Books adapted to film where they got the casting right

JezWynd

Sassafras said:

stimpsonslostson said:

Poirot with David Suchet
Bond with Daniel Craig- blunt instrument etc
LOTR- all well cast. Especially Aragon. Viggo was superb. 

Bad ones:
Keanu, Wynonna & Oldham in Dracula
Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher 
Jennifer Lawrence in Hungergames

Ah yes, I couldn't stop laughing at that, not only at how badly cast he was as Johnathon Harker but also as an actor. How could anyone believe he could be an actor? 

The lack of 'chemistry' between Keanu and any female lead is almost painful to watch. His eyes say 'I have no idea how to behave in this situation'.

Rocker

Kenneth More really nailed the part [Douglas Bader] in the film Reach for the Sky.

AlexC

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
I'm not a big reader of modern fiction usually so most of the choices here don't mean that much to me one way or the other, but I will nominate...

Christopher Lee as Dracula.

Just the right mixture of aristocratic charm and pure evil.

He certainly had the right look, but it pisses me off that in the Hammer films Dracula rarely, if ever, speaks - he just hisses and looks menacing.  I've never understood that choice, Lee was a perfectly capable actor with a terrific speaking voice, they could've given the character a lot more depth.

I know Lee was proud of the 1970 Spanish film, Count Dracula, directed by Jess Franco, because they tried to be a bit more faithful to the book (for example Dracula has a moustache!).  It's not very good, though, it must be said...

It's the later ones where he doesn't speak. I've got a documentary on Lee and he found the dialogue such junk that he just refused to say it. Essentially he was signed on to do a few Dracula films without even being asked first. Hammer as a studio collapsed a few years later. Not surprising really.

koneguitarist

One flew over the cuckoos nest. Everyone spot on,one of the few films which was as good as the book. 

koneguitarist

Also watching it now on sky, As good as it gets, Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear plus Cuba Gooding JNR. 

Philly_Q

AlexC said:

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
I'm not a big reader of modern fiction usually so most of the choices here don't mean that much to me one way or the other, but I will nominate...

Christopher Lee as Dracula.

Just the right mixture of aristocratic charm and pure evil.

He certainly had the right look, but it pisses me off that in the Hammer films Dracula rarely, if ever, speaks - he just hisses and looks menacing.  I've never understood that choice, Lee was a perfectly capable actor with a terrific speaking voice, they could've given the character a lot more depth.

I know Lee was proud of the 1970 Spanish film, Count Dracula, directed by Jess Franco, because they tried to be a bit more faithful to the book (for example Dracula has a moustache!).  It's not very good, though, it must be said...

It's the later ones where he doesn't speak. I've got a documentary on Lee and he found the dialogue such junk that he just refused to say it. Essentially he was signed on to do a few Dracula films without even being asked first. Hammer as a studio collapsed a few years later. Not surprising really.

You're right!  It's strange, although I've seen all the films several times I didn't remember him ever speaking.

I found a YouTube clip with all his Dracula dialogue - about 9 minutes in total!  It's fascinating how much his appearance changes from one film to another.

Reverend

Wasn't Bond partly based on Christopher Lee? 

merlin

The Tin Drum. Novel by Günter Grass, superbly adapted for the screen by Volker Schlöndorff. With a stellar cast, all of whom are perfect for the roles. 

EricTheWeary

JezWynd said:

Noomi Rapace in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy.

Yeh.

merlin said:

The Tin Drum. Novel by Günter Grass, superbly adapted for the screen by Volker Schlöndorff. With a stellar cast, all of whom are perfect for the roles. 

Also yeh. As I remember it the film is also almost line for line from the first half of the book rather than the usual loose interpretation. 

Sassafras

Matt Damon as Jason Bourne 

Gassage

TV Show: the whole of Reggie Perrin casting.

John Barron as CJ was simply perfect.

merlin

koneguitarist said:

One flew over the cuckoos nest. Everyone spot on,one of the few films which was as good as the book. 

McMurphy in the book is big, muscular, ginger and Irish. However, Nicholson was great but not quite the looks of the character that Kesey wrote. However, Forman did a truly GREAT job with the direction. 

Nitefly

I always thought Jack Palance would have been perfect for Reacher.  Or maybe Richard Boone (Paladin) or Chuck Connors (The Rifleman).

Philly_Q

Nitefly said:

I always thought Jack Palance would have been perfect for Reacher.  Or maybe Richard Boone (Paladin) or Chuck Connors (The Rifleman).

You'd be needing a time machine, though....