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What film is better than the book?
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Have ever come across a situation where you've found the film adaptation is better than the original book?
My starter
Film : Angel Heart (1987)
Book : Fallen Angel - William Hjortsberg
Film : L.A. Confidential
Book : L.A. Confidential - James Ellroy |
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Jaws Film.
Jaws by Peter Benchley book.
You can watch the film and read the book but there are quite a few differences between them both. Characters deaths, affairs etc…
However I think the film has the perfect three act/ structure storyline.
I would add …
The Godfather film is better than Mario Puzo book. |
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"Jaws Film.
Jaws by Peter Benchley book.
You can watch the film and read the book but there are quite a few differences between them both. Characters deaths, affairs etc…
However I think the film has the perfect three act/ structure storyline.
I would add …
The Godfather film is better than Mario Puzo book. "
Sacrilege regarding the godfather.
The book adds so much more depth to the characters. The book is much better imo. |
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"Jaws Film.
Jaws by Peter Benchley book.
You can watch the film and read the book but there are quite a few differences between them both. Characters deaths, affairs etc…
However I think the film has the perfect three act/ structure storyline.
I would add …
The Godfather film is better than Mario Puzo book.
Sacrilege regarding the godfather.
The book adds so much more depth to the characters. The book is much better imo."
You do have a point as I remember reading the book and immediately wanting to read Godfather pt 2. Then I discovered it didn’t exist so I read the Sicilian instead.
I just watched the films and got more out of them than just the original book. Both are high quality but the film(s) (for me) just pip the book.  |
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The Towering Inferno film much better than the two books it’s based on. The Tower and The Glass Inferno, admittedly it was over 20 years ago when I read those books so my memory could be distorted.  |
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"Film: Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford Coppola
Book: Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad"
Great shout! The book is not much more than a short story. The film is even more amazing considering the chaotic circumstances under which it was made. Great documentary here about the making of Apocalypse Now if you haven't already seen it?
https://youtu.be/pFYzVsrrPjE?feature=shared |
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"Have ever come across a situation where you've found the film adaptation is better than the original book?
My starter
Film : Angel Heart (1987)
Book : Fallen Angel - William Hjortsberg
Film : L.A. Confidential
Book : L.A. Confidential - James Ellroy"
jaws |
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Film: The Abyss
Book: The Abyss
This is one of those very odd film/book collaborations. The screenplay was written by James Cameron with the book written after the screenplay by Orson Scott Card. The actual film was made at the same time as the book was being written
The book was and still is shit though. The film on the other hand is pure geniius. |
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"Jaws Film.
Jaws by Peter Benchley book.
You can watch the film and read the book but there are quite a few differences between them both. Characters deaths, affairs etc…
However I think the film has the perfect three act/ structure storyline.
I would add …
The Godfather film is better than Mario Puzo book.
Sacrilege regarding the godfather.
The book adds so much more depth to the characters. The book is much better imo.
You do have a point as I remember reading the book and immediately wanting to read Godfather pt 2. Then I discovered it didn’t exist so I read the Sicilian instead.
I just watched the films and got more out of them than just the original book. Both are high quality but the film(s) (for me) just pip the book. "
I recommend the TV series The Offer about the making of The Godfather it's great viewing too |
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"Silence of the Lambs"
I disagree about this one I read it and Red Dragon before I saw the films they are terrific books and I was racing to find out what happened next. In the film of Silence of The Lambs they miss out a whole strand of the investigation and fail to explain how the cavalry arrives to rescue Clarice at the end |
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"Film - Blade Runner
Novel - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick"
It's probably true for many PKD books turned into movies. His novels are good but usually don't go much deeper into the concepts he touches upon, giving lot of scope for the movie script writers. |
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Better may be a stretch, but 'The Remains of the Day' is just pitch perfect.
You would imagine any film adaptation of that book would fall short, but it captures it perfectly.
Sorry, long way of not actually answering the question! |
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The 1931 adaptation of Frankenstein, directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff.
The original novel is full of good ideas but an utter chore to read and the creature is an over-verbose bore. Karloff's wordless performance gives the creature far more pathos. |
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"Stardust. I preferred the ending in the film, and Robert De Niro was just perfect. "
Strongly disagree, although the original text doesn't have DeNiro's performance the film sucked the worst of the bad bollocks. The film didn't have twenty percent of the magic or imagination the graphic novel had. A shocking cheapskate telling of a beautiful magical story. |
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"Stardust. I preferred the ending in the film, and Robert De Niro was just perfect.
