From Page to Screen

Photo by Gage Skidmore

Christina here. Authors are often asked if we’d like our books made into film or a TV series. (Anne discussed this in one of her posts here). Silly question – of course we would! We can spend hours imagining exactly which actor we’d like to play our heroes (Chris Hemsworth usually for me, in case you were wondering) or actresses for the leading lady role. But personally, I’d rather see some of my favourite books by other authors being turned into movies. There are so many that would make absolutely wonderful viewing!

It's rare though that when it happens, it is done right. And by right, I mean that the film actually turns out to be as amazing as the story it’s based on. I am always very reluctant to watch adaptations because I’m invariably disappointed. The producer and/or screen writer often leave out details I consider crucial, or they invent some new sub-plot – or even major plot point – that wasn’t in the book to begin with. I find that infuriating because it’s not what I want to see!

Some films can actually be better than the original book, at least in my opinion. Take Inkheart by Cornelia Funke for instance – although I liked reading this story, it had an unhappy ending which as you’ve probably gathered by now, is not my cup of tea. In fact, it makes me very upset. The film, however, was not only a great adaptation, but it had the added benefit of a HEA. A win/win situation!

Another one that was a triumph IMO was Emma Thompson’s version of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. It’s a lovely book obviously, but Ms Thompson really added something special to the screen play and emphasised the humour in a way I loved. The actors were brilliant as well and perfectly fit their roles. Before seeing that, I would have said that Pride & Prejudice was my favourite Austen book (and TV series – the one with Colin Firth, not because of the famous ‘shirt scene’, but because it was faithful to the original story), but now I’ve changed my mind. And on the subject of Austen, as I think we’ve complained about before on this blog, I was horrified by what the screen writers did to Sanditon. There is another series of it coming up, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to watch. The ending of series 1 made me feel extremely let down.

Some of the classics can be tricky to turn into a film or TV series that will hold the viewer’s attention. I would imagine Charles Dickens’ books are difficult, as many of them start with long convoluted introductions that can go on and on. One I found very good, however, was the 2005 BBC adaptation of Bleak House. I became so engrossed in the story that I went out and bought the book (which I hadn’t read previously) because I couldn’t wait for the following week to find out what was going to happen next. I needed to know instantly.

A classic that has appeared on screen in numerous guises is, of course, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I love the book and it’s one of the few classics I’ve reread over the years, but some of the screen adaptations have been less successful. My favourite is the TV series starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson. Mr Stephens really fit my idea of what Mr Rochester was like and because it was a series in several episodes, there was time to fully incorporate every nuance of the story.

I’ve recently watched the Bridgerton series on Netflix. (Yes, I know I’m very late to this, but I only recently got Netflix). I enjoyed it very much, but there were some new and/or deleted plot details that irritated me. That said, I am still looking forward to series 2 and I hope that Netflix will decide to adapt an awful lot more romance novels (both historical, contemporary and fantasy) for the small or large screen.

Late last autumn, I saw the new film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. As I mentioned previously, it was extremely well made and I liked it, apart from the fact that it was part one of two and the viewer is left hanging. The first time film makers tried to turn this book into a movie in 1984, however, they were less successful. (See here). That’s probably an understatement – the result was a disaster IMO. I remember sitting in the theatre thinking that if I hadn’t read the book first, I wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on. Never a good thing!

Sometimes watching a film adaptation will make you want to read the books if you haven’t already. For me, that happened when I went to see the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the cinema. I was intrigued by J R R Tolkien’s story and didn’t want to have to wait two years for the next instalments. I then found that I enjoyed the others much more because I’d read the books by then. And by watching the film first, I didn’t have the usual disappointment of the characters not looking the way I’d imagined them because I had already seen them first and had them in my head. (That is usually a bugbear of mine – that the filmmakers don’t cast actors who suit the role or look the way I want them to. I have to admit that Jamie Fraser in Outlander is one such for me – yes, Sam Heughan is a good-looking man, but he is not how I’d imagined the hero described in the books).

