The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
QUESTION: What do you like better, books or movies?
Talk about it….
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Books by far…
So many good books made into movies; some were good and some not so much.
Only once did I think if they were to do a really good job with a particular book into a movie it would be a good movie was well.
Your guess ???
1) 12 Angry Men, Reginald Rose; 1954
2) The Princess Bride, William Goldman; 1973
3) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl; 1964
🙂
Rarely are the movies as good as the book they are based on but occasionally both are great. Some memorable examples where I liked the movie as well as the book- Jaws, Silence of the lambs, No Country for old men, Jurassic Park, Big Trouble, Intensity. I’m sure there’s more. I do like the Bosch series based on the Michael Connelly books and the Reacher series based on the Lee Child books as well.
Books 9 times out of 10. Because of limits of film time, actors, etc, most movies cut too much of the book. Very few movies are able to reduce a book and still hold onto intended content and story lines. One of the few would be Gone with the Wind.
Peter Jackson did a terrific job with The Lord Of The Rings, not so much The Hobbit. I would still have to say books over the movies
The Martian: I read the book first (in 4 days) and then saw the movie. Both were excellent but I thought the book was better. I immediately spotted the errors, because I had worked on what was then the Constellation Program for about 2 1/2 years, though most people wouldn’t have noticed them. Constellation has become Artemis.
I did miss the line, “Godspeed little taters!”
Project Hail Mary by the same author is incredible. One of my favorites of the last few years.
Generally books BUT there are exceptions.
The Harry Potter films were nicely done.
What about the movies that come first that then result in books, are the books still better?
The Outlaw Josey Wales was based on a book I didn’t like or finish. I never read the Game of Thrones series but I’ve heard it’s a slog. The Revenant movie was better than the book. But that was cinematography.
Certainly books have more information, however there are a few instances where I would say it is just about equal. From Here to Eternity is one of my all time favorite movies, great cast, every scene works, I read the book after I saw the movie, of course there is much more information in the book, and they did a couple, or at least one TV miniseries based on the book, I think it was longer, but nothing comes close to the original with Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Donna Read and Deborah Kerr. The other that comes to mind is “The young Lions’, great movie with Marlon Brando, Barbara Rush (she just died at 97) and also Montgomery Clift. I would say the book is better, but I still love the movie. 3rd one Truman Capote “In Cold Blood’. again the book has a lot more detail and it is so well written, but the movie with Scot Wilson and Robert Blake in black and white is great as well. The movie put a face on the character, when I read From Here to Eternity, I picture Prewitt as Montgomery Clift. I saw the movie first, and that sparked my interest in reading the book. A few others comes to mind Exodus with Paul Newman, and Battle Cry both writtem by Leon Uris. Battle Cry the book is definitely better than the movie. and I guess so is Exodus, but because I lived in Israel and much of the movie was filmed there I love it, and I love Paul Newman.
The Hunt for Red October movie did a fair job, the book was full of technical jargon.
The Firm was OK, but the book was more in-depth.
Any Stephen King book, some exceptions, The Shinning being one.
Lonesome Dove movie came very close to the book, can’t go wrong with Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.
Cormac McCarthy is tough to bring to screen, books are definitely better.
… and lets not forget any movie based on the bible, Hollywood takes a lot of liberties and no one is ever pleased.
Hunt for Red October was the first movie I saw with Surround Sound. I thought it was a great effect.