I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Heather Royal Oak MI — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:12:35 GMT

I thought Beloved was a major fail. In Toni Morrison's novel, there is so much symbolism and so much metaphorical content that it simply did not translate to the screen in any successful way.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Shannan C., Lexington, KY — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:59:49 GMT

I completely agree with you on Great Gatsby (Robert Redford as Gatsby was a big miscast) and All the King's Men. I think "Wuthering Heights" falls into a strange category -- it's a good movie (the Lawrence Olivier version), if you have never read the book. But then when you read the book, you realize that the movie leaves out the entire second half of the book about the children of Cathy and Heathcliff and Edgar, which I ultimately found more interesting than the love story of Cathy and Heathcliff, and I can never really watch the movie the same way again.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Todd Moser, Clover, SC — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:12:17 GMT

My least favorite book to movie translation has to be Stephen King's "The Mist". Now don't get me wrong, I loved the movie.... until the very end. The book leaves the future of the characters in doubt and you can make up your own ending of what happened to them. The director of the movie made his own, bleak ending, that for me, made me never want to see the film again!

A good book-to-film translation? The 1st that pops into my head is the classic "The Outsiders" from 1983.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Beck — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:17:31 GMT

My fave is the first of Anne of Green Gables series. They did the books justice, IMHO. They missed some of the plot points, but if they included everything the first movie (which covered several books) would have been about 8 hours long!

I also really liked all of the Bourne series in both book and film versions, but the film adaptations were serious travesties as far as "keeping to the plot" goes. As a stand alone series, they were excellent. I thought the same about Patriot Games. Liked both the book and the movie as separate stories.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

DisabledVet — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:21:01 GMT

One of my all time favorite book to movie(s) was from Stephen King, "The Stand". Other adaptations from his litany of books didn't do so well in my opinion, but I remember watching The Stand for the first time and being amazed at how well the movie actually followed the events in the book - nothing was changed! It was a first for me, and to this day I still don't see it often.

I was disappointed with the Harry Potter movies for changing important dialogue and other items, to me, making it more confusing for those who read the books first.

I still always think, and now tell my daughter, "the book is always better than the movie". I realize how difficult it is at times to make the movie just like the book, but some of these writers/directors go way too far with their changes, essentially losing the best parts or changing them so now they're not even recognizable. It's a shame.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

ALICIA, OHIO — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:25:21 GMT

I think The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are both better films than books; that's a rarity!

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

CMJ — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:43:47 GMT

Pet Cementary was a great book. The creepiness factor did not play out well on the movie screen.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Karla, Tampa, FL — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:56:44 GMT

I loved the movie about the notebook (even with the changes in the story line). I also loved Interview with the Vampire which was way better than the book.

As for The Da Vinci Code, I love the book (I read it like 5 times) but the movie was B A D!!!

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Debbie, CT — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:58:20 GMT

I was disappointed by Sean Penn's efforts with "Into the Wild." It was a great read. The movie wasn't bad, it just didn't give the same feeling as the book.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Pam, Holland, MI — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:03:38 GMT

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Katie Spring, TX — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:05:27 GMT

Any Tom Clancy adaptation really needs to be watched independently of the book. His books are SO full of plotlines and details that there is no way to get everything onto the big screen. I always have to remind myself of that when I watch one of the Jack Ryan movies.

As far as movies that have done well, I think the Narnia movies have done a good job of bringing the books to life.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Pam, Holland, MI — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:08:26 GMT

Mystic River is one of the best book to movie transitions.
I thought Lord of the Rings was well done... until I went to re-read LOTR and realized how much had been changed for the movies.
My rule is that if there is a book, I always read it first. It often ruins the movie experience but it's worth getting to know the real story!
I agree on the Divinci Code - the movie was horrible. (I also think Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons was the better book but that's for another discussion.)

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Kathleen, San Francisco, CA — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:14:30 GMT

"I Am Legend" is a far better short story than the movie; though, I enjoyed the movie when I watched it (because I hadn't read the story). Now that I've read the story, I can't believe how much the story was changed for the film version.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Kyle, Westerville, Ohio — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:17:36 GMT

The worst? "Dune". Even David lynch the director didn't like it.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Suzanne, Arlington, VA — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:18:27 GMT

I agree with Alicia on The Green Mile and was surprised as very little of Kings work has been adapted well to the screen, The Shining (original) was probably the best; Dream Catcher probably the worst, too many nuances to try and convey. Another author who can't seem to get justice from the page to the screen is Dean Koontz. I'm hopeful for the Odd Thomas serious, in the right hands it could be brilliant. I think supernatural fiction is difficult to transfer to the screen. Heck, I've gotten to where when I read a particular good novel (of any genre), I start pairing the character to the actors that could play them!

