<p>We were having a discussion about this at a family reunion. Books include so many more details than a movie ever could, it seems next to impossible (but not impossible) to like the movie more than the book. </p>
<p>Have you ever liked a movie more than the book? If so, what was it?</p>
<p>I have always loved Edith Wharton’s AGE OF INNOCENCE and I think Martin Scorsese captured the novel perfectly. He did it through exquisite attention to detail and period dialog. I’m not sure if I could ever like that film as much as the book, but it comes pretty darn close.
Another great example is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001. I did like that film more that Arthur C Clarke’s book.
And…Curtis Hansen’s film of James Elroy’s “LA Confidential” has a greatness that almost exceeds Elroy’s novel. (But that’s not only due to Hansen’s skill as a director-----James Elroy wrote the screenplay as well!)</p>
<p>It’s hard to love a movie more than the book it’s based on. But I think there are some great films that don’t let the wonderful books they’re based on down at all - “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” come to mind immediately. </p>
<p>I’ve been disappointed in the film versions of many of my favorite books (“Little Women,” for instance, though I think the Katharine Hepburn version is best). And sometimes the film is much, much better than the book - “The Wizard of Oz” being my favorite example.</p>
<p>“Gone with the Wind” in both forms has come in for its share of criticism from today’s readers/viewers. But I still love the book and the movie. I think it is the supreme example of how to edit a lengthy, very well known book down to a manageable length for a film.</p>
<p>Tough day at work and so I can’t think of any examples from after 1965 or so. :)</p>
<p>Plenty of very good and well known films are based on books that have been overshadowed by a good film maker’s artistry
A few come to mind----“Dr Strangelove” written by Peter George (again dir by S. Kubrick)
“The Great Escape” written by Paul Brickhill (dir by John Sturges)
“Psycho” written by Robert Bloch (dir A Hitchcock)
And I do think that “Godfather I” and “Godfather II” (dir F.F. Coppola) are both better than Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name.</p>
<p>Frequently a movie is so good that we forget it was ever based on a book.</p>
<p>I thought *Lonesome Dove *was very faithful to the book and captured the true spirit of the story and the essence of the characters very well. Of course, being a mini series rather than a feature film enabled it to cover the story much better as it was 8 hours instead of the typical 2 hours.</p>
<p>For that reason, I’m interested to begin watching Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth series, which begins this Friday night. I hope it won’t be a disappointment.</p>
<p>JAWS-----I never heard the music when I read the book. It is just a great movie.</p>
<p>The two that leap to mind are not really movies, but multi-part TV shows: *Brideshead Revisited<a href=“the%20original%20BBC%20series,%20not%20the%20execrable%20Hollywood%20remake”>/i</a> and The Jewel in the Crown, based on Paul Scott’s Raj Quartet. In both cases the books were good, but the films brought them to life extraordinarily well and far surpassed them.</p>
<p>I agree re “Jaws.” The movie is far superior to the book.</p>
<p>“The Bridges of Madison County” movie is better than the book (although I wasn’t too fond of either).</p>
<p>Here are a few other ideas from Premiere:</p>
<p>[10</a> Movies That Were Better Than The Books - Premiere.com](<a href=“http://www.premiere.com/Feature/10-Movies-That-Were-Better-Than-The-Books]10”>http://www.premiere.com/Feature/10-Movies-That-Were-Better-Than-The-Books)</p>
<p>I really liked Fried Green Tomatoes on the big screen. The book was great, too, but the movie was wonderful.</p>
<p>Mary13 - I have to disagree with a couple of choices on the Premiere list: </p>
<p>The Last of the Mohicans was a better book than movie. I will admit, however, that I read all of the Leatherstocking Tales and loved each book. Maybe it’s just me . . . </p>
<p>The Lord of the Rings - I refuse to see the movie. I reread the series every decade or so and have very specific images in my head of what all the characters and settings look like. I wouldn’t ruin those images for love nor money. Again, maybe it’s just me. I will make one note about TLR movie. Tolkien was a perfectionist. I often wonder what he would think about someone messing with his work.</p>
<p>I agree about Last of the Mohicans…an ok movie, but a classic book.</p>
<p>Lord of the Rings…I couldn’t connect with the books and so never even attempted to slog through the movies.</p>
<p>and Bridges of Madison County? Why would they even list a really bad movie based on an even worse book?</p>
<p>I read LOTR- three of them, ( and the Hobbit)my D read The Similarion as well.
I originally read them in the 1970’s- and mostly read them again before the movies.</p>
<p>I loved the movies- yes they left some stuff out- but a lot can be conveyed visually without taking up pages of text & I thought the casting for the most part was inspired.</p>
<p>Didn’t read the English Patient, before I saw the film, but it inspired me to do so.
Can’t remember if I read Unbearable lightness of Being before I saw the film or after- I think before- as I remember some parts I had to refer to the book for the back story.</p>
<p>Ive never read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter- but I loved the movie.</p>
<p>My bookgroup read Kristen Lavransdatter & saw the movie- but both were equally unintelligible to me.</p>
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<p>I’m with you both. Loved the book and thought the movie screenplay was a mess.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4, Kristin Lavransdatter is one of my favorite books of all time, but it took more than one reading for the book to truly come alive for me. I didn’t like the movie at all, but that is probably because the characters I had created in my head so many years earlier would not/could not be replaced by anybody on screen.</p>
<p>The Julie & Julia movie was much better than the book</p>
<p>Pillars of the Earth starts Friday night??? What network?
Loved that book and it’s sequel, World Without End.
Hope they don’t mess it up</p>
<p>I just learned of this myself the other night. It will be on the Starz network, as well as Encore. We have basic HD cable, so you might have it as well.</p>
<p>[The</a> Pillars Of The Earth](<a href=“http://www.starz.com/originals/ThePillarsOfTheEarth/Pages/title.aspx?src=starz_mktg&med=referral&cmp=pillars]The”>http://www.starz.com/originals/ThePillarsOfTheEarth/Pages/title.aspx?src=starz_mktg&med=referral&cmp=pillars)</p>
<p>Another vote for Jaws. The movie drops a useless love triangle from the plot. </p>
<p>I really liked the book ‘The English Patient’ and was very disappointed with the movie which changed the story into a straight-up love story</p>
<p>The best movie/book combination is “The Tin Drum” - awesome book. awesome movie (except you will never eat eel again)</p>
<p>I think The Last of the Mohicans is unreadable and any movie or TV minisseries (I’ve seen both) are miles better than the book. I also liked Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy better than the book - but that’s only because I that type of humor does nothing for me in book form. I can take it easier in film.</p>
<p>I agree that The Jewel in the Crown was a terrific miniseries, not sure if it was better than the books, but it was at least as good as them. I think the original Forsyte Saga series was as good as the books too. (Hated the new version.)</p>
<p>Seeing* Brokeback Mountain* inspired me to read the story and I thought both were perfect. I think it’s a lot easier to make a movie from a short story than a long novel. I don’t think the movie left out anything!</p>
<p>I agree that the* English Patient*, the book, was a much more complicated and interesting story than the movie, which was basically just a dopey love story.</p>
<p>PILLARS OF THE EARTH
If you don’t have STARZ, you can watch the first episode online. Right now. On the Starz website. I havent started, I’m going to watch it on Saturday with my dad. I am a little nervous about the production values (costume, hair and makeup look pretty bad)
LOVED the books.</p>