# Simplifying the name for the movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907 "2009-04-30T23:54:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [April 30, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/1 "2009-04-30T23:54:05Z")
I’ve noticed that movies adapted from books will frequently change names, making them simpler. It never seems to go the other way around. they did this with the recent version of **Last of the Mohicans** , changing Hawkeye’s real name from _Natty Bumppo_ to _Nathaniel Poe_. I think they thought “Natty Bumppo” sounded to ridiculous and hicklike\*. “Nathaniel Poe” has grace and dignity. Brian de Palma did it in **The Fury** , where John cassavetes’ Bad Guy gets his name shortened from _Ben Childermass_ to \* Ben Childress\*. In **The Relic** , the creature is called the _Mbwun_, worshipped by the _Kathoga_ tribe. For the film, they decided that Mbwun was unpronounceable, or something, because the _creature_ is called the _Kathoga_. Also the character of _Julian Wittlesey_ in the novel became _John Whitney_ in the film. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/2 "2009-05-01T00:26:02Z")
Disney changed the name of Aladdin’s princess from Badroulbadour to Jasmine. Probably a good idea from a marketing standpoint. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/3 "2009-05-01T01:31:03Z")
Shakespeare didn’t exactly change the name of Lady Macbeth, he just omitted it. Seeing as her historical name was Gruoch, this was probably just as well. ---
**Author:** ![Umbriel2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4af34b/32.png) [@Umbriel2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbriel2)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/4 "2009-05-01T13:32:37Z")
In the book _Where Eagles Dare_ prominent supporting characters include a Gestapo Major von Brauchitsch and a British spy/commando named Ed Carraciola, changed to “von Hapen” and “Ted Berkeley”, respectively, in the movie. Interestingly, the movie script actually seems to have been written by Alistair MacLean first, and the novel later. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/5 "2009-05-01T14:08:58Z")
The 70’s TV version of The Incredible Hulk changed Bruce Banner to David. The reason varies according to who you ask [ul] [li]They wanted to avoid silly sounding alliterative names[/li][li]To disrance themselves from the campy Batman series (Bruce Wayne)[/li][li]Because the name Bruce sounded “gay”[/li][li]As a tribute to the producer’s dead son David.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/6 "2009-05-01T15:03:55Z")
The narrator-character in H.G. Wells’s **The Island Of Dr. Moreau** is named Edward Prendick. The 1977 film version changed the last name to “Braddock”, and the awful 1996 version changed it to “Douglas”. For that matter, the 1932 version, going by the title **Island Of Lost Souls** , changed the character’s name to “Parker”. To be fair, “Prendick” doesn’t exactly sound like “action movie hero” to most folks, so the changes are understandable. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/7 "2009-05-01T15:33:08Z")
Can’t forget (if this also includes titles) the first Harry Potter movie changing “Philosopher’s Stone” to “Sorceror’s Stone” (at least in the US). I can certainly imagine hordes of preteens fleeing madly from the theatre, lest they hear the word “philosopher.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/8 "2009-05-01T15:35:47Z")
We would look at _Star Wars_ much differently if the villain kept his original name, Darth Vaderischevksy. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/9 "2009-05-01T15:48:11Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Can’t forget (if this also includes titles) the first Harry Potter movie changing “Philosopher’s Stone” to “Sorceror’s Stone” (at least in the US). I can certainly imagine hordes of preteens fleeing madly from the theatre, lest they hear the word “philosopher.” That that change was made for the book long before the movie came out. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/10 "2009-05-01T16:05:14Z")
In the book _The Stunt Man_, the director’s name is “Gottschalk” (God’s servant in Old High German). In the movie, it was changed to “Eli Cross”, because really, who speaks Old High German anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/11 "2009-05-01T16:22:09Z")
Juan Rico in Starship Troopers became Johnny Rico. Dizzy Flores kept the same name, but changed genders. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/12 "2009-05-01T16:35:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > In **The Relic** , the creature is called the _Mbwun_, worshipped by the _Kathoga_ tribe. For the film, they decided that Mbwun was unpronounceable, or something, because the _creature_ is called the _Kathoga_. Also the character of _Julian Wittlesey_ in the novel became _John Whitney_ in the film. Was the novel better than the film? Because the film _sucked_. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/13 "2009-05-01T16:44:07Z")
Not really related, but sort is when I read the title of this thread. The movie Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford, was made from a book titled Six Days of the Condor. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/14 "2009-05-01T17:05:12Z")
I recently saw a made-for-TV 1970s version of _Wings of A Dove_ in which Merton Densher’s name was changed to John Merton. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/15 "2009-05-01T17:10:20Z")
Leading men’s names have to have punch. They can’t be long. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/16 "2009-05-01T17:11:56Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Juan Rico in Starship Troopers became Johnny Rico. Dizzy Flores kept the same name, but changed genders. To be fair, the protagonist is called Johnny by people in the book, as well. (Chalk this up to Signs of the End Times: I never thought I would be saying _anything_, _ever_, in defense of Verhoeven’s Abortion.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/17 "2009-05-01T18:12:14Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Not really related, but sort is when I read the title of this thread. The movie Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford, was made from a book titled Six Days of the Condor. Damn those budget cuts! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/18 "2009-05-01T19:39:54Z")
The novel titled _Harm’s Way_ was titled _In Harm’s Way_ as a movie. That’s the only lengthening I’m familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/19 "2009-05-03T00:25:18Z")
In Watchmen, Sally Jupiter’s daughter Laurie returned to the family’s original last name of Juspeczyk. In the film, she’s Laurie Jupiter. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/20 "2009-05-03T00:28:17Z")
Huh, I misread this as simplifying the name _of_ the movie. I was going to suggest _Gone With the Wind_ become known as _Blown Away_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907.md?page=2)