What do you think of books turned into films??

One of my favorite books, Twilight, is currently being produced. It's set for a December 12, 2008 release and I am so excited.

The great thing about this particular movie's production is that they involve the fans a lot. Many bloggers have gone to the set and posted their pics and stories, giving us other fans a chance to peer even more closely into how the movie is made.

The producers of the film also say that they involved the author, Stephenie Meyer, in the script and that she approved every line of it.

While I'm super excited about the film, I wonder how faithful they will be to the book. I'm certain there will be book scenes that won't be in the film. I'm also certain that changes will be made to some scenes in the book. One blog mentioned that Edward and Bella don't have their first meal in Bella Italia, but in a place called The Bloated Toad. Hmmm. It doesn't sound as romantic, and maybe they'll even change this but little things like that, little changes, are gigantic to die-hard Twilighters.

I don't think it'll be as good as the book. It'll be good, I hope, in its own way. I can't wait till the 12th of Dec.

How do you feel about books being turned into movies? Do you have successful and not-so-successful book-to-film examples?

(Image from Cinematical)

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12 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by AmyHuang

May 3rd 2008 08:03

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Most of the time, when it comes to plot and character development, the book is always better. A book allows us the readers the imagination to create the world rather than fixed image provided by films. Sometimes, our idea of the main character may not be the most good looking person in the world and sometimes the girl may not always fall for the boy.

Films on the other hand, gives one interpretation of the books and for people who have read the books, they may not share the same interpretation as the film producers. However they do make the films graphically entertaining and most who haven't read the books do end up enjoying the film.

My 2 cents.

Comment by The wonderful Peter Yang

May 3rd 2008 11:45

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Some books are good, some book sucks.

Some books are turned into great movies, some books are turn into crappy movie.

I am guessing this book should make a pretty good movie.

Comment by James Rickard

May 3rd 2008 15:10

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I've generally been disappointed when books I've liked are turned into movies. My biggest disappointment was a western called, Black Fox--a great cowboy and Indians story--brutal as heck. It was turned into a TV movie and was quickly forgotten. Al the elements that made it a great book-eye for detail and brutality were left out and then there was some questionable casting.

I recently saw The World According to Garp for the first time in about then years. The book covered a lot of ground but the movie did a pretty good job of capturing the essence of the book. Still my favorite John Irving book!!!!!

Everyone knows the movie Jaws. There's a LOT of subplot in the book that the movies didn't even mention!

All in all, I think the best medium for turning sprawling sagas into movies is the TV miniseries.

Does this show I'm not all about fishing???? *L*

Comment by Jason King

May 3rd 2008 22:01

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Best Book to Movie I can remember is Silence of the Lambs - basically word for word.
Worst Book to Movie - nearly had me crying, it's a tie between The Golden Compass and Eragon. Both amazing books popcorn released and totally ruined the story. As such it looks like neither sequels to the books will now be filmed. Also, The Da Vinci Code was a horrible movie make!

Comment by tlcorbin

May 4th 2008 02:10

I love them Toni, some of the recent scripts seem to have been penned by high school drop outs; but those based on comics, they zing.

Rocketman rules.

Raven

Comment by Mia

May 4th 2008 11:03

I was only just thinking about this popular debate this morning in the shower! My stance has always been that the book and the film should not be overly compared to one another. I see the two mediums as separate artistic entities in their own right. It is only natural that a book is going to offer more sub plots than a film can ever hope to deliver, since a book may be read at a more meandering pace. And it is true that a book offers our imagination more scope.

I think we need to free ourselves from our own book-derived images and accept that when it comes to the film, we are being invited into somebody else's interpretation of the book- in fact, many interpretations, excluding those of our own. As a result, I find myself able to thoroughly enjoy films based on books which I love regardless of the differences, big or small.

I think my friends miss the point when they complain that "that never happened in the book" or "I can't believe they didn't include the bit where..." and "did you notice they combined the two characters..." and "I never pictured her as a blonde." Sometimes, it's good to pretend there was never a book at all until afterwards!

Comment by Fobzy

May 5th 2008 00:04

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Generally, my dear, I don't think, so whatever the mob rules I'll go along with.

Comment by What's Your Story?

May 5th 2008 01:50

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Amy: Thank you for your two cents. We share the same sentiments. Books do allow for a more free imagination, while film presents only one perspective.

Peter: I'm hoping it becomes a really good film!

James: Hahaha yes, you are more than a fishing guy Mr. Rickard!

Jason: Wow, Silence of the Lambs! I think I passed on the book because I found it so scary. The film scared me. What more the book, given my crazy imagination? That being said, I'm sure the book was fantastic. The DaVinci Code was a horrible book-to-film adaptation, yes! Terrible one.

raven: Rocketman?

Mia: That's true, they are of different mediums hence the indirect comparisons.

Fobzy: Ah, so I guess we'll sit you down for a screening of Eragon then, a terrible book-to-film move.

-toni

Comment by samaritan

May 5th 2008 03:05

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Movies just don't have the scope to be able to show everything that a book does. A two hour film isn't enough time to include everything that is put into a book. You can't get all the thoughts and background information and all the other stuff that is included in a book.

Another thing about books is that the reason people like books is not based solely on what happens. It's based on writing style and technique. A movie can show what happens. But it can't capture any of that writing style.

I think a movie of a book is like looking at photographs or a video of a party. It just captures some of what actually happened. But it obviously has to leave a lot of stuff out - and it's generally that stuff that made the thing special in the first place.

Samaritan

Comment by What's Your Story?

May 5th 2008 03:30

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samaritan: "I think a movie of a book is like looking at photographs or a video of a party. It just captures some of what actually happened." Very well put. Yup, movies can never capture 100% of the book. Films are indeed patches of stories from the book, sewed together, neatly or not.

Comment by Morgan Bell

May 8th 2008 05:06

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The Devil Wears Prada . . . fabulous film, the screenwriter was incribly talented . . . the book the screenplay was based on was quite dull in comparison with none of the fantastic witty dialogue we saw in the film