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Matt in San Jose, Ca — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:22:27 GMT

Michael Cunningham's "The Hours" is one of my favorite page-to-screen adaptations - it caught the tone and pacing of the story perfectly. And in the moments that would be most difficult to translate to cinema, they thought outside the box and created new moments inspired by the book (instead of aiming for a direct translation).

I was horribly let down by last year's "Atonement." A great read - but the novel's beautiful explorations with point-of-view just became jumbled and never allowed us in to these characters' minds entirely (with the exception of the a few brilliantly filmed and acted moments between the male and the youngest girl).

I am not sure how I feel about the upcoming version of "The Road." The book was beautifully sparse and verged on prose most of the time. The movie is either going to be amazing or a complete let down.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Dave, NC — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:25:14 GMT

Horton Hears a Who was brilliantly done!

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

JoAnne, Tucson AZ — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:28:29 GMT

I really like the short story "Brokeback Mountain", but I love the movie. Ang Lee did a masterful job of filling in the sparseness of the text while staying true to the flavor of it.

And, while I like the Harry Potter movies, especially Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix, they in no way compete with the wonder and detail of the books. My son and I both agree that Voldemort was MUCH scarier in our imaginations.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Amy, Knoxville, TN — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:31:43 GMT

The Scarlet Letter with Demi Moore has got to be one of the WORST adaptations I've seen...I mean, they gave it a happy ending.

I agree that the Narnia books have been well adapted. I was scared, as they are my favorite books of all time, but I think the director did a good job.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Todd, Honolulu, Hawaii — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:37:54 GMT

Worst translation ... "Battlefield Earth". There is just no way to do any justice to the book within a 2 hour timeframe. As a novel, the book is awesome. As a movie ... terribly done. All they did was pull some of the names from the book and slapped together something that barely covers the first quarter of the book.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Brian P. Evans, San Diego, CA — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:07:37 GMT

_The Witches of Eastwick_ is probably the best adaptation of book to film...precisely because they tossed much of the plot but kept the same structure. The book is horrendously bad but the concept is great and done very well in the film.

Similarly, the transfer of _Wicked_ from book to stage was a huge step up. The book couldn't decide what its main theme was: Commentary on sexual politics, take off on _The Wizard of Oz,_ or what. So many plot points introduced and then immediately discarded. The stage adaptation was so good that MacGuire is writing a sequel...based upon the changes that were made for the stage version.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Kristin, New York, NY — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:13:32 GMT

Two movies that let me down..." I am Legend" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". "I am Legend" completely changed the ending and made the vampiric like creatures that used to be human into zombies. It was an awful change the left the story empty. "Hitchhiker" was a mess. A great story, a great cast, a horrible movie. I think that book should be left alone for generations to enjoy cover to cover.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

jerseygirl — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:16:35 GMT

I agree with The Outsiders as one of the best, also with The Stand, the reason they were able to make is so well is they made it into a miniseries on the small screen, this gave them I believe 5 days at 2 hours a day, even with commercials its a lot more time then they have at the theaters. Basically though you are going to be disappointed in books to movies by and large because the book can provide so mcuh detail at the readers pace, whereas, the movie you have 2-2 1/2 hours tops to get your point across, honestly with a 700 page novel doesnt leave you a lot of room to follow the book completely.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Deb in Texas — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:21:45 GMT

"Catch-22" is a book that should never have been made into a movie. There is just no way to capture the commentary and background adequately. The movie was awful!

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

michelle lax, sausalito ca — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:29:07 GMT

All the President's Men, the movie, I thought was as suspenceful as the book even though we know the ending for both. It is a movie I never lose interest in; the acting is superb; the capture of the book's suspence is excellent.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

kim, paducah, ky — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:43:15 GMT

I thought Cold Mountain was a great movie. I really got into the characters better in the movie than I did the book.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Stephanie. Washington DC — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:05:01 GMT

I thought the English Patient was a beautiful adaptation of the book, even though two of the characters (Caravaggio and especialy Kip) could not be explored fully in the film. But the movie was able to manage the complex flow between the different viewpoints very well. Cold Mountain is another one that was extremely well done -- I acutally like the movie better than the book. Also in the Good catergory -- Brokeback Mountain, Lord of the Rings, Sense & Sensibility, Emma.

