Crappy books turned into decent movies

[Equipoise]

I came in to post about Jaws. Thank god Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley decided to cut out that stupid affair between Mrs. Brody and Hooper!

A coupla nitpicks, sorry…

@BrainGlutton

Another difference is that Carrie’s Mom, in the book, is not only fat and ugly, but much, much scarier, and much more fully developed as a character. I think Kubrick missed the bus on that one.

Brian De Palma.

Spacek is Sissy, not Cissy. (I had to correct that one because she’s always been one of my favorite actresses ever since I saw her very first movie, Prime Cut. I cheered outloud when I heard she was going to be playing Carrie even though she didn’t look the way King described Carrie. I knew she’d be wonderful, and she was.)

[dalej42]

The Shawshank Redemption. An ok short story. An excellent movie.

[LVBoPeep]

@dalej42

The Shawshank Redemption. An ok short story. An excellent movie.

Interesting… I read the short story before I saw the movie and I was amazed at how well the movie captured everything that was wonderful about the story. Or really, just captured every bit of that story just as if it sprang right out of the author’s mind (for once). I think they are at least evenly matched.

[BrainGlutton]

Less Than Zero. The book is stream-of-consciousness crap with nothing identifiable as a plot.

[AHunter3]

I agree about Dolores Claiborne. I would say the same of Christine. The movies were improvements over the books.

Definitely not The Shining though. I consider it to be far and away his best book, and the movie kind of sucked (even suspending as best I can my disappointment at how different it is from the book, and trying to enjoy the movie for its own sake, it’s just not a very good movie).
Anyone recall a juvenile/Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks? I had read the book, Bed-knob and Broom-stick, several years before the movie, and it was pretty damn awful. When they did the movie they had the good sense to just lift the plot-device of a bedknob that could animate the bed and make it fly, and not bother with the book’s plot to any major degree.

[Freudian_Slit]

@AHunter3

I agree about Dolores Claiborne. I would say the same of Christine. The movies were improvements over the books.

Definitely not The Shining though. I consider it to be far and away his best book, and the movie kind of sucked (even suspending as best I can my disappointment at how different it is from the book, and trying to enjoy the movie for its own sake, it’s just not a very good movie).

Good call on The Shining. I also consider it to be one of King’s best novels. The Kubrick film was good–I tend to look at them as two completely different things, instead of making comparisons between the two…makes it easier to enjoy the movie.

I also really loved Fight Club, but not so much the book. I saw it first…the book came off as kind of dull and pretentious. It all seemed to come alive more in the film.

[CalMeacham]

Another difference is that Carrie’s Mom, in the book, is not only fat and ugly, but much, much scarier, and much more fully developed as a character. I think Kubrick missed the bus on that one.

[Nitpick] Brian de Palma directed Carrie. [/Nitpick]

[Annie-Xmas]

@dalej42

The Shawshank Redemption. An ok short story. An excellent movie.

And The Body based on “Fall from Innocence” in the same King volume of “Different Seasons.” Ok story, excellent movie by Rob Reiner.

[Lunar_Saltlick]

I read P.D. James’ Children of Men when it was first published and thought it very weak. From what I’ve heard and read, the film must have been a significant improvement.

[Sitnam]

@CalMeacham

I’ve heard that The Princess Bride works much better as a film than a book, but I haven’t read the book yet. It’s on my list.

I love the movie so when I found out years later it was a book first I went out and got it. I know the whole movie by heart and I believe the dialogue is superior to the books. Still, the movie cuts out a few scenes that would have been comedy gold, like when the Count and his wife first visit Buttercup when she’s young.

[FriarTed]

@Annie-Xmas

And The Body based on “Fall from Innocence” in the same King volume of “Different Seasons.” Ok story, excellent movie by Rob Reiner.

Where is it that the titles are not- the movie STAND BY ME and the short story THE BODY?

[BrainGlutton]

@Annie-Xmas

And The Body based on “Fall from Innocence” in the same King volume of “Different Seasons.” Ok story, excellent movie by Rob Reiner.

Apt Pupil, OTOH – the movie kind of disappoints.

[The_Scrivener]

@Sitnam

I’ll have to go with The Last of the Mohicans. Cooper’s book is WAY to slow and detailed. He loses all rhythm when telling a story, I don’t need 2 pages about trees, the STORY man, focus on the story. The movie was bad ass.

Me too. The novel was assigned reading and I simply could not get through it.

I assume you were referring to the 80’s remake with Daniel Day Lewis… but there was a 1930’s version starring Randolph Scott, which TCM is airing this week.

[Church congregation from Blazing Saddles, in reverential unison] “Randolph Scott!” [/CcfBSiru]

[HelloKitty]

@Annie-Xmas

And The Body based on “Fall from Innocence” in the same King volume of “Different Seasons.” Ok story, excellent movie by Rob Reiner.

Are you talking about the movie Stand By Me?

Different Seasons has always been one of my favorite Stephen King books. I haven’t read it in many years, though, I wonder if I would feel the same way now after having seen “Shawshank” and “Stand By Me” so many times…?

I like the OP…it’s a tough one…I can’t really think of a crappy book turned into a good movie. It’s so much easier to come up with the reverse…good book/crappy movie.

[Great_Dave]

Different Seaons is a collection of four novellas- each given a season in addition to the title- so for Spring, King has Hope Springs Eternal as the season, and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption as the title of the novella. Likewise, Fall From Innocence and the Body, which was turned into Stand by Me. I don’t remember what the season name for Apt Pupil was, just that it was summer. And the winter one really sucked.

Also, wanted to second the Color Purple. I could hardly read that collection of letters written by a barely literate person, but it actually made sense as a movie.

[Tabula_Rasa]

A Summer Place

It’s an okay read, but I love the film.

[JKellyMap]

@Baldwin

The movie Paper Moon is a close adaptation of the first half of the novel of the same name.

Nitpick: Wasn’t the book called Addie Pray? I never read it, but I remember that from the movie’s credits.

(Like many books that become successful films, perhaps they republished it later with the title changed to capitalize on the film’s popularity).

[Scarlett67]

Quick Change. We loved the movie, so we tracked down the book. What a boring piece of trash. Mad props to the screenwriter for turning that sow’s ear into a silk purse.

[Baldwin]

@JKellyMap

Nitpick: Wasn’t the book called Addie Pray? I never read it, but I remember that from the movie’s credits.

(Like many books that become successful films, perhaps they republished it later with the title changed to capitalize on the film’s popularity).

I think that’s what happened (the title being changed when it was reissued).

Couple more:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was a much more entertaining movie than Who Erased Roger Rabbit? was a book.

Forrest Gump – not a great movie, but better than the novel.

[Freudian_Slit]

@Great Dave

Different Seaons is a collection of four novellas- each given a season in addition to the title- so for Spring, King has Hope Springs Eternal as the season, and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption as the title of the novella. Likewise, Fall From Innocence and the Body, which was turned into Stand by Me. I don’t remember what the season name for Apt Pupil was, just that it was summer. And the winter one really sucked.

Also, wanted to second the Color Purple. I could hardly read that collection of letters written by a barely literate person, but it actually made sense as a movie.

Apt Pupil was Summer of Corruption.

The winter story (A Winter’s Tale) was called the Breathing Method–I found it incredibly creepy, myself.

@Scarlett67

Quick Change. We loved the movie, so we tracked down the book. What a boring piece of trash. Mad props to the screenwriter for turning that sow’s ear into a silk purse.

Thanks for the heads up on that one. I saw Quick Change a few years ago for the first time on Comedy Central and thought about hunting down the book. I don’t think I will now. Plus, Bill Murray brings so much to that one.