Movies that were better than the book

Most of the time, when we see a film that is based on a novel, we expect it to fall short. “The book was better,” we usually say. But every once in a while the movie is actually better. Here are a few that fall into that category.

84, Charing Cross Road

The book is an epistolatory memoir by Helene Hanff, an author living in New York. In search of rare books, she develops long distance friendship lasting many years with the chief buyer at a London antiquarian book shop. It is a fine book that was adapted for the stage, and then for the screen. Mel Brooks purchased the film rights for his wife, Anne Bancroft, for her birthday. Bancroft’s portrayal is a work of love (for which she won a BAFTA) that simply eclipses the book’s many charms.

Judgement of Paris

It might not be fair to compare Bottle Shock with Judgement of Paris by George Taber since the film took so many artistic liberties with the truth. In 1976, Steven Spurrier organized a competition that pitted new world wine from California (as if) against the French. In a shocking twist, the Californians beat the French in both the red and the white, and the rest is history. The film is a fun look at Napa Valley in the 1970s and the cast just clicks. Pour me another cab, please!

Molly’s Game

I’m a big fan of (almost) everything Aaron Sorkin has ever written, and Molly’s Game is no exception. The film faithfully tells Molly Bloom’s story pretty much scene for scene, but the cast... Chastain, Elba, Camp, Strong, Costner, oh my gosh the list goes on and on... Sorkin’s dialog is the fuse but they are the powder that lights up the screen like a 140-minute fireworks show.

Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game certainly has a lot of problems, from uneven performances (especially from Harrison Ford) to omitting a lot of nuance from the book. But it visualizes the book really well, and compels the viewer to feel something in a way that few Sci-Fi films do. The other thing the film has going for it is that, by comparison, Card’s writing is not that exciting to read.

The Circle

Here again is a book that is hampered by its author’s style, making the film look good by contrast. In fact, the casting doesn’t really work for me here. Eggers’ writing is so flat and dry it’s like dry toast, making even warm water seem refreshing.

These Don’t Really Count

I’ll just mention a couple more, but they don’t really count because they are based on short stories rather than novels. They are Harrison Bergeron (story by Kurt Vonnegut) and Brokeback Mountain (Annie Proux). The films do a great job of filling in huge gaps in the original stories (both of which are surprisingly short) and (I like to believe) really bring out the fullness of the authors’ vision.