Thursday, November 18, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks- Book Adaptations

 


Wandering Through The Shelves has chosen book adaptations as the theme this week and it is another big one because Hollywood loves to make movies from books. Almost every time, the book is better and people are disappointed when they see the film. I always say, watch the movie first then you won’t be as disappointed:). Anyhoo, here are my 3...

1. THE GRAPES OF WRATH- 1940


If you haven’t seen the film you probably have seen the clip of Henry Fonda saying “He’ll be there” and is considered one of his finest performances where James Stewart, who won the Oscar that year, voted for his best friend rather than himself. The book is written by John Steinbeck about the Great Depression and how many farmers had to leave their home to look for work because of the Depression and the Dust Bowl that hit many states. We follow this family with the heart of it ruled by Ma, played by Jane Darwell. Her eldest, Henry Fonda, just got out of prison, and helps his family get to California and works for a pittance on the fruit farms. This movie is actually quite good as is the book but neither are uplifting but one should see this at least once.

2. DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE-1941

There are many versions of this story with even the fun flick, “Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde” being part of this, but this film, that stars Spencer Tracy in the lead, is not considered a great rendition. The more famous one is the earlier version starring Frederic March, back in 1932,  but I still have to see this version. This story, written byRobert Louis Stevenson, never had a “barmaid”( think  prostitute) or a fiancé  but it doesn’t distract one from the  film version and I always had a soft spot for this film. Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner switched roles because Bergman was getting sick of  playing goody two shoes so she got the slutty barmaid and Turner was the wholesome( HA!)  fiancé. I thought Tracy was ok if a bit hammy but I really liked Bergman who still played the slut in a wholesome way.

3. GREEN MANSIONS- 1959

Audrey Hepburn played the lead role of Rima the forest girl in the jungles of the Amazon who heals a young man, played, sadly, by Anthony Perkins, from a snakebite. He learns  how a tribe wants to kill her but she is gentle, naive and one with nature. The film has its flaws, like Perkins and it does not compare to the book, written by William Henry Hudson, which has a fairy tale allure that is very hard to show in a film. You may have seen pics of Hepburn with a fawn in her home because the fawn was used in the movie and her director/husband wanted the animal to be comfortable with her. See the movie first, then read the book otherwise you will be disappointed like I was.


Which films would you pick?

29 comments:

  1. Hi, Birgit!

    I hope you are well and in good spirits, dear friend!

    As you might suspect, I studied G.O.W. in my college film course. The performances were gripping. Henry Fonda had tremendous acting skill, able to convey so much, quietly, silently, merely by means of his facial expressions, the soulful look in his eyes. I mainly remember John Carradine from all the mystery and horror films in which he appeared. They include The Hound of the Baskervilles, Invisible Man's Revenge, Mummy's Ghost, Return of the Ape Man, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula.

    i also studied the original 1931 release of your second spotlight film, J&H, and have seen it a couple more times since graduation. I have also seen this remake starring Spencer Tracy. Tracy goes over the top as the ghoulish Hyde. I am also a big fan of Lana Turner.

    I very much enjoy watching Tony Perkins practice his craft, and the same goes for Audrey Hepburn. I haven't seen Green Mansions, but this clip and your review have me intrigued.

    For my picks, I'll name The Remains of the Day (1993), Hidden Figures (2016), Schindler's List (1993), Goodfellas (1990), M*A*S*H (1970), Exorcist (1973), Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Psycho (1960) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

    Have a great Thursday and a safe, healthy and happy weekend, dear friend BB!

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    1. I prefer the movie to Steinbeck’s book believe it or not. I think the book was just so heavy and depressing. I still have to see the Frederic March version of Jekyll and Hyde and I so want to. Green Mansions could have been more but it’s not that great. I prefer the book much more. You have a whole slew of movies and, except for Goodfellas, I love them all. I just can’t stand that movie. Psycho is chilling knowing it was based on the evil Ed Gein.

