hissyfit: Vulture: I Sleep on Books: Book to Movie Challenge

Friday, 24 February 2012

Vulture: I Sleep on Books: Book to Movie Challenge

David Ashley and I were chatting yesterday (see below) and it led to a brief discussion about films that are better than the books which inspired them.
Not original I know, but interesting stuff.
Any thoughts?

TJ: "You turned me on to 'One Day' a while back; once I engaged I really liked the characters; thought she was very funny.
Sad to report that I watched the film last night and (for me) it was... pants! I felt nothing for the two protagonists and can't remember laughing once. Anne Hathaway's northern accent was almost as bad as Russell Crowe's in Robin Hood; Dick Van Dyke's got a lot to answer for. The denouement is as shocking as in the book; but not as heartbreaking because at that point... you don't really care.
The film also lingers too long (like the book) after the... incident. I thought that it was a strangely extended epilogue at the time of reading.
Any thoughts on the Oscars?
I haven't seen The Artist or Hugo yet; but am surprised that 'Drive' doesn't feature..."

DA: I'll probably end up watching 'One Day' but haven't heard a good word said about it especially from people who love the book.
I've not seen 'The Artist' yet but like you thought it a shame that 'Drive' didn't get more of a mention especially as 'Extremely Loud' got a nod but i havent seen a good review of that yet either.
I really hope Gary Oldman wins although I think The Artist will clean up.
The whole film /book thing is a funny one the book is almost always better (I can only think of Betty Blue where the opposite is true for me) and so I try and read the book before seeing the film. Also once you've seen the film when you read the book it is difficult to put that actor out of your mind. This really hit home when I read Get Shorty recently. I've not seen the film and yet such is the power that everytime Chilli Palmer appears I couldnt shake John Travoltas cheesy grin out of my head!
If you can it is worth tracking down the book that 'Hugo' is based on.
It is a beautiful hardback with minimal words and a story told through fantastic drawings with one image per page.

TJ: I'll take a look at the literal Hugo.
Currently salivating over the luxury edition of 'The Hare with Amber Eyes'.
Back to film; I've heard that Oldman's sustained (yet subtle) performance is the thread that holds the film together. Sounds like it's not 'grandstanding' enough to catch the Academy's eye.
Surely not Hanks?

So, 'Film Better than Book'?
Sounds like the subject for a blog (or a pub fight)...
I'll kick things off by nabbing all of the obvious ones:
The Godfather (classic atmospheric cinema; my word/book inspired imagination couldn't come close to those visuals.)

American Physco (easier to digest and the soundtrack's a hoot.)

Once Upon a Time in America (originally a so so novel 'The Hoods'; Ennio's masterly score and De Niro's melancholic detachment clinch it.)
Winter's Bone (close call, as the book is great too.)
No Country For Old Men (I love Cormac McCarthy, but lived with the fleshy characters of the film.)
LA Confidential: I watched this again recently and the convolutions all started to make sense; Ellroy always bombards with names and riffy verbiage that I initially loved (Blue Dahlia) but eventually got a bit weary of...

Blade Runner (Betters Dick's, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' by making real that dystopian vision. And I love Rutger Hauer's 'Tears in the Rain' speech at the end; guarantees a wobble.)

The Shining (scarier than the book)

Jaws ("we need a bigger boat")

And... (maybe controversial)

Where the Wild Things Are

The Iron Man

DA: Good call on 'The Godfather'.
I've not read 'Winter's Bone' but loved the film so the book whould have to go some to top it.
'La Confidential' I'd make that a tie
I'm going to seatch the bookshelves when I get home now
Thinking about it I like 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' better as a film, and 'The Commitments'.
Although both of these the films were better than great books, whereas with 'Betty Blue' i just thought the book was a bit crap.

TJ: See, once you start...
I googled 'Films Better than Books' and the different offerings seem to note the usual suspects (the cliche, not the film); seems that I don't have a singular pallet...
'Children of Men' is an interesting one that oft appears; haven't read the book but I loved the film (that also appears in some 'Worst adaptations ever' lists) found it profoundly moving.
I even gulped a bit when Michael Caine got his bloody doors blown off...

5 comments:

Di Holmes Photography24 February 2012 at 15:50
I loved reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I bit my lip in anticipation when queuing up to see the film, directed by Marc Forster, Those were the days when you had to queue! However, I was pleasantly surprised. Of course there were details left out, but the film would be 3 weeks long if it included everything.
xxx
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Anonymous24 February 2012 at 16:05
to the ones I've already mentioned I'd add Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me. I've not read much Stepehn King but as I love these 2 films I thought I'd give the short stories they came from a go and neither got close to teh film version even if alot of dialogue was lifted virtually straight from the book
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Anonymous24 February 2012 at 17:07
I'm looking forward to the Ridley Scott movie of the novel "Before I go to Sleep" - a very unusual story. And I too thought the Children of Men movie was pants compared to the book. Would love to see a movie made of the book "Behind the Scenes at the Museum".
Susan R
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Di Holmes Photography24 February 2012 at 17:19
Yes I agree... 'Before I go to Sleep' was hard to put down. I blocked off my ears to all talk about who was to play the leading role. I need to read with my own vision of the characters. I did the same for 'The Help'... another great read. Having watched The Grammy's... the casting of Minny was spot on!
xxx
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Hissyfit25 February 2012 at 10:23
What is it that makes 'Children of Men' 'pants' Sue?
It's lumpy Owen's best (crumpled) performance by a mile... the book must be great.
Is that 'R' as in 'Reagan'?
If so, how's your wrist?
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‘Jones’ is Trevor Jones; principle songwriter with the critically acclaimed duo Miracle Mile, where he works alongside collaborator, arranger and musical partner Marcus Cliffe. Together they have produced nine albums, the latest of which was 2012’s ‘In Cassidy’s Care’, rated ‘Album of the Month’ by HiFi News, with respected journalist Johnny Black noting that Miracle Mile were “far and away the most unfairly unsung musical wizards ever to emerge from this sceptered isle. Big on memorable tunes wrapped around honest-to-goodness emotionally involving lyrics.”