There are so many more we could talk about, like the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters, which was marvellously brought to life by the UK's ITV, but finally, I must mention the 2002 film version of Possession by A S Byatt. I don’t know what the author herself thought about it, but I loved it! Obviously, the novel was a lot more complicated and not as light-hearted, but somehow it still gelled for me. I think the director managed to include all the most important parts and to make a dual time narrative work on film is no mean feat! If anyone ever buys the rights to my timeslip novels, I hope they hire this director and screen writer as they did a fabulous job!

How about you – what are your favourite book to screen adaptations or alternatively, which ones do you want to throw rotten tomatoes at?

Comments

[theo]

Well, not necessarily rotten tomatoes though close, and not a romance, but probably one of the worst adaptations would have to be The Relic which oddly enough is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The book, Relic, written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child was the first in the Pendergast series and actually, a pretty brilliant book. Pendergast is a quirky combo of Wimsey, Poirot, a little otherworldly and they're up to twenty books in the series now. Some are better than others of course, but I love detective Pendergast. Unfortunately, he's not even a character in the movie! The movie wasn't bad, wasn't great, I like the actors that were in it, but I'd read the book first and was woefully disappointed. Pretty much the same thing that happened with Timeline. :/ I understand time constraints, but removing one of the main characters completely doesn't quite make sense to me.

[Christina Courtenay]

No that sounds terrible, Theo! What's the point of adapting a story and leaving out one of the main characters? Seems crazy!

[Karin]

I don't watch a lot of movies or TV, but you've convinced me to put a couple of these on my watch list. I did think Derek Jacobi was perfect as Brother Cadfael. For that matter, he was also great as the Emperor Claudius, if anyone remembers that far back!
There have been 2 adaptations of the Lord Peter Wimsey books that I know of. I have no complaints about the story adaptations, but in one of them, Ian Carmichael was all wrong, he was not like my vision of Lord Peter at all! The other Lord Peter, Edward Petherbridge, was just right.

[Constance]

I would need a bushel of rotten tomatoes for all the adaptations I have found lacking! But I think one of the very worst was The Bridges of Madison County. It was miscast as well as off script so many times! Clint Eastwood was way too old and Meryl Streep, as wonderful as she is, was incredibly miscast. (Sam Shepard and Anjelica Huston would have been much better, IMO!) One of my very favorite adaptations is the 1995 version of Jane Austen‘s Persuasion. It is a film, although it was first shown on public television in the US. With Amanda Root and Ciaran Hind in the leading roles, and wonderful supporting cast, it was so true to the novel. And I most definitely agree with Karin about the Edward Petherbridge version of the Lord Peter stories – he was perfect.

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Christina - There are quite a few books that I have imagined (and sometimes enjoyed) as movies. Like you, I loved Jane Eyre. However, I have to admit being captivated by the Orson Welles' Rochester. Also Timothy Dalton's. I also loved the A & E "Pride and Prejudice" with Colin Firth. However, sometimes, for me, it works the other way around. I saw the movie "Fountainhead" with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal, so I had to get my paws on Ayn Rand's book. Which also led me to read her Atlas Shrugged. When I was in college, my classmates would go around muttering, "Who is John Galt?" Ditto my experience with War and Peace. I saw the 7 hour Russian version when I was in grad school in Florida. I was so fascinated that even though I had a (mammoth) hard copy on my home bookshelf in Baltimore, I had to go to the university bookstore and buy a paperback version to read immediately. Well, it took me four days. And then there's the exquisite romantic fantasy movie, "Ladyhawke." I desperately tried to find the book the movie was based on so I could read it. Then I found that it wasn't based on a book: it was a screen play...Finally, to your point - I would love to see any of the Word Wenches (past and current) book/series adapted for the big or little screen. For you splendid writers who have brought me so much reading pleasure, I'd even subscribe to Netflix! I only hope they'd get the heroes and heroines right...

