Don't Judge a Movie by Its Cover

I've already discussed TV shows that are made into movies. Now I'm going to touch on literature that is adapted into film as well. Books have been used as inspiration for movies, obviously, longer than TV. Some of the most classic movies were based on novels. (Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Dracula, etc.)

Every movie that is based on a book has some controversy whether the original work or the film is better. I can't just give you one answer that applies to every movie. It truly depends on how well the script is written (Did they cut out anything crucial to the plot? Did they adjust the dialogue to sound more realistic when spoken?) and then the rest is left up to the director.

It is really hard to take a 500 page novel and condense it to fit an hour and a half. Some things are going to be changed: characters will be altered and side plots will be cut out.

It is possible to do right by a book. There are several movie version of novels I love that I enjoy. In fact, most of them I saw the movie first and it was so good that I was compelled to go out and read the novel.

The Princess Bride is the best example I can come up with. I grew up with that movie and always loved it. (I even owned the "As You Wish" shirt with Westley on it.) I probably watched that movie 100 times over by the time I picked up the novel. I believe the book is definitely better even though I had the whole movie memorized before I even thought of reading it. [SPOILERS AHEAD] There is this one element in the novel that could never be translated into film. The exact time period is never mentioned in the book nor film. In the book, however, subtle hints are dropped when the narrator says "This was after soup, but then again, everything was after soup." It's a small part of the novel that I just love.

I know I was a bit more cynical when it came to television shows I love being made into films. I think that it's a bit different considering that a TV show can run for several seasons and accumulate over hundred of hours of footage. With a novel, it's an easier task to accomplish and the characters don't already have faces the fans know and love.