Novel adaptations

[Ralph Cifaretto]

Hi guys

Am doing my usual request plea. I'm looking to make a list of novels that i need to read based on them making a good/interesting film, in genre's that I enjoy. For starters:

The Ice Storm
Sideways
Wonder Boys

(For a good idea of the films I like (see above) but mainly drama and subsets of this. So comedies and (crime) thrillers)

Any help would be much appreciated.

[easytarget]

I genuinely preferred the novel of The Godfather over the film (because my dumb teenage self expected it to be 'like Goodfellas only better').

Trainspotting is also good and gets even better if you read it in Richard Herring's scotch voice.

[popcorn]

I don't understand your request. Can you explain it a bit more?

By the way, I've got a theory about why books are usually better. I reckon it's because books that get adapted into films are usually better than the average novel, but there's no reason that films based on them will be better than the average film.

[Ralph Cifaretto]

I don't understand your request. Can you explain it a bit more?

By the way, I've got a theory about why books are usually better. I reckon it's because books that get adapted into films are usually better than the average novel, but there's no reason that films based on them will be better than the average film.

Let me break it down a bit more for you.

I like to watch films (more than I enjoy reading books for psychological reasons. I prefer the passive experience).

I would like to read novels.

So I would like to make a list of novels (I need to read) that eventually got made into films. Then I can compare the 2, and possibly get more out of comparing the 2 different forms.

Listed above are the type of film I quite like, and by extension the type of novel I would like to read.

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

The film of A Scanner Darkly is pretty much everything in the book, the only shift is presumably to push the timeline in to the 21st century, rather than the 1994 originally specified.

[Ralph Cifaretto]

i'll add some more:

McCabe (and Mrs Miller)
Thin Red Line
A good year
Barry Lyndon

[Puce Moment]

Hang on, you are asking for a list of novel adaptations? There are millions mate.

What exactly are you looking for?

[Van Dammage]

Point of Impact is a great one. It was made into shooter with Mark Walhberg. A lot better than the movie.

[Blumf]

Point of Impact is a great one. It was made into shooter with Mark Walhberg. A lot better than the movie.

That's a better idea; Films that you didn't expect to be based on a novel

Wasn't Die Hard based on a book (Nothing Lasts Forever IIRC)

[Ralph Cifaretto]

Hang on, you are asking for a list of novel adaptations? There are millions mate.

What exactly are you looking for?

ok lets break it down some more (sigh):

name me some films that are good (that you know to be based on a novel)

[Blinder Data]

ok lets break it down some more (sigh):

name me some films that are good (that you know to be based on a novel)

You see, normally when someone starts a thread asking for suggestions the response are forthcoming, because it's a relatively easy task to come back with suggestions and there's a small thrill in getting someone else to enjoy something that you enjoy.

I'd guess maybe a third of all films are based on a book - it could well be higher. If it's a great novel that's worth reading that sometimes means it can make a good film, but not always. The film can differ wildy from the film so it's not like you've 'read' the book.

Here's a list I just made up of good films based on novels: Casino Royale, The Innocents, Jurassic Park, Apocalypse Now, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood. I could go on but it would give me no joy because the amount is numerous, it's a boring task and I don't see how you could benefit.

Why not just appreciate films for what they are and then appreciate it differently if you've also read the book?

[Ralph Cifaretto]

You see, normally when someone starts a thread asking for suggestions the response are forthcoming, because it's a relatively easy task to come back with suggestions and there's a small thrill in getting someone else to enjoy something that you enjoy.

I'd guess maybe a third of all films are based on a book - it could well be higher. If it's a great novel that's worth reading that sometimes means it can make a good film, but not always. The film can differ wildy from the film so it's not like you've 'read' the book.

Here's a list I just made up of good films based on novels: Casino Royale, The Innocents, Jurassic Park, Apocalypse Now, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood. I could go on but it would give me no joy because the amount is numerous, it's a boring task and I don't see how you could benefit.

Why not just appreciate films for what they are and then appreciate it differently if you've also read the book?

no disrespect but i dont think you read my posts. to paraphrase:

i said i watched films because i find them easy. i find novels v difficult for other reasons. i gave a list of the types of films that i would like to read novels of. for want of a better description they are all drama's.

i was looking for some help. you gave me a little, but not a lot.

not to disparage your taste in film but jurassic park and no country for old men are nothing like Barry fucking Lyndon YOU MORON!!!!! ;)

[Blumf]

You're still asking a massively broad question.

not to disparage your taste in film but jurassic park and no country for old men are nothing like Barry fucking Lyndon YOU MORON!!!!! ;)

(For a good idea of the films I like (see above) but mainly drama and subsets of this. So comedies and (crime) thrillers)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477348/

No Country for Old Men (2007)
122 min  -  Crime | Drama | Thriller  -  18 January 2008 (UK)

A question so broad you can't even keep the categories straight in your own head.

