Best Film/TV Adaptations??

[Aggie]

so what are the best film/tv adaptations of books, plays, etc??

my top five are: (in no particular order)

1) the color purple
2) to kill a mocking bird
3) maltese falcon
4) cat on a hot tin roof
5) A&E's production of jane austen's pride and prejudice

[david r]

In Cold Blood (1967* from Truman Capote's nonfiction novel)
Kiss Me Deadly (Mickey Spillane's book)
The Maltese Falcon
Gone With the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Jaws
The Accidental Tourist
Deliverance
Psycho (1960)
The Godfather
2001: A Space Odyssey (based on short story "The Sentinel")

[Tony Bang]

Night of The Hunter
American Psycho
Alice in Wonderland
A Clockwork Orange

[SnowTrooper]

The Shining
Jurassic Park

[Aggie]

In Cold Blood (1967* from Truman Capote's nonfiction novel)
Kiss Me Deadly (Mickey Spillane's book)
The Maltese Falcon
Gone With the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Jaws
The Accidental Tourist
Deliverance
Psycho (1960)
The Godfather
2001: A Space Odyssey (based on short story "The Sentinel")


you know, up until this very day, i've never seen the god father in its entirety.

[Evo Schandor]

Shawshank Redemption
Stand By Me
Green Mile
...yeah, I'm a Stephen King fan, what about it?

[xtreme680]

you know, up until this very day, i've never seen the god father in its entirety.

You mean, the first film, or all three?

Most of mine are films that greatly expand and true adaptations, changing things to better fit the story, or perfectly pull of the world that I imagined.

All are from novels of the same name unless mentioned otherwise.

The Godfather
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Blade Runner (Philip K. Dick short story)
Amadeus (Adapted from a play)
The Bridge on the River Kwai
To Kill a Mockingbird
Dr. Strangelove (Originally Red Alert)
A Clockwork Orange
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Apocalypse Now (Heart of Darkness)
Donnie Brasco (From a nonfiction book)
Sling Blade (play)
A River Runs Through It
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (The Odyssey)
Lord of The Rings films

[Aggie]

You mean, the first film, or all three?

Most of mine are films that greatly expand and true adaptations, changing things to better fit the story, or perfectly pull of the world that I imagined.

All are from novels of the same name unless mentioned otherwise.

The Godfather
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Blade Runner (Philip K. Dick short story)
Amadeus (Adapted from a play)
The Bridge on the River Kwai
To Kill a Mockingbird
Dr. Strangelove (Originally Red Alert)
A Clockwork Orange
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Apocalypse Now (Heart of Darkness)
Donnie Brasco (From a nonfiction book)
Sling Blade (play)
A River Runs Through It
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (The Odyssey)
Lord of The Rings films

aaaggh...i totally blanked on the lord of the rings...good catch...:D

to answer your question...i've never seen any of the films...and i can't really explain why that is...

Shawshank Redemption
Stand By Me
Green Mile
...yeah, I'm a Stephen King fan, what about it?

i love the shawshank redemption and stand by me, so that steven king doesn't bother me...the "it" and "rose red" stephen king is the one that freaks me out...;)

i think a lot of the films mention are excellent because they kind of stand on their own and i think that's the real key to adapting anything from another form.

[Davideaux]

High Fidelity

[david r]

you know, up until this very day, i've never seen the god father in its entirety.

I generally like the first Godfather film the best. It's more of a typical "ganster" picture, with mobsters rubbing each other out. It's very artfully done, centering on one specific mobster family, the Corleones. Al Pacino is the real star of the film, Marlon Brando has a highly memorable role, but he's almost a supporting character once he himself gets shot. I'd recommend watching Francis Coppolla's first film. The first Godfather is quite good.

The second one is considered more ambitious. Telling the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) once he takes charge of the family. But this one can get slow and talky. I prefer the original. And the third film really is not in the same league with the 1970s films. IMO

[Aggie]

I generally like the first Godfather film the best. It's more of a typical "ganster" picture, with mobsters rubbing each other out. It's very artfully done, centering on one specific mobster family, the Corleones. Al Pacino is the real star of the film, Marlon Brando has a highly memorable role, but he's almost a supporting character once he himself gets shot. I'd recommend watching Francis Coppolla's first film. The first Godfather is quite good.

The second one is considered more ambitious. Telling the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) once he takes charge of the family. But this one can get slow and talky. I prefer the original. And the third film really is not in the same league with the 1970s films. IMO


i have them on dvd somewhere, so i'll get around to watching at least the first one at some point.

[Buzz Dixon]

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is a wonderful adaptation of the book that turns the plot of the novel inside out yet remains 100% faithful to the characters and themes. All the scenes in the movie are in the book -- but not in the sequences shown!

BLADE RUNNER is another good adaptation that takes the original book (Philip K. Dock's "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?") and completely inverts it while remaining true to the book's core theme.

[Albert]

The World According to Garp... only about a fifth of the material from the novel ends up in the film, but still it remains true to the tangled themes of Irving's novel.

Naked Luch... just the barest bones of what is in the book, but let's face it... no one can really film a William S. Burroughs book. Nor should they. Its a flawed but admirable comprimise that ends up on the screen.

The Shawshank Redemption... almost a word for word account of the novella. One of the most faithful adaptations I have ever seen.

The Dead Zone (the Chris Walken movie) and Pet Semetary. King's horror novels rarely survive the transition to the screen with any bite, or without serious deviations (like Cujo and Kubrick's The Shining).

[Athena Bast]

Lord of The Rings
The Godfather
ShoGun
The Hunt for Red October
Interview With the Vampire
Queen of the Damned (Noticable changes yes but the movie worked for what it was)

[Aggie]

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is a wonderful adaptation of the book that turns the plot of the novel inside out yet remains 100% faithful to the characters and themes. All the scenes in the movie are in the book -- but not in the sequences shown!

BLADE RUNNER is another good adaptation that takes the original book (Philip K. Dock's "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?") and completely inverts it while remaining true to the book's core theme.


what i really liked about l.a. confidential is how much it captured the feel of the era...it's very reminiscent of the great film noir films of the 40s only popping w/ that gorgeous color that is the trademark of the 1950s...i need to check that one out again to see how well it holds up...:D

i think blade runner is quite possibly the last decent movie scott made.