I know. Controversial.
I’m usually the first one to say, “The book was better“, but in the following examples, I’m happy to be proved wrong.
A Room With A View: E.M. Forster’s classic becomes an absolutely gorgeous film, complete with soaring arias and Italian vistas. I’ve loved this film since I was a kid. (Heads up: there’s some serious nudity, but as my English teacher, Miss Mitchell, would say, it’s nudity with a European sensibility -naked boys jumping in a lake, that’s all.)
Julie and Julia: Nora Ephron turned an okay book into a delightful movie. The film version hums because Meryl Streep brings Julia to life: Amy Adams portrays a much sweeter character than the author’s, and the mediocre parts are gone. Ephron also relied extensively on Julia Childs’s memoirs to bring more Julia into the film version.
The Devil Wears Prada: Meryl Streep, and Anne Hathaway turned a forgettable novel into an enjoyable and witty skewering of New York City’s fashion scene. Author Lauren Weisberger makes a cameo as the twins’ nanny. Don’t miss the first three minutes!
If you’ve seen the films but not read the novels, why not rectify that and then see if you agree with me.
Charlotte Gray, the movie is very entertaining and engaging. The book, by Sebastian Faulkes is badly written and a chore to read. I agree with you about Julie and Julia, I loved the film, the book, hard work. I always enjoy the film adaptations of Little Women for what they are interpretations, nothing beats the book. IMO.
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I’m on the fence with Charlotte Gray, because I remember enjoying both the book and the film. But each to his own. 🙂
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Not read any of these books & I have seen parts of The Devil Wears Prada movie on TV, but never the whole. I’ll check out Netflix potential source of these movies.
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I hope you can find them (both books and film).
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Loved Julie & Julia movie. The book was okay. Haven’t seen or read the others. Can’t think of another example. As you said, it’s usually the other way around!
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I loved Meryl Streep in the film version of Julie and Julia!
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The Godfather movie is much better than the book. That being said as a rule if I saw the movie first I do not read the book and the same holds true if I read the book first, then I do not watch the movie. With a few exceptions this is what I do with books and movies. This system has worked well for me. Of your three movies the only one I have not seen was Room with a View. The other two are very good movies.
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I’ve never read The Godfather, although I did enjoy the films. Way back in 1987, they were on the TV here in UK and my parents video taped them. In September of that year, I returned from a 4 months detachment to the Falkland Islands (no TV or cinema) and remember binge-watching them, before binge-watching was a thing!
I’m often hesitant to see a film if I’ve read the book first, but rarely the other way around.
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The only one I’ve read & seen is Julie & Julia, several years ago, and I agree – the movie was definitely better!
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Absolutely!
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