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A review by bickleyhouse
But Have You Read the Book?: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films by Kristen Lopez
informative
fast-paced
4.0
This was a fun book to read. I found it on the endcap of the new book display at my library, and walked by it several times before finally succumbing to its beckoning call. I'm not disappointed.
Taking 52 movie/book combinations in chronological order, Ms. Lopez takes us through the decades of movies that were inspired by great books. And not just any old movie, either. They are movies that have been well-loved by many for many years.
She begins with Frankenstein, the classic 1931 film inspired by Mary Shelley's seminal science fiction work of 1818, and concludes with Passing, a 2021 film based on a 1929 novella of the same name, by Nella Larsen. In between are such classics as The Thin Mana, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 1956 version), Psycho, The Last Picture Show, Blade Runner, The Princess Bride, Jurassic Park, and many more.
With each of the film/book combinations, the author gives a good glimpse of both the book and the movie and highlights differences between the two. One thing I really like is that, at the very beginning, even before the piece on Frankenstein, she warns the reader, "Spoilers Ahead!" That's a good thing to know, because there are, indeed spoilers. Now, the odds that I will remember any of them by the time I get around to watching some of these films are very slim.
I learned some things, as well, as I read this. The most shocking was probably the fact that, when in the process of casting for the original True Grit movie (I never knew that was a book), the part of Glen Campbell was originally desired to go to none other than Elvis Presley. However, the great and marvelous Col. Tom Parker insisted that Elvis have first billing. Over John Wayne. Right. So that didn't happen, and Glen Campbell got the part, and that's probably better for everyone. I mean, can anyone seriously envision Elvis Presley as La Boeuf?
I got a great kick out of Ms. Lopez's treatment of Jurassic Park. For one thing, she called it "perfect." Right there on page 144! "Spielberg's film is, in a word, perfect - from his cast to the film's tight screenplay, to the seamless mixture of practical and computer effects." Since Jurassic Park is my all-time favorite movie, I tend to agree. Yes, there are a couple of glaring differences from the book, but he made it work, and I didn't mind.
One thing I plan to do, as soon as I finish writing this review, is to create a spreadsheet, which will begin a project that will likely take me a few years (I wouldn't have to do the spreadsheet, but I must give the book back to the library). That project is to read every book and watch every film (if possible) represented in this book. I plan to read the book first, then watch the movie as soon as possible afterward. We'll see how that goes.
Movie buffs and bookworms alike should love this book.
Taking 52 movie/book combinations in chronological order, Ms. Lopez takes us through the decades of movies that were inspired by great books. And not just any old movie, either. They are movies that have been well-loved by many for many years.
She begins with Frankenstein, the classic 1931 film inspired by Mary Shelley's seminal science fiction work of 1818, and concludes with Passing, a 2021 film based on a 1929 novella of the same name, by Nella Larsen. In between are such classics as The Thin Mana, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 1956 version), Psycho, The Last Picture Show, Blade Runner, The Princess Bride, Jurassic Park, and many more.
With each of the film/book combinations, the author gives a good glimpse of both the book and the movie and highlights differences between the two. One thing I really like is that, at the very beginning, even before the piece on Frankenstein, she warns the reader, "Spoilers Ahead!" That's a good thing to know, because there are, indeed spoilers. Now, the odds that I will remember any of them by the time I get around to watching some of these films are very slim.
I learned some things, as well, as I read this. The most shocking was probably the fact that, when in the process of casting for the original True Grit movie (I never knew that was a book), the part of Glen Campbell was originally desired to go to none other than Elvis Presley. However, the great and marvelous Col. Tom Parker insisted that Elvis have first billing. Over John Wayne. Right. So that didn't happen, and Glen Campbell got the part, and that's probably better for everyone. I mean, can anyone seriously envision Elvis Presley as La Boeuf?
I got a great kick out of Ms. Lopez's treatment of Jurassic Park. For one thing, she called it "perfect." Right there on page 144! "Spielberg's film is, in a word, perfect - from his cast to the film's tight screenplay, to the seamless mixture of practical and computer effects." Since Jurassic Park is my all-time favorite movie, I tend to agree. Yes, there are a couple of glaring differences from the book, but he made it work, and I didn't mind.
One thing I plan to do, as soon as I finish writing this review, is to create a spreadsheet, which will begin a project that will likely take me a few years (I wouldn't have to do the spreadsheet, but I must give the book back to the library). That project is to read every book and watch every film (if possible) represented in this book. I plan to read the book first, then watch the movie as soon as possible afterward. We'll see how that goes.
Movie buffs and bookworms alike should love this book.