Trevor Jones has also previously produced four solo albums: ‘Hopeland’ (2009), ‘Keepers’, (2010), ‘To the Bone’ (2014) and ‘Happy Blue’ (2016). Co-produced again with Marcus Cliffe, ‘Carver’s Law is another triumph of intimacy.
Previous critical acclaim for Trevor Jones:

“Gorgeous, as ever. Trevor Jones finds the poetry in real life; gently beautiful and genuinely moving. You may cry.” The Sunday Times

“Masterpieces of subtlety and observation clothed in sumptuous, lush melodies.” R2

“Jones is in a class of one. Near-perfect explorations of the human heart. The beauty on offer here is enough to make you weep. It did me.” Americana UK

“Achingly tender.” Folk Radio UK

“Intellectually as well as emotionally engaging.” MOJO

"Meticulously orchestrated, careful and complex, this is canny songwriting leavened by bona fide humanity." Q

“Moves you to tears and refreshes the soul. Scintillating.” Maverick

"Gentle enchantment. The loveliest melodies you've ever heard.” Uncut

“Classic pop songwriting, gorgeously realised. Jones has compiled possibly the finest catalogue of adult pop. Gently beautiful and genuinely moving” The Times

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Despite being based in a home studio in a rural backwater on the outskirts of West London, Miracle Mile chose to name themselves after a fictional gold rush main street half a world away where, according to adventure yarn spinner Jack London, ragged 49ers would blow their hard-won nuggets on booze and broads.
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What had started essentially as a recording project had become a five-piece live band by the time the follow-up, Candids, was released in 1998. Loaded with nagging guitar hooks and dynamic vocal interplay, it included one particularly affecting piece, "Small Ad," which featured just one line of lyric, the heart-rending couplet, "Baby’s shoes, never used." With those four words, Jones conjured up a yawning abyss of grief that other writers might struggle to evoke in an entire album.

Jones quickly realised that live performance was not his forte and retired to the womb of the studio for 1999’s third album, Slow Fade, which also saw the birth of the partnership that would lift Miracle Mile higher still above the norm. Marcus Cliffe, in demand as a player for Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Mark Knopfler and others, was drafted in on upright bass.
Immediately the music took a more intimate turn, with Jones exploring the little things that illuminate the big things. Almost every song offers up at least one unforgettable line, like "I'd rather be ashes than dust" in "Everybody Loved You," or the concept of filling the void left by his loss of faith "with despair and metalware" in "Starwatching."
Slow Fade was further enhanced by the delicately filigreed swirls and swoops of England’s finest steel guitar maestro, B.J. Cole, whose style sat so well with Jones and Cliffe that he has become virtually a full-time member of the band.

And then, out of nowhere, catastrophe struck. Trevor Jones’ beloved sister died in tragic circumstances. It’s typical of the man that, rather than wallowing in his grief as he had every right to do, he dealt with his loss in the quiet, honest dignity of "Sister Song," the achingly lovely tribute that concludes the fourth album, Alaska. It can’t have been coincidence that the album, despite its meltingly beautiful musical landscape, was named for one of the coldest places on earth.

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‘Cassidy’s Care’ followed in 2012 and received similar critical acclaim.
Miracle Mile may just be too concerned with timeless quality for their own short-term commercial good. They’ll never sink a fang into the jugular when they can plant a whisper of a kiss on that sensitive spot at the nape of the neck and set off a tiny ripple that will, in the fullness of time, explode in the heart. I, for one, wouldn’t want it any other way.
Johnny Black

“Trevor Jones finds the poetry in real life; Marcus Cliffe anchors it in the sweetest pop. Gorgeous as ever. You may cry.”
Sunday Times

"Gentle enchantment. The loveliest melodies you've ever heard."
UNCUT

“Gorgeous melodies, hooks galore, intelligent lyrics that demand and repay careful listening, beautifully produced instrumentation, and an overall effect that combines poignancy and joy in equal measure. Music and words come together in a state as close to perfection as makes no difference, and leaves you with a delicious ache that makes you hug yourself with the sheer overwhelming joy of hearing such wonderful music. The beauty on offer here is enough to make you weep. It did me."
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“A little oasis illuminated by musical creativity, glimpsed like a lovely mirage. Intelligent tunefulness that doesn’t kowtow to passing trends has always been as rare as fish fingernails, but it’s here.” Mojo

“Classic pop songwriting, gorgeously realised” The Times

“Moves you to tears and refreshes the soul. Scintillating.”
Maverick

“A tender sadness. Songs that have universal resonance.”
Netrhythms

"Trevor Jones has produced a gorgeous pop album that few will hear — unless there’s justice in the world.’ The Wall Street Journal

“Jones has compiled possibly the finest catalogue of adult pop. Gently beautiful and genuinely moving”
The Sunday Times