10 mistakes in film adaptations of books that went to the people

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The life hacker recalls cases when the scriptwriters' liberties became new stereotypes.

It's no secret that book adaptations often differ from the original. In cinema, a different pace of presentation is needed, which is why textual descriptions, reflections of characters and many other artistic techniques disappear. But sometimes it happens that when the story is transferred to the screen, the scriptwriters and directors also significantly change the characters of the characters, the plot or the denouement.

Considering that movies are often just as popular as books, mistakes like this sometimes become entrenched in the minds of some viewers. We analyze vivid misconceptions from popular film adaptations, which you can add in the comments.

1. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame": cute Quasimodo and a happy ending

In 1831, Victor Hugo published Notre Dame Cathedral to draw public attention to the deplorable state of the building itself. And in 1996, Disney released the cartoon "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" based on this story. The choice of a dark gothic piece as the basis of a children's plot looked very strange. As it turned out, not in vain.

They tried to add charm to the ugly Quasimodo in the cartoon, although Hugo describes him as a really creepy creature.

Victor Hugo "Notre Dame Cathedral"

It is difficult to describe this four-sided nose, a horseshoe-shaped mouth, a tiny left eye, almost covered with a bristly red eyebrow, while the right one completely disappeared under a huge wart, crooked teeth that resembled the battlements of a fortress wall, this cracked lip, over which hung like an elephant's fang, one of the teeth, this split chin … But it is even more difficult to describe the mixture of anger, amazement and sadness that was reflected on this man's face.

Another thing is much more important. The authors of the cartoon decided to adapt not only the visual series for children, but also the content itself. The priest Frollo was turned into a judge, and as a result, the main villain dies himself. And Esmeralda in the finale brings Quasimodo out to the people who greet him, and she herself marries Phoebus, who is in love with her.

Such a finale allowed the authors of the cartoon to even release the second part, where Quasimodo found himself a lover. True, completely different people were already working on the sequel, and it was released immediately on media, bypassing cinemas.

Those who watched this cartoon in childhood could be very surprised to pick up the original book. Not only is there not a trace of brightness and jokes, but also the ending is far from a happy end: Esmeralda was executed, and Quasimodo killed Frollo and lay in a coffin next to her beloved.

2. "Signor Robinson": Friday - girl

One of the most amusing misconceptions, which, however, is still alive today. Almost everyone knows the story from Daniel Defoe's book "Robinson Crusoe" and remembers that the main character, stuck on a desert island, after a while had an assistant - a native, whom Robinson called Friday.

Daniel Defoe "The Life and the Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe"

He was a handsome fellow, tall, of impeccable build, with straight and long arms and legs, small feet and hands. He looked like he could have been twenty-six years old.

However, in 1976, the comedy "Signor Robinson" directed by Sergio Corbucci was released. This is a hilarious retelling of the same story, only in a more modern form. And in this picture, they decided to turn Friday into a seductive girl who brightens up Robinson's lonely everyday life.

The film was a huge success in the USSR (albeit after serious censorship of explicit scenes), and therefore those who were not familiar with the original remembered Friday as a girl. Moreover, this word itself is feminine in Russian.

3."Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson": the adult and serious detective

Soviet television films based on the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle about Sherlock Holmes are considered one of the best adaptations of books and are recognized not only in our country, but also in the world. Although there are no less famous classic film adaptations: in the UK they appreciate the series with Jeremy Brett, in the USA - a series of films with Basil Rathbone.

But, oddly enough, in almost all classic film versions, the image of Sherlock Holmes himself has changed a lot. First of all, this applies to age. In Conan Doyle's books, Dr. Watson describes the detective as "a young man." According to fans' calculations, at the time of meeting with his future assistant and companion, Sherlock was about 27 years old.

Vasily Livanov, who played a detective in a Soviet film, was already over 40 at the time of filming. And this influenced not only the appearance, but also the behavior of the character. Sherlock Livanova is a rather reserved and polite person.

And in books, especially the first novels, the detective looks impatient, very energetic and sometimes even overly nervous. This, incidentally, is more reminiscent of the recent BBC adaptation with Benedict Cumberbatch. And needless to say that in Soviet cinema they preferred to remove all references to Sherlock Holmes' addiction to drugs.

4. "Anastasia": the miraculous rescue of the princess

And one more cartoon, the content of which runs counter to both the literary source and the story itself. Its plot is dedicated to Princess Anastasia, who miraculously escaped during the execution of the royal family. Entire articles are devoted to the analysis of historical inconsistencies in this cartoon. Starting with the fact that Rasputin himself tried to kill Anastasia, and St. Petersburg was not renamed Petrograd in 1914.

But in fact, the authors of the cartoon did not refer to real facts, but to the 1956 film of the same name, based on the play by Anna Anderson. However, even here they moved away from the source: in the picture, the main character turned out to be not a real princess, but only a girl who had lost her memory, who herself believed in her high origin. The cartoon claims that Anastasia really escaped. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

5. "I Am Legend": Loner Fights Monsters

In 2007, a film based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson was released. Viewers fell in love with the image of Will Smith - the only survivor in a crazy city inhabited by either zombies or vampires. The hero destroys monsters, and at the same time tries to find a cure for the virus that turns people into monsters.

However, those who have read the original book know that the story was about something completely different, and in the finale, the hero did not sacrifice himself at all to save the survivors. The essence of the novel is that after the outbreak of the virus, humanity turned into vampires. But not insane: just because of the processes in the body, the infected could not tolerate sunlight, they constantly needed to drink blood.

