Movies As Good As The Books

Good morning, dear Reader. Since posting my movie review of the final Hobbit movie, I've been thinking about those rare treasures in movie-dom... movies that are as good as (or, GASP, possibly even better than!) the books they are based on. I came up with 15, which is a pretty small number when you consider how many movies I've seen, and quite a few of them are based on books. Some of them are probably not coming to mind because they're based on slightly more obscure books, but here's my working list. In no particular order:

1. The Princess BrideI'm fairly certain that this entry surprises nobody. If you've read my blog at all or know me even a little bit, the fact that The Princess Bride is my all-time favorite movie. I really love the book, so it's pretty close to a toss-up, but I still think the movie is better. Just slightly better, but there you go.
2. Bridge to TerabithiaThis one truly surprised me. Now, I have to admit that I have not read the book since I was a kid, but it was one of those that I read over and over again, so I remember it pretty well. The movie was one I was a bit worried about, but in a truly unique turn of events, the movie was pretty much spot-on. I sat in the theater and felt as though the movie-makers had reached into my imagination and plucked every image I ever had while reading the book straight out of my head to put on the screen. This never happens, ladies and gents, so this movie is quite dear to my heart. (Unfortunately, I neglected to inform my husband that it's a sad movie, and he now refuses to watch it with me ever again).
3. Jurassic ParkAnother close call, but while I enjoy the book immensely, I still think the movie was better. Partially because: Sam Neill. And partially because the movie was just such a fantastic technical ground-breaker. Prior to this movie, the closest thing we had to