Book to film, what’s your poison?
The other day I was talking to an author friend about my favorite movie, Practical Magic. Normally I’m a sucker for a great action flick (Transporter, anyone? Sexy accent, sexy body, over-the-top fight/chase scenes…what’s not to love?), but I must’ve watched Practical Magic at least six times over the years…and for me that’s a lot. I can count on two hands the movies I’ve re-watched, only twice. I love the story of the two sisters’ relationship with each other and the town. I love the heartbreak and the sadness and then the love story…and how magical it was. I loved the wacky aunts! They cracked me up. I’m aware that the Practical Magic movie was based on the book of the same name by Alice Hoffman, I just haven’t read the book. Yet. I plan to order it. I want to see the feel good, magical story I know from the screen turned into a great magical story on the page.
Which got me to thinking about books turned into movies, well, Hollywood’s version anyway.
The movie Blood and Chocolate was nothing like the book, save the characters’ names, the fire in the beginning and the title. That was it. Color me gape-faced as I watched the movie unfold on the screen. I LOVED the book Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause, so yes I was disappointed that the movie didn’t follow the story at all. (And sad for the author, too…I’ll admit). I wasn’t disappointed in the movie itself, because the movie was a completely different storyline. As a matter of fact, comparing the two would be like comparing apples and oranges…if the oranges were say, red.
After experiencing past movie snafus, if I know a movie is coming out and there’s hype about it, I’ll try to see the movie first, then I’ll read the book. That way, I can enjoy both.
Yet there are times when waiting just isn’t possible. Another book recently turned into a movie was Twilight. Many people asked me if I liked the movie…and my response was, “Yeah, I liked the movie well enough because at least it held to the storyline of the book.” See, Twilight is where my strategy of “film first, book second” would’ve failed me if I had followed it, since the reason I could enjoy the movie was because I’d read the book. In the movie, on the surface it appears that Bella and Edward moved really fast into falling in love, but I KNEW what really happened. In the book, we spend a lot of time in Bella’s head (and that just couldn’t translate into film…well, not without a lot of narration). I also knew what was said during the scenes filmed at a distance of Edward and Bella talking in the tree and laying on the forest floor, and because I knew, that made the super-fast relationship pace in the movie work okay for me.
So what about you…how do you feel about movie adaptations from books? Do you have a strategy like me, so you can enjoy both? What’s an example of a really well done adaption from book to movie? What are some books you’ve love to see as a movie?
80 people have bellied up to “Book to film, what’s your poison?”
Heee.. Well.. I guess I’ll bring up the LOTR series. The series is not one I read as a kid, but as an adult. First off, I love the movies. I think they’re gorgeously made. I mean seriously, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom anyone? Eye candy aside, they didn’t follow the books religiously as some folks might have liked, but to me that didn’t matter. The heart was there. And they got rid of the singing. To that end, I will always love them, b/c it was NOT my favorite part of the books.
I also have really liked the film adaptations of Jane Austen’s books.. (the bbc version of Pride & Prejudice is my absolute favorite)
I guess, for me, it depends on the book that’s being made into the movie. Other than Jane Austen classics, I will admit to not being a fan of classic reading material being made into movies..(ie: Charles Dickens, Emily & Charlotte Bronte..etc) I can’t connect to the movie versions as I have the novels, I don’t really know why.. lol
I was going to mention LOTR, but I felt it was kind of an unfair comparison since the LOTR movies are LONG and because of that they could incorporate so much more of the storyline. Same is true of Harry Potter movies, though I know HP fans probably feel differently.
I bought the book Pride and Prejudice because of the BBC movie…so yeah, I think they did a great job with those. Have heard that the BBC version of Wuthering Heights is AWESOME. Must see that one!
I have to say that I also will try to watch a movie first, and then read the book. I learned that the hard way with the Harry Potter series. I read the first 4 books in the series and then watched the movies and came away disappointed. I understand that they couldn’t put everything that happened in the books into the movies, which is when I decided movie first and then the book.
I also loved the BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice – but that was done as a mini series which meant they could include a lot of what happened in the book.
