Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

At times it seems like every book ever published is made into a movie.
Some of the best movies were adapted from Classics!

Tell us about your 5 Star Classic Novel turned into a Movie!

I like both the movie version and the novel Doctor Zhivago. The photography in the film is amazing, especially the scene when Zhivago is walking through the snow in the blizzard. The acting, music and the movie in general are excellent. The book goes into much more detail, so we get to know all the characters better, and the ending is slightly different. I recommend both the book and the movie.

Last weekend (I think it was! haha) I watched on TCM the movie 'Lizzie' based on the book:

The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson. Ive been trying to locate but, to no avail so far.

In the movie Lizzie has 3 very different personalities (shy Elizabeth, kind Beth and the wicked Lizzie) but, the book has 4.
The movie was insanely melodramatic!

Another good example of classic books turned into good movies is Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. Hitchcock changes it somewhat to make it more suitable as a movie, and does an excellent job. The ending is different, but works for the movie. (Rebecca dies in the movie too)

I love Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. A fun, lighthearted book turned into an even better movie.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier I loved that book! I have not seen the movie. I will have to watch for it or see if I can view it online.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day I have not even heard of Michelle! Every time I think I have a good knowledge of the Classics another pops up!

Someone's got to say the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice right? (I know it's not technically a film, but still!) I am also rewatching the recent BBC Three Musketeers, while also reading the book. Currently I'm enjoying the series more!

There's a great film version of Twelfth Night. And I do want to watch Little Women again soon.

Not a movie, but I was highly impressed with the stage musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris (Hunchback of Notre-Dame). I had watched it on YouTube and done a couple of projects on it before actually tackling the original work, and it was then that I realized that the musical version literally bundled up the major themes of the novel into songs, staying faithful not only to the plot of the novel but especially its style and messages. In fact, it enhances the themes and messages and organizes them in a sense that makes the original novel easier to read and comprehend.

Its not a movie version of a classic, but Gore Verbinski, director of "The Ring" and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies has a new horror movie out called "A Cure For Wellness" set in a spa in the Swiss Alps. Verbinski says he and the writer are fans of Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, where the people at the Swiss sanitarium are "clutching to their sickness like a badge." They wanted to take this idea of sickness as a form of absolution and make it contemporary and gothic.
I thought it interesting to see The Magic Mountain "influence" the creation of a horror movie.

I think it's tough for a book & film to both be 5*, especially if the book is more than a novella or short story and has a lot of depth to it, but I think this list of 10 stands up pretty well and only The Third Man here could be considered a short story.

The 39 Steps - John Buchan
The 39 Steps (1935) IMDB 7.8

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest - Ken Kesey
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (1975) IMDB 8.7

La Bête Humaine - Emile Zola
La Bête Humaine (1938) IMDB 7.7

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) IMDB 8.1

Les Liaisons Dangereuses - Pierre Choderlos De Laclos
Dangerous Liaisons (1988) IMDB 7.7

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) IMDB 8.1

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities (1935) IMDB 7.8

The Third Man - Graham Greene
The Third Man (1949) IMDB 8.3

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) IMDB 8.3

The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa
The Leopard (1963) IMDB 8.1

Thank you Tony for the list!

That is a great list, Tony. I recently read the book The Third Man by Graham Greene, having seen the movie more than once. I finally get the plot!

I have never seen the film version of Liaisons Dangereuses because the book made me so angry, some detestable characters who I never want to revisit- and that was 40 years ago!

Great list. Reminds me to read The Leopard some time.
The Third Man is an anomaly since Greene wrote the novella in order to write the screenplay and did not publish the novella until after the movie came out. Greene found it hard to write a screenplay without an existing story so wrote one. And yet there are still differences between the novella and movie.
Greene's great books to me, The End of the Affair and The Quiet American, were made into really good movies, but at 7.1 and 7.2 on IMDB, are only 4 star at best.

