1. Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone - All of the Harry Potter movies really, but I think this one was most like the book.
2. The Lord of The Rings Trilogy – What can I say? I loved these movies.
3. The Hours – I know some people didn’t like it, but I thought it was well done.
4. Twilight – I’m not saying it was the best movie or anything, but it was a lot like the book.
5. Interview With The Vampire – This was one of the few times I read the book after seeing the movie. There were definite differences, but I think they really captured the feeling of the book.
6. Memoirs of a Geisha – They left out a lot of the beginning, which I had really liked from the book and part of the end, but I thought the movie was really well done.
7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe – The movie encouraged me to start reading the books.
8. The Princess Bride – This is based on my husband’s opinion, as I haven’t read the book yet, but he says it’s exactly like the movie.
9. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Based on my brother and his girlfriend’s opinions as I haven’t seen the movie yet.
10. Pride and Prejudice – I also haven’t seen this yet, but based on what people have told me, plus what a ton of bloggers have said, it’s great.
I found this one a little difficult. I kind of cheated with 8, 9 & 10. It seems I’ve either read the book or watched the movie, but I haven’t done a lot of both. Sometimes I feel that if I’ve seen the movie, what’s the point of reading the book since I already know what’s going to happen. That’s why I haven’t seen 9 & 10. I had to finish the books first because I didn’t want the movies to ruin the reading experience.
What order do you read/watch in, book first or movie first?
Definitely see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish version)--it's incredible. I liked The Hours, both book & movie. I think some people were critical of both book & film's treatment of Virginia Woolf but historical accuracy nitpicking aside, both were very well done. Great choices!
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem you did - as much as I like to tell myself I don't see movies without reading the book, I apparently do it quite often! I did manage to think of ten where I'd actually read the book, but I seriously considered putting The Princess Bride on there anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with you on Twilight. For better or worse, it was a pretty faithful film adaptation.
I saw The Hours before reading the book and I love this film. I actually prefer it to the novel, which makes me wonder if the order in which you read/watch a work impacts on your appreciation...
ReplyDeleteEm
I saw the 1960 movie version of ELMER GANTRY before reading the book, and while they share some content, the characterization and tone are completely different.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Elmer is depicted as a loveable scamp in the film, whereas he's a manipulative, predatory sociopath in the book. Sharon Falconer is an independent, no-nonsense woman in the film, but a mentally unstable one in the novel. The book spans decades of Elmer's life, whereas the movie only highlights the years he spent as part of Sharon's tent revival entourage. They're both good works, but for different reasons.
The Hours is a really good one. I liked the movie a lot and loved the book.
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed by The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but I think it was because I loved the book so much as a kid, nothing could have lived up to it.
Check out my list here; http://hawthornescarlet.blogspot.com/2011/02/top-ten-tuesday-on-silver-screen.html
Teacher, I remember hearing about the Woolf critism, but it's a work of fiction. Plus, I think the film and book treated Woolf well.
ReplyDeleteKatie, Sometimes I don't hear about there being a book until it's too late (like the Princess Bride). If a movie of a book I want to read is coming out, I do try to read the book as soon as possible.
Em, I suppose it depends on the person. I saw the first two Harry Potter films before reading the books, but I still think the books are definitely better. It might just be a special director or cast that can pull off a better movie.
LBC, For whatever reason, I didn't read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as a kid. I'm sure that's affected how I feel about both book and movie.