A huge Thank You to all 115 people who took part in this poll. In it I asked how you felt about a small independent British film company turning one of your favorite books into a movie. Here's how folks voted:--29% of you said you'd be first in line for a ticket. This surprised me a bit because it's a fact almost universally acknowledged that the movie is very seldom ever as good as the book.
--24% of you said that, since it wasn't being made by anyone in Hollywood, you just might go. I've gotten quite a bit of enjoyment lately from small British films and television series. The Brits seem to do a better job of sticking to the book. Hollywood on the other hand sticks to the plot of a book just about as well as the US government stuck to all their treaties made with Native American tribes back in the nineteenth century.
--21% said that you'd wait for the DVD. I've done this a lot recently. Either time gets away from me, or the film isn't a big special effects/ action one, or I'd just like to stay at home and curl up on the couch with Denis and watch on our big TV and Surround sound. With the set-up we have here at home, it has to be a special movie or one that's best suited to a huge screen and sound system before we prefer going to the theatre. That's a rather sad statement because I can remember when "going to the show" was a Big Deal.
--13% of you said that you'd go even though you knew you'd be disappointed. I must not be the only person with a little internal eternal optimist... or some of you think someone else would be dragging you to see the film regardless of your true feelings!
--9% of you are purists who said that the book is always better. Can't disagree with you there. 99.9% of the time the book is better because your imagination owns the production company, cameras and film. Besides... your production company doesn't have a budget; you can film every single one of the scenes!
--One lone person said that no one makes movies better than Hollywood, which was pretty cool since 114 people seemed to have a difference of opinion. Good on ya. Stick to your guns!
Personally I have to admit that more movies have made a hash out of some of my most beloved books. When I read, I don't look at the words on the page as if they're the budget I have to follow. (How many restaurant meals and trips to the Poisoned Pen must I cut for the next six months?) Most of the time I think the best cinematic treatment of my favorite books is the lush budget MINI-SERIES. Remember those? Now that's how you treat a book on film!
What do you folks think? What are the worst movies ever made from your favorite books? What are the best? Do you think the mini-series treatment is the best, or should filmmakers stick to 2-3 hours for a book? Or should they just leave your favorite books alone? Inquiring minds want to know!
Hi Cathy! First of all, thanks for visiting my blog and for following :) I like this post. I have always had complaints when it comes to a favorite book being made into a movie. The worst so far? "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. Honestly, that movie should be outlawed! Thanks again for following!
ReplyDelete~Jen
Thanks for sharing those poll results, Cathy! I have to admit, I was one of those purists who said the book would never be as good as the movie. I think my worst disappointment was the movie version of Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun - UGH! Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteI'm an eternal optimist! There were a lot of good things about Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies (they got a bunch of young people to read the books), but what he and his screenwriters did to Denethor and Faramir went a long way towards ruining the last movie for me (The Return of the King).
ReplyDeleteA Holllywood film means a Hollywood ending, no matter what the author wrote. So I couldn´t vote this time as there was no way to say that I would prefer the small British company any time ;)
ReplyDeleteGotta love that one lone person!
ReplyDeleteJen-- Thanks for stopping by and sharing your opinion of A Wrinkle in Time. I haven't seen it and it sounds like I should keep it that way!
ReplyDeleteMargot-- Evil Under the Sun? Yes, that was a stinker!
Jeanne-- And here I love The Return of the King. Can you tell I haven't read the last two books yet?
Dorte-- And here I always try to have some sort of answer available for everyone! :/
Beth-- Yup. "I don't give a damn what the rest of these people think, this is how *I* feel!"
I thought "Room With A View" did a great job with the book -- I rank them equally. And I preferred "Lord of the Rings" to the books to be honest! But mostly, the movies are disappointing. I tend to see the movie first and then read the book as the books usually enhances the book but not vice versa.
ReplyDelete