I love the build up to the Oscars. There’s the anticipation, frock-spotting [note to self – I’m coming over as just a little bit frock obsessed in recent posts, must mention something more serious next time] and judging the nominees from home – what’s not to love? Well, over-long acceptance speeches perhaps. And what about the after show parties? Though I seem to have not been invited this year - some terrible administrative error I'm sure - I saw on the morning news that this year Elton John is throwing just an intimate soiree for a mere 600 guests.But, as we all know, publishing and Hollywood are thick as thieves – is anyone able to name me a really great / really big movie of recent years that hasn’t been adapted from a novel/memoir/comic/shopping list that came before it? There must be some, but my mind is drawing a blank. Anyway, I tend to subscribe to the notion that the book is always better than the film, and would highly recommend the following A&B gems for the movie buffs out there to compare. We’ve been talking up Boomsday since its trade paperback publication in October, but it was Thank You for Smoking that gave Christopher Buckley an oomph last year; one of the contenders for my own little ‘Best A&B Cover Design’ award. Little Children’s (available here and here) movie adaptation featured a superb Kate Winslet playing the character of frustrated stay-at-home Mum Sarah. And as Susie mentioned the other week, we are putting On the Waterfront into a snazzy new look next month. A surfeit of riches, bring out the popcorn!
1 comment:
I have to agree, rarely are the films better the books. But there are two exceptions I can think of -although admittedly these were originally novellas not full blown novels. The first, Shawshank Redemption (my all-time favourite film adapted from Rita Hayword and The Shawshank Redemption) and Stand By Me (from the story The Body) - both originally novellas by Stephen King. They can be found in the collection Different Seasons which also included Apt Pupil and The Breathing Method if anyone's interested). Oh, and I've just thought of another - Brokeback Mountain (by Annie Proulx). Again, a novella. The key seems to lie in the fact that a movie can actually elaborate on a short story but can't effectively reduce a book in the space of two hours. Logical - but can anyone think of films that have succeeded?
P.S Have to say I'm looking forward to seeing the film version of The Kite Runner, as I think there's potential for the screen version to come up to par.
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