Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
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Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
It's not a surprise that DUNE and BATTLEFIELD EARTH failed as films because you can't condense a long book or bunch of trilogy books into one film. Has it ever been done where a long book or a book trilogy has been successfully adapted into one film?
#2
Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
The Shaw Bros. martial arts fantasy, NEW TALES OF THE FLYING FOX (1984), was based on the epic novel, "Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain," by Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha). When the novel was filmed for Hong Kong TV, it lasted 30 hours.
The movie, which adapts the whole thing, is 90 min. And it's nonstop. Gotta love Hong Kong filmmakers.
The movie, which adapts the whole thing, is 90 min. And it's nonstop. Gotta love Hong Kong filmmakers.
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
The Shaw Bros. martial arts fantasy, NEW TALES OF THE FLYING FOX (1984), was based on the epic novel, "Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain," by Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha). When the novel was filmed for Hong Kong TV, it lasted 30 hours.
The movie, which adapts the whole thing, is 90 min. And it's nonstop. Gotta love Hong Kong filmmakers.
The movie, which adapts the whole thing, is 90 min. And it's nonstop. Gotta love Hong Kong filmmakers.
#8
Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
I think I would have preferred a 90-minute cut of the entire LOTR trilogy.
#9
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
I've never heard of an "epic" trilogy of books being condensed into one film. The closest would be the animated The Lord of the Rings, which condensed two of the books into one film, but not all three.
War and Peace, at around 1,200-1,500 pages, longer than the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, was adapted into a successful 208 minute film in 1956.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and_Peace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and...281956_film%29
Last edited by Jay G.; 05-22-10 at 09:05 PM. Reason: fixed page count
#10
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
I agree that they are long, but don't see how each film could have been cut by 80% and been at all interesting or entertaining.
#11
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
War and Peace, at around 12,000-15,000 pages, longer than the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, was adapted into a successful 208 minute film in 1956.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and_Peace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and...281956_film%29
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#15
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
Nausicaa was based on the first book of the series. Was that true for Akira?
Last edited by dugan; 05-23-10 at 02:02 AM.
#17
Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
(And don't ask me to enumerate them because I can't friggin' remember which ones, if any, were essential, except, of course, for Sam finally hooking up with his little Hobbit wench at the end of Pt. 3. That was the best part.)
Last edited by Ash Ketchum; 05-23-10 at 05:55 AM.
#18
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
#19
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
No need for that (this time). I was just curious as to what the two of you thought. It's perfectly acceptable to not like a certain film or genre. Different strokes and all that.
The only two things I'll never understand on this subject are how anyone could possibly like Avatar, and how anyone could dislike Jaws. Beyond that, all's fair.
But I'm pretty sure that no one really thinks that a 1200 page novel could be made into a 90 minute film. As it was, they left a lot of stuff out.
The only two things I'll never understand on this subject are how anyone could possibly like Avatar, and how anyone could dislike Jaws. Beyond that, all's fair.
But I'm pretty sure that no one really thinks that a 1200 page novel could be made into a 90 minute film. As it was, they left a lot of stuff out.
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
Wasn't The Spiderwick Chronicles a whole series of books that they crammed into one 90 min movie? I never read the books but did watch the movie
#21
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
Plus it was a fairly short set of books, for kids iirc, of like 125 pages each.
#22
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
Nausicaa was based on the first two books of the series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica...nd_%28manga%29
As has been pointed out, the manga series wasn't finished when the movie was made, and is based largely on the first half of the series (first three volumes).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_%...29#Adaptations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica...nd_%28manga%29
The first 16 chapters (approximately the first two of the entire seven volumes) of the comic served as the basis for his 1984 film of the same name.
Was that true for Akira?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_%...29#Adaptations
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
Though, technically, Lord Of The Rings was originally published as one book written in three parts. But over time, the parts were broken down into individual books.
#24
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
Nausicaa was based on the first two books of the series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica...nd_%28manga%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica...nd_%28manga%29
http://www.amazon.com/Nausicaa-Valle...dp/1569313482/
Each of these amounts to two volumes, so point taken.
(These are the editions I read, so I think of the movie as the first book).
Last edited by dugan; 05-23-10 at 05:48 PM.
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Re: Epic/long/trilogy books adapted into one film: have any of these films succeeded?
No, it was written as one book and published as three. But it's always been three books from a consumer standpoint.
Last edited by majorjoe23; 05-23-10 at 07:43 PM.