From the Book to the Screen

Page

Next Last

zephyr29

@zephyr29

Rocker

+ 2

Posted: 12 years ago

Hi, all! I didn't see a thread for this topic so decided to make one myself.

Classic literature has always been adapted first for the stage, then gradually as movies or TV shows for a very long time. Now with every other book, from Chick-lit to Young Adult, being turned into a movie, what are your opinions about them?

What has been your favorite adaptation?

What was the worst?

Are adaptations able to do justice to the original texts?

Which ones have either exceeded or fallen below your expectations?

Which books do you want to see on screen and which ones do you think are better left untouched?

Quote

Frequent Posters

Vaishnavi (YSH)

@~Sirius*Ysh~

Inactive

+ 2

Posted: 12 years ago

What are your opinions about them?

It is always fun to see your favorite book characters gaining a look and actually see the events happening in front of our eyes. It has to be tastefully done (eg.: BBC Series of Sense and Sensibility)

But take a book like Da Vinci Code for instance. The thrill, the excitement, the gripping feeling we get when we read the book is hardly reciprocated in the movie. Maybe those who have not read the book find it really good but to us bookworms, its just a stained reflection.

What has been your favorite adaptation?

if i had to choose,

1. Anne Of Green Gables

2. Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightley version)

What was the worst?

Harry Potter 3,%,6,7 (both parts)

Angels and Demons

Are adaptations able to do justice to the original texts?

In my opinion, never! Whenever we read a book, each one has a perception of it in their mind - how the protagonists look, how the surroundings are, how the dialogues are delivered etc. These perceptions differ from person to person. So when we see a movie, it reflects only one person's perception, and that rarely co-incides with ours.

Which ones have either exceeded or fallen below your expectations?

Exceeded - Dairy of Anne Frank, Gone With The Wind

Fallen Below - HP 3-7, angels and Demons, Da Vinci Code

Which books do you want to see on screen and which ones do you think are better left untouched?
Want to see - Mediator Series (Meg Cabot), Zoya Factor, Enid Blyton Books

Rather Not see - Classics (never is the storyline portrayed well)

Quote

Looks like you are new here. Register for free, learn and contribute.

Jamino

@Jamino

Beginner

Posted: 12 years ago

Now with every other book, from Chick-lit to Young Adult, being turned into a movie, what are your opinions about them?

If people watch so why not.

What has been your favorite adaptation?

I don't know if there was such a book, but Dr. House is one of favorites. Besides his character and whole TV series were based on Dr. Holmes books.

Which books do you want to see on screen and which ones do you think are better left untouched?

Want Jack London and Gojim Oavin books.

Don't want any of Murakami books.

Quote

LoveToLaugh

@LoveToLaugh

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

I am not sure if you have heard of Charulata (it's a Bengali movie) but it is an EXCELLENT adaptation of Nastha Nir (The Broken Nest) by Rabindranath Tagore. I'll recommend the movie to anybody, even non-Bengali folks; watch it with subtitles. There is in any case very little dialogue.

There are, of course, many examples of bad adaptations. Harry Potter being one of the more popular examples of the bad ones. But I also believe that if a good story is in the hands of a gifted director, the adaptation can not only do justice to the original but also lift it. I always enjoy a different take on things. A good adaptation can bring a unique perspective, a different take which can only broaden your own perspective towards the understanding of something.

I would love to watch an adaptation of any P.G. Wodehouse novel. Maybe an Uncle Fred novel. That would be SO difficult to pull off! Most of the sheer brilliance of Wodehouse stories is in the writing style. It is almost next to impossible to translate that on screen. But perhaps a really good director could do it? 😊

Quote

zephyr29

@zephyr29

Rocker

+ 2

Posted: 12 years ago

What are your opinions about them?

Whenever I read a book it plays itself out like a movie in my head. So its always fascinating to see these characters and scenarios come to life on screen, also how scriptwriters/directors have visualized it and whether it corresponds with your own.