Thanks for the list, Tony! Back when I was studying for my M.A. exam, my adviser told me to watch the movie version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses to revisit the book. I never did that because I didn't want my impression of the book to fade due to the movie, but I'm glad that you think it was a good adaptation. May I ask how close the movie is to the book and what you believe the major difference are?

Jade wrote: "Back when I was studying for my M.A. exam, my adviser told me to watch the movie version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses to revisit the book. I never did that because I didn't want my impression of the book to fade due to the movie,"

I know that feeling Jade! A book like this with such depth of character and, through the letters, multiple viewpoints, doesn't always come out the same, even if successful, in a movie and the book lover can be disappointed. I've never watched the film version of Sometimes a Great Notion for the same reason.

Having said that, this is a great adaptation. Glenn Close and John Malkovich, as Madame de Merteuil and Valmont, are both very believable, and suitably malevolent, as the immoral patricians wreaking havoc on their fellow aristocrats. The settings and costumes add to the quality of the film, and the storyline follows the book closely although details have to be left out.

If you decide to watch the film based on my recommendation, then I really hope you enjoy it but, in the end, it's beyond my control!

Pretty much every generation has their own favorite version of Pride and Prejudice!

1940: Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson for the time is also very good. It has a lot more humor in the film.

1980: David Rintoul and Elizabeth Garvie. Rintoul is an excellent Mr Darcy. The film is actually on tape which makes the quality not so good.

1995: Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Colin is my favorite of the Mr Darcy's, he has the charisma, and at the time of filming him and Jennifer had a fling that gave it an extra kick.

2005: Matthew MacFadyen and Keira Knightley. Cinematography is beautiful and the music is really lovely.
I love the fact that the dress hems are dirty and muddy!
I adore the actress that plays Mrs Bennett and I have always been a big fan of Donald Sutherland.

So that's my short on the Pride and Prejudice movies. My favorite if you have the time is the 1980 version. If you do not 2005.

The Secret Garden

1949 version in black and white with Margaret O'Brien as Mary.

1975 version is a BBC Miniseries (7 episodes) with Sarah Hollis Andres as Mary, and John Woodnutt as Craven.

1987 version is a Hallmark Movie with Gennie James as Mary and Colin Firth as the grown up version of Colin.

1993 version which I adore! Has Kate Maberly as Mary, John Lynch as Craven and Dame Maggie Smith as Mrs Medlock.

I like the 1995 version. The actor playing Mr Bennett is so funny, & Colin Firth is wonderful as Mr Darcy.

While I am watching "The Haunting," the 1963 movie version of Shirley Jackson's classic The Haunting of Hill House on Turner Classic Movies, I did an IMDb search of the male lead, Richard Johnson, and found that he played Wickham in a 1952, 6 part, 3 hour BBC TV production of "Pride & Prejudice." Peter Cushing played Darcy.
All episodes are reported as lost.

Wow! Very interesting Brian.
I had no idea about that film.
Wonder what happen that they became lost?

The material they used to record television episodes in the early days of TV disintegrated after a certain number of years. By the time they decided to try to keep the recordings, it was too late. This happened in the U.S. too.

I've just watched "Great Expectations" on tv - the 2011 BBC version which I thought seemed slightly different from an old film I'd seen before. Douglas Booth as Pip, Ray Winstone as Magwitch. Very enjoyable - has anyone else watched it, was the story the same as the book or adapted?
Despite struggling to complete Bleak House this week, I've decided to try reading Great Expectations - after reading some other books first.

Lesle wrote: "The Secret Garden

1949 version in black and white with Margaret O'Brien as Mary.

1975 version is a BBC Miniseries (7 episodes) with Sarah Hollis Andres as Mary, and John Woodnutt as Craven.

1987..."

I thought that the grown up Colin looked vaguely familiar, ha!

Jade wrote: "Not a movie, but I was highly impressed with the stage musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris (Hunchback of Notre-Dame). I had watched it on YouTube and done a couple of projects o..."

