Frustrating because it was pretty close to being a good adaptation but why did Pelagio and Antonio have to get it on in the film when the tension between them was what made the book so romantic.
Also War of the worlds being set in Boston America was never going to work. If there ever is an alien invasion we would expect it to land on the East coast of America first. Nobody would ever have expected it to land in Woking.
PS I Love You- Cecilia Ahern. Loved the book when I read it; even though it's chicklit I found it to be a real tearjerker and wonderfully written but I thought the film was terrible! They switched settings around, I thought the casting was all wrong...
Another one is 'I am Legend.' Will Smith?? Laughable. I thought the film was ridiculous and completely crucified Matheson's book.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day - the book is fabulous, I enjoyed it so much, then I went to see the film with my daughter and was really disappointed. Maybe it's just one of those books that you can't film? I didn't feel it was the actors' fault, it just didn't work somehow.
For me the film chocolat was laughable compared to the book. The stuggles the priest has in trying to be true to his faith in the face of the magical longing for the "evil" chocalatier was completly lost when they changed the preist for no apparent reason into the mayor. AJ
I can tell you two films-of-the-book I'd be very intrigued to see, wondering how they had the audacity to try: 'The Steppenwolf' and (James Joyce's) 'Ulysses'. But probably there's a reason why they're never on telly.
Very few movies do justice to the books they're based on, in my opinion. Catch 22 was the one I thought of first. I don't think it would be possible to translate the book of a great writer into a visual and audial performance unless every person involved knew and loved the book as much as the author, and their artistic integrity would have to match his (or hers) as well.
Gille - I'd really like to see "Steppenwolf", too. Unfortunately, it's only available on region 1 DVD. I'd assumed this must indicate that it had been a commercial and/or critical flop. However, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is also only available for region 1, and that won 5 Oscars.
Gille - I'd really like to see "Steppenwolf", too. Unfortunately, it's only available on region 1 DVD. I'd assumed this must indicate that it had been a commercial and/or critical flop. However, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is also only available for region 1, and that won 5 Oscars.
I'd say the film adaptation fo Thomas Hardy's "The Woodlanders" (starring Rufus Sewell and Emily Woof) is the worst I've seen. It stops two-thirds of the way through the story, making the whole film completely pointless.
Oh yes. I'd forgotten about that one, possibly because I'd tried to. It's adaptations like that make me hope they don't go anywhere near other favourite books of mine.
i don't think Hardy translates easily to the screen - can descend into melodrama although i enjoyed the atmospheric Tess by the obnoxious polanski which is visually stunning and avoids too much of Hardy's sometimes hammy dialogue i think EM Forster's stuff translates well but that's not the subject of the thread so i'll leave it there
I can't bear the latest Emma on television. They keep going out without hats and it is SO SLOW and talky and stilted and awful. The 1996 one was really good, why have they done this? Bleugh. And I recorded it.
The first one I thought of was "PS I Love You" - if I hadn't been watching it with a friend I would have walked out! Agree that "Chocolat" was a disaster too, great book, crap film.
I watched "Nights in Rodante" on DVD the other day and loved it - is the book better and worth a read?
I watched `The village of the damned` as a child and was only faintly bothered by the strange children in it although back then it was probably considered a horror. I have finally, after about 30 years, just read The Midwich cuckoos. The film did little justice to John Wyndhams fabulous sci - fi writing. Its the day of the Triffids next! I still feel a little uneasy in Kew Gardens!
Good adaptations: Far From the Madding Crowd; Tess of the D'Urbevilles; Catch 22 (as much as anyone ever could, they caught the strangeness and irony); Tom Jones - yes, they caught that one just right and Albert Finney made a good Tom; I Am Legend - I was engaged by this, but then I haven't read the book. Bad adaptations: Captain Corelli's Mandolin (Nicholas Cage was so, so wrong in that part); Jude the Obscure (but not the fault of Christopher Ecclestone who was excellent in a poor film); Pride and Prejudice - the Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehrle BBC adaptation was so much better than the latest effort; Vanity Fair - poor effort. Disappointing: Gone Baby Gone - too slow moving and expository; Remains of the Day - the actors did their best but so much had to be left out.
I didn't finish the book so not fair to comment however, the reason I didn't finish it was because it was a bit boring so make of that what you will. Plus I kept seeing Richard Gere's face and although he is lovely I can't bear knowing the cast before I've read the book. Would rather decide myself who I would like in the role. That probably sounds really weird!
E. Shaw. Have to disagree about P and P. Loved the recent version of it although Keira Knightley would be way down my list of favourite actresses (in fact she wouldn't be on it!). But all the other actors were great. Don't get Colin Firth in anything to be honest and that is most definitely a minority opinion I know!
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