What has been your favorite adaptation?

The movie adaptations of Atonement by Ian McEwan (Dir: Joe Wright) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein (Dir: Peter Jackson)

What was the worst?

The Harry Potter movies from #5 onwards. Also the Twilight movies put me off from ever reading the books.

Are adaptations able to do justice to the original texts?

Never. With the exception of some of Jane Austen's works, a good majority of books seldom translate well onto the screen. A screen adaptation is never able to fully capture the essence of the book as, because of time, technical & budget constraints, what we finally get to see is an extremely watered-down version which, as fans of the book, leaves us feeling unsatisfied and hollow.

Which ones have either exceeded or fallen below your expectations?

Exceeded:

1. Atonement, as this was a book which was widely considered to be "unfilmable" but director Joe Wright did a more than splendid job of turning it into an award-winning movie in 2007. Probably one movie which can be considered on par with the book.

2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, another "unfilmable" book(s) turned into a masterpiece by little known director Peter Jackson. Again a movie trilogy on par, if not more, with the books.

3. Pride & Prejudice (2005) again by Joe Wright is another award-winning adaptation which exceeded my expectations. Also have to mention the 1995 BBC TV series of Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth as Mr.Darcy 😳.

4. Sense & Sensibility (1995), Emma (1996), Jane Eyre (2011) and Harry Potter #1 & 3 lived up to my expectations.

Fallen:

1. The Harry Potter movies from #5, and especially #5 considering it was my favorite book in the series .

2. The Hunger Games. As a stand-alone movie it was nice but as a book adaptation it didn't do much justice at all, especially with the image of Katniss/Peeta I had in my head. The performances were good, though.

3. And a good many others, lost count.

Which books do you want to see on screen and which ones do you think are better left untouched?

Funnily enough, the book I want to see most on screen as well as the one to be left untouched are the same for me: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. It can only work as a TV series as its a massive book but I'm actually afraid it will get butchered somehow on its way to the screen or the actors & their performances won't fit the images I have in my mind.

Quote

zephyr29

@zephyr29

Rocker

+ 2

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: LoveToLaugh

I am not sure if you have heard of Charulata (it's a Bengali movie) but it is an EXCELLENT adaptation of Nastha Nir (The Broken Nest) by Rabindranath Tagore. I'll recommend the movie to anybody, even non-Bengali folks; watch it with subtitles. There is in any case very little dialogue.

There are, of course, many examples of bad adaptations. Harry Potter being one of the more popular examples of the bad ones. But I also believe that if a good story is in the hands of a gifted director, the adaptation can not only do justice to the original but also lift it. I always enjoy a different take on things. A good adaptation can bring a unique perspective, a different take which can only broaden your own perspective towards the understanding of something.

I would love to watch an adaptation of any P.G. Wodehouse novel. Maybe an Uncle Fred novel. That would be SO difficult to pull off! Most of the sheer brilliance of Wodehouse stories is in the writing style. It is almost next to impossible to translate that on screen. But perhaps a really good director could do it? 😊

I have heard of the movie Charulata. Its by Satyajit Ray, right? It is pretty famous, though I haven't seen it.

I think P.G. Wodehouse's works have been adapted as TV series (by BBC I guess) especially the Jeeves-Wooster stories, with Stephen Fry as Jeeves and Hugh Laurie (of House) as Bertie Wooster. Its quite old but was highly acclaimed at the time. I wouldn't be surprised; both men are awesome when it comes to wry English humour.

Quote

-Devanshi-

@-Devanshi-

Voyager

+ 5

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: zephyr29
what are your opinions about them?
If given in the hands of a capable director, the movies are quite beautiful and manage to do justice to the original storyline. However, most of the times, they ignore the storyline of the book and just make up something that has no relation with the book except the characters and the basic plot or sometimes they cut out important parts of the book without which the movie is not fun! That is what annoys me the most because I am very psyched about the movie and then I just want to throw my popcorn bucket at the screen Besides that, sometimes even the casting is not up to the mark

What has been your favorite adaptation?

