?... or which book made the best movie?
     
  6. Sidewinder

    Sidewinder Contributor Contributor

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    My personal favourite is A Scanner Darkly -- the greatest adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel I've ever seen. The movie and the book are both overwhelmingly good.

    Second prize (in terms of adaptation) goes to Kubrick's Lolita if only for the incredible challenges facing him in bringing this story to Hollywood so successfully in the face of The Catholic Legion of Decency and numerous other obstacles.
     
  7. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    For me Goodbye Mr Chips - the book is sweet and the 1939 film is even better than the book.
     
  8. Ellipse

    Ellipse Contributor Contributor

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    For me, the best book that was made into a movie was Michael Criton's Eaters of the Dead. It became the movie, The 13th Warrior.
     
  9. Trilby

    Trilby Contributor Contributor

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    The Day They Gave Babies Away. I have not read the book but I cried and cried through the film.

    I Remember Mama. is another good one. Both were based on true stories.
     
  10. Torana

    Torana Contributor Contributor

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    The Girl Next Door, by Jack Ketchum. Brought me to tears.
     
  11. arron89

    arron89 Banned

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    Elfriede Jelinek's The Piano Teacher, adapted by Michael Haneke. Such a skilful adaptation given the original text.
     
  12. ojduffelworth

    ojduffelworth New Member

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    I mean, can anyone name any other movie that was arguably better than the book? Yes...The Sound of One Hand Clapping
     
  13. marina

    marina Contributor Contributor

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    Indeed - North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell. The romantic conflict between Mr. Thornton and Margaret is better portrayed on the screen than by Gaskell's words.
     
  14. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    I don't mention Stephen King very often here, because I'm not really a fan of his, but I thought his "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" was an excellent story, and it was made into "The Shawshank Redemption", which is a masterpiece of a movie. I think the movie is better than the novella, and one of the best movies I've ever seen.
     
  15. TheTranskinator

    TheTranskinator New Member

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    The Lord of the Rings trilogy was amazing. It has my vote. The books were good too, but I agree that the films were better.
     
  16. Taylee91

    Taylee91 Carpe Diem Contributor

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    A Wrinkle in Time without a doubt. It took the book and made everything better. The characters, the plot. It was so good.
     
  17. Sidewinder

    Sidewinder Contributor Contributor

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    @arron89 -- good call. Haven't read the book, but the movie is amazing.

    @ojduffelworth -- that's easy. 2001: A Space Odyssey
     
  18. cybrxkhan

    cybrxkhan New Member

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    Lord of the Rings is a good bet, like many said. While I can't say the film was better than the book per se, it was definitely accessible to the average person (as Tolkien's writing can get pretty... well... difficult, at least for me, at times) and adapted the story well.

    However, thinking about it a bit, I think one movie adaptation I found particularly powerful was Grave of the Fireflies, which has been oft cited as one of the few anime movies that is well-known and highly praised among Western movie critics (or something like that). I never read the original semi-autobiographical novel, but the movie was one of the few movies that made me cry, so I'm pretty sure the novel must have been pretty good, too.
     
  19. art

    art Contributor Contributor

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    I despise the Godfather movies but recognise that many think them meritorious...aren't they based on a rather middling Mario Puzo (is it?) book(s)?
     
  20. guamyankee

    guamyankee Active Member

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    No way man, the book is better. That's my opinion anyway. :)

    Although I did like the mini-series.
     
  21. Patrick94

    Patrick94 Active Member

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    Limitless was immense, but I never read the book it was based on, The Dark Fields
     
  22. Taylee91

    Taylee91 Carpe Diem Contributor

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    Jumanji. I scratch my previous post. This one was so much better than its story book counterpart.
     
  23. 霊Ray霊

    霊Ray霊 New Member

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    The lord of the rings, in my opinion. Even nowadays I like the movies but I remember that the first time I watched them I was totally "WOW" :rolleyes:
     
  24. 霊Ray霊

    霊Ray霊 New Member

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    Koizora was brutal too for me
     
  25. SonnehLee

    SonnehLee Contributor Contributor

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    That movie was amazing. My history teacher made us watch it.
     

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