book v. movie
“Eh, I still think the book was better.” Yup, that’s me. I’m that jerk, the one who snottily turns up her nose at the offerings at the local multiplex in favor of books. So as Oscar night approaches, it’s worth considering that some of the source materials for the year’s most celebrated films might just be way damn better than the movies themselves…
That’s definitely the case for Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates’s masterpiece of 1950’s suburban discontent, which is one of my favorite books of all time. Actually, I think the TV show Mad Men so perfectly sums up the mood of Revolutionary Road—the ennui, the cigarettes, the booze, the torrid yet ultimately empty love affairs—that a movie adaptation almost feels unnecessary, redundant. Apparently the Academy agreed—Kate and Leo totally got snubbed!
Then there’s The Reader. Bernhard Schlink’s novel is so subtle and thought-provoking, a Holocaust book that asks Big Picture questions about morality and redemption. As for the movie, well, Manohla Dargis summed it up so beautifully: “The film is neither about the Holocaust nor about those Germans who grappled with its legacy: it’s about making the audience feel good about a historical catastrophe that grows fainter with each new tasteful interpolation.”
The most interesting adaptation of 2009 might be The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s sketchy little gem of a story which David Fincher transformed into a 3-hour epic. Don’t get me wrong–I sat through the whole thing and I liked it, CGI and all. Listening to the audiobook was fascinating because I could trace how this little seed of an idea could become a Brad Pitt-as -old man-baby extravaganza.
And then every so often a movie comes along that blows the book version out of the water–The Godfather is usually the prime example. I don’t think there are any for 2009, are there? But I’d submit that for as insightful and eloquent a writer as Tom Perrotta is, the film adaptations of both Election and Little Children were transcendent. What else am I missing?
I’m so scared to see Rev Road. I probably just won’t… like a baby. OH WELL!
Ordinary People, World According to Garp, and The Outsiders (I know the last one is controversial) all go one, or more, better than their novel counterparts.
The prime example has to be Jaws. The novel was a real potboiler, which sagged badly in the middle due to a boring adultery subplot. Spielberg jettisoned this and made a far better movie.
Maybe it was the English translation, but I think The Reader is one of the worst, most ineptly written novels I’ve ever read. Of course, there’s no law that says a bad novel can’t be made into a good movie., but I have my serious doubts.
Yeah, the Jaws novel had a whole subplot about the Sherrif’s wife having an affair (or considering it). Wasn’t she going to sleep with the expert who came to the island to help locate the shark? Jaws Movie >>>>>>>>>> Jaws Novel.
Flip-Side: Dune (the Frank Herbert Novel) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dune (the hamfisted, gross David Lynch Movie).
I think 2001: A Space Odyssey should get mentioned as the film totally trumped the book in terms of artistry. Stanley Kubrik and Arthur C. Clarke worked together on the screenplay, but the director definitely transformed a great story into a masterpeice.
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