"It's just not as good as the book.."
This sentence has been uttered enough to make you wonder how so many authors have gladly let their printed masterpieces fall into lacklustre cinematic hands. This was most certainly the case for the 2009 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray. The fantastic novel is the latest addition to the MurdockMan Book Club reading list and will soon be available to read in all of our branches. We cannot recommend enough approaching this version instead.
With the reputation of such a highly acclaimed novel put into question by its cinema counterpart, we got to thinking this week about the film adaptations that have broken the boundaries and actually done justice to their printed origins. There have been several exceptions over the years when a select few directors and screenwriters have been able to take a perfectly good novel and use their creative talents to develop it excellently into a visual format.
Be it the ability to directly address and emphasise style, atmosphere or location rather than be restricted to finding the best descriptive words, this list of films proved to meet their printed makers and indeed surpass their influence.
N.B. Each of these books are still highly worthwhile picking up.
Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn subtly blew audiences away with Drive. The minimal dialogue, beautiful cinematography and an immense selection of electro-infused tracks combined to produce a contemporary screen icon and anti-hero In Ryan Gosling's Driver. Superb supporting performances brought further attention to character relationships that extended beyond James Sallis' novel.
Jurassic Park
One of the biggest films of the 90s, Steven Spielberg's take on Michael Crichton's book brought CGI capabilities to a new level. Crichton being directly involved with the screenplay probably went a long way in its authenticity too. With so many memorable scenes that brought great levels of suspense and picturesque beauty, the excellent cast including the late Richard Attenborough further helped to bring such an outrageous concept to life. A vast amount of credit has to also go to John Williams for curating the iconic score.
The Talented Mr Ripley
Taking Patricia Highsmith's novel, Anthony Minghella created a film version that evoked immense levels of character development and visual style - to the point where come summer, fashion brands still continue to use it for reference. With a previous cinematic version in the form of Rene Clement's 'Purple Noon' to compete with, Minghella excelled in providing us with alluring characters with assurance and depth. The stunning coastal Italian setting simply adds to the visual delights too. Rather than imagining what the setting must look like, you're just dying to be there instead.
The Godfather
Critically recognised as one of the greatest films of all time, it's safe to say that Francis Ford Coppola managed to surpass the greatness of Mario Puzo's novel. As with Crichton for Jurassic Park, Puzo himself directly contributed to the screenplay which will have gone a long way in visually portraying exactly what the author originally envisioned. Acclaimed acting performances and still topping all-time lists, this is probably the most successful book and film combination to have been produced. At least regarding Part One...
Let The Right One In
Before you begin to panic, we are of course referring to the original Swedish version directed by Tomas Alfredson. John Ajvide Lindqvist (again involved in the screenplay) had his book turned in to a contemporary cult horror classic in 2008. The steady-paced nature and stylishly bleak atmosphere truly brought the intelligent dark fantasy to life.
The Wolf Of Wall Street
The most recent film adaptation in our list, Martin Scorsese's work on the story of Jordan Belfort was a joy to behold as he rinsed every drop of entertainment value that the story had to offer cinematically. The true story of a wealthy stock-broker's rise and fall and his experiences throughout was always going to tease cinematic opportunity. Thankfully with the screenplay written by Terence Winter and excellent choices in casting, the transition from page to screen proved hugely succesful and much more entertaining to consume.