Best book to film adaptations?

axisus

The best for me was Lord of the Rings. Brilliant books (although a bit ponderous in places), but the films really captured the essence and power of the whole story. The casting was superb, the look and feel amazing, and I got more 'atmosphere' from the battles than I did in the written word.

jpttaylor

No Country for Old Men is one of the most faithful adaptions I've seen, with both book and film being brilliant. There are a few minor alterations made by the Coen Brothers but it manages to completely capture the claustrophobia that Moss tries to escape from and the brutality of Chigurh.

CabbageCat

The Watchmen. The ending was different to the book but it was better.

breakstuff

Stephen Kings Misery.

Great book,great film.

EricTheWeary

The number of books I've read that have also been a film is very select. However, of those I'm thinking Hannibal. It is a truly terrible book but made into a reasonable film so it's a pretty successful bit of adaptation.

Sporky

Definitely agree on Lord of The Rings. Much better as over-long films than as ridiculously over-long and badly written books.

Fretwired

The Godfather, although that could be because the author helped write the screenplay. Both the book and film are great IMHO.

Sporky

Ring!

Japanese film version much better than the book.

American film version better still than the Japanese version.

earwighoney

IMO, it has to be The Godfather films.  The books aren't exactly high literature, pretty much standard crime fare but Ford Coppola and everyone else attached produced something really special.  

I'm surprised to see The Watchmen listed.  Many vocal comic nerds (with myself) included thought it was a steaming turd of a film.  Zack Synder destroyed all the subtle nuances of the text and into a brash piece of garbage. 

axisus

earwighoney said:

I'm surprised to see The Watchmen listed.  Many vocal comic nerds (with myself) included thought it was a steaming turd of a film.  Zack Synder destroyed all the subtle nuances of the text and into a brash piece of garbage. 

I'm a lifelong comics and graphic novels fan and I really enjoyed the film, it's in my top ten. The ending is definitely better than the book version. Having said that I .....er ..... only got around to actually buying the book last Xmas and I .... er .... haven't read it yet. In my defence, I never liked Dave Gibbons conservative artwork on anything and that was a big off-putter. I'll probably re-evaluate what I think of the film once I've actually read it.

earwighoney

axisus said:
The ending is definitely better than the book version and I haven't read it yet. 

No comment.

ICBM

Fretwired said:

The Godfather, although that could be because the author helped write the screenplay. Both the book and film are great IMHO.

Same with 2001 - although in that case both were written in parallel so it possibly doesn't count as an adaptation. The film is better, if anything.

RandallFlagg

Band of Brothers

earwighoney

Some more which I think are great

(1946) The Big Sleep (William Faulkner wrote the screenplay!)
The Exorcist 
The Mist (2007)
The Diving Bell & Butterfly
Mysteries of Lisbon
The Third Man

Hertz32

Shout outs for both Star Wars and The Matrix for being better adaptations of the bible than the original book.

tone1

Mary Poppins...

frank1985

The Shining

TheBlueWolf

The Godfather, LOTR and 2001 get my vote.

I read Hannibal and it wasn't great but worth a read anyway.

Jurassic Park was a pretty good read too IIRC

earwighoney

tone1 said:

Mary Poppins...

Good shout, that and 'The Wizard of Oz'. 

holnrew

Goodfellas

PolarityMan

game of thrones season 1.

Dont get the 2001 love, the ending of the film makes no sense at all unless you've read the book (although obviosuly things dont really get revealed until 2010). Shame they didnt make the other books into that series films though, and with todays special effects they could do justice to the ending instead of that weird psychadelic bit.