You almost have to chuck elements from the book to make the movie. A book has too much in it. And cinematography can make up only so much of the descriptive passages.
Hands! Hands in new places!
Willow ,'Storyteller'
Buffista Movies 3: Panned and Scanned
A place to talk about movies--Old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Fred Pete - Sep 29, 2004 7:01:32 am PDT #4227 of 10001
Ann, that's a ferret.
Dana - Sep 29, 2004 7:02:16 am PDT #4228 of 10001
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
We watched the movie in class. There were three or four of us who nearly had to put our hands over our mouths so we wouldn't recite the dialogue.
"Who are you?"
"No one of consequence."
"I must know!"
"Get used to disappointment."
Nutty - Sep 29, 2004 7:03:13 am PDT #4229 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
Have we ever not been?
Probably not. But ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER.
I've seen a number of period costume dramas that are quite good movies. Many of them largely unfaithful to their source books, but good movies. The Wings of the Dove, Sense and Sensibility (that one was mostly faithful), like that.
Anne W. - Sep 29, 2004 7:04:30 am PDT #4230 of 10001
The lost sheep grow teeth, forsake their lambs, and lie with the lions.
A book has too much in it.
Plus, there's the challenge of taking things like internal monologues (for example) that are important to the plot and character, and finding a way to get that element across on screen. There are things one can do in a book that are impossible to do on film and vice-versa.
Jessica - Sep 29, 2004 7:06:55 am PDT #4231 of 10001
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
Oh, another one -- Master and Commander!
Granted, it's an adaptation of a series, rather than a single book, but still. Great books, great movie.
tommyrot - Sep 29, 2004 7:06:57 am PDT #4232 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
Plus, there's the challenge of taking things like internal monologues (for example) that are important to the plot and character, and finding a way to get that element across on screen.
Like they did in Dune? (Just kidding.) God, that was annoying.
Steph L. - Sep 29, 2004 7:08:57 am PDT #4233 of 10001
I look more rad than Lutheranism
A Room with a View and Howard's End were pretty good movies of pretty good books.
And what about Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet?
Jessica - Sep 29, 2004 7:10:04 am PDT #4234 of 10001
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
And The World According to Garp.
Dana - Sep 29, 2004 7:11:05 am PDT #4235 of 10001
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
Jane Austen has a pretty good track record. Most of her books are probably pretty easy to adapt, relatively speaking. I'd say the Ang Lee Sense and Sensibility, the 6-hour Pride and Predjudice, and the Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds are all great, and I'm pretty fond of the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma.
Frankenbuddha - Sep 29, 2004 7:11:05 am PDT #4236 of 10001
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
I mean, Broadway has got an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on The Woman in White. We are truly a culture of pathetic recycling.
Could be worse - he could be doing THE PRINCESS BRIDE instead.