It has to BBC's Pride and Prejudice mini series without doubt! Or even the Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley but I would prefer the former over latter any day!

What was the worst?

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Harry Potter 4, Twilight Saga(I didn't even watch Eclipse and Breaking Dawn both the parts)

Are adaptations able to do justice to the original texts?

Refer to the first answer please😆😉

Which ones have either exceeded or fallen below your expectations?

That should be the second and the third answer respectively😆And if I have to add in the list for exceeding expectations, I would add the Chronicles of Narnia-The Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe.

Which books do you want to see on screen and which ones do you think are better left untouched?

I would love to see a few of Meg Cabot series on the screen for sure like Mediator series, 1-800-Where-R-You. Basically all the Young Adult fiction by her! Also, the Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan.

Quote

-Devanshi-

@-Devanshi-

Voyager

+ 5

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: LoveToLaugh
I am not sure if you have heard of Charulata (it's a Bengali movie) but it is an EXCELLENT adaptation of Nastha Nir (The Broken Nest) by Rabindranath Tagore. I'll recommend the movie to anybody, even non-Bengali folks; watch it with subtitles. There is in any case very little dialogue.

There are, of course, many examples of bad adaptations. Harry Potter being one of the more popular examples of the bad ones. But I also believe that if a good story is in the hands of a gifted director, the adaptation can not only do justice to the original but also lift it. I always enjoy a different take on things. A good adaptation can bring a unique perspective, a different take which can only broaden your own perspective towards the understanding of something.

I would love to watch an adaptation of any P.G. Wodehouse novel. Maybe an Uncle Fred novel. That would be SO difficult to pull off! Most of the sheer brilliance of Wodehouse stories is in the writing style. It is almost next to impossible to translate that on screen. But perhaps a really good director could do it? 😊

I have no clue about most of the names that you have mentioned and I apologize for that😳. But I just wanted to say that I love what's written on your signature. It made me smile and realize that I am not the only one who is still is crazy about fiction😆. Also I absolutely agree with your opinion about how a appropriate director can do justice to a book!😊

Quote

LoveToLaugh

@LoveToLaugh

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: -Devanshi-

I have no clue about most of the names that you have mentioned and I apologize for that😳. But I just wanted to say that I love what's written on your signature. It made me smile and realize that I am not the only one who is still is crazy about fiction😆. Also I absolutely agree with your opinion about how a appropriate director can do justice to a book!😊

And I love your comment! 😳Thank you.

It's so great to find someone who is crazy about fiction too. Because you can never be too old or too wise for some things in life. Like stories.

And why apologize? I wouldn't even expect too many people to know about Charulata because it's a Bengali movie and it's definitely not the most popular of Satyajit Ray's works. If you get a chance, though, do watch the movie. It is based on a short story by the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore and it is hands-down my most favorite movie.

About P.G, Wodehouse, he was an English humorist. and his stories are BRILLIANT! Light, funny, perhaps unrealistic but so warm and sunny and...magical. Give Wodehouse a shot and trust me, you won't regret it! 😉

Quote

LoveToLaugh

@LoveToLaugh

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

#10

Originally posted by: zephyr29

I have heard of the movie Charulata. Its by Satyajit Ray, right? It is pretty famous, though I haven't seen it.

Yep. It's by Satyajit Ray. And is it? I was under the impression that few people know about the movie.

I think P.G. Wodehouse's works have been adapted as TV series (by BBC I guess) especially the Jeeves-Wooster stories, with Stephen Fry as Jeeves and Hugh Laurie (of House) as Bertie Wooster. Its quite old but was highly acclaimed at the time. I wouldn't be surprised; both men are awesome when it comes to wry English humour.

I have heard about the BBC series vaguely. But now that you say it was highly acclaimed, I'll see if I can find something on youtube. Thanks! 😳