When good stories go bad...

[afraid_of_the_dark]

I'm an avid reader, and also an avid movie watcher. Consequently, I often end up watching the movie incarnations of some of my favorite books... and am often disappointed. To name a few:

The Rainmaker
The Ninth Gate (Book Title - The Club Dumas)
Jurassic Park
The Three Musketeers (any cinematic incarnation)

The list goes on...

So my question to my fellow DUers is this - has there ever been a book that you liked, but hated the movie? Or vice versa (if you liked the movie version better than the book)?

[Fenris]

1. Hannibal

The ending in the book was twisted. I liked that.

I second the 9th Gate. WTF, Polanski?

[afraid_of_the_dark]

5. The Ninth Gate was messed up on so many levels...

But that's the problem you get when you try to make two story lines into one. But the ending was so far out... who knows what he was thinking?

[cspiguy]

2. Indian in the Cupboard.

sanitized and moved to the U.S. from U.K. ugh.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

3. I loved those books...

But I couldn't bear to watch the movie. From what you said, it sounds like that was a good move.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

4. The Passion of The Christ.

Well....someone had to mention it.
It's the law.

[ewagner]

6. Catch 22 was a big disappointment

after reading the book several times.

Also add to the list:

The Little Drummer Girl by John LeCarre'; the movie never captured the intrigue of the novel.

[CanuckAmok]

7. Best example of a disappointing movie version of a great book:

When John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meaney" was adapted for film. It was so horrendous that Irving sued to have his name and title removed from the script. The end result was "Simon Birch".

[SOteric]

8. Bladerunner. Loved the movie but the book sucked.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

9. Haven't read the book...

But I heard that they left out a lot of the intricacies in the movie. It's one that I've been meaning to read, but haven't had time.

[DS1]

11. Kipplehead!

:dunce:

[pagerbear]

10. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

12. I've never seen "The Last Temptation of Christ"

...because the book is such a favorite and the writing so beautiful I couldn't bear to see it translated on film.

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. "Princess Bride" actually did very well as the movie version

In some ways better than the book because it is tighter.

[terrya]

14. "Interview with the Vampire"

I always liked this book...and while I'm an admirer of Neil Jordan, the director...this movie was a big disappointment.

And that disappointment was due, in large part, to two words: Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise was postively my (and just about everyone else's) choice to play Lestat. Hell, I would have rather seen Carrot Top as Lestat.

Also...in the book, there is a homoerotic subtext to the relationship between Lestat and Louis (Louis being the narrator of the book). Said homoerotic subtext was taken out of the movie...at the behest of Mr. Cruise.

Terry