[Christina Courtenay]

Oh yes, Karin, I loved Derek Jacobi in both those roles - he was perfect indeed! Had forgotten about Claudius, but that was a good adaptation, wasn't it. Thank you for reminding me!

[Christina Courtenay]

I never watched The Bridges of Madison County, but that doesn't sound like good casting. As for Persuasion, yes I love the Ciaran Hind version, it's great! Haven't watched it in ages so might need to dig out my DVD.

[Donna H.]

What a super post! I think we could go on for days on this subject. I love Jeremy Brett in the TV shows about Sherlock Holmes and David Suchet as Poirot. Jane Hicks was marvellous as Miss Marple years ago and I really liked Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael, whom I would think would be difficult to cast. I also thought the casting of the characters in Gone With the Wind was very well done.The main characters in all the Harry Potter movies were just wonderful too. My biggest pet peeve is when they remake a movie or series when the original was just perfect. All Creatures Great and Small comes immediately to mind! What were they thinking?

[Christina Courtenay]

Binnie, it's wonderful when the films turn out to be just as you imagined them, isn't it! And I'm the same - I'll want to read a book if I really enjoyed a movie.
Thank you so much for your kind comments about the Wench books! We would love to have any (or all?) of them adapted - fingers crossed one day it will happen! (And maybe they'd let us help with the casting?)

[Christina Courtenay]

Absolutely - I'm with you on that, Donna! I loved the original series of All Creatures Great and Small and just couldn't make myself watch the new one, even though I'm sure it's good. I don't want to spoil my fond memories of it. Also agree about Poirot and Miss Marple, they were spot on, as were the Harry Potter movies. But then I believe Ms Rowling was allowed to help choose the actors so that probably helped.
My favourite Sherlock Holmes so far is actually Robert Downey Jr - he just suits the role beautifully!

[Laura Lee Hll]

Totally agree!

[Laura Lee Hall]

You are so right. Because Mr. Jacobi did such a wonderful job as Bro. Cadfael, when I visited England I made sure to visit Shrewsbury. They have a self-giuded car tour where all the various stories took place. I too thought Edward Petherbridge more the Lord Peter I imagined. I especially liked those stories with Harriet.

[Laura Lee Hall]

Root and Hinds version of "Persuasion" persuaded me to put that adaptation as my favorite Jane Austen.

[Laura Lee Hall]

I totally agree. It would be wonderful to see each one of you in the movies. "The Bridgertons" is why I subscribed to Netflix. However sometimes the change from book to screen makes too many changes or is not cast well. "One for the Money" was a BIG disappointment to all, I think. Janet Evanovich's books are so laugh-out-loud funny and that element never carried over. "Jaws" on the other hand was better on the screen (except when one looked too closely at the mechanical shark). The movie eliminated a totally unnecessary affair that had nothing to do with the story line.

[Laura Lee Hall]

I rather enjoyed Mr. Cumerbatch's "Sherloch". I don't usually care for modernizing an historical but portraying Sherlock as an almost Aspergers individual was thought provoking.

[Mary T]

Just last night I was reading a Joan Smith Regency novel written back in the 1970s or 80s and I found myself thinking that it would make a good TV show. But right away I thought - no, they would give it to some screenwriter who would mess it up. (I can be pessimistic sometimes) Her books almost always have a lot of witty dialogue and at least one character who is ridiculous enough to provide comic relief. This book had several characters who could provide the comic relief.

It is hard to put the soul of a book onto a flat screen. But having said that - I'm glad some try. Heaven knows, there are more than enough programs and movies of every other genre out there. A little more historical romance couldn't hurt. Right now I'm watching THE GUILDED AGE on HBO and loving it.

Loved this post Christina/

[Christina Courtenay]

I didn't know that, Laura, I'll have to go back to Shrewsbury now! I went a long time ago before they had anything like that but it sounds great. Thanks for mentioning it!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you so much, Laura!

[Christina Courtenay]

He's good too, but we'll have to agree to disagree as I'll stick with Mr Downey

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you Mary, and yes, I do hope we'll get more Regency novels adapted for the screen! Some of Georgette Heyer's are hilarious and would make wonderful TV series (as long as the screen writer sticks to her story). Fingers crossed!