Yep, since BBC did it as a miniseries that means SO much more can be included.
I’ve heard many HP fans say the movies disappointed them.
Hm, I think it depends. I’ve often enjoyed movies of which I later heard/read that they are actually based on a book.
I have, however, read all Harry Potter books and not seen one single movie because I was afraid that it would spoil my fantasy. That’s the problem I have with books-turned-movies: it’s never like I imagine but I want it to be like I imagine. And in my head it is like that, so no movie, no problem. *g*
So I would be almost afraid to watch a movie or even see trailers for it when it’s based on a book I really loved. Like your Scions-books, Patrice. I’m really not sure I would watch a Scions-movie. Can never be as good as the books!
That’s the key for me, I usually enjoy the movie first and then learn it was adapted from a book. It’s unusual for it to be the other way around.
And I do think there’s something to the ‘fantasy’ and even the ‘characters’ you’ve built in your head. If it’s not cast well in the movie, it kind of spoils it for you.
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so glad you loved the Scions books so much. A part of me would love to see them on film, but yeah…it could turn out like Blood and Chocolate did, which would make me sad.
I’ve found that the secret to enjoying Harry Potter movies is just inserting the detail and motivation in your head. It works until the latest movie (which had serious plot problems in my opinion).
It’s a short shot for me. You can get through a movie in 2-ish hours if you want a shot of HP, but to read the book often takes much, much more time.
*raises hand* Admits to being daunted by 800 page tomes.
If there’s a book I loved that’s gone to film, I usually don’t want to watch it.
But sometimes if I like a movie that an adaptation, I might try the book. Sometimes I have mixed results.
I do love the movie practical magic, but I never did read the book, either.
I’m kind of scared to read the book, too. I know it’ll be better and I really don’t want it to spoil the magic that movie holds for me.
I saw the movie first and loved it, for most of the reasons you mentioned, and eventually read the book… and I still like the movie better. The book is good, but it has a different feel.
Generally, I prefer the book version of a story… unless they did a particularly good adaptation that captured the feel of the book but focused on something different, so it could be watched as a good movie rather than a mediocre (or worse) adaptation.
If you liked the feel of the movie, then the book Garden Spells has a similar story line. I just finished reading it the other day, so it’s fresh on my mind.
I’ve actually been going back and forth on reading the Dexter books for this very reason.
I know I’ll read them once the series is cancelled, but I’ve been wondering if it’d be safe to read the first one yet.
Yep, this is how I feel about the Charlene Harris Sookie series. I don’t want the books to spoil the show for me, but I KNOW the books are going to be better…if not slightly different in places.
I was going to mention Sookie. I read all the books a few months ago, and then my husband ordered the first season for me. The first episode was… well… horrible. The acting felt cold and not much like acting and more like going through the motions. I’ve been thinking maybe that is because it stuck so closely to the book in the first episode. After the first episode, they get really good, and steamy and pretty funny. And it is those episode that aren’t directly in line with the book, but keep the general spirit of the book there. So I think that True Blood is a great way to point out that books and TV really are two very different styles.
And it is those episode that aren’t directly in line with the book, but keep the general spirit of the book there.
This is another reason why I didn’t pick up the books yet. I didn’t want to ‘read ahead’ by accident and know something before it happened on the show…well, IF it was going to happen on the show. I know the two aren’t exactly the same.
They’ve made some changes with the characters that will make it very hard for them to stay parallel with the entire series of books, in my opinion. The first season went along with the first book. I can just assume they are picking up the second season to follow with the second book, but since I don’t pay for HBO, I just get to wait until they get Season 2 out on DVD. I did see that Season 1 was available per episode on iTunes, but I didn’t find the first few Season 2 episodes out there yet.
I watched a few episodes of “True Blood” to see how it compared to the “Sookie” series. I thought they got it pretty much right on and that part I liked a lot, but HATED some of the story lines *cough* V (using vampire blood as a drug) *cough* that they added. Since I loved the series so much I just couldn’t get over what they changed and stopped watching it.
