Week 23- When Books become Movies

[Joanna]

Kurt Vonnegut took his experience of being a POW who survived the bombing of Dresden in World War II and turned it into part of his satirical novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. The slaughterhouse is a real building. He and other POWs were in the basement during the bombing and this was how they survived the attack.

Dame Agatha Christie made front page headlines with this curious incident. Do you know which one? Take a guess here.

This week saw the release of the trailer for the new adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Click here to watch the trailer. While I am very excited (Agatha Christie on the big screen!), I'm nervous because Kenneth Branagh does not look like my idea of Hercule Poriot; my idea being basically David Suchet. I am very excited for the rest of the cast, though.

For those who are Christie fans, what do you think of the trailer?

For everyone else- what has been your experience when a beloved book becomes a movie? Have you been pleased with the adaptation? Or did they fall below expectation?

Let us know! And may every movie adaptation be faithful.

[Ingrid]

I try to be open minded. Twilight movie was not how I envisioned for casting, but I still liked the movie. Loved the Shutter Island movie. Didn't like Beautiful Creatures at all. Harry Potter movies were mostly great! I will still go see the movies & then decide.

[Jodie]

I have never liked Stephen King adaptations unless they are the stories of his that are not horror, i.e. The Body (the movie was called Stand By Me), Shawshank Redemption and Rita Hayworth (the movie was called Shawshank Redemption). The horror in his books is sometimes not easily transferable to the screen. I also think the horror you imagine is so much worse than what is in a movie.

[Marialyce (absltmom, yaya)]

I am one to always think the book was better than the movie for sure. However, there were some movies that did justice to the novel they were adapted from. Some of those were Gone With The Wind, The Lord of the Rings series, some of Grisham's books into movies were great as well. The Kite Runner was a great movie adaptation and I enjoyed the Da Vinci code series of movies (I think bc Tom Hanks was in the lead playing Robert Langdon). Some of Michael Crichton's books into movies have been pretty good as well. (Jurassic Park for one!)

There is one movie I thought was better than the book. It was Hidden Figures. I thought the movie captured and portrayed these women so much better than the book did. I love Pat Conroy and really like how they made some of his books into movies like The Prince of Tides.

I will confess I am not a Harry Potter fan. I really do not like fantasy books much at all so there is the issue for sure. I have seen a few of the movies and read a few of the books though.

I agree with Jodie.They have never seemed to have done justice to the Stephen King novels. ...and my favorite YA novel, The Giver was a disaster as a movie!

Can never figure out why Hollywood messes with a great story at times.