[Talulah, really!]

Perhaps the following would yield interesting results.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, an excellent crime thriller, was first filmed as Manhunter, (1986) by Michael Mann, a brilliant director and then again as Red Dragon, (2002) by Brett Ratner,  who knows which direction the camera should be pointing in (yet his films rake huge amounts of money, though see below).  The second film has far greater resources to draw upon yet is largely forgettable whereas the first has numerous moments that sear themselves onto the memory, not least the scene where Will Graham "gets it", the point at which he recognises the small detail that when he tugs on the thread starts to unravel the whole case[nb]The use of soundtrack at this point is exquisite.[/nb]. I mention this in particular as the next film has a similar point in the narrative and I'd bet good money the director has seen the way it was done in Manhunter.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) by Thomas Alfredson based on the book by John Le Carre, the scene where Smiley works out the true nature of "the Witchcraft operation" is one of the few heavy handed moments in the film caused by the necessity of cramming a complex plot into a two hour film which is also doing a fine job of capturing the subtler character nuances which are an equally important part of the more leisurely space both the original novel and the wonderful BBC TV adaptation of 1979 have to work with.

Again there is a lot to gain from comparing both adaptations, for instance what a film made in 2011 emphasises to give the viewer the feel of the early 1970s which the TV adaptation doesn't bother with since so little had changed (Britain at that point was just about to go over the waterfall's edge into the Thatcherite 80s).

Speaking of Brett Ratshit[nb]Who appeared to be thinking that X-Men 3 was a Bond movie, the soundtrack on the San Francisco scene as "the baddie" lines up his Operation Grandslam scheme is one big clue.[/nb], there is an article here that makes a very good point about how it is the public's perception of the previous film in a series that determines how the latest instalment does at the box office rather than it's own individual merits.[nb]See the Matrix trilogy takings for example.[/nb]

http://www.charismaoncommand.com/post-hoc-fallacy/

[Pissant]

I have seen both these films but have hithero been undrawn to their literary source.  Probably because their main ingredient is suspense and I know what happens.  Probably because I'm a lazy heroin addict and can't 'do' books anymore.

[Catalogue Trousers]

Okay, try The Man Who Fell To Earth: A Clockwork Orange; The Third Man; The Kite Runner; The Space Vampires (filmed as LifeForce).

Five decent to excellent novels which were turned into five decent to excellent films.

[gmoney]

L.A Confidential, but definitely not The Black Dahlia

[Ralph Cifaretto]

A question so broad you can't even keep the categories straight in your own head.

Okay, apologies for the inconsistency but I wasn't v thrilled with No Country for Old Men. Hence my remark.

I can't count for other people's taste, and I was asking for help so should be grateful for any responses. But to develop 1 of the themes that has emerged from my posts: Barry Lyndon > Old men. Wonder boys (IMO) > Lebowski. Ice storm > Blood Simple (NB. I'm not mentioning the Coen films I REALLY rate that may happen to fall into the crime genre)

[Ralph Cifaretto]

L.A Confidential, but definitely not The Black Dahlia

Many hugs and kisses for this suggestion. Completely forgot about Black Dahlia ;)

[Pepotamo1985]

The book Drive is a metric fuckton better than the substance bereft wankathon that made it to screen.

It's also very short and very easy to read.

[Ralph Cifaretto]

Okay, try The Man Who Fell To Earth: A Clockwork Orange; The Third Man; The Kite Runner; The Space Vampires (filmed as LifeForce).

Five decent to excellent novels which were turned into five decent to excellent films.

May look into some Graham Greene at some point. from what I've heard his background/thematic interests are quite a bit different from mine so am avoiding him for a while.

I know the novella Clockwork Orange pretty well. And in this case my recent visit to Thamesmead (where Alex in the film lives) was much more useful for my imagination than returning to the written story, as good as it is.

Thank you for the Man who fell... suggestion.