Oh, so the whole V subplot wasn’t part of the series? Interesting…
I liked twilight the film twas very good (i now own the dvd) but i LOVED the book. Now New Moon the film looks top, but i didnt like the book. I do like the fact they kept to the story and didnt wander to far. I cant wait to see what they do with Breaking Dawn. That was my fave book in the entire series.
Blood and Chocolate was an okay film. I found myself wanting to know more though. So the book is on my amazon wish list
Practical Magic! Love it, watched it an irritating amount and now that you meantioned there is a book.. i think i might read it. (runs back to her amazon page):D
I am looking forward to New Moon the movie vs the book.
You’ll love the book Blood and Chocolate but like I said, don’t expect it to be anything like the movie. IMHO, it’s much better story.
If you read the book, Practical Magic, report back. Would like to hear someone’s thoughts on the book, esp from someone who adores the movie.
I was sorely disappointed with the “Twilight” movie. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the book (all of them actually). I thought that they butchered some key scenes that gave the book it’s essence. However, I’m looking forward to “New Moon” in the hopes that the movie franchise redeems itself.
I really enjoyed “Practical Magic.” I’ve only seen it a couple of times here and there, but whenever it’s on I try to catch at least some of it.
Yey, another Practical Magic lover. *smiles*
I love twilight movie and book…the entire series!!!!! Practical magic is one of my And my friends favorite movies and I never knew there was a book…blood and chocolate was an ok movie I too was asking a whole bunch of questions throughout the movie now I might just read the book
I’ve read somewhere that they aren’t signed on to do Breaking Dawn. Just the first three books. I was disappointed by that, since I figured the best special effects would be in Breaking Dawn.
That’s surprising, but maybe they’re in “wait and see how the first 3 go” mode?
I think they may have rioting teenage girls if they cut the movies short.
LOL! You’re NOT kidding, but it might be Moms who go crazy-mad.
I’m usually OK with books-turned-movie. I just have to remind myself that it WONT be completely be like the book. For me, if the movie adheres to the main storyline of the book, then I can usually overlook the differences. I like going through and comparing scenes and deciding which one I liked better, the book or the movie.
I like reading the books first. There is just something magical about words in print. I can imagine my own world, characters, etc and that is what I love so much about books that movies can’t quite match no matter how much time or money they have.
I really liked the “Dune” mini-series made in 2000. It was very much like what I imagined the book to be. It was probably the closest a movie has come to the book I’ve ever seen.
I do think it’s a mindset kind of thing if you read the book first and then watch the movie.
I’ve heard that about the Dune series. I didn’t read the books but saw the movie.
Wow, look at me being all chatty Kathey today. I watched the Sci-Fi version of Dune, Children of Dune being my favorite. I then went to read the books, and found the books just enhanced my love and the depth of the stories. I don’t think I would have loved the TV series as much if I had read the books first. I still go back every 6 months or so and watch Children of Dune.
I don’t think I would have loved the TV series as much if I had read the books first. I still go back every 6 months or so and watch Children of Dune.
*nods* I think this is my enjoyment factor works too.
And feel free to be chatty. That’s what this post is for…fun discussion!
B-Ster, I’m only allowed so many comments in a thread *shakes fist at system* before it cuts me off, so I’ll answer you here…
See how they took an entire season to show ONE book? IMO, that’s why films from books rarely do the story justice.
I’m like you…am waiting on the DVD for Season 2 to come out. Can’t wait!
I noticed it was getting narrower, and figured it might get a little funny to try to read if we kept it going. I can’t wait for season 2 either! I’m sure it is going to be great.
The book Practical Magic is very different than the book. I did not like the book because I was expecting it to be more like the movie, just fleshed out.
Yeah, I have a feeling this might be me too.
Blood And Chocolate. Sigh. I saw the movie and kept thinking, “This isn’t a bad movie, as long as I pretend it’s nothing like the book.”
But the book is so, so much better. And Gabriel is so much hotter in the book.
I recently acquired this book for my TBR pile. ;D Y’all are making me want to go home and read it!
