book to movie adaptations

[bonanzataz]

what are some book to movie adaptations that intrigue you? ones that you would like to see done or ones that are already done that you really like.

i recently read beloved and then saw the movie. i think demme did a good job with it but have no idea how anybody could watch that movie without having read the book. i don't think it would make much sense. the movie felt like a companion to the book, rather than an adaptation, because it was so faithful to the material.

another really good adaptation is roald dahl's the witches, directed by nicolas roeg who made movies like walkabout and the man who fell to earth before this one. i haven't seen any of his others, but the witches is just plain awesome. i think it's angelica huston's best performance ever.

there's also 2001, of course, but i never read the book (has anybody?).

right now i'm reading palahniuk's invisible monsters. this would be one fucked up movie, i hope it gets made in 10 years or i'm scaring up a budget and buying the rights (wishful thinking, eh?). it's an incredibly quick read, too.

that should be enough to get your noodles going. discuss...

[ElPandaRoyal]

I liked what Coppola did with Apocalypse Now from the book Hearts Of Darkness (I believe that's the name ofthe book).

[MacGuffin]

Mine is listed here:
http://xixax.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1364

[ElPandaRoyal]

oh...

[godardian]

That other thread is going nowhere and has a lame title besides, so:

The book I've longest cherished the fantasy of adapting and directing is Them by Joyce Carol Oates. Now, I think this is a truly fine book in its own right, but it also has all the "raw materials" you would need to make a good movie. It really suggested itself to me when I read it, and as I've been going through my recent Fassbinder phase, I keep dipping back into the book and thinking of all the Fassbinder-esque things that could be done with some of the stuff there...

A book needn't be good to make a good movie, of course, or vice versa; that's why I take pains to point out that, aside from being a good book, it could also make a good movie.

[Ghostboy]

I thought The Hours did a pretty remarkable job of turning an interior-monologue based novel into a movie almost entirely free of voice over. Also, one that no one usually mentions is Eyes Wide Shut -- the adaptation of Dream Story stayed close to the source material, but the few changes that were made are rather fascinating. Welles' adaptation of The Trial is also awesome.

The one adaptation I want to make, a dream project of mine, would be Cormac McCarthy's 'The Crossing' (which follows 'All The Pretty Horses' in  a literary trilogy by McCarthy). It's one of the most raw, elemental stories I've ever read. I also would love to make 'To The White Sea,' but I think I'd love it even more if the Coen Brothers got to it first.

[godardian]

I thought The Hours did a pretty remarkable job of turning an interior-monologue based novel into a movie almost entirely free of voice over. Also, one that no one usually mentions is Eyes Wide Shut -- the adaptation of Dream Story stayed close to the source material, but the few changes that were made are rather fascinating. Welles' adaptation of The Trial is also awesome.

The one adaptation I want to make, a dream project of mine, would be Cormac McCarthy's 'The Crossing' (which follows 'All The Pretty Horses' in  a literary trilogy by McCarthy). It's one of the most raw, elemental stories I've ever read. I also would love to make 'To The White Sea,' but I think I'd love it even more if the Coen Brothers got to it first.

I wanted so bad for Thornton's All the Pretty Horses to remain unsullied by grubby Weinstein hands, but it was not to be; you can actually see the gaps they left, as if there's a reel missing.  

[Ghostboy]

Seriously. I think Billy Bob's disowned it, which is good.

Oh, and taz, I read 2001 a long time ago. I think it was written in conjunction with the movie, if I remember correctly. Anyway, it's the same story but without all the trippy stuff.

[Banky]

i liked Lord of The Flies

[godardian]

i liked Lord of The Flies

Peter Brooks or Harry Hook?

[Banky]

Hook

[pete]

more elmore leonard novels should be turned into movies.  Also, a book titled "The Day They Stole Mona Lisa", it's one of the coolest heist stories I've read.

[Gold Trumpet]

2001, the novel, was written in conjecture with the film.

My own personal dream project of book adaptation would be Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, a horror novel. Kubrick had interest in it and almost did it. I'm glad he didn't. The little of theme that is in the novel, does fit Kubrick's repetoire of interests in movies, this an outsider being disguised as something else in order to fit into a world. My fear would be that Kubrick would propel this to dominate the entire movie. It would miss oportunities of what can be accomplished in the novel and cliche for him.

I have problems with the horror genre in general, but this would be in my interest in attempting pure realism in a world of a killer. The movie would be superficial, but intensely focused on everything this man did. Symbolism gone. Just trying to create the most unique of world and trying to just show the scariest mother fucker alive in the best way possible without having movie cliche riddle into it and give off comparison to a Jason or something.

~rougerum

[ShanghaiOrange]

2001 was based on a Clark short story called "The Sentinel" which was basically just the part on the moon.

Anyway, the best movies based on books: All of Kubrick's movies (The Killing onward), Apocalypse Now, and Rashomon.

[SoNowThen]

The Conformist
Raging Bull (based on the ghosted autobiography of LaMotta)
Pickpocket


One day I'll scrounge up some money and do a real version of either Great Expectations or David Copperfield, both of which have been butchered at every attempt. Before anyone freaks out, yes, the Lean version of GE was wonderful... until the 3rd act, when it dragged itself down into the shit heap.