Favourite T.V./film adaptations of books

Horsa

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When I was at my Sister's we had an argument over which Jane Austen T.V. adaptation was the best. I said Billie Piper's version of Mansfield Park. My Sister said that she didn't know how anyone could have any Jane Austen T.V. adaptation as top other than Colin Firth's version of Pride & Prejudice. I said I liked Edmund out of Mansfield Park best & my Sister preferred Mr. Darcy out of Pride & Prejudice. My favourite Jane Austen novel is Northanger Abbey as I think that's the most interesting story & love Henry Tilney but the T.V. adaptation of this is too scary. Saying that though my favourite T.V./film adaptation of a book is Orson Welles version of Jane Eyre which I 1st watched when I was 10 & then nagged my parents for & later Gran as my parents said I was too young for it. My Gran told them if I was old enough to ask I was old enough to learn & if I wasn't I'd put it to 1 side. I loved it & I've been a big Bronte fan since though I prefer Villette to Jane Eyre although Jane Eyre is Charlotte Bronte's most popular novel. As we've got a few bookworms & people who loved T.V. I just wondered which T.V. adaptations people preferred.
 

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Great thread! Even if I generally keep ranting :))) about most adaptations I see.

One old adaptation of Zola's Germinal struck me with how much of the original dialogues they managed to leave in the film (need to check exactly which one is). I loved Kenetth Brannagah's rendition of Frankenstein. Actually, he changed a bit the last dialogues but I honestly (and blasphemously) prefer his version to the original.

Last but not least (even if slightly off topic) the two film versions of Alan Moore's comic books (I mean graphic novels, I am not sure of the correct term in English) "V for Vendetta" and "Watchmen" are quite decent. There is something about "V" which annoys me, maybe is just the actress who plays the main female character that I really think is quite artificial (and antipathetic). Different from the original to say the least.

My favorite movie of all times, miles above the second place, 1960 "Spartacus", is based on a novel which I actually never read!
 

Horsa

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Great thread! Even if I generally keep ranting :))) about most adaptations I see.

One old adaptation of Zola's Germinal struck me with how much of the original dialogues they managed to leave in the film (need to check exactly which one is). I loved Kenetth Brannagah's rendition of Frankenstein. Actually, he changed a bit the last dialogues but I honestly (and blasphemously) prefer his version to the original.

Last but not least (even if slightly off topic) the two film versions of Alan Moore's comic books (I mean graphic novels, I am not sure of the correct term in English) "V for Vendetta" and "Watchmen" are quite decent. There is something about "V" which annoys me, maybe is just the actress who plays the main female character that I really think is quite artificial (and antipathetic). Different from the original to say the least.

My favorite movie of all times, miles above the second place, 1960 "Spartacus", is based on a novel which I actually never read!
I'm glad you like it. :0) I agree that most adaptations aren't even 1/2 as good as the books. I prefer the film adaptations of the Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans & Palomino by Danielle Steele to the books though as I get to see the horses instead of imagining them & the love making scenes in the book are rather too long & detailed to me. They're also too blunt. I don't mind romantic books & films which aren't too blunt as in they say things like "She looked at him with those go to bed eyes while he undressed her with his eyes. Through her diaphanous dress he could almost see every curve in her voluptuous body. Later, she caressed every part of his sinewy body" rather than "she sucked his ****" which you get in some books.

I don't think your 3rd paragraph is off topic at all. I've heard of both book & film versions of "V for Vendetta" but never heard of "Watchmen" until you mentioned it in "What is art?" when you shared that lovely ornithology essay. I'll go off topic here by saying that with the amount of bird-related language used in that essay I was amazed he didn't use the word "peregrinations" as travels of birds features in it & peregrinations means travels. I remember reading about the peregrinations of peregrine falcons once. It was fascinating & I liked how they used the word peregrinations & peregrine falcons in the same sentence.

Dad loves that film. My favourite film is Orson Welles version of Jane Eyre.
 
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Horsa

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I think Colin Firth's version of Pride & Prejudice is the best 1, however I think that if some swaps were made with the Kiera Knightley version it would be better. The swaps I would make are to move Kiera Knightley into the Colin Firth version as I think she made the best Elizabeth Bennett & I'd also move Dame Judi Dench to the Colin Firth version as I think she played Lady Catherine de Bourgh better.
 

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Since it would have been William Shakespeare's Birthday today I decided to share an adaptation of my favourite play of his.

 

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I still think the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a great adaptation. Sure, a few characters were missing that had roles in the book (Tom Bombadil etc)... but how it played out visually matched the way I'd imagined it in the books.

You always get some nerdy dullards who obsess over obscure facts from the books that aren't represented in the movies... but it's an adaptation, not a carbon copy reflection of the book.

I do usually find movies a let-down if I read the book first but LOTR isn't on the list.

Stephen King disliked the original The Shining movie based on his book... I thought the film was fantastic.... but then I hadn't read the book.
 
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Horsa

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I used to be like that but thinking about it, it would take forever if all scenes in books were represented on film & T.V. It would be too much hard work for actors & actresses as well as for cameramen. I like T.V. & film adaptations to be as near as possible to the book though.

I'm the same in most cases, however, I prefer the film versions of "The horse whisperer" & "Palomino" though. I use film & T.V. adaptations of books to give my eyes a break sometimes as I get to see the story without poring over a book for hours.
 

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I love this 1 & have watched it many times. I watched the latest 1 too & read the book which is my favourite Oscar Wilde play followed by Lady Windermere's fan.
 

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I've just watched the T.V. adaptation of Emma with Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse.
 
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Horsa

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A new version of Emma. I can't watch it as my speakers are playing up. Still I've got the version of Emma mentioned above & my Sister has got another B.B.C. T.V. version of it. I hope you enjoy.

 

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I've just watched the version of Mansfield Park with Billie Piper as Fanny Price.
 

Horsa

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I'm sharing the 1999 version of Mansfield Park. I hope you enjoy.

 
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Horsa

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I watched Northanger Abbey earlier. It's my favourite Jane Austen book but not my favourite Jane Austen TV adaptation. The reason for that is I can turn off my imagination on my whim when I'm reading the parts where Catherine Morland is reading The mysteries of Udolpho & it gets gory whereas the TV adaptation doesn't. It shows all the gory details & misses out a lot of the story. I find reading Northanger Abbey more interesting than reading Jane Austen's other books. My favourite Jane Austen to watch is Mansfield Park.
 

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I've just watched the 2008 BBC TV adaptation of "Sense & Sensibility".

(I know, before anyone says anything. There are times when I could really do with a dose of "Sense & Sensibility" myself & I don't mean the Jane Austen book or TV adaptation of it.)
 

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I've just watched the T.V. adaptation of Catherine Cookson's "A dinner of herbs".
 

Horsa

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I've just watched the T.V. adaptation of Catherine Cookson's "Colour blind" which is both my favourite Catherine Cookson T.V. adaptation & book.