[Alice]

Thank you for the heads up on a new series. I can read Relic for free on Amazon Prime

[Misti]

Can't think of any really current examples, but I read Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South after seeing the mini-series with Richard Armitage. I loved both versions, even though the book does not have the "train scene" at the end. :) I read Alice in Wonderland for the first time early on in the pandemic and unfortunately, think the Disney cartoon is way better than the book. Another one that I enjoyed both the book and the movie is The Count of Monte Cristo (2002 movie with Jim Caviezel). The movie took liberties and gave the HEA to Edmond and Mercedes but I was ok with it.
I absolutely hated Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. I know they just took the characters and didn't base that one off books, but how dare they! :) LOL Some of my favorite Anne books were after she got married and they would have made wonderful movies.

[Alice]

The adaptation I am most interested in at the moment is of Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. It is one of my all time favourite books and having read the blurb, changes have been made. It is on Amazon Prime but I would have to pay an extra bit to watch it so still in two minds about that. I also thought Harry Potter was well done but as a family, we thought Dobbie looked totally different to how we had pictured him! Bridgerton was nothing like the books really but were done with such great verve, I was not bothered and I am looking forward to the next series.

[Margaret Webb]

This post is really interesting and some of the comments are really interesting. I have been watching Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and loved every episode. The series bought the characters to life and I look forward to the final series. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher films did not live up to his books, casting Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher who in the books is 6’ 7”. Dan Brown’s books have also been made into films but I didn’t think they were as good as the books. I must watch the film based on Little Women, a book I read as a child. I read your comments on All Creatures Great and Small and have to disagree with you, Robert Hardy was great as Seigfried but Samuel West was just as good, if not better. I certainly think it be would interesting if one of the Word Wenches books were made into a series as long as they got the right actors and actresses and the producers didn’t stray to far away from the storyline.

[Constance]

I had read North and South, Misti, years before I saw the TV adaptation. At the end of the TV version, I thought, I don’t remember it ending that way, and had to go back to the book. But I do love that train scene! One of the most romantic pieces of film or video I’ve ever seen!

[Donna H.]

I think it would behoove the makers of movies and TV films to consult with the authors as to who should play the parts. I think someone said J.K. Rowling had a say in the Harry Potter movies and look how good they turned out!
I think especially romance novels need to have the men and women playing the parts to have good chemistry together and the story line should not wander away too much.

[theo]

I'll be honest, the first five are probably still my favorites, with Relic and Cabinet of Curiosity taking the top two spots, but Pendergast is just so quirky and beyond anything anyone else has written character wise. I hope you enjoy them as much as I and oh...really thousands of others have. They have a huge fan base. The books aren't without their faults, but they're hard to match.

[Mary M.]

So I got to this point in the comments (eye-opening for me, not a "watcher" of anything longer than a Chateau renovation vlog) and thought to myself, "I'd make an exception for Amelia Peabody, in fact I can almost write the script in my head." Then I thought, I wouldn't know if this already existed, so I better check it out before posting.

Well, Google presented "Amelia Peabody movie" as a search term, so I clicked, all excited. Waaaiiiill! It's "in development" as an IMDb series. No more info without paying for IMDb premium.

Anybody know if this is a thing, versus speculation? My new goal in my admittedly late life is to see Amelia's Egypt on screen. Would have preferred big screen, but I'll take what I can get when it comes to this one.

[theo]

Funny, I always thought Edward Fox would have been absolutely perfect as Wimsey, but no one asked me.

[Christina Courtenay]

I never could get on with Alice in Wonderland, either the book or the Disney film! Loved the story of The Count of Monte Cristo though, but don't think I've seen the film. Must look for that - thank you! Anne of Green Gables - haven't seen that adaptation either and after what you've said I think I'll give it a miss.

[Christina Courtenay]

I agree about Harry Potter and Bridgerton, but haven't read Station Eleven. Will have to look for that - thank you!