I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
kept thinking, “This isn’t a bad movie, as long as I pretend it’s nothing like the book.”
Exactly!
And you’re SO right about Gabriel in the book!
I am very wary of books turned to movies because of the Ella Enchanged incident. I read Ella Enchanted in middle school about 10 years ago. And about 5/6 years ago they decided to make it into a movie. I was exstatic. I loved the book, it was one of my faves… and then the movie turned out HORRIBLE. It’s not a bad movie when you just decide to watch it. But they changed just about everything but the basic concept (girl who has to obey) and the character’s roles (Char = love interest). After that, nothing was the same. It was terrible.
So I’m usually of the “watch movie, then book” variety now. That said, I would love to see a faithful adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s Blue Castle.
LOVE The Blue Castle. It’s not a book you see mentioned often.
I know! : ) Such a pity.
But it’s in my top 5 books. For some reason I just love it and I think it would make a great movie. Or miniseries.
Hmmmm, Blue Castle. I’ve never heard of it. Must check it out!
I was just checking for an audio version (couldn’t find one) and came across this review. It quotes the first few lines of the book and made me want to read it again.
http://libraryhospital.blogspot.com/2009/01/blue-castle-by-l-m-montgomery.html
Hmmm, this writing style reminds me of a book called Garden Spells, which I recently enjoyed. I’ll have to get this one.
Thanks for giving another great book to read.
Which means I probably shouldn’t read the book, because I LOVED Ella Enchanted the movie.
Or maybe it’ll be easier to make the transition from movie to book instead of book to movie?
I did enjoy Twilight in both format; I also enjoyed and found this movie great: to kill a mockingbird with Gregory Peck , as was the book. I have enjoyed watching Sookie on DVD but have not read any of the books. But there are some books turned into movies that should never have been.
I have To Kill a Mockingbird on my TBR list. It’s just one of those books I NEED to read.
Never knew Practical Magic was a book to movie film. Or that Blood & Chocolate was A) a book and B) different from the book…must read it now.
I always prefer to read the book first then see the movie. That doesn’t always work out well for me. But most of the time I can keep them seperate, Unless it just seems like they didnt’t even bother to read the book first. If I read the book first I can fill in the blanks of what was left out in my head.
I can definitely say the book Blood and Chocolate is better.
I can think of another series” The Dresden Files” for example, where they tweak the series and make episodes that don’t follow the books at all, but try to keep “in spirit” I guess with the general theme. And I love them both. The books are,of course, fantastic, and the series is excellent it its own right.( And I’m wayyy bummed that it was canceled)
Since I read quite a bit, it’s rare that I’ll see a movie before having read the book. And that, quite possibly, spoils my enjoyment of some movies. That being said, it’s about writing and creativity and if you can make the series or movie match the author’s vision (albeit in a different way) then you probably have a decent to good chance at making a good movie.
I am curious to read Practical Magic now… like some people, I’ve seen the movie, but have not read the book.
I forgot to add “Anne of Green Gables”.. my childhood movies. I really loved the series, watched those movies before reading the books and I ended up liking the series more than I liked the books.
My hubby started reading Jim Butcher’s books BECAUSE of the TV show Dresden Files. He loved the show but he actually likes the books better and has continued to buy Jim’s books ever since. He says they’re ‘darker and edgier’ the the TV show.
When I met Jim at the RT conference and asked him about the TV show adaptation of his books, he commented that for each show it’s only a ‘part’ of the book.
I was terribly disappointed in the movie version of Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s a beautiful movie, but I didn’t like the deviations from the plot of the book. If I’d seen the movie first, I probably would have really liked it.
I’m in love with the Masterpiece Theatre version of Jane Eyre with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens. Love it, love it! I’ve never read the book; it just never appealed to me. But, inspired by the movie, I definitely plan to read it now.
The classics seem to do well in movies…well, if the right producer does it. BBC does a wonderful job.
I’ve not heard of Howl’s Moving Caste. Must look that one up, too.
I learned from Harry Potter books too. Definitely do the movie before the book.
I’ve heard this many times!