Strongly disagree, although the original text doesn't have DeNiro's performance the film sucked the worst of the bad bollocks. The film didn't have twenty percent of the magic or imagination the graphic novel had. A shocking cheapskate telling of a beautiful magical story. "
For clarification Stardust was originally a non graphic novel. I enjoyed the movie and the book for different reasons. I seldom enjoy Ricky Gervais so it did well to overcome that with me |
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By (user no longer on site) 36 weeks ago
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There IS no GODFATHER II book….there is a whole subplot involving LUCCA BRAZI that would have been chilling & fascinating viewing but I don’t think it would or could have been filmed! |
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By *lynJMan 36 weeks ago
Morden |
"The Lord of the Rings…..an amazing series of films…..the books…..no, they’re too slow and boring to read OMG! Sacrilege!!  "
The books are so much better than the films. I wouldn't watch them again and I've not seen "the hobbit" movies either. |
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By (user no longer on site) 36 weeks ago
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"Silence of the Lambs
I disagree about this one I read it and Red Dragon before I saw the films they are terrific books and I was racing to find out what happened next. In the film of Silence of The Lambs they miss out a whole strand of the investigation and fail to explain how the cavalry arrives to rescue Clarice at the end"
 It's a close call, both are brilliant but for me the movie is a definitive telling of the story and one that has gone down in history as a true classic, which is one of the big reasons it's considered to be greater than the book.
The film brought Hannibal to life in a way that Thomas Harris could only have imagined when he penned the story.
Movie had fans on the edge of their seat throughout, with an incredible amount of tension from start to finish. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were both excellent in their performances, and the fact it dominated the Academy Awards is a real showcase of how good the movie was.
In general, we know books are much more detailed than films. Film last approx. 2 hrs whilst a book can have hundreds of pages of description. In my opinion, the movie is among the most faithful adaptations ever written. |
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"Film: Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford Coppola
Book: Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
Great shout! The book is not much more than a short story. The film is even more amazing considering the chaotic circumstances under which it was made. Great documentary here about the making of Apocalypse Now if you haven't already seen it?
https://youtu.be/pFYzVsrrPjE?feature=shared"
Two shout outs … ‘Smells like … … Victory’
If I was going for the double, my other choice would be:
Book: Gone with the wind - Margaret Mitchell
Film: Gone with the wind - Victor Fleming |
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Jaws films I adore the book I struggled with as knew characters well from yrs watching favourite films and way dealt with events and situations were very different so felt like two separate views of same story.
The Meg books are different the films are fun popcorn yet the books are amazing and terrifying |
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"Forrest Gump. The book is bonkers!
Yes, and if I remember rightly really short too.
Like the Green Mile someone also mentioned."
That's similair to the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, it's a little short story too, spawned two good films, obviously the first being the better, good old Danny Kaye.
I don't think Jungle Book is a fair comparison of film/book, Rudyard Kipling is a fantastic writer but not a well known song writer and there are some great tunes in the film. |
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"Silence of the Lambs
I disagree about this one I read it and Red Dragon before I saw the films they are terrific books and I was racing to find out what happened next. In the film of Silence of The Lambs they miss out a whole strand of the investigation and fail to explain how the cavalry arrives to rescue Clarice at the end
It's a close call, both are brilliant but for me the movie is a definitive telling of the story and one that has gone down in history as a true classic, which is one of the big reasons it's considered to be greater than the book.
The film brought Hannibal to life in a way that Thomas Harris could only have imagined when he penned the story.
Movie had fans on the edge of their seat throughout, with an incredible amount of tension from start to finish. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were both excellent in their performances, and the fact it dominated the Academy Awards is a real showcase of how good the movie was.
In general, we know books are much more detailed than films. Film last approx. 2 hrs whilst a book can have hundreds of pages of description. In my opinion, the movie is among the most faithful adaptations ever written."
Considered greater by who?
It's certainly a good bit of work
but it does rather skew the focus of the original work.
Anthony Hopkins is not the only Hannibal it's unfortunate that Brian Cox's portrayal didn't get the acclaim it deserved in the earlier Red Dragon film |
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"Jaws films I adore the book I struggled with as knew characters well from yrs watching favourite films and way dealt with events and situations were very different so felt like two separate views of same story.
The Meg books are different the films are fun popcorn yet the books are amazing and terrifying "
I never found the Meg books terrifying, but immensely enjoyable, and that's coming from someone who's not a big reader. The author is a fascinating guy. |
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