Sunday Conversation Topic 7/5

[Jason]

Last nite I watched the movie "The Words" with Bradley Cooper, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, and Dennis Quaid. The movie is about a book. Two books actually. The movie was good and is about the choices we make. Living in the fiction, or lies, we create or living in reality.

What are some great movies you have watched about books? What did you like most about it?

[Theresa]

The Booksellers...a documentary about the rare book business in NYC, made recently. I loved the diversity of the dealers, including the large number of women. And the debate about digitization vs. Print. Recommend.

[Jason]

Theresa wrote: "The Booksellers...a documentary about the rare book business in NYC, made recently. I loved the diversity of the dealers, including the large number of women. And the debate about digitization vs. ..."

I remember you mentioning this. I intend to watch it.

[Doughgirl5562]

Hmmm.... I can't think of any movies ABOUT books. Plenty of movies and TV shows based on books, but none about books.

The TV show episode that springs to mind immediately is the episode of the original Twilight Zone in which a man who loves to read is the only survivor of an apocalypse and therefore gains endless time to read..... but (view spoiler)[.then breaks tragically his very necessary reading glasses (hide spoiler)].

[Theresa]

Well, though based on books, both The Name of the Rose and The Club Dumas are about books or a legendary lost book...so their films are as well.

Also Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger is a fabulous film based on Lee Israel's memoir and actual crime. And leads to an interesting discussion of what if your talent, your gift, is to write just like a famous writer. What can you do with that talent that is legal? Fulfilling?

[Robin P]

The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession - It seems to me the movie was partly about writing the book. Then there is The Never-ending Story. Also movies about authors - Shakespeare in Love, Mary Shelley, at least one version of The Christmas Carol features Dickens writing the book. There's a movie about George Sand and Chopin. at least one about Virginia Woolf.

[Hilde]

84, Charing Cross Road is beautiful and charming, both the movie and the book.

[Holly R W]

I very much enjoyed the recent film, "Little Women", based on Alcott's book. In the film, the character Jo was purposely blurred with Alcott and showed her writing her book.

[Meli]

Doughgirl5562 wrote: "Hmmm.... I can't think of any movies ABOUT books. Plenty of movies and TV shows based on books, but none about books.

The TV show episode that springs to mind immediately is the episode of the ori..."

I thought the same thing!
I actually popped in to see if there were any good recommendations because I would love to watch some movies about books.

Another TV show I think PBT members would like is Black Books, a British comedy about a drunk, surly, and pretentious bookstore owner.

[Meli]

Holly R W wrote: "I very much enjoyed the recent film, "Little Women", based on Alcott's book. In the film, the character Jo was purposely blurred with Alcott and showed her writing her book."

I liked this a lot too, but I've never read the book 😬

[Michael]

The movie and book "Fahrenheit 451" seemed a bit contrived as a cautionary tale--a fireman serving the mind control of a tyranny by burning books who gains second thoughts. But the movie version stood out by ability the actors, Oscar Werner and Julie Christie, to immerse you so powerfully in that dystopic world. The scene of Christie effectively drugging her mind by participating in an interactive soap opera over her wall screens seemed brilliant and it etched a perspective on media as political tool forever on my mind.

The movie and book "Julie and Julia", about a contemporary woman recapitulating the creation of each recipe in Julia Child's classic cookbook of French cuisine, was fun. It also was inspiring how a book recording one's craft in life at one point in history can be a doorway and guidebook for forging meaning from life by explorers in the future.

The movie and book "Possession" by Byatt, about contemporary competing scholars and potential lovers trying to unravel formative influences from a potential love affair between two Victorian poets, is a tale people seem to either love or hate. In my case I loved the book as a magical time machine linking two eras, but I found the movie cloying.

In the case of Golding's "The Princess Bride", which claims to be an abridgement of an older book that highlights only the "good parts", the movie and book were equally fine as a total immersion in madcap tale of love's labor always at a cusp of an absurd tidal wave dividing the flight of imaginary fulfillment and the crash of delusionment.

