What is the best adaptation of a book to a movie?

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zeldas_lullaby
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Re: What is the best adaptation of a book to a movie?

Post by zeldas_lullaby »

Fellow Jane Eyre fan? It's in my top three. I did not enjoy Wuthering Heights and have not read the others by the Brontes.
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TrisNook
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Post by TrisNook »

I would have to say Pride and Prejudice (The British like 6 hour one not the re-done one with Kira Knightly because just NO for that one.) because it was literally almost word for word from the book and then also the Hunger Games because they captured a lot of the essence of the book on the screen and it was the first movie from book adaptation that really wowed me and caught my heart. Kudos for that.
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Post by Ryan »

TrisNook wrote:I would have to say Pride and Prejudice (The British like 6 hour one not the re-done one with Kira Knightly because just NO for that one.) because it was literally almost word for word from the book and then also the Hunger Games because they captured a lot of the essence of the book on the screen and it was the first movie from book adaptation that really wowed me and caught my heart. Kudos for that.
I agree. 'The Hunger Games' is a great film and a great adaptation :)

-- 04 Sep 2015, 01:11 --

David Lean's version of 'Great Expectations' starring John Mills is one of my favourites.
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zeldas_lullaby
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Post by zeldas_lullaby »

TrisNook wrote:I would have to say Pride and Prejudice (The British like 6 hour one not the re-done one with Kira Knightly because just NO for that one.) because it was literally almost word for word from the book and then also the Hunger Games because they captured a lot of the essence of the book on the screen and it was the first movie from book adaptation that really wowed me and caught my heart. Kudos for that.
Ooh, another fellow lover of the P&P miniseries edition!! Woo hoo!

(Haven't read or seen Hunger Games.)
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Post by Jebrower »

One of the best movie adaptations from books, in my opinion, has been "The Time Machine." To me, both movie adaptations really capture the idea of the book and apply it into a motion picture with near perfection.
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Post by rosemarieshort »

I agree with a couple of others. I really felt To Kill a Mockingbird's Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch was extraordinary.

Best adaptation for me off the top of my head is probably the Jennifer Ehle / Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice - the gentle respect, friendship and intimacy which is very, VERY sparing implied in the book is shown a little more warmly in the adaptation (though thankfully not in typically raunchy Hollywood fashion) to just add a taste of added believability to the changing minds and feelings of the couple.
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Post by zeldas_lullaby »

All right! Another fan of the wonderful P&P miniseries!!
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Post by KRay93 »

Here I have a dilemma. While The Godfather is one of the best American movies of all time, I still find the book a little more "complete". On the other hand, both Schindler's List and The Shawshank Redemption (the two movies based on short/medium length novels) seem superior to their literary counterparts.
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Post by KLafser »

I agree with The Green Mile .... there are so many excellent choices, as well as so many that did poorly. Stephen King novels are so intricate that I have to give props there.
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Post by Amanda Nixon »

I loved the Harry Potter movies and also (way different) but Fault in Our Stars.
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Post by lbhatters »

I really enjoyed "Seabiscuit" by Laura Hillenbrand. When I saw the movie, it was just as good. Both were excellent.
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Post by JuliaKay »

I loved The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Obviously, some of the book was left out, but I do think it was very well done and true to the story. However, it went downhill from there. I am not a fan of The Hobbit movies.
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Post by Tbunde5 »

The perfect book-to-movie adaptation was Holes. It followed the book completely, and didn’t lose anything for it.

Worst, in my opinion, was three torurous movies from The Hobbit. I just had to stop watching.
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Post by Cswrawr »

I agree with those that mentioned Gone with the Wind. Also, I would add Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The movie gives the same feeling as the book without being word for word.
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Post by desantismt_17 »

I was pretty impressed with the Harry Potter movies, the first two especially. Not sure if it's the best, but the movie of Catching Fire from the Hunger Games trilogy was a very good adaptation, in my opinion. It expanded on some things that seemed glossed over in the book (like the entire process of Katniss and Peetah planning their public image) and really kept to the story well.
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