I don't know if it counts, but I have seen the animated movie which I think was based on the musical and I absolutely loved it!
Speaking of musicals and Victor Hugo , the Les Miserables musical is amazing! I've watched the 2012 movie and quite a few stage productions on YouTube and they were all terrific :)

Nice to know they are out there on YouTube!

She who must not be named wrote: "I don't know if it counts, but I have seen the animated movie which I think was based on the musical and I absolutely loved it!
Speaking of musicals and Victor Hugo , the Les Miserables musical is amazing! I've watched the 2012 movie and quite a few stage productions on YouTube and they were all terrific"

Are you talking about the Disney movie? If so, that is completely different from both the musical and the novel. It changes the plot, the characters, and the main themes completely. It made the douchebag Phoebus into a knight in shining armor, for one, and gave him and Esmeralda a happy ending. Architecture, time, and the inevitability of fate were the entire focus of the novel, and the characters were small in comparison. With the Disney version, romance seems to take center stage instead. Oh, and Frollo's character is kinda changed as well. The darkness, bleakness, pain, despair, and helplessness were what struck me the most about Victor Hugo's work. For me, the Disney version simply didn't cut it.

I do love Les Misérables though! The musical isn't an exact mirror of the novel, but it was amazing. I've always hated the concept of revolution, and the final scene of the movie really changed my perspective and made me see it in a new light. I'm not sure I've seen or watched any version from beginning to end (I know all the songs very well though) and I've only read the last 40-50 pages or so of the novel, but I look forward to delving more into all of these.

I've just watched the 2015 film of "Anne of Green Gables" (with Ella Ballantine as Anne). It was a lovely film & seemed to follow the book very closely, although a few parts of the story were omitted. (I think the film was a collaboration between ITV & Canadian companies, so assume it was made for television rather than cinema.)

Trisha wrote: "I've just watched the 2015 film of "Anne of Green Gables" (with Ella Ballantine as Anne). It was a lovely film & seemed to follow the book very closely, although a few parts of the story were omitt..."

I have this on DVD but have not yet seen it as it got some rather negative reviews on Amazon, but maybe I should watch it soon. Have to admit that Michael Douglas does not feel like a Mathew Cuthbert like character to me.

Since the Grandsons woke up late, breakfast was late. So while eating breakfast we check out Animal Planet and there is a commercial. I go to TCM and "The Secret Garden 1949 version with Margaret O'Brien as Mary and Dean Stockwell as Colin.

I was shocked by the actress that played Martha of her weird fake laughter. Little things were different but as a whole followed the Novel. The best part? The beautiful way they went from Black and White with everyday life to full scale Technicolor when in the Secret Garden and goes back to B & W when in the Manor was a smart move. Making the movie stand out from my favorite version 1993 with John Lynch and Maggie Smith.

Sense and Sensiblity was made into a film staring Emma Thomson, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman, among others. It is a very enjoyable version of the novel.

Going to relax with a cup of Bigelow Peach Tea and watch TCM's
East of Eden.

A 1955 film, directed by Elia Kazan, and loosely based on the second half of the 1952 novel of the same name by John Steinbeck. It is about a wayward young man who, while seeking his own identity, vies for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother, thus retelling the story of Cain and Abel.

The film stars Julie Harris, James Dean (in his first major screen role out of 3 he leads in), and Raymond Massey. It also features Burl Ives.

Forgot to follow up:

Not sure that James Dean's debut would have made me like him as an actor, if I had not seen Giant first.

He irrated me, his acting seemed very fake and not fitting of a man his age, more like a 13 year old.

They said it was loosely based off John Steinbeck's East of Eden so hopefully the book is much better!

