2. I’ve been a Stephen King fan for over 20
years, but I make it a point to never see
any of the films made from his books.
They’re almost always terrible. Firestarter?
Awful. Christine? Bleech. Dreamcatcher?
Unwatchable. The Shawshank Redemption
and Stand By Me are the only possible
exceptions. The film adaptations were bad
because they cast the wrong actors, mangled
the plot or made cheesy additions to the
original story. Of course, I’m not the only
acidly critical critic: book fans often tear apart
movie adaptations of their favorite novels.
Lots of times, they’re right. But not always.
In many memorable instances, films stack
up very well next to the books that inspired
them—and even outshine them.
3. loewsmagazine
26
The original three novels by J.R.R. Tolkien are classic fantasy stories, with memorable
characters, rousing action and touches of gentle humor. Tolkien’s Middle Earth seems
just as real as our regular Earth, and that’s due to the details on customs, language
and culture. Of course, the wealth of detail that won the books their devoted fans
may be a bit much for the casual reader. For instance, in The Fellowship of the Ring,
Frodo and his friends meet Tom Bombadil, a minor character who sings a song that
goes on and on for pages. And by the time you get to the second book in the trilogy,
it can be tough to sort out the dozens and dozens of characters who come and go
and have similar names, like Sauron/Saruman and Boromir/Faramir. If you can hang
in there through all three books, you’ll either be a devoted fan or, frankly, a bit wrung
out from the heavy traipse through Middle Earth.
The films by director Peter Jackson are much more accessible for a general
audience. He shrewdly pared down the books’ plots to the key points and brilliantly
staged scenes while pulling off groundbreaking visual effects. Casting also helped:
Andy Serkis as Gollum, Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
are just a few of the standout performances that brought Tolkien’s characters to
vivid life. Modern technology can allow hack directors to try and fool the audience
into thinking they’re watching an epic, but Jackson actually delivered three epics
with these films by balancing technology with superb cinematic storytelling.
Winner: the movies
“ The wealth
of detail in
the books may
be too much
for the casual
reader—the
films are more
accessible.”
The Lord
of the Rings
Trilogy
theeverettcollection
4. 27
winter/spring2011
Alice in
Wonderland
“ The film ends
up balancing
Wonderland’s
wackiness
with a potent
storyline.”
It’s hard to compete with a classic, and both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
(1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871) have delighted millions. Both children
and adults respond to the wacky characters and the loose plot that allows the
imagination to roam. You find yourself exploring Wonderland and Looking-Glass
World along with Alice, and that’s the true power of the novels. What draws
readers down the rabbit hole or through the looking glass is the vivid imagery and
rich language, whether it’s nonsense words or rhythmic poems that delight with
just their sounds. Not surprisingly, the novels also inspired Tim Burton, a highly
visual director, to make Alice in Wonderland in 2010. The challenge was that films
have finely structured plots, while the novels are much more free-form. Burton and
screenwriter conserved the vivid imagery of the novels—adding the typical dark
tones that the director favors—while creating a new plot. A teenaged Alice ends
up in Wonderland years after her first visit, but with a purpose: she must slay the
monstrous Jabberwocky and topple the Red Queen on behalf of the White Queen.
She runs into the same characters as in the novels, but the encounters are part of
a growth process, not just a fanciful, fun journey. Against a stunning Wonderland,
Maia Wasikowska as Alice and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter add depth and
nuance to the original characters. The film balances Wonderland’s vivid wackiness
with a potent storyline, creating a memorable work that stands on its own.
Winner: a tie
theeverettcollection
5. loewsmagazine
28
Dennis Lehane writes about crime and mysteries, but he’s no mystery writer. His
writing is distinctly literary, with sharp symbolism, well-developed themes and fluidly
descriptive sentences that far outshine the more formulaic approaches of most
mystery writers. Shutter Island is a prime example of this. In 1954, U.S. marshal
Teddy Daniels travels to a small Alcatraz-like island to investigate the disappearance
of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane. That’s the jumping-off point for
a work that explores sanity, the power of delusion and what is actually real.
Director Martin Scorsese’s 2010 film version was generally faithful to the original
novel in terms of the plot. The success of his adaptation was using a visual palette of
grays and browns to convey the isolated grimness of Shutter Island. Scorsese also
built on water as a symbol for Teddy’s turmoil, which he also conveyed with deftly
framed shots that hold clues as to what’s really happening. As Teddy, Leonardo
DiCaprio convincingly conveys the descent of his character into instability as Shutter
Island seems to close around him. The supporting cast, including Mark Ruffalo
and Ben Kingsley, also turn in nuanced performances. However, the unsettling
atmosphere that Scorsese creates through lighting, camera angles and composition
seems to be the real star of the film. While the novel develops the underlying themes
more fully, the film’s rich visuals and subtle acting make it just as enjoyable in terms
of storytelling.