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  2. I've not seen that last one.
    I have to go with the Lord of the Ring trilogy where I do think the movies are better than the books.

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    1. Love LOTR! I heard many are loving Dune and wondered if you had seen it yet.

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  3. Can you believe I haven't seen any of these movies? Wow. Anyway, my first thought was the LOTR trilogy, but I must give a nod to the Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. So much better than the US version. And the movie left out all the miscellaneous stuff in the book that was not needed to tell the story.

    Hope you are well.

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    1. I am slowly getting better. LOTR is excellent and I like the English version of Tattoo but heard the Swedish one is superior. I have to check it out.

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  4. Hi Birgit…hoping you are having a more restful day today after you outings yesterday…
    I have seen all of these ..been watching lots of Christmas movies this week in between watching tennis…..take care and don’t do too much….xxxx

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    1. I am Resting and slowly getting better but wish I could rush it..that won’t happen. I have only watched The Year Without Santa Claus..an animated puppet show like Rudolph.

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  5. I'm 0/3 with your picks this week. I need to read Grapes of Wrath eventually.

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    1. I have to say I like the movie better because I found the book so depressing.

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  6. Haven't we done this topic before? No matter though as it is a good one. Your picks are good--I've seen the first two and I think I might have recently recorded Green Mansions. That movie plays now and then on TCM, but I never seem to get around to watching it.

    My picks are Deliverance based on the novel by James Dickey who also wrote the screenplay.
    Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men.
    All of the versions of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby though I'm particularly partial to the more recent treatment by Baz Luhrmann.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Yes, this was done before but it is a good theme. I do like the book of Green Mansions more than the film. I did like Audrey in the part though. Your picks are great and love the first 2. I do prefer the Robert Redford Gatsby even though Mia Farrow is horrible as Daisy. I really dislike the Baz Luhrman version. I find it too, too much and disliked the Daisy actress again.

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  7. I've always been a sucker for the candor in all the DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE movies. (I'll be watching this one tonight) Its the battle of good vs evil and virtues we value so much vs the lies in life. Honor and integrity and all that crap. What is it House says? Everyone Lies and thats a TV show. LOL

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    1. 'I am Dr Jekyll' the good one. I hope anyone who reads my last comment realises integrity is something that should be taken very seriously. As a fan of this movie I believe something got the better of me. 'I am Dr Jekyll' but even still there is a Jekyll in all of us trying to escape.

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    2. We do have both in us and, right now, we have seen a lot of Hyde people out there who are full of rudeness and impatience and just plain nastiness. I think COVID19 has brought out the ugliness in people. I prefer to see the goodness and it is around just not as showy. I do love the story of Jekyll & Hyde.

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  8. BIRGIT ~

    Of your three choices, I've only seen 'Grapes Of Wrath'.

    Going just off the top o' me noggin, I'd say:

    'EAST OF EDEN' (1955)

    'TORTILLA FLAT' (1942)

    'TRUE GRIT' (1969)

    I thought about giving John Steinbeck the hat-trick by also selecting 'Of Mice And Men' (1939) but, nah, I like 'True Grit' better.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!

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    1. Great picks!!! I love True Grit, the John Wayne version, which is the best one. I like Jeff Bridges but I hated his voice which was way too gravelly. I did like the girl better than Kim Darby though. I just love that scene with Wayne when he says, “ Hold your reins you son of a bitch!” Priceless.

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  9. You are so right about seeing the movie before reading the book. Although, sometimes it might be better to skip the book entirely... Nah, just kidding.

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    1. I love reading so I like to try and read the classics but always after seeing the movie. One book that is excellent and also the movie is “To Kill A Mockingbird”.

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  10. Hi Birgit!

    Hope you are well on the way to fully on the mend!

    Steinbeck is my favorite author but The Grapes of Wrath is one of his books that I had a hard time getting through. It just seemed to drag but the movie is very moving. Fonda is terrific and should have come out with the Oscar but Jimmy lost the year before so the make-up Oscar has been around for a long time. Glad Jane Darwell won though, an actual supporting actress winning!

