Which four novels that you've loved were later turned into films worthy of the original source? It took me quite a while to settle on my Mt. Rushmore for this category, noted below in order of the publication date of the novels. My monument emphasizes drama; feel free to have yours giggling.
1.) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Even if I get no comments on this post, I'd wager many would enshrine this classic book, made into an equally memorable film, onto their Mt. Rushmore. And who else could have possibly played Atticus Finch other than Gregory Peck?
2.) Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux: Ally Fox is among the most infuriating fictional characters I've ever encountered. I loved both Harrison Ford's against-type portrayal of Fox and also how this big budget film closely adhered to Theroux's book, including the downbeat ending.
3.) The Reader by Bernard Schlink: Clearly not a book or film for everyone but this is my Mt. Rushmore, remember? Kate Winslet is a revelation in this film.
4.) The Human Stain by Philip Roth: The only one of these four I did in reverse order, i.e. film first, book second. No matter - both are staggering. In July 2011, I devoted a blog post to the novel. Could easily have done the same for the film which featured Anthony Hopkins as Coleman Silk, Nicole Kidman as his late-in-life lover Fiona, and Ed Harris as Lester, Fiona's menacing ex-husband.
Film junkie/bookworm that I am, you gotta know how much I want to hear your Mt. Rushmore for this category, right? Come on, give a guy a break.
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I probably didn't spend as much time thinking about this as you did but here goes
ReplyDelete(in no particular order)
1. To kill a mockingbird ( has to be on anyone's list)
2. Gone with the wind. You must agree that the movie and book were epic.
3. The fixer. Faithful to the novel and an inspiring performance by Bates.
4. The deep end of the ocean. Both movie and novel kept my attention ( riveting would be the adjective I would have used but I don't want to over- adjectivise). Kramer vs Kramer also fits in this category but I don't remember the novel being note worthy.
Susan; Never finished "Gone With The Wind" so can't comment on that book; great film, obviously. And didn't read "the Fixer" but that was another good film. "Deep End..." could easily have been on my Rushmore too; if a 5th president ever gets stoned, I'll consider it. Thanks for reading, commenting and not over-adjectivising.
DeleteWe just saw The Life of Pi, and I loved the film as much as I loved that book. The director/screenwriter stayed very close to the book throughout, but the cinematography was so beautiful it added an entirely new dimension. The visuals far exceeded my imagination.
ReplyDeleteI would add Jaws to this list and Cape Fear. Both books weren't great, but the films were excellent. And while a 14-year-old me disappeared into the novel "Rebecca", Alfred Hitchcock did a wonderful job of creating an evil Mrs. Danvers and a spellbinding story set in the English manorhouse called Manderley.