# Has a movie adaptation of a beloved book ever lived up to your expectations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760 "2018-01-02T17:26:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/141 "2018-01-09T20:18:11Z")
First, I recall a cartoon with a director pointing at a couple in the middle of filming a scene. Someone said, “Boy, this movie follows the book extremely closely.” The director had a book in his other hand. That was probably from Playboy in the early '70’s. - To answer the question I recall that a bit that time I read the [novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary%27s_Baby_(novel)) Rosemary’s Baby was based on. It struck me that the film was amazingly close to the details as well as the spirit [Hmmm… unintentional pun!] of the film. > **[Rosemary's Baby (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary%27s_Baby_%28film%29#Script)** > > Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 American psychological horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on Ira Levin's 1967 novel of the same name. The film stars Mia Farrow as a young (soon pregnant) wife living in Manhattan who comes to suspect that her elderly neighbors are members of a Satanic cult and are grooming her in order to use her baby for their rituals. The film's supporting cast includes John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, Patsy Kelly, Ang... ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/142 "2018-01-10T00:04:03Z")
> [@B-Rad](#): > > Point taken. > > BTW, I _did_ like the hobbit movies in their own right, but as an adaptation of the book…I struggle. Very much good, lots of embellishment that might have been tolerable but for the icky elf/elf/_hurk_ dwarf love triangle which causes so much distraction as to make one go back and question the necessity of adding the whole Bolg & Radagast lines. Riddles in the Dark almost redeemed it all, however. Radagast was fine, I liked the whole White Council side story. But the combat was overmuch and yes, the “love story”…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/143 "2018-01-10T02:33:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, and I am sorry there were no sequels as planned. > > Russle Crowe did need to be a little pudgier,😛 but that is a nitpick. The film captured the spirit very well. That really depends on the book though; sometimes he was nearly 20 stone, others he wasn’t nearly so big. But yeah; great adaptation, and good casting, I thought. I didn’t have high hopes for Paul Bettany, being blonde, tall and reasonably good looking, but he did a pretty good job of getting Maturin’s personality down. About the only complaint about the movie I had is that we didn’t get to see enough of Jack’s non-nautical side- the whole thing was almost completely naval warfare, with the exception of the dinner and the music playing. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/144 "2018-01-10T02:38:10Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > I think Syfy has done an excellent job with _The Expanse._ Holden doesn’t seem quite right, but otherwise, pretty faithful. Well aside from the physicality of the belters, but that is understandable. I think Holden’s fine, but the actor is a bit too young. That’s really the gripe about the casting that I have- everyone’s about 5-10 years too young, otherwise they’re spot on, with the exception of Cas Anwar; he’s the right age to be Alex. And I particularly like the way his Mariner Valley drawl wanes and waxes depending on how much stress he’s under. Very much the way quite a few Texans I know work- normally very faintly accented, but get them angry or stressed, and it comes right out. ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/145 "2018-01-10T03:52:52Z")
> [@B-Rad](#): > > Point taken. > > BTW, I _did_ like the hobbit movies in their own right, but as an adaptation of the book…I struggle. Very much good, lots of embellishment that might have been tolerable but for the icky elf/elf/_hurk_ dwarf love triangle which causes so much distraction as to make one go back and question the necessity of adding the whole Bolg & Radagast lines. Riddles in the Dark almost redeemed it all, however. I think aside from all that, I hated the CGI orcs most of all. CGI and motion capture was used very effectively for Gollum in LOTR, but the Uruk Hai were a real physical threat in LOTR. There’s something about the reality of an actor in good makeup and costuming that CGI can’t match. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/146 "2018-01-10T06:46:54Z")
The book and movie of _Cold Comfort Farm_ were lovely. I think they only nitpick I had was that the actress playing Elfine, while pretty enough, is not a world-class beauty as described in the book. (I’d quote the description, but my library is currently a shambles.) I loved that Peter Jackson pulled in material from the appendices to include in the Hobbit movies, given that at least some of the action was contemporaneous. I could have done entirely without the elf/dwarf attraction and the bloody chase scenes, one per movie. You know it was only there to give the 3D watchers a thrill. Other than that, they were absolutely pointless. And what was with the gigantic melting gold dwarf king statue? Who thought \*that \*was a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/147 "2018-01-10T14:19:12Z")
One that totally exceeded my expectations was The Color Purple. A very hard book to film, with a cast of then unknowns, yet Steven Spielberg it did! (11 Oscar nominations yet not for Best Director? And no wins? Stupid Academy). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/148 "2018-01-10T14:53:55Z")
I’ve never enjoyed a film AFTER I’ve read the book. I’ll still enjoy the book if I’ve seen the movie first. ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/149 "2018-01-10T15:34:38Z")
I thought **The Dogs of War** was a good, maybe superior adaptation of the source novel. Christopher Walken was not who I imagined as the hardcore ex-Royal Marine of the novel, but with his ethereal presence, he made it interesting and the film’s complex plot was very tightened up into a documentary-type feel. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/150 "2018-01-13T05:56:59Z")