    Ingrid's part is the showy one in Jekyll & Hyde along with the lead and she really makes the most of it. Far more than Lana would have at that point in her career. Tracy, fine actor that he was is all wrong. The earlier one is superior in almost every way, though I'd say it was a tie between Ingrid and Miriam Hopkins for the best Ivy.

    Love Audrey, hated Green Mansions. Never read the book but the film offered zero enticement to seek it out!

    So many ways to go with this, I chose a Robert Redford theme within the theme. The first two are among my favorite films, the third....well it's pretty to look at!

    All the President’s Men (1976)-Near perfect adaptation of the Woodward/Bernstein book of the same name that details how the two dogged reporters methodically uncovered the Watergate coverup and brought to light the corruption that led to the fall of Nixon’s presidency. A phenomenal cast in every role headed by Robert Redford as Bob Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Carl Bernstein. Jason Robards won a Best Supporting Actor trophy for his work but equally deserving was the unnominated Hal Holbrook as Deep Throat.

    Three Days of the Condor (1975)-Joe Turner (Robert Redford), code name Condor, is a low-level CIA analyst working as a reader in a small NYC office. One rainy day he slips out the back door for lunch and returns to find everyone slaughtered. Panicked he contacts the agency but instead of help finds himself a hunted man. With danger all around he tries to find answers before the mysterious stranger on his trail (Max von Sydow) catches up with him. Adapted from the compulsively readable spy novel “Six Days of the Condor.”

    The Great Gatsby (1974)- Young Midwesterner Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston) serves as our guide through the lives of the fabulously rich but mysterious Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford), his former paramour Daisy (Mia Farrow) now married to intractable Tom Buchanan (Bruce Dern) and the others in their sphere. Gatsby still yearns from Daisy and that triangle will lead to tragedy. Gorgeous looking but sterile adaptation of the difficult to translate F. Scott Fitzgerald masterpiece is all surface with a few good performances (Dern, Waterson, Karen Black as the ill-fated Myrtle) but a surprisingly bland one from Redford and the total miscasting of Mia Farrow in the key role of Daisy.

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    1. Hi Joel! I am getting better, slowly but shirley. I missed you last week but I saw what you wrote on someone else’s post and we matched with Walter Mitty! I was tickled pink:). You are right about the Steinbeck book and it’s one where I like the film better than the book. I have to see the March Jekyll & Hyde because Tracy was good but hammy all the way. Yeah, Green Mansions is a mess but Hepburn was good. The book is much better but would be hard to make into a film.

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  11. Grapes of Wrath was well done but depressing.
    That Jimmy Stewart was an all around good guy wasn't he?
    Hope you spent today resting.

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    1. Yes, I am resting😁🌹. Jimmy Stewart was a great man all around. That book is depressing but the movie is great.

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  12. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I'd say The Grapes of Wrath, but it's based on a depressing bit of history. And that depresses me.

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    1. Yes, depressing is an understatement...the Great Depression, The dustbowl, people losing their homes so it is better to watch something fun.

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  13. I've never seen any of these, although I tried to start The Grapes of Wrath years ago and found I couldn't enjoy reading it. I did enjoy reading how you described each movie, though. Hope all is well after your trip out on Wednesday.

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  14. The book is depressing but the movie, although sad, it feels more hopeful. I’m glad you like my writing. Green Mansions is a good book. Dreamlike like a fairy tale and worth reading.

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  15. Hi Birgit - I really must read some of these books - I tried early in life ... now I feel I'm ready to understand them - and I'd like to see the movies ... thanks for your reviews and thoughts. Stay healing and stay safe - cheers Hilary

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  16. I've not read nor seen any of these adaptations.
    I think the only time I've seen a version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde was the Penny Dreadful TV series...they did an interesting take on it and it's a great series to watch if you like literary horror.

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