[Amy]

Julie and Julia was a great example and one i wouldn’t have thought of. I have been mulling this one over.

[Theresa]

Meli wrote: " Another TV show I think PBT members would like is Black Books, a British comedy about a drunk, surly, and pretentious bookstore owne ..."

I LOVE that series! My sister and I saw it in England 20 years ago and had to wait forever before became available to watch here.

[Meli]

Theresa wrote: "Meli wrote: " Another TV show I think PBT members would like is Black Books, a British comedy about a drunk, surly, and pretentious bookstore owne ..."

I LOVE that series! My sister and I saw it i..."

I probably would've never heard of it if it wasn't for my friend recommending it. It was on Netflix for a time, but now it is gone :(

[Theresa]

Meli wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Meli wrote: " Another TV show I think PBT members would like is Black Books, a British comedy about a drunk, surly, and pretentious bookstore owne ..."

I LOVE that series! My siste..."

Have you checked BritBox on Amazon Prime Video or Acorn TV? If I remember later I will.

[Joi]

First movie that came to mind was Can You Ever Forgive me, which Theresa mentioned.

Isn't Dead Poet's Society about a poetry book?
Stranger than Fiction is about a writer writing a book.

Book Club also comes to mind.

[Meli]

Theresa wrote: "Meli wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Meli wrote: " Another TV show I think PBT members would like is Black Books, a British comedy about a drunk, surly, and pretentious bookstore owne ..."

I LOVE that ser..."

I don't have BritBox (forgot about that service, actually), but HOLY CRAP IT'S ON AMAZON PRIME!! Literally didn't even occur to me to check :P

Good looking out, Theresa!

Joi wrote: "First movie that came to mind was Can You Ever Forgive me, which Theresa mentioned.

Isn't Dead Poet's Society about a poetry book?
Stranger than Fiction is about a writer writing a book.

Book ..."

Man, it has been so long since I have seen Dead Poet's Society. Definitely about reading. RIP Robin Williams :(

[Theresa]

Meli wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Meli wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Meli wrote: " Another TV show I think PBT members would like is Black Books, a British comedy about a drunk, surly, and pretentious bookstore owne ..."
..."

WOOT! Guess what I will be watching this weekend!

[Jason]

I love Dead Poets Society. one of my favorite movies ever. I also love Stanger Than Fiction. Its hilarious to me. not many people I know liked it.

[Theresa]

Michael wrote: "The movie and book "Fahrenheit 451" seemed a bit contrived as a cautionary tale--a fireman serving the mind control of a tyranny by burning books who gains second thoughts. But the movie version st..."

Julie & Julia - excellent movie, only ok book, mostly because it was written as a blog and did not transfer that well to book form. But the Julia Child book that also inspired the movie - My Life in France - is excellent although you note a change from Julia's voice about 3/4 through, as Julia died before her nephew finished taking down her oral history that became the book. The last section was thus lacking her voice.

Possession - oh I loved that book! The movie just was a miss I thought.

Wasn't there a movie a few years ago about writing a book...one word title, up for tons of awards....Adaptation?

[Robin P]

I think Adaptation is the one I was thinking of about The Orchid Thief. and is Stranger than Fiction the one with Will Ferrell where he is a character in an author's book?

[Michael]

Thought of another movie based on a book about books. Chabon's "Wonder Boys" is about a lit prof with writer's block who gets inspired but jealous over a talented and crazy student and undermined by a young mistress when she gets pregnant. The movie, starring Michael Douglas and Toby McGuire, is a hoot with its madcap plot and sly satire of academia. (Book still a TBR).

Loved Zusak's "The Book Thief" but have no experience of the movie based on it. In the case of another "book about books", I wish there was a movie on Bennett's "The Uncommon Reader", about Queen Elizabeth tuning into books via a bookmobile manager.

[Book Concierge]

What about Misery (starring James Caan and Kathy Bates) ... based on Stephen King's novel about a famous author and his "Number 1 fan" ...

[Theresa]

Barton Fink is about writers block.

[Jason]

I love this list of books. Thank-you everyone.