On the other hand, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood was dreadful, and The Other Boleyn Girl was even worse. But I still reserve HATE, deepest HATE HATE HATE, for Barbara Streisand for ruining The Prince of Tides!

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Gene, Bellevue, WA — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:44:47 GMT

Dune, Contact and the Postman were all great science fiction books but the movie versions didn't work. The Dune books had telepathy and characters that thought to themselves but didn't speak often which can't be duplicated very well on-screen. Carl Sagan's Contact is classic hard science fiction and one of my favorites because it didn't have graphic violence and sex - guess what Hollywood added? The Postman was a wonderful book but Kevin Costner changed the storyline too much and took out the best scenes.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Ms. Puddy, Seattle, WA — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:30:38 GMT

I have just finished reading Twilight and I am wondering if the movie will do the book justice or not. I am thinking not but I could be surprised.

The one movie that did not translate for me from book to movie was The Firm. I loved the book but the movie was all different from what I had read. Also the Bone Collector was a better book then movie to.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Michael Fay, Laguna Niguel, Ca. 92677 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:02:04 GMT

Gone With The Wind set the standard for books to movies I read the book 4 times and saw the movie 7
times.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Jenny, Calgary, AB — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:18:42 GMT

Children of Men - the book was wonderful and thought provoking. The movie was violent and confusing. Besides which, they changed key points for no apparent reason....which bugged me.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Sky, Orange County, CA — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:22:52 GMT

Only two come to mind: I loved Fight Club both as a movie and as a book. The Harry Potter series makes an excellent attempt.

Pretty much everything else is painful.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Marie Antoinette — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:48:07 GMT

It really is hard to go from great book to great movie but...
Some bests: A Clockwork Orange; The Shining; Fight Club. All great flicks and books.
Worst: All the Pretty Horses (a TRAVESTY of McCarthy) and Love in The Time of Cholera

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Julie, Nashville, TN — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:28:22 GMT

I think the movie of The Notebook was better than the book (a rarity), although I found some of the minor changes made in the movie unnecessary (like the locale change; I wonder if that was done to assist with filming). The book was pretty confusing, with three different time periods thrown about throughout, and the movie made it much easier to follow.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Leslie, Albuquerque — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:34:02 GMT

Worst book to movie adaptations: The Dark is Rising (and its gut-wrenching movie counterpart The Seeker) and that awful *thing* that Sci-Fi channel produced that was masquerading as a production as A Wizard of Earthsea. Two of my most beloved books from my childhood/teen years completely mutilated with such ruthless efficiency I wanted to claw my eyes out.

I do agree with you on the Austen books making good crosses into film as well as similar materials. Sense and Sensibility and Jane Eyre come to mind. And of course Gone with the Wind sort of set the standard in my mind. I saw the movie when I was seven or so and read the book when I was twelve and I think it's the only time in my life I've finished a book and said, "Well darn I liked the movie better!"

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Colleen, Phoenix — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:02:44 GMT

One of the good adaptations that comes to mind is the previously mentioned "The English Patient". I thought that book was pretty bad, but the movie was much better. Also, I think the adaptation of "LA Confidential" was masterful. Much, much, MUCH better film than book.

I haven't seen "Blindness" but I can almost guarantee that the movie won't be as good as the book. I cannot fathom that book as a film. No way. Once the audience is detached from the story, I think it will play like a cheap thriller.

The Harry Potter movies are vastly inferior to the books. "Atonenment" was pretty bad last year.

Basically, I believe that the better the book is, the harder it is to adapt into a film. Great books require something different of the reader than films do of the audience. Wonderful character-driven stories seem to always get butchered on film. Oh, and I agree that no one should ever try to make "The Great Gatsby" into a film again. Terrible idea.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Wendy Coy Burlington, VT — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:47:59 GMT

I saw a bumper sticker once that said Don't judge a book by its movie. Something I agree with whole-heartedly. I never seen the movie version of a great book and said Wow. I like the movie better. The miniseries idea is great and I will agree that The Stand was one of the best adaptations I have seen. May be they should try the Harry Potter series as a miniseries so they can get the detail needed to properly convey the details of that story.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Venus Doom, NJ — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:11:52 GMT

The book to movie adaptation that immediately comes to my mind is "American Psycho." Both are fantastic in their own right. The book is fantastically detailed, almost to a fault, sucking you into Patrick Bateman's world and maintaining a death grip on you (while simultaneously making you laugh regularly). The movie is a lot more succinct, packing the essence of the story into a much smaller space, but Christian Bale's performance was so strong and so believable that even the major differences between the plots can be easily stomached. I can't choose a clear favorite, which is uncommon when it comes to these adaptations!

