I have yet to see any film that was better than the book that I've read. To clarify what I mean - books that I'VE read and then seen the film adaptation.
Some are just dire, although in fairness, others do make a decent fist of it - but never (imo) better the book.
Anybody got any examples where I might be wrong or indeed where I might not have seen or read either?
Quote: Griff @ March 20 2011, 11:57 PM GMTNot a film, but in general the Inspector Morse TV shows are better than the books. (Not that the books are bad).
Missed 'em both by and large, although the few TV episodes that I did see were really good.
Not quite what you've asked but I'd have to say the Lord of The Rings trilogy. I've tried to read the books but just couldn't get into them but I LOVED the movies.
Maybe I should try read the book again?
I think it can depend which (out of the book and the film) you experience first.
I've seen a few I thought were at least matches, if not better. Kes springs instantly to mind, a good book, but a brilliant film really.
I'd say The Railway Children too.
Not read Rebecca, but the Hitchcock adaption really worked, it felt like a great novel unravelling as it should.
Can't really be better but the Dickens adaptions, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations were great films.
So was the 30s movie of The Three Musketeers, which brought the story to life.
Although a great book, Disney's Treasure Island did a great job on that too.
I think there've definitely been a few made that are better yes, or at least the equal of.
And One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, a brilliant film way surpassing the quality of the book.
I recently read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.
It read like a screenplay and, if it was, I can only say that the film must be better than the book which was dire.
I liked his other books by the way.
Stand By Me (The Body by Stephen King)
Ooooooooh. Good one!!!
Although I expect the fact it was only a short story might help a bit. But still.
I've thought of another 32 others, but I can't be bother to write them all out.
'The girl with the pearl earing', great book, film was soo good, exactelly repressented 1750 Begium of Vermeers paintings, all buff and sombre.
Quote: Blenkinsop @ March 20 2011, 11:55 PM GMTI have yet to see any film that was better than the book that I've read.
Try reading The Godfather, or rather, don't.
Quote: David Bussell @ March 21 2011, 7:55 AM GMTTry reading The Godfather, or rather, don't.
Disagree. Mario Puzo was a great populist writer and the Godfather was compulsive reading. The Sicilian was also great fun but made a bad film.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ March 21 2011, 12:19 AM GMTAnd One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, a brilliant film way surpassing the quality of the book.
You MUST be joking. The book is unsurpassable. The film loses so much of the brilliance.
To me Cuckoo is a great book and great film. Great play too, which is probably what the film owes more to.
The book lost me not far through it, the film gripped me from the first minute.
Here's an absolute definite one then, though I think some will disagree, in my mind it's definite, A Clockwork Orange! If I could have got through more than ten pages of the book without throwing it down in frustration, then I might have got used to that HIDEOUS lanaguage. For me it was unreadable, while the film was quite brilliant.