However, over time, they invented pills to stop the virus, switched to a nocturnal lifestyle, and built a new society. And the main character, who killed them during the day, seemed to them a monster and a maniac. As a result, they decided to execute him. He really became a legend, but not as a hero, but as a monster.

6. The Shawshank Redemption: Black Irish

The adaptation of Stephen King's novel "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Rescue" has been ranked top 250 by IMDb for over 10 years in the IMDb Best Films list. Director Frank Darabont was able to perfectly adapt the book uncharacteristic for the master of horror, only slightly changing its content.

It is all the more surprising for many that initially one of the central characters did not look at all the same as in the movies. We are talking about a hero named Red, on whose behalf the story is told in the book. He is originally a red-haired Irishman. And he got the nickname Red precisely because of his hair color. When Darabont was going to shoot the film, he planned to invite Gene Hackman or Robert Duvall for this role.

But when it was not possible to agree with these actors, the authors decided to forget about racial prejudices and called the dark-skinned Morgan Freeman, who so well got used to the image of an elderly prisoner that now Red looks like this for many. And the phrase about the origin of the nickname in the film was turned into a joke.

7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: No One Escaped

The painting by Milos Forman, based on the work of the same name by Ken Kesey, has won five Academy Awards and the same number of Golden Globes in all major nominations. However, the author of the novel was dissatisfied with the film, and there were reasons for that.

Now many people really know this story precisely from the adaptation, but in the book the main characters behaved very differently, and the ending was more inspiring.

In the novel, much more attention is paid to the Chief Bromden: all events are told on his behalf. And if in the film he is just a strange silent person, then in the book his mental problems are revealed more vividly: the Leader believes that the nurse knows how to manage time, and also believes in a worldwide conspiracy.

The image of Randall McMurphy, who, played by Jack Nicholson, began to look like just a freedom-loving bully, is also much more interesting in the original. For example, at Kesey's house, he lives for a long time according to the rules of a hospital without violations, as a result of which the heroes are officially released on a fishing trip under the supervision of a doctor. In the film, this is another hooligan act: he just hijacked a bus.

But the main difference is noticeable in the finale. In both cases, McMurphy becomes a "vegetable" after the electric shock session, and the Chief suffocates him with a pillow. But later in the book it is described how most of the patients of the clinic ceased to be afraid of the world around them and were discharged, which inspires hope for the future. In the film, only the Leader escapes through the window, while everyone else remains in their places.

8. "The Shining": the death of an important hero

And one more film adaptation that overshadowed the popularity of the original for many. And again the main role was played by Jack Nicholson, and again the author (this time Stephen King) did not like the plot changes. Director Stanley Kubrick retained the main outline, but changed the characters a lot: the main character Jack Torrance in the film initially looks strange, although in the book he began to go crazy under the influence of the hotel and alcoholism.

And the boy Danny in the film adaptation was made completely closed, although in the source he was quite sociable and did not hide his gift. But the main surprise for many fans of the film was caused by the release of the book "Doctor Sleep", which continues "The Shining", and the announcement of plans for its adaptation. After all, in the sequel, the hotel chef Dick Halloran appeared again, who died in the film.

However, he survived with King, and Jack Torrance did not freeze, as shown in the movies, but died in the explosion. So the book and the film can be considered two separate works, and Doctor Sleep will continue with the original.

9. "Blade Runner": man or machine

A screen adaptation of Philip Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? to date, it has overtaken the original in popularity, becoming a truly cult movie. But it may turn out that fans of the film who decide to read the book will remain disappointed, because in the original, the story looks completely different. And the philosophical question that is posed at the end of the picture (is the main character a person or a replicant?) Does not even appear here. Rick Deckard in the book is a 100% man living with his wife, whose main dream is to have a real animal, not an android.

Interestingly, serious changes concern a lot of film adaptations of Philip Dick's books. In the original version of Total Recall, the hero was an ordinary clerk. He really found out that in a past life he worked as a special agent, but did not go to save Mars. In Reality Changing, the protagonist quickly agreed to the conditions of mysterious creatures, wanting life to go on calmly, and in The Prophet, the character really foresaw the future, but could not speak and was covered with golden wool.

Therefore, it is better not even to try to judge the work of Philip Dick by the adaptations: in many of them only titles and themes remained from the original.

10. "The Lord of the Rings": the battle for Helm's fall and the death of Saruman

Based on the classic books of John R. R. Tolkien, the Peter Jackson trilogy has become incredibly popular around the world. It was watched by both fans of the books and those who do not know the original well. And if the former then discussed the changes for a long time, the latter believed the statements that the authors had transferred the book to the screen almost literally.

Indeed, Jackson did his best, and some moments in the films are conveyed very accurately. But, despite the significant timing, the film adaptation did not have enough space for some heroes, and individual events have changed a lot.

So, the decision of King Rohan Theoden to take refuge during the battle with the orcs in the Hornburg fortress in Helm's Deep looks strange. Théoden and his subjects are accustomed to fighting on horseback in the steppe, and it is illogical for the riders to lock themselves in a fortress.

In Tolkien's book, they really first planned to give an open battle, but they were stopped by Gandalf. He offered to take up the defense in the fortress, and he himself went for reinforcements - living trees by the Ents, who helped to defeat the enemy.

And Saruman did not die during the war at Isengard. After the end of the war, the hobbits returned to their native Shire and found that a wizard had seized power there and established a dictatorship. And only then did Grima betray him and kill him.

In addition, one of the most striking characters, Tom Bombadil, disappeared from the adaptation. This is the oldest inhabitant of Middle-earth, who is not affected by the Ring of Omnipotence. Probably, due to the limited timing, it had to be removed from history, and in some moments one of the Ents appears instead.