# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/21 "2009-05-03T00:51:42Z")
In Ian Fleming’s novel _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_, the “crackpot” inventor is known as Caractacus Pott. In the film, his surname is lengthened to Potts. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/22 "2009-05-03T01:27:31Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Disney changed the name of Aladdin’s princess from Badroulbadour to Jasmine. Probably a good idea from a marketing standpoint. I may now call her Badroulbadour until I get sick of it or forget. Badroulbadour. That’s just cool. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/23 "2009-05-03T01:29:45Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > 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.) Hey, it’s less horrible than average, for a Verhoeven flick. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/24 "2009-05-03T02:06:14Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Huh, I misread this as simplifying the name _of_ the movie. “One for ‘Honk,’ please.” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/25 "2009-05-03T16:53:10Z")
Speaking of H.G. Wells, the narrator in **War of the Worlds** is never given a name in the book. In Spielberg’s 2005 adaptation, the character is named **Ray Ferrier.** I love that his name is Ray (snerk!). So, I suppose in this case, they arguably _lengthened_ his name. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/26 "2009-05-03T17:23:45Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Was the novel better than the film? Because the film _sucked_. The novel’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/27 "2009-05-03T17:35:57Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I was going to suggest _Gone With the Wind_ become known as _Blown Away_. In a world where everything may soon be destroyed by fire, only one man can save Tara. ::montage of brief clips of destruction and disaster Clark Gable! Vivien Leigh! By the director that brought you _The Wizard of Oz_ and _Captains Courageous_, a Selznick International Pictures production, Metro Goldwyn Mayer presents Margaret Mitchell’s \*\*BLOWN AWAY!! \*\* Coming summer 1939 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/28 "2009-05-03T18:26:41Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > In a world where everything may soon be destroyed by fire, only one man can save Tara. > > ::montage of brief clips of destruction and disaster > > Clark Gable! > > Vivien Leigh! > > By the director that brought you _The Wizard of Oz_ and _Captains Courageous_, a Selznick International Pictures production, Metro Goldwyn Mayer presents Margaret Mitchell’s > > \*\*BLOWN AWAY!! \*\* > > Coming summer 1939 Whoa! That sounds awesome! I heard all the Civil War scenes are CGI. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/29 "2009-05-03T21:27:41Z")
Everyone knows that the robot in _The Day the Earth Stood Still_ was named “Gort”. But in the original short story, “Farewell to the Master”, he was Gnut. ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/30 "2009-05-03T21:32:58Z")
they changed Howl’s apprentice’s name from Michael to Markl (!) in the movie adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/31 "2009-05-03T22:16:27Z")
> [@tiltypig](#): > > they changed Howl’s apprentice’s name from Michael to Markl (!) in the movie adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle. I don’t know this for a fact, but I strongly suspect this resulted from romanizing the Japanese pronunciation of “Michael”. It seemed pretty silly to me that they didn’t just call him Michael in the English subtitles/dub. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/32 "2009-05-03T22:26:09Z")
In Ralph Bakshi’s infamous 70s animated version of “Lord of the Rings” Saruman is called Aruman. I guess they thought it would be too confusing to have two bad guys named Saruman and Sauron. ---
**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 4, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/33 "2009-05-04T02:03:35Z")
You can ay that again. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/34 "2009-05-04T02:29:34Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The novel titled _Harm’s Way_ was titled _In Harm’s Way_ as a movie. That’s the only lengthening I’m familiar with. There’s also Schindler’s Ark, which became Schindler’s List for the movie. A lengthening of one character! ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/35 "2009-05-04T03:35:15Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > In Ralph Bakshi’s infamous 70s animated version of “Lord of the Rings” Saruman is called Aruman. I guess they thought it would be too confusing to have two bad guys named Saruman and Sauron. Even worse, at some points in the movie they still call him Saruman. Yeah, way to avoid confusion guys! ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/36 "2009-05-04T06:04:21Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I may now call her Badroulbadour until I get sick of it or forget. > > Badroulbadour. That’s just cool. I am with you on this. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/37 "2009-05-04T07:11:47Z")
Since someone already mentioned some changed movie titles I’ll continue with that. LTG Hal Moore and Joe Galloway’s book _We Were Soldiers Once…And Young_ was shortened to _We Were Soldiers_ for the movie. I guess it is fitting because they only used half of the book. Hal Moore was not involved in the second half of the battle. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/38 "2009-05-04T13:30:05Z")
Disney’s 1950s adaptation of _Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland_ was titled _Alice in Wonderland_, misleading generations thereafter into thinking the latter was the name of the book. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/39 "2009-05-04T13:37:43Z")
> [@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 one pegged my irony meter pretty high. If it had been called “philosopher’s stone” I might have been interested in reading it, but Sorceror’s stone absolutely did not speak to me at all. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/40 "2009-05-04T14:47:08Z")
In _V for Vendetta_, the Leader’s name was changed from Adam Susan to Adam Sutler in the movie adaptation (presumably because the producers thought that having a girl’s name as his surname would be distractingly silly, or something). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907.md?page=3)