Books to movies to books was Re: What should we do next?

[potioncat]

> Geoff:
> I quite agree with you on that. I have never said that you **must**
> read the books. I can quote instances of books where I have seen 
> the film/TV versions and not read the books. An example springing 
> straight to mind is Charles Dickens. 

Potioncat:
While I enjoy reading Dickens. Just, not too much at a time. ;-)

My example of watching a movie, but not reading the book would be the 
miniseries "Cranford." I highly recommend it. But I could not read the 
set of stories it was based on, like Geoff and Dickens, it was the 
style that stopped me. Based on a few moments by the movie-makers in 
the special features, I think they may have filled in a bit with some 
additional story line. If I had been a fan of the books, I might not be 
too happy with that. Since all I know is the movie, it makes no 
difference to me.

That's part of the issue. If a movie maker wants to turn a book into a 
movie he can change things around pretty freely---if the book doesn't 
have a significant following and if the author isn't too careful with 
the contract. But making a movie for an audience who is already fans of 
the book is harder. 

>Geoff:
> My main grouse continues to be where the adaptations either leave 
> unanswered  questions which are resolved in the books or alter the 
> story line which can cause trouble in further adaptations. 

Potioncat:
Absolutely! It must have been particularly difficult with the HP 
movies, since the whole story hadn't been printed. Even with JKR giving 
guidence, it seems she didn't always tell them why something or someone 
needed to be in a movie. 

Movies that were always meant to be movies have a different feel. But 
I've gone there before in a similar thread. What I hate is a movie 
based on a book; that then generates a movie-version book.

Has anyone read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"? (OK, grammar 
police, did I punctuate that one properly?) The movie version is "Blade 
Runner". The producers bought the right to use the title which is 
really to a different book by a surgeon. Don't ask me why they changed 
the name or why they changed to "Blade Runner". I don't remember any 
blades in the movie. I liked the movie, but at the time I had read the 
book so long before, that I couldn't tell how how true to the story the 
movie was.

There are also movies or plays that are based on/ inspired by / older 
stories. Alla gave an expample of Beowolf. Or take "West Side Story" 
That's a re-telling of "Romeo and Juliet." "Apocolypse Now" is 
from "Heart of Darkness." I'm sure there are more.