Films that are better than the book upon.......
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 1:14 pm
which they are based.
We are frequently hearing from people who having seen a film made from a screenplay based on a book, that "The book was much better". This is I guess not surprising in itself: a book can paint a vivid internal picture for us, explain lots of nuances of feeling and emotion that a film is hard placed to replicate. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but they are all on the surface, on one level if you like, where a book can explore a subject in much greater depth and detail. But there must be cases where the pure skill of a director achieves the near impossible and transcends the work on which it was based. One example which just might be a case in point was Schindler's List. I read Keanelly's book first and thoroughly enjoyed it, saw the film and was truly amazed at what Speilberg had achieved and then last year returned to give the book a second reading. To my surprise I found I was struggling with it and (to my shame) put it down in favour of the next book on my pile.
Now I come to think of it, there are other books of somewhat the same ilk that also fit this category: Bridge of Spies would be one and Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy another, but somehow (and I'm not sure why) these examples all seem like cheating a bit. They are all, excepting the last, documentary style works, and in the last case I just am not all that keen on those slow burn spy thrillers of the cold war period. No, what I am after here is books and films where the film just simply outdoes the book by being better. Any candidates you guys can think of on the spot?
We are frequently hearing from people who having seen a film made from a screenplay based on a book, that "The book was much better". This is I guess not surprising in itself: a book can paint a vivid internal picture for us, explain lots of nuances of feeling and emotion that a film is hard placed to replicate. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but they are all on the surface, on one level if you like, where a book can explore a subject in much greater depth and detail. But there must be cases where the pure skill of a director achieves the near impossible and transcends the work on which it was based. One example which just might be a case in point was Schindler's List. I read Keanelly's book first and thoroughly enjoyed it, saw the film and was truly amazed at what Speilberg had achieved and then last year returned to give the book a second reading. To my surprise I found I was struggling with it and (to my shame) put it down in favour of the next book on my pile.
Now I come to think of it, there are other books of somewhat the same ilk that also fit this category: Bridge of Spies would be one and Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy another, but somehow (and I'm not sure why) these examples all seem like cheating a bit. They are all, excepting the last, documentary style works, and in the last case I just am not all that keen on those slow burn spy thrillers of the cold war period. No, what I am after here is books and films where the film just simply outdoes the book by being better. Any candidates you guys can think of on the spot?