Lots of books get made into movies. Usually, at least in my opinion, the movie is worse. Often much worse. Sometimes it’s just as good. On very rare occasions, the movie is better.
Less often, movies get made into books.
Below the fold, let’s discuss books and movies
I plan to post this over at Big Orange on Friday, as part of my series. I didn’t want it on both sites at the same time, so here it is now.
I am not nearly as much of a moviegoer as a book reader, so a lot of this will be in comments…..
Book into movie and the movie is BETTER
The Princess Bride. The movie is WONDERFUL. One of the very few movies that you can take your kids to (starting at, say, age 6 or so) and could also enjoy alone. Perfect casting, wonderful lines, stuff for kids to laugh at, stuff that adults will get…..just….well go see it. Having loved the movie, I read the book. Feh. It’s a nothing. I think this is the only pairing I know of where the book is just MUCH worse than the movie.
Tag lines: “This man is only mostly dead!”
“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”
“As you wish”
“Inconceivable!”
“Liar! Liar Liar Liar Liar!”
Schindler’s List. The book (in some editions entitled Schindler’s Ark) was very, very good. The movie is magnificent. One of the great films of all time. Go. But expect to be haunted. (Very brief synopsis: This is the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who, before WW 2 was more or less a jerk, but rose magnificently to save many Jews from Hitler).
Book into movie – both great
The Godfather One of the rare pairings where each form (book and film) takes great advantage of the strengths of the medium. The movie follows the book very closely, but each offers different strengths.
The book makes the Corleone saga into the American Dream in a way that the movie does not. The book also gets into the minds of the leads in ways the movie cannot. But the movie!
2001: A Space Odyssey I thought the beginning (where the monkeys discover the monolith, was better in the book. But the visual effect of the movie is stunning. Both are great.