I saw the movie well before I read the book, which screws up my biases; but I would say that [this adaptation](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089616/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) of Graham Greene’s _Monsignor Quixote_, with Alec Guinness and Leo McKern, is so faithful to the book that one can _almost_ swap the experience of watching the movie with that of reading the book. Almost. (Given my fondness for Leo McKern, I might consider the book disappointing by comparison because he obviously is not on the page.) So, perhaps the answer to faithful adaptations is to look for something small and modest done for UK television or the like, rather than a big-budget extravaganza with lots of Hollywood dorks giving notes. Of relatively “big” movies, I remember being sort of annoyed and confused by the attempt to compress _Akira_ into a movie, but the early acts have some cool special effects and the soundtrack album is pretty cool. And that’s how awful feature film adaptations generally are. The soundtrack is cool, so that makes it better than most. Except not really, because the music is better served by the soundtrack album than by the hot mess of a movie. There are feature films I quite like based on books I have not read. Michael Cimino’s _The Sicilian_ (with Christopher Lambert as Giuliano!) and Alfonso Cuarón’s modernized _Great Expectations_ are both beautifully shot and, well, passably acted movies. But I can’t say I had any expectations based on the books, or that fans of the books wouldn’t hate them. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/151 "2018-01-15T19:23:20Z")
I disagree with 1408 - I liked the story more than the movie, and found it far creepier. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/152 "2018-01-16T02:08:47Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > I disagree with 1408 - I liked the story more than the movie, and found it far creepier. Agree with **Poysyn** , although Cusack did give it the old college try. ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/153 "2018-01-16T05:32:43Z")
**To Live and Die in L.A.** was both a good novel and an excellent movie. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/154 "2018-01-16T15:44:31Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > When I saw “Stand By Me,” it was as if the exact film I watched in my head while reading the book had sprung fully formed onto the screen in front of me. That was a rare experience, and, at the time, practically magical. Speaking of King adaptations, the TV series “Mr. Mercedes” was an outstanding adaptation that absolutely nailed the book. If anything it improved on it. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/155 "2018-01-16T19:30:53Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > I liked the book “Shoeless Joe” by W.P Kinsella, but I think the movie version (Field of Dreams) was even better. I went backwards on this one. _Field of Dreams_ had already been one of my favorite movies for years before I got around to reading _Shoeless Joe._ I was somewhat surprised at how different the two are, but I think the film works better as a film, while the book works better as a book. (If that makes any sense.) Side note: For an even more bizarre and fantastical baseball yarn, check out Kinsella’s _[The Iowa Baseball Confederacy](https://www.amazon.com/Iowa-Baseball-Confederacy-Novel/dp/0618340807)_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/156 "2018-01-16T20:17:39Z")
They’re not movies, but the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes adaptations definitely lived up to the promise of the original stories, at least until Brett himself starting falling ill and they had to effectively write him out of them. The two TV “movies” of _The Sign of Four_ and _The hound of the Baskervilles_ were two of the best and most faithful long Holmes adaptations made. Hound is especially notable in that regard, because it’s been done so many times – usually badly. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/157 "2018-01-16T20:44:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > They’re not movies, but the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes adaptations definitely lived up to the promise of the original stories, at least until Brett himself starting falling ill and they had to effectively write him out of them. The two TV “movies” of _The Sign of Four_ and _The hound of the Baskervilles_ were two of the best and most faithful long Holmes adaptations made. Hound is especially notable in that regard, because it’s been done so many times – usually badly. I agree completely. Brett is the ONLY Sherlock Holmes. Watching the shows now all together, it’s sad to see him deteriorating. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/158 "2018-01-17T15:53:27Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > After reading “The Shining” I had pretty high expectations when the movie came out, and for the most part I was satisfied with the adaptation. Apparently Stephen King wasn’t too impressed when it was first released but I believe over the years he’s come to appreciate it a little more. Jack Nicholson was a good choice but I thought Shelly Duvall was just a little too…Olive Oily? I thought Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining was awful…as an adaptation. It was an okay movie, but it wasn’t a fateful adaptation by any means. I like the mini-series much better, as far as adaptations go. I also liked the adaptations of: [ul] [li]Night of the Twisters[/li][li]Phantoms[/li][li]One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest[/li][li]the Harry Potter series[/li][li]Cool Hand Luke[/li][li]Jurassic Park[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/159 "2018-01-17T16:39:19Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > They’re not movies, but the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes adaptations definitely lived up to the promise of the original stories, at least until Brett himself starting falling ill and they had to effectively write him out of them. The two TV “movies” of _The Sign of Four_ and _The hound of the Baskervilles_ were two of the best and most faithful long Holmes adaptations made. Hound is especially notable in that regard, because it’s been done so many times – usually badly. Good choice - my favorite as well; both faithful to the source and damn good. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/160 "2018-01-17T16:41:50Z")
I’ve just started watching the TV series _Outlander_, on DVD, and at the “four disks into season 1” point I’m astonished at how perfectly they nailed the book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760.md?page=9)