[Ralph Cifaretto]

Perhaps the following would yield interesting results.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, an excellent crime thriller, was first filmed as Manhunter, (1986) by Michael Mann, a brilliant director and then again as Red Dragon, (2002) by Brett Ratner,  who knows which direction the camera should be pointing in (yet his films rake huge amounts of money, though see below).  The second film has far greater resources to draw upon yet is largely forgettable whereas the first has numerous moments that sear themselves onto the memory, not least the scene where Will Graham "gets it", the point at which he recognises the small detail that when he tugs on the thread starts to unravel the whole case[nb]The use of soundtrack at this point is exquisite.[/nb]. I mention this in particular as the next film has a similar point in the narrative and I'd bet good money the director has seen the way it was done in Manhunter.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) by Thomas Alfredson based on the book by John Le Carre, the scene where Smiley works out the true nature of "the Witchcraft operation" is one of the few heavy handed moments in the film caused by the necessity of cramming a complex plot into a two hour film which is also doing a fine job of capturing the subtler character nuances which are an equally important part of the more leisurely space both the original novel and the wonderful BBC TV adaptation of 1979 have to work with.

Again there is a lot to gain from comparing both adaptations, for instance what a film made in 2011 emphasises to give the viewer the feel of the early 1970s which the TV adaptation doesn't bother with since so little had changed (Britain at that point was just about to go over the waterfall's edge into the Thatcherite 80s).

Speaking of Brett Ratshit[nb]Who appeared to be thinking that X-Men 3 was a Bond movie, the soundtrack on the San Francisco scene as "the baddie" lines up his Operation Grandslam scheme is one big clue.[/nb], there is an article here that makes a very good point about how it is the public's perception of the previous film in a series that determines how the latest instalment does at the box office rather than it's own individual merits.[nb]See the Matrix trilogy takings for example.[/nb]

http://www.charismaoncommand.com/post-hoc-fallacy/

Will read (and possibly reply further) later but agree with your point about comparing adaptions between genre's and between time period's. Sssshhhhh!!! keep it a secret though. I want everyone to think Tarantino's the best and most intelligent film-maker of all time.

[the midnight watch baboon]

True Grit is a flipping fantastic book that begat the decent film. ! .

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

If it's crime thrillers with a sense of humour you're after, then Elmore Leonard is surely the name among names. The '90s trio of Get Shorty, Jackie Brown and Out of Sight are all well worth a watch and good adaptations of the man's work[nb]Or so I assume. I don't read books. Books are for nerds.[/nb].

[Puce Moment]

You're still asking a massively broad question.

Yes, since the early 1990s over 50% of high-grossing films are novel adaptations, and in total it is more like 64% of all films currently made since the 1950s. And that doesn't even take into account comic book, graphic novel, theatre play and computer game adaptations, nor TV adaptations, short film adaptations/expansions, and reboots and sequels.

A less broad question would be "name some Hollywood films" or "name some films in which people drive cars."

Here's my heavily abridged list:

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Rear Window
American Psycho
Fahrenheit 9/11
Lolita
Full Metal Jacket
The Shining
Doctor Strangelove
The Outsiders
There Will Be Blood
We Need to Talk About Kevin
The Day of the Jackal
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Great Expectations
Women in Love
The Devils
Jackie Brown
Solaris
Stalker
Blow
Lord of the Flies
No Country For Old Men
A Clockwork Orange
The Road
1984
The Atrocity Exhibition
Crash
Empire of the Sun
Christie Malry's Own Double Entry
Dune   
The Music of Chance
Under the Volcano
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Shutter Island
Naked Lunch
Apocalypse Now
Spider
Salò
The Piano Teacher
The Remains of the Day
The Innocents
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Killer Inside Me
L.A. Confidential
Doctor Zhivago
The Maltese Falcon
Fight Club
The English Patient
Brighton Rock
Trainspotting
Rebecca
Oliver Twist
Schindler's List
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Dangerous Liaisons
Orlando
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
Pride and Prejudice
Jaws
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Catch-22
Tess
Alice
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The Conformist
Walkabout
Women in Love
Atonement
The Man Who Would Be King
The Graduate
Midnight Cowboy
An Education
The Silence of the Lambs
Wuthering Heights
Jane Eyre
Psycho

[Pepotamo1985]

And that doesn't even take into account comic book, graphic novel, theatre play and computer game adaptations, nor TV adaptations, short film adaptations/expansions, and reboots and sequels.

Yeah, and when you factor in sequels and prequels the amount of genuinely original content on annual release schedules is legit mortifying to consider.

[Bad Ambassador]

Lifeforce is an extremely unexcellent film.

[Sam]

Under the Skin

Eyes Wide Shut

Mirror (Zerkalo)

Road to Perdition

Sorcerer/The Wages of Fear

Jaws

Jackie Brown

The Piano Teacher

The Thin Red Line

[Don_Preston]

The Milo O'Shea version of Ulysses is pretty dreadful. It's an impossible book to adapt due to its literary ambition and scope.

This recent adaptation, Bloom, looks cheap as fuck, but seems to capture the humour far better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icbyq9XD4dQ

[The Boston Crab]

Ghostbusters by Larry Milne

Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular by Richard Mueller