[theo]

Ladyhawk! I can't imagine that movie any other way. It was absolutely perfect and still one of my *le sigh* movies of all time. And the musical score was brilliant which just added to the whole thing.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Margaret, I'm sure we would all love to have our books made into films! I haven't watched or read His Dark Materials, but was intrigued by the trailer so might have to do that. Totally agree about the Jack Reacher films - if one of a character's main traits is his extreme height, why cast a man who is below average? Seems weird. Regarding the Dan Brown books, I actually quite enjoyed them, even though Tom Hanks wasn't how I'd imagined the hero. They were exciting enough that I forgot about that though!

[Christina Courtenay]

Yes, yes, yes, absolutely! I would love to have a say if any of mine were ever made into films. It would be so exciting to get to choose!
You are right about the chemistry - some couples simply don't have it and it's very obvious to the viewers.

[Annette N]

Thanks for this post and all the comments and suggestions. You have had some terrific ideas.

Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.

[Christina Courtenay]

Sorry, can't help you with that Mary, but hopefully if it's in production it will be coming soon. I got the same message about another book I wanted made into film so who knows? We can but hope!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Annette, and you too! Take care!

[Pamela DG]

I think Chris Helmsley would be great as Geir in Echoes of the Runes. I'm not sure which late teen 20-something actress could be Maddie. Very few current actresses in that age group could portray her abilities. I think you'd have to find a young unknown athlete to portray her.

[Christina Courtenay]

Yes, loved it!

[Christina Courtenay]

Oh, yes, he'd be perfect! It would be fun to cast someone new as the heroine - she'd have to have long, curly hair and be tall!

[Misti]

I would be sooooo excited to see Amelia on tv or film. I would definitely have to lower my expectations to start though.

[Janice]

I am still so angry at what Peter Jackson and the studios did to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings that I can't talk rationally about it. So much was omitted and so much was changed for the worse, especially in The Hobbit. My advice is to stick with Tolkien's books and regard the movies as illustrations; turn the sound off and try to disregard the ignorant changes made in the story. Some of the realizations were brilliant and the actors were mostly perfect.

Of the movies you cite, Sense and Sensibility is my favorite. I think it's the best adaptation of Austen I've ever seen, and the only one in which the screenplay author (Emma Thompson) improved on Austen. By changing the character of the third sister Margaret from a young teen girl to one a few years younger and making her part of the story, she made us see why the otherwise rather dull Edward Ferrars would be somebody that Eleanor could fall in love with; he was very good with children and was ideally suited to be a minister. My only criticism of Thompson's screenplay is that the scene where Fanny (Harriet Walter, the snooty sister in law) falls backward into a gorse bush at the wedding was cut.

As for fantasy casting, if we could get Cary Grant back to play Max Ravenscar in Faro's Daughter, I'd be in favor of filming that. Otherwise I think my heroes and heroines fare better inside my head than they do on the screen.

[Jeanne Behnke]

Oh Theo - I love the Pendergast books and I love the newsletters the authors send out periodically. I have never seen Relic (movie) except for a film clip the authors recently attached to the newsletter. I thought Tom Sizemore seemed like a great D'Agosta but how do you leave out Pendergast??!! Still Life With Crows & Cabinet of Curiosities are favorites for me. I also like the one at the Ski Lodge but I can't remember the title off the top of my head.

[Jeanne Behnke]

Great post. Universal past time is probably casting the characters in the book you're reading. I love Emma Thompson's Sense & Sensibility. I really enjoyed The Bridgertons too and actually liked the way the writers changed things up to be more inclusive & contemporary I guess. Chris Hemsworth is indeed handsome but my go to Chris is Chris Pine. :-)

[Janice]

IMDbPro has little more, only that a writer (Chris Murray) is attached. No studio, no actors, no date. Could be in development hell forever. It's under "The Amelia Peabody Mysteries". Murray has worked on some good series - Van der Valk, Inspector Lewis and others.

