13 movies based on books: Which do I like better? I admit I shamelessly stole this from Kwizgiver.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird. Both are beautiful.
2. The Godfather. To paraphrase Clemenza, "Watch the movie, skip the book."
3. Gone with the Wind. Don't make me choose. I simply cannot.
4. The Horse Whisperer. Until the end, I give the book the edge. The horse, Pilgrim, is a real character on the page. But the movie concludes correctly, the book's ending just rings false to me.
5. The Princess Bride. The movie is darling, but the book has more layers. William Goldman wrote both. I adore him.
6. Magic. A young Anthony Hopkins is impressive, but the book! Oh my God! It took my breath away. If you haven't seen the movie yet, snag the book and let William Goldman shock you.
7. IT. That book terrified me. Neither the theatrical movie nor the made-for-TV version had anywhere near as powerful an impact.
8. The Exorcist. Just the opposite of IT. Seeing the nightmare world of Regan's bedroom is more shocking than reading it.
9. All the President's Men. The movie is better. Woodward and Bernstein are better reporters than narrators. (BTW, William Goldman wrote this script, too.)
10. The Diary of Anne Frank. While I'm all for her story reaching everyone in every way possible, I give the edge to Anne herself.
11. Little Women. I've seen four different movie versions of this story. What a testament to the talent of Louisa May Alcott!
11. Valley of the Dolls. The movie is glorious over the top fun. The book is just stupid.
13. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I like the book much better.
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
I read the Godfather and Valley of the Dolls many years ago. Right now I'm reading Dennis Lehane fiction/mystery which I like mostly because it is set where I grew up near Boston.
ReplyDeleteI have read and seen most of these, but not all. I completely agree with you in the cases where I have read the book and seen the movie. To Kill a Mockingbird is my all time favorite and the movie was beautiful and powerful as well.
ReplyDeleteI have The Princess Bride in my "TBR" pile after realizing I'd never read the book. Apparently, I need to read more Goldman. The movie version of Little Women that I liked the best was the one that came out in 1994, with Susan Sarandon and Wynona Ryder. I read Valley of the Dolls when I was around 11 (much too young) and haven't read it since. As you know I don't watch much TV/Movies so I doubt I could do a TT comparison like this. Good TT. Much better than mine. (Time to stop playing the AI, I think.)
ReplyDeleteFun list! I struggled to stop at 10. Perhaps I'll revisit the prompt.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun Thursday 13 topic! I totally agree with you about Little Women, though I still need to see the movie version with Katherine Hepburn.
ReplyDeleteCurrently I'm reading "The Diary Of Young Girl"
ReplyDeleteI took part in Thursday 13.
Coffee is on and stay safe.