Winner: a tie
“ The unsettling
atmosphere that
Scorsese creates
seems to be the
real star of the
film version.”
Shutter Island
courtesyofparamounthomeentertainment
6. 29
winter/spring2011
The Da Vinci Code
Thriller novels usually involve a good guy or gal battling bad guys, corrupt
corporations or a deadly virus gone amuck. They don’t usually involve a professor
and a cryptologist trying to find the Holy Grail while being chased by a killer albino
monk and the French equivalent of the FBI. That alone made Dan Brown’s 2003
novel stand out, but what really pulled in readers were the historical “facts” he
dropped in about the Catholic Church and the Crusades. These brought depth
to the plot points and made people wonder if the novel’s version of history is true.
Spoiler alert: it isn’t. However, Dan Brown did have a great premise about a massive
conspiracy related to the role of women in the Church that made it hard to put the
novel down.
Screenwriter Akiva Goldman and director Ron Howard managed to streamline
the book’s plot for their 2006 film version. Tom Hanks anchors the movie strongly
as the good guy, professor Robert Langdon, while Audrey Tatou plays off him well
as Sophie. The rest of the cast also delivers, especially Ian McClellan, who does
some fine scenery-chewing as Sir Leigh Teabing. What really makes the film work
are the stunning visuals, including shots of Rossyln Chapel, the Louvre and Chateau
Villette. This lends ambience and an air of authenticity to the film, but ultimately it
can’t match Brown’s absorbing—though fictitious—version of history.
Winner: the book
“ The historical
‘facts’ Brown
dropped in about
the Catholic Church
and the Crusades
made people
wonder if the
novel’s version of
history is true.”
theeverettcollection
7. loewsmagazine
30
In this case, the book and movie have the same basic plot but are completely
different experiences. Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel is a character study. He explores
the motivations and psychology of both major and minor characters, including killer
Luca Brasi, singer Johnny Fontaine, a doctor named Jules Segal and of course, the
lethal chess master known as Don Corleone. Because of his deep character plunge,
Puzo ends up tracing out interesting subplots not seen in the film that cover aspects
of Italian immigrant life and the seamy world of Hollywood. With the novel, you get a
much better understanding of why the characters do what they do—and a deeply
cynical take on human nature.
The film is more thematically driven, with the main theme being the tragic descent
of Michael from straight-arrow war hero into a cold Mafia don. This is conveyed
through music and editing, like the dramatic crescendo when Michael kills Sollozzo
or his renouncing Satan and his works at a baptism while his men kill rival mob
bosses. Director Francis Coppola also works in the concept of family, contrasting
the traditional warmth of Italian American families against a mob “family” handling its
business. Of course, what really makes the film a masterpiece is the acting: Marlon
Brando as Corleone, James Caan as Sonny, Al Pacino as Michael, Robert Duvall as
Tom Hagen and the memorable work of John Cazale as Fredo. Except for Brando,
all of them were unknown, and studio executives at one point wanted Coppola to
have Robert Redford—supposedly as a blond northern Italian—play Michael instead
of Al Pacino. Yipe. Fortunately, Coppola had the acumen and backbone to stick with
Pacino, who delivered the perfect blend of intensity, subtlety and distinct character
progression as Michael.
Winner: the movie
“ With the
novel, you get
a much better
understanding
of why the
characters
do what they
do—and
a deeply
cynical take on
human nature.”
The Godfather
theeverettcollection
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The Twilight Saga
“ The books will be
perennial favorites
long after Robert
Pattinson sprouts
gray hair and wrinkles.”
Honestly, I’m not ready to join the ranks of the Twihards—but I think I understand
why they’re so devoted. In this four-novel series, Bella Swan is a typical angsty
teenage girl who moves to a small town she’s not crazy about. Then she meets
a gorgeous, intriguing stranger—Edward Cullen—who saves her life, protects
her from thugs and is eternally patient and tender with her. He’s also a vampire,
which adds to his hotness. Later on, another amazingly hot guy competes for
Bella’s heart, and he’s a werewolf, which naturally increases his spice factor.
The films have been generally faithful to the books in terms of characters and
plotlines, but also add atmosphere and suspenseful touches that give more of an
edge to the basic love story. They also are better paced and add some welcome
touches of humor not found in the broodier novels. However, we don’t have all
the evidence in yet: the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn, will be released
as two movies, the first tentatively coming out in November 2011. That said, the
novels were monster hits because of the way author Stephenie Meyer taps into
the psyche of teen girls and gives them a world they can step into. Ultimately, the
power of imagination is what fuels the books and is what will likely make them
perennial favorites long after Robert Pattinson sprouts gray hair and wrinkles.
Winner: to be determined, but the books are the odds-on favorites
courtesyofsummithomeentertainment
