What is the best movie adaptation of a book you've ever seen? What is the worst.

[Esoldra]

The film version of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was practically word for word and an amazing depiction of the book.

Wuthering Heights always inspires the worst adaptations that end half way through the novel. Blade Runner was an awful adapation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep yet it still enters the 1001 films to watch whilst the book never makes the books you must read list.

[lenabro]

I Hate Dune, both book and film, but love David Lynch ...

Loved the book To Kill A Mocking Bird, so now I will have to see the film, and I blame this thread

The best film version of a book must be Kubrick's The Shining, the Stephen King book is awful though.

The worst film version of a good book could be The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy,

What do you think?

[Vishnu]

Hmmm... this is difficult to say, because I despise books of any kind turned into videos of any kind. They almost always disappoint(especially comic books turned movie and manga turned anime) But to be fair, by main criteria is accuracy to the book, so I could be considered a bit unreasonable.
There's too many worsts and no bests to choose from. But when setting aside comparison to the book, I will say that I really enjoyed the film No Country For Old Men.
And as for worst... well... pretty much every attempted adaptation of The Call of the Wild has been a fail.

[spoonwood]

First, let me say that I am not a big fan of Westerns; however, I have read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and own the mini-series. I believe they are both amazing. The length of the mini-series is 6 hours long which I have watched all the way through probably a dozen times!

I can't think of too many movie adaptations of a book in which I've seen both the movie and read the book, so I don't have much to offer.

[lady of shallot]

Barry Lyndon is one of my all time favorite movies. Did not care as much for the book.

Gone with the Wind disappoints in the film in leaving out important sections but was such a standout film at the time that it satisfies visually.

[spoonwood]

I enjoyed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey as well as the movie. I think I liked the movie more.

Jean M. Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear is wonderful (as well as the other books of the Earth's Children series), but have only seen a clip of the movie. I've heard it was awful, but haven't seen it for myself.

[suitefrancaise]

I rather enjoyed the recent adaptation of Atonement by Ian McEwan (with Joe Wright as director), but that could just be because it was so visually stunning and the score was fantastic. I didn't like who they cast for Cecilia, but the three Briony and James McAvoy for Robbie were well done.

Another one that I liked because of imaginative reinvention was Sleepy Hollow. I think a film does much better when it takes an idea from a piece of work and makes it into its own; it's usually impossible to make a loyal adaptation of a book into a film, because the two mediums are entirely different. Sleepy Hollow was excellent in this way in that they diverged into its own field.

There are too many worst adaptations to say - directors and screenwriters seem to forget that what might work well in a novel will not translate just as well onto screen. And it's especially awful when they expect the audience to all have read the book, leaving gaping holes we are meant to fill ourselves.

[mainstayministries]

I agree with Catch 22 as the worst adaptation.

[Garrethobrien92]

I remember seeing a adaptation of War and Peace and thought that the screenplay was magnificent, they got there characters spot on and the they didn't alter the plotline.Highly recommended for all tolstoy fan's. As for the worsed, its gotta be Catch-22( better if they the book as it was).

[Luckybutton]

Of mice and men with Gary Senise was a fantastic adaptation, one of my faves.

Any Stephen King adapation is pretty much a guaranteed failure...Pet cemetery was atrocious.