LOTR, P&P, The Color Purple, The Princess Bride are books that right off the top of my head, felt right when I watched them onscreen, despite the differences.
I prefer to always read the book first, then watch the movie. Sometimes, I won’t watch the movie at all if I love a book, but the trailers don’t make me feel as if the screen will do the story justice. Most recently, The Time-Traveler’s Wife fell into that category.
I bought Let the Right One In thanks to the movie (though I’m not sure when I’ll get to the book.)
Children’s movies seem to have good luck (exceptions to be made for the terrible Dr. Seuss adaptations, sigh). I’m looking forward to Where the Wild Things Are verrrrrry much. Coraline was just as creepy and as good as the book, and I’ve heard they’ve changed Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs a lot, but that the changes all add to the story, rather than taking away from it.
I think it must be both terrifying and thrilling for an author whose books are being made into movies. Thrilling, because of the obvious, but terrifying, because … yikes, a movie can really do some damage.
Was Cloudy w/a Chance of Meatballs a book? I did not know that.
We watched Coraline recently. I was surprised at how dark it was. Ironic, because I have heard that Stardust was light and fluffy compared to the book.
The movie Stardust reminded me a bit of The Princess Bride.
I haven’t read the Time Traveler’s Wife, but the trailer made me want to see the movie. I think I will BEFORE I read the book.
Ooh, The Princess Bride. I LOVED that movie so much. I didn’t realize it was based on a book.
OMG, it’s so ridiculously funny, Patrice. (Which of course means that you’ll read it any wonder: What crack is Meljean on? THIS is funny?)
But, seriously. Funny, funny.
Is it very different from the movie? Which was so funny and so QUOTABLE in many places…
“My name is…prepare to die!”
“Inconceivable!”
“Buttercup.”
*dies laughing*
I have to give credit to Ender’s Game for starting my love of reading back in high school. I’ve kept very close tabs on the book and movie rights, but it has yet to get made into a movie. I’m not sure a movie could do it justice, but with all the special effects/cg available now, I’m sure it could be done really well. That would be a book I’d love to see turned into a movie.
I have this book to read..and I am going to read it! I didn’t realize there was more than one book until someone told me recently.
It has two different series kind of. The Ender series has Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. Then there is a parallel series with Ender’s Shadow and several others in that series. Honestly, Ender’s Game and the Ender’s Shadow series are all similar in writing style. Speaker for the Dead and those books are quite different and way more complex and harder to read. Ender in Exile is the most recent and is actually set in place between Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead. I really enjoyed it. I’ve seen they are done in comic books now by Marvel and have seriously considered picking those up. But I’m not sure I’d like them, since I’m more of an anime comic fan. Marvel comics have never been able to capture me. I guess that could be similar to books-to-movies. I’ve seen several books-to-comics recently. Patricia Briggs’ Homecoming is the Mercy series done in comic. I hear Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan/Hallows series is going comic in the near future. I’ve not picked up the comics. Anyone have any feelings on books-to-comics?
I picked up an author’s book that was done in Manga. It was beautifully done and interesting to flip through, but it’s not something I’m personally be interested in.
I loved the movie, Practical Magic, and I had read the book a few years before seeing the movie. The book is much quieter, and has a more subtle message than the movie, so they were almost like completely different stories.
My favorite book-to-movie adaptations have already been mentioned, PM, LOTR, Princess Bride, the Jane Austen books… I can’t wait for Naomi Novak’s ‘His Majesty’s Dragon’ books to be made into movies by Peter Jackson.
Woohoo another Practical Magic lover!
My hubby recently read the Naomi Novak books. He really enjoyed them.
Awesome book- Clan of the Cave Bear…..
but a terrible, TERRIBLE, GOSH-AWFUL movie!!!
I loved the Twilight books & movie (looking forward to New Moon) but I have to say that the best/worst butcherjob was definately “Clan of the Cave Bear”"…lets face it, sign language and grunting doesnt translate well on film and a nasty caveman rape was just the cherry on top….
I read Clan of the Cave Bear when I was a teen. I remember liking it, but I couldn’t tell you a THING about it now.
