On Writing : A Potentially Controversial Question by Angela Cristantello

Angela Cristantello

A Potentially Controversial Question

Happy Weekend, Y'all! Hope that the next few days are full of glorious creative conquests & good solid relaxation (&, if you're me, VERY intense Super Bowling).

What is one movie that, in your opinion, is superior to the book that it was adapted from & why?

Felipe Valencia

A common place, but it’s always good to remember it: Blade Runner. I recently saw The Green Knight and, personally, I like a lot the work done over one of the knights of the round table. It’s nice to watch a movie that can reinforce an ancient story.

Craig Propst

Forrest Gump! By a mile.

Pete Whiting

Probably mine lol. I actually bought outright the rights to a novel and adapted into a screenplay but I changed a lot of it, different ending etc. It did make semi finals a few years back in Stage 32 comp and Marty Katz (Reindeer Games) and his reading team loved it and it came close to an option. Alas, it still sits on my digital drawer to this day.

Other than the very hungry caterpillar, I'd say High Fidelity. Maybe the Bourne movie as they did a good job combining an epic novel series into a film, Forest Gump, Anne of Green Gables.

Ingrid Wren

I agree on "Blade Runner" Felipe Valencia. Even though I enjoyed reading "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" I thought the translation of the story to the screen made total sense.

Otherwise this is a hard question to answer as I usually don't watch movies made from favourite books as I prefer to keep my own interpretation. In saying that, in my view, some of the most accurate interpretations of book to screen that I've seen include the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith", and "The Dry".

Jarred Keane

Forrest Gump because it found a connective tissue to all of his adventures in the way he loved so freely. It became more allegorical and yet more personal as the idealistic fool kept marching forward with love and optimism despite the hatred and pain around him. It said something about the potential of America and the dream so many want to believe in.

Not to mention that soundtrack and the plethora of quotable lines

Phil Bridge

In a way, Jurassic Park, although I'd still love to see the book version made into a film to see how it would have looked visually.

Angela Cristantello

Love these, Everyone!

I personally have to say (Rita Hayworth and) The Shawshank Redemption. Stephen King is a perfect writer, obviously, and the novella is just lovely. But that movie? Blows the novella out of the water.

See also (from that SAME collection of novellas) The Body aka Stand By Me.

Felipe Valencia

Sure, Stephen King is one of the best options in order to see the way his books are the seed for a great movies (or series also). I’d like to add to Angela’s suggestions, the adaptation of The Outsider (HBO).

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