"Boy Culture" was another of the same; fantastic book, fantastic movie, almost completely independent of each other. The characters in both were similar, and the stories followed the same vein, but many of the pertinent scenes were vastly different, making both the book and the movie its own separate entity, both equally enjoyable, humorous, sexy, and relatable. Great work by Q. Allan Brocka on that film.

"The Green Mile" was a great one, too, following pretty close to the book. One of the best Stephen King adaptations of all time (not hard, considering too many of his amazing books have turned into ridiculous movies).

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Becky, Dallas, TX — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:37:03 GMT

"Ordinary People". Great book, great movie adaptation. I saw the movie first, and while I was reading the book, felt that the movie really portrayed what was going on in it.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Chris G. Austin, Texas — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:53:23 GMT

I think the TV miniseries of "Lonesome Dove" is, and always will be, the BEST adaption of any book, ever-- because it WAS a miniseries, 6+ hours instead of 2-3. Most adaptions have to leave out significant portions of the book to fit in the standard movie time format. I did not read Larry McMurtry's book until many years after the TV event, but when I did I was amazed at how faithful to the book the TV script was. And I agree with the comments about "Dune" and "Hitchhiker"--total dissapointments!

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

lisa, il — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:12:50 GMT

Best: "The Outsiders"
Worst: "I am Legend"

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Kitty — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:45:37 GMT

With the exception of "The Stand" (possibly the best mini-series EVER) "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Misery" Stephen King adaptations generally suck.

"Pride and Prejudice" (the A&E one not the Keria Knightly disaster) is the most faithful Jane Austen adaptation I've ever seen. Though Emma Thompson's "Sense and Sensibility" (Hugh Laurie!!!) was also wonderful.

"Brokeback Mountain" was expertly adapted and Ang Lee's direction made the movie as heartbreaking as the novella.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

DM, San Jose CA — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:50:16 GMT

The Princess Bride is one of my all time favorite movies. I recently read the book (the book is always supposed to be better, right?), but in this case, I think the movie really did the book justice. Perhaps because the screenplay and book were written by the same person.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Alaina, Boston — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:31:59 GMT

Memoirs of Geisha was a great movie…if you had already read the book. In which case it was a beautiful visualization of the events in the book. However the movie moved so fast there was very little time devoted to character development, so without reading the book beforehand, the movie is hard to follow. The friend I went to see it with (who hadn’t read the book) was leaning over every few minutes to be reminded who a character was, and why they were doing what they were doing.

I’d describe it more as a companion piece to the book, rather than a movie that stands on its own.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Cordelia, Thornton NH — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:39:43 GMT

In the category of movies that were better than the book, I would put Bridges of Madison County. I'm really hoping that Twilight falls in that category as well - painful writing but a great plot idea with excellent movie potential.

Favorite translations - Brokeback Mountain, Harry Potter, Babe, Lord of the Rings, Narnia
Least favorite - The Shipping News, Because of Winn Dixie, the animated Charlotte's Web with that stupid duck

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Alaina, Boston — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:40:34 GMT

I have to agree with previous posts that Stephen King books generally make bad movies. Because so much of what makes his books engaging is the various characters’ inner thoughts, feelings and struggles. You just can’t convey these things visually.

Also, alot of the monsters or other baddies in his books are so fantastic than only your imagination can do them justice.

The only time movie adaptations of his books work, is when they give the movie a whole different focus. ie. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining; Awesome movie…but only takes the basic skeleton of the plot from the book. They are basically two entirely different stories. But good ones

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

blondieybat — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:20:13 GMT

Offhand, I cannot think of any book that has really had justice done to it by a movie. I feel quite sorry for anybody trying to turn a King novella, short story or novel into a movie.

Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were as good as it could get but given the amount of material you knew alot of characters and material was gonna end up by the wayside.

The absolute worst adaptation: Relic!!!!! I thought the movie was alright, interesting until I read the book. OMG - they didn't leave one atom of the book in place in the movie. AND they left out some of the best characters, killed off characters and just ruined it. READ the book, and the entire series!!! Don't even rent the movie.

I just can’t see 'Blindness' translating to film

Rita, Atlanta, Georgia — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:30:10 GMT

One of my favorites is "Being There". I saw the movie before I read the book, but I think both are really good.