I know everyone is going to hate me for this statement: I hate Twilight. I refused to read the book for the longest time and finally broke down this summer and I could not get past page two. I have seen the movie three times in an attempt to understand why everyone loves it. I still don’t get it. I’m sorry.
I loved Practical Magic, both book and movie. I never read Princess Bride or Stardust but I loved the movies. I have a really hard time reading a book after I have seen the movie though. I’m really excited to see how “Where the Wild things are” holds up to the book.
No haters here. That’s the great thing about reading books and enjoying movies…the enjoyment or lack thereof is so subjective…and that’s why there are so many choices out there.
I remember reading and enjoying the book Where the Wild Things Are, but I’m not really interested in seeing the movie.
I have mixed feelings about turning books into movies. I’ve seen some that have been done really well, such as the Anne of Green Gables movie, and some that don’t resemble the books at all, such as the Bourne movies.
I don’t know if the Anne of Green Gables movie was ever released in the theater or was a straight to video release, but it is almost exactly like the book. That is why I loved it so much. When the other Anne movies were made, they tried to combine books but it didn’t work out nearly as well and they were just disappointing.
While I enjoyed both the Bourne movies and the Bourne books, they can only be appreciated as separate entities. The movies in no way resemble the books aside from the name of the main character and Treadstone. I can say I was disappointed that they didn’t follow the books more closely, but the movies were really enjoyable once I stopped expecting them to be like the books.
I think it depends on how books are translated to the silver screen. For example, Anne of Green Gables was amazing, I loved it. I forget now if I read the books first or watched the mini-series but I was ok with them taking some liberties in the movie because their adjustments worked well within the overall tone and intention of the movie.
I loved HP 3 for that very reason. They took liberties with the way events occurred but overall the intent of the book was followed. By the same token I hated HP 4 because while it stayed more true to the books they cut so much out and altered the storyline so needlessly it left me feeling meh. The LOTR series (and movies) were fabulous, they did an excellent job with keeping true to the intent of the books.
The Princess Bride was another book I felt translated well and I felt they did the book justice. I saw the movie first and then read the book and found both the book and the movie refreshingly funny.
Eragon was, I felt, a terrible book to screen translation. The movie was so far from the intent of the book that it was rather pointless to watch.
Twilight was a fairly good translation although I have mixed feelings about the series in general. I’ll be curious to see how they do New Moon. One of the things that left me puzzled by the movie was that I had the impression (from the book) that Bella was supposed to be “different” from other girls but on the screen she came across as being very much like any other girl.
Most of the time I am disappointed by transition from book to film. LOTR being the exception. I have read all of Ludlum’s Bourne series and have also watched the movies and they are completely diff. I really liked the movies but after watching them I have this wtf moment *shakes head* esp the first 20 mins of the second movie!
As for Tru blood I am trying to tell myself not to compare the T.V series to the books otherwise I am just going to get frustrated. I still have yet to make up my mind about the T.V version.
Super late to the party, but I can’t resist a chance to blab my opinion! I’m a book first, movie after believer. I’d say 99 times out of 100 the book is always better, and I’d rather experience the better first. Only exemption for me is the LoTR trilogy, which I much more enjoyed as movies than as books.
Of course, that sets me up for disappointment when the movie misses the mark. The biggest book-to-film failure of all time, IMO, was Coppola’s version of “The Outsiders”, which is my all time favorite book. The actors were perfectly casted, but too much was cut, the acting was stilted, and I was devastated.
In the end, though, I can usually enjoy a movie for what it is, apart from the book. That’s what I’ve done with the Harry Potter movies. I think the books are better, but I’ve loved every movie so far. Okay, maybe not #1 and #2.
I love both movies and books, so if I read a book I have to see the movie and vice versa. Usually I prefer the book version, but a few (very, very few) just translate for me better onto the screen. I love comparing the two genres even if one was absolutely horrible
Some of my favorite book-to-movie translations: LOTR, HP, Pride & Prejudice (the new one, never seen the BBC version), Matilda, Stardust, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo+Juliet, and A Little Princess