MrStayPuft

Long time dvdtalk user and dvd/blu ray collector, but first time posting in book talk section!

I recently found myself at Barnes and Nobles buying a lot of their classic collection of novels from which I am a fan of the movie adaptation. I like to read both newer novels that have movie adaptations, as well as classics that inspired certain directors (ie H.P.Lovecraft on Stuart Gordon).

I was wondering if anyone could provide me with any more recommendations of books which have great movie adaptations. Though it will take me years to read all of them, I am always looking for more! Thanks!

Some horror novels I own:
Dracula/Frankenstein/Phantom of the Opera/Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde/Portrait of Dorian Grey
The Shining/Pet Cemetery/IT
H.P. Lovecraft Complete Collection
Edgar Allen Poe Complete Tales and Poems
Jaws
American Psycho/Rules of Attraction
Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal/Red Dragon
Hearts of Darkness

Sci Fi/Fantasy:Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass/Peter Pan/Tarzan of the Apes/Jungle Books/Hunchback of Notre Dame
Gullivers Travels
Treasure Island
Harry Potter 1-7
Chronicles of Narnia collection
Dune
Clockwork Orange
2001: A Space Odyssey
Jurassic Park/Lost World
Hobbit/Lord of the Rings
Jules Verne Collection
H.G. Wells Collection
To Kill a Mockingbird

benedict

Welcome to Book Talk!

Let the Flame Wars commence j/k

There is, I would say, a difference between what many would regard as
a) a particularly good/bad movie and
b) the source material on which it was based.
And, inevitably, individual opinions will differ.

I suppose what might be helpful here, in the first instance, is for those that have read any of the above to chime in and say whether they think the movie adaptation was a good thing in its own right and whether they think the particular novel will pale or shine by comparison.

I can't contribute a great deal but will kick things off with the almost shameful admission that I've never seen Apocalypse Now although I'm fairly certain that Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is at a considerable remove from the movie that is loosely based upon it.

2001 is a peculiar case because the novelisation was written at the same time as the movie was being made and went through various changes. The true precursor, I think, was Clarke's short story "The Sentinel" from which film/novelisation later emerged.

Methinks that there have been numerous adaptations of the likes of "Gulliver's Travels", "Treasure Island", "Alice's Adventures..." "Tarzan", Dracula/Frankenstein/Phantom of the Opera/Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde etc etc which may itself point to the enduring/worthy nature of the original source material.

It'll be especially interesting to see the (diverse?) views of Tolkien and Rowling fans.

And virtually everything that King has done has been adapted to the tele-movie format or optioned.

Not mentioned above, but the works of P K Dick are also widely under option, although many of the existing movies are based on short stories rather than full-blown novels. It might be interesting to seek out his "Confessions of a Crap Artist" to read knowing that there is a French language adaptation (Barjo) that was made way before all the Hollywood sci-fi "blockbusters" that started with Blade Runner ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep").

Easy

Interesting thread!

The Godfather
Gone with the Wind
Forrest Fump
many Jane Austen
many Ian Fleming
many EM Forrester
The Grapes of Wrath
Moby Dick
Ben Hur
The African Queen
Uh uh uh.... there must be hundreds.

mhg83

I've heard Jaws is a pretty bad book that got turned into a good movie. There a channel on youtube that has a series called Books VS Movies

He goes in depth to compare both and see which one is better. Obvious spoilers in the vids but hen does cover a lot of classic books and their adaptations.

Easy

Lonesome Dove
Shogun

Loved the books and the mini-series were both world class.

TimeandTide

Of Mice and Men (not necessarily "great", but faithful and moving)
The Road (my all-time favorite novel and the film gets the setting/tone just right...albeit it loses McCathy's prose which is the best part of the book)
The Princess Bride (THE best adaptation IMO)
The Crucible (some notable changes to get Lewis and Ryder on screen together more, but a powerful film that loses none of the work's impact)

Ditto this. The film is fantastic, but it barely resembles Conrad's masterpiece.

As far as American Psycho, the film does a great job of capturing the look of Ellis' novel, but the impact of many of the more harrowing scenes is completely lost in translation.

dugan

The Exorcist.

(Which has the added advantage that you can compare two different cuts of the movie, where the longer cut is more like the book).

tommyp007

The Hunt for Red October

Nick Danger

Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Just don't start with A Study in Scarlet, which is barely about Holmes at all.
Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. Avoid the stories written by other people until you've read Howard.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This is the true first book in the series.
Short stories by O. Henry. You've seen a lot of them.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

JAA

The Grapes of Wrath

MrStayPuft

Thanks for all the replies! From all the recommendations, I bought:

Forrest Gump
Coraline
Lolita
Fight Club
The Exorcist

mrhan

Different Seasons by Stephen King contained 4 short stories and 3 were turned into movies. Even though every story is a good read only 2 of the 3 movies made are good. The Body (Stand by Me) and Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption (Shawshank Redemption). Apt Pupil was just okay.

Battle Royale is a good read, also. The movie is okay compared to the book.

Jocko6577

Anything by Elmore Leonard:

Get Shorty
Out of Sight
Glitz
Rum Punch/Jackie Brown
...many more
Get Shorty and Out of Sight were good movies IMO but the rest are garbage compared to the amazing source material.

Astrofan

The best of all: To Kill A Mockingbird.

brayzie

Twins and Dead Ringers

Pajiba

Forest Gump???!!!

No.

The book and movie had nothing in common besides the title, much like I, Robot.

if you're looking for a good book/movie combo 84 Charing Cross Road.

Shannon Nutt

First Blood
Nothing Lasts Forever (Die Hard)
Schindler's List

Keith6601

I have to agree that Forrest Gump was far different going from book to movie.

I enjoyed the Jaws book. Obviously the movie blows it out of the water still.

Shutter Island is one of those love/hate movies but the book is just tremendous with more twists so if you like the movie I strongly recommend it.

Pajiba

Eh, the whole scene of Ryan trying to get on the sub in the movie was such rubbish it nearly ruined the rest of the movie.

Plus the whole conceit that runs through all of Clancy's books that every weapon system used by the United States or one of it's allies works perfectly and never breaks down, while the weapons systems used by the Soviets/China/ the United States enemies never work, always break down/fail at the most critical moment

starseed1981

No Country For Old Men
Winters Bone
Battle Royale