I really loved the movie East of Eden as a teenage boy. I liked the tormented James Dean and had a crush on Julie Harris, who was also wonderful as the lead in movies of such classic books as Carson McCullers's The Member of the Wedding and Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (called The Haunting)
Rewatching the movie as an older man, along with Giant and Rebel, I find James Dean's method acting to be overdone. He always looks like he's acting. I still have the movie in my top 20 list, though, because of my youthful fondness for it.
I read the book and while it's a fine story, its not great. The father is the main character and I felt like I read a long time before getting to the movie part, which is more like the last third of the novel. While its an overly simplistic biblical allegory of good/evil, I still am sentimentally fond of it.
Today I watched TMC's Mother's Day movie Edna Ferber's So Big, a good Chicago/south suburbs story. Good book, good movie and a fine intro to saying:
HAPPY MOTHER' DAY to all you mothers and grandmothers, especially Lesle and Rosemarie, who even have to be motherly to us sometimes.

Thank you, Brian. Now don't forget to eat all your vegetables.(grin)

Brian, great term "overdone" and "acting"!

Thank you Brian for the Mother's Day wish!

Now do not forget to read for at least 30 minutes a day! :>)

Great Expectations is one of my favorite books of all time. The 2012 film version has a sensational cast and captures the mood and emotions well. I love Jane Austen's Emma and the 2009 mini-series with Romola Garai is fantastic. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is another favorite and I enjoyed the 2011 movie adaptation with Mia Wasikowska, as well as the 1996 version. There are SO many! I love to watch any film adaptation of my favorite books. I will try to think of more! :D

Thank you Cami! I have not seen the 2012 version of Great Expectations!

I will have to look into that!

Since Cami mentioned her, I'd like to give a shout-out to the wonderful Romola Garai who in the brief period from 2002 to 2004 appeared in the following movies of classic books:
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (TV miniseries)
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens (Charlie Hunnan version)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (as Cassandra)
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (as Amelia to Reese Witherspoon's Becky)
I enjoyed them all, though Vanity Fair didn't completely work. I only learned that I Capture the Castle was based on a classic novel after I saw the movie.

YES! Brian, great shout-out for Romola! I have seen all of these adaptations and enjoyed them all --- Nicholas Nickleby is a favorite!

Lesle wrote: "Thank you Cami! I have not seen the 2012 version of Great Expectations!

I will have to look into that!"

You will not regret it Lesle! The acting is superb!!

Cami wrote: "Great Expectations is one of my favorite books of all time. The 2012 film version has a sensational cast and captures the mood and emotions well. I love Jane Austen's Emma and the 2009 mini-series ..."

I just finished reading Great Expectations. I actually was originally supposed to read it my high school freshman year, but I kinda got away with not reading more than 20-30 pages of it. Oops! Maybe I should check out the film now!

Jade wrote: "Cami wrote: "Great Expectations is one of my favorite books of all time. The 2012 film version has a sensational cast and captures the mood and emotions well. I love Jane Austen's Emma and the 2009..."

I just love it! It's one of my favorites! :) Check it out if you can! :)

For Shirley Jackson fans, they are doing a movie of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, with Taissa Farmiga as Merricat, Alexandra Daddario as Constance, Sebastian Stan as cousin Charles and Crispin Glover as Uncle Julian. I don't know a release date, but it should be in 2017.

My Cousin Rachel in the US is coming to Movie Theatres the week of June 9th.

Sam Claflin, Rachel Weisz, Iain Glen, Holliday Grainger are some of the actors.

Brian wrote: "For Shirley Jackson fans, they are doing a movie of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, with Taissa Farmiga as Merricat, Alexandra Daddario as Constance, Sebastian Stan ...

Ooh, I can't wait.

I can't remember if I already posted this some where but I'm watching the second season of Ross Poldark from my library. So good. I think I need to read the books.

Blueberry
I really enjoyed the series Poldark, I should have know there was novels to go along with it!

More to add to the TBR pile!!

There is somewhat a restriction here because I'm suppose to comment on a classic I have rated 5 stars. So it will be pride and prejudice BBC series starring Collin Firth. If I'm allowed to say on my 4 star ratings, there is absolutely more movies to set here.

Piyangie
It does not have to be 5 stars it can be the ones you gave 1 star to.
Nothing is mandatory as we always say!

Will be interesting to see your 4 star list!