Worst butchering of a novel adapted for the screen? (1 Viewer)

[Rob Lutter]

Lost world Granted it is not up to par with the Classics Listed. If Spielberg Stuck to the Book it would have been one hell of a movie. I walked out of the theater went home and started reading it again.

AbsoFREAKIN'lutely! The Lost World could have been EASILY better than Jurassic Park if they stayed closer to the book... it still ranks up there as one of the top 10 books I have EVER read. It was one of those books that you CANNOT put down after you start.

 

[Mike Hutman]

Congo

 

[Agee Bassett]

The miniseries' ersatz director, Franc Roddam, expressed in an interview I read prior to the film's TV debut that his primary objective was to make, above all, "a tough whaling film." That he failed miserably in this regard (a rogue's gallery of cartoon pirate-whalers does not a "tough whaling film" make) says something about the short shrift received of the central material he considered less important to his filmization. Although The Scarlet Letter (1995), already mentioned, is admittedly a more laughably bad example of adaptational butchery, Roddam's incompetent dismemberment of my favorite ever literary work is a burr which sticks in my craw more vexingly.
Although I'm not the biggest fan of John Huston's centrally-miscast, largely cursory adaptation, there are particular aspects of its being which manage to achieve a vivid, inspired, atmospheric equivalent of Melville's transcendent, perhaps ultimately intractable, visions (the thunderstorm, the "doldrums" sequence, the "birds" scene).

 

[Paul_D]

LA Confidential was one of the best adaptations of all time. The book is 10x as complex as the movie, but they pulled out the most important items and kept a very tight and consistent tone.

Agree with this 100%. Also agree strongly with Josh's example The Perfect Storm. I couldn't believe how they tore the heart out of the book, and delivered such a flimsy film. Lots of waves doesn't make a film entertaining.
The Great Gatsby - it's never been translated to the small/big screen right. I've seen maybe 2 or 3 versions and they all stink. None capture the essence of the novel, and all manage to be utterly meritless.

 

[Louis C]

The Lords of Discipline but I still liked the film anyway.

 

[Jan H]

David Lynch's Dune - also hated the recent adaptation of Henry James' The Golden Bowl. The novel is one of the greatest in American Literature. The film is a bloated snooze-fest.

 

[Patrick McCart]

1907's 1-reel version of Ben-Hur by the Kalem Company.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Dune
- Weirding modules are cool and all, but stick to the book.

 

[Lew Crippen]

David Lynch's Dune - also hated the recent adaptation of Henry James' The Golden Bowl.

Jan, I think that you should win the day’s eclecticism prize.

 

[Holadem]

THE SHINING!!!
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Holadem