{"id":6334,"date":"2016-08-12T14:26:41","date_gmt":"2016-08-12T14:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=6334"},"modified":"2017-01-20T16:01:04","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T16:01:04","slug":"movies-better-than-their-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2016\/08\/12\/movies-better-than-their-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Movies better than their books"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Once a book makes the transition from page to screen, you know lots of people are going to claim that the book was better than the film. But sometimes, just sometimes, the movie adaptation actually surpasses the book.<\/p>\n<p>From the casting choices, plot changes, additional or stripped back dialogue, there are many ways that the medium of film can improve a story. Here are a few films that bucked the trend and beat the book.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Les Mis\u00c3\u00a9rables \u00a0(2012)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/2iVHP11Y3nHzy\" width=\"480\" height=\"268\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/les-miserables-cosette-jean-valjean-2iVHP11Y3nHzy\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/h6>\n<p><strong>Directed by:<\/strong> Tom Hooper<\/p>\n<p><strong>Based on the book:<\/strong> Les Mis\u00c3\u00a9rables (1862) by Victor Hugo<\/p>\n<p>Les Mis\u00c3\u00a9rables\u00a0 is one of the longest books ever written, coming in at a staggering 1,500 pages in the unabridged English editions, so you can be forgiven for giving that one a miss. Some may argue that the film adaptation is also one of the longest films ever made, but the 158 minutes running time goes a long way to capture the story of Jean Valjean, Prisoner 24601, and the political turmoil in Paris. Basically, TL;DR and you get to watch Hugh Jackman instead.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/les-miserables-dvd-digital-copy-uv\" target=\"_blank\">Buy\u00a0Les Mis\u00c3\u00a9rables on DVD<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/les-miserables-blu-ray-digital-copy\" target=\"_blank\">Buy Les\u00a0Mis\u00c3\u00a9rables on Blu-Ray<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>The Devil Wears Prada (2006)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/l46CAnp7ZRNzh1Fgk\" width=\"480\" height=\"204\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/yosub-l46CAnp7ZRNzh1Fgk\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/h6>\n<p><strong>Directed by:<\/strong> David Frankel<\/p>\n<p><strong>Based on the book:<\/strong> The Devil Wears Prada (2003) by Lauren Weisberger<\/p>\n<p>It seems as if Meryl Streep was born to play the role of icy editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, and the meanness of the character was reportedly toned down before Streep thankfully stepped in to the role. The famous \u201d\u02dcCerulean Speech\u2019, where Miranda lectures Andy on her disregard for fashion, doesn\u2019t appear in the book and is probably the greatest scene in the film, making it one (high-heeled) step above the book.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/the-devil-wears-prada-dvd-2006\" target=\"_blank\">Buy The Devil Wears Prada on DVD<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/the-devil-wears-prada-blu-ray-blu-ray\" target=\"_blank\">Buy The Devil Wears Prada on Blu-Ray<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fight Club (1999)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/eR4Q3EQZKd0pq\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/eR4Q3EQZKd0pq\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/h6>\n<p><strong>Directed by:<\/strong> David Fincher<\/p>\n<p><strong>Based on the book:<\/strong> Fight Club (1996) by Chuck Palahniuk<\/p>\n<p>Spoiler alert, but the ending to David Fincher\u2019s adaptation of Fight Club is completely different to the one in the book. In the novel, the Narrator ends up placed in a mental institution, while in the film we\u2019re treated to a tidier and better resolution, and a great closing shot of the Narrator and Marla Singer holding hands as they watch the skyscrapers come tumbling down. Who could forget the great closing track too, as the somewhat ironically titled Pixies track \u201d\u02dcWhere Is My Mind\u2019 plays us out.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/fight-club-1999-dvd\" target=\"_blank\">Buy Fight Club on DVD<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/fight-club-blu-ray-blu-ray\" target=\"_blank\">Buy Fight Club on Blu-Ray<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>American Pyscho (2000)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/10Dy4cBCGrFoqI\" width=\"480\" height=\"247\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/mary-harron-10Dy4cBCGrFoqI\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/h6>\n<p><strong>Directed by:<\/strong> Mary Harron<\/p>\n<p><strong>Based on the book:<\/strong> American Pyscho (1991) by Bret Easton Ellis<\/p>\n<p>Bret Easton Ellis\u2019s novel spends a lot of time describing the boring lives of boring people in minute detail to emphasise their vapid consumerist lifestyles, but as a result you might find yourself skipping ahead a few pages or two. The film, meanwhile, manages to maintain the same social commentary and keep your attention fixed. The business card scene is a perfect example of this, as we watch Patrick Bateman\u2019s fragile ego take a hit by his rival\u2019s superior business card design.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, the film tones down a lot of the violence in the book too, otherwise it would never have gotten past the Board of Film, but a lot of the murders that take place in the book are referenced throughout the film to keep Ellis fans happy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/american-psycho-7da62ff0-1589-4621-99e3-5a2326dd4c49\" target=\"_blank\">Buy American Psycho on DVD<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/balechristamericanps\" target=\"_blank\">Buy American Psycho on Blu-Ray<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Atonement (2007)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/UApKZ7oxC4tJ6\" width=\"480\" height=\"259\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/atonement-UApKZ7oxC4tJ6\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/h6>\n<p><strong>Directed by:<\/strong> Joe Wright<\/p>\n<p><strong>Based on the book:<\/strong> Atonement (2001) by Ian McEwan<\/p>\n<p>While the film adaptation of Atonement doesn\u2019t divert too wildly from the book, the film does strip away a lot of the character\u2019s internal monologues, which helps to increase the urgency and tension of the sprawling story. The surprise twist is also more shocking in the movie, as we\u2019re treated to a fully-formed fantasy future where Cecilia and Robbie are finally reunited, whereas the book merely alludes to it. The sting in the tail is all the more powerful in the film because of it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/atonement-dvd-2007\" target=\"_blank\">Buy Atonement on DVD<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/products\/atonement-blu-ray\" target=\"_blank\">Buy Atonement on Blu-Ray<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Who needs the book when the film is much better? <a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/sell-books\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sell\u00a0your books<\/a> and get cash the same day they arrive with us!<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s really easy: just use our website or scan the barcodes into our FREE app, send your stuff for FREE and we&#8217;ll put the cash into your account the same day your stuff arrives with us. Click below and start selling!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/start-selling\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2966\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/start-selling-button.png\" alt=\"Start Selling button\" width=\"304\" height=\"51\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/start-selling-button.png 304w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/start-selling-button-300x50.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 304px) 100vw, 304px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once a book makes the transition from page to screen, you know lots of people are going to claim that the book was better than the film. But sometimes, just sometimes, the movie adaptation actually surpasses the book. From the casting choices, plot changes, additional or stripped back dialogue, there &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1796,16],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6334"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6334"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6340,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6334\/revisions\/6340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}