[theo]

I can't remember the title either offhand. Drat. I can't remember the title of the one in Italy either with the gun that killed from the inside out and that's probably giving too much away to anyone who hasn't read them yet but I don't know how else to explain it. Count Fusco comes to mind. But I thought that was a little too close to the realm of possibilities.

I also can't imagine anyone else playing D'Agosta BUT Sizemore now. He was really perfect. And Stan Winston did a great creature but to leave Pendergast out was blasphemy. Still Life with Crows...what a shocker. And Cabinet of Curiosities was a little scary when you think about it. Now I might have to go back and start from the beginning again. I haven't started book 20 yet.

[Kareni]

I only rarely watch movies, so I don't have much to contribute.

I enjoyed The Martian movie after having read the book quite a few times. The book is still better as a fair amount was not included.

A children's movie that I think was better than the book is Babe. The book, Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith, is written with a lot of heavily accented dialogue. I do love Dick King-Smith's books; however, that one was a tough read.

[Christina Courtenay]

I haven’t seen The Hobbit and reading your comments I don’t think I want to. So glad you agree about Sense & Sensibility - love that film!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! So many handsome Chris’s in Hollywood right now! They all make great heroes.

[Christina Courtenay]

I never read the book but adored Babe the movie! Thank you for reminding me! I might have to buy the DVD for my keeper shelf.

[Leah]

I have been reading romance novels for over 20 years, and for most of that time I’ve been wishing some of my favorites were made into movies, and never understood why the genre was so overlooked while Hollywood produced one bad story after another or they kept regurgitating the same old stories. Now they have finally produced the Bridgertons, and while I have mixed feelings about it, and the Bridgertons is not the story I would have chosen to televise as it was very forgettable for me, at least it is a step towards bringing romance into the mainstream. There are two series from two authors in this blog that I would have chosen to produce instead. The Fallen Angels from Mary Jo and the Mallorens from Jo Beverley. However, I know I would be very disappointed if they don’t cast the right people, or change plot points. I think if they decide to keep adapting romance novels for the screen they should create an advisor committee composed by the author and several romance fans and they should take their advice. I believe the problem comes from producers and directors who think they know better and don’t understand or respect the genre.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you and what a brilliant idea, Leah! I hope the producers are reading this!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Leah, thanks for the good thoughts! You are so right that there are a lot of great romance series that would look great in film if the casting, production, and directing are done well, but the people doing the green lighting just don't understand romance. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen. I guess we'll have to make the movies in our own imaginations.

[Jeanne Behnke]

I'm all caught up. I'm enjoying Agent Coldmoon but I do miss D'Agosta. Bloodless (the last one) ends with quite a cliffhanger.

[Teresa Broderick]

So many good movie adaptations mentioned here and I love most of them! I LOVED Ink Heart. I hadn't read the book and still haven't but loved the movie.
Emma Thompson's S&S was brilliant. Perfectly cast I thought. I have to admit I'm a big fan of Emma Thompson.
Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root's Persuasion!! Swoon!
I too enjoyed Orson Welles Mr Rochester but I thought the serialised version with Timothy Dalton was spot on. It was very true to the book.
If they ever call you Christina to televise your novels I want to be the first to know :) Time travel and time slip are my favourite genres.

[Janice]

There's a simple reason for the absence of romance movies. Back in the day there was an audience of women who would dress up for a day of lunch and shopping downtown with friends, and go see a matinee. Hence the popularity then of romantic dramas.

The structure of movie showing has changed radically since then. It is still, however, a thing mostly done with a date or a bunch of friends. Often it's what they do between having dinner and having sex. Guys are much more drawn to action adventure fare, and they groan at romantic drama. If he's paying, you go where he wants to go. If you're lucky, it's a genre you also like, but if it's not, you just don't see that - until TV, dvd or streaming. That's why the good romantic dramas (and they are out there) now are on streaming.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Teresa, I will definitely shout it from the rooftops if that happens! So glad we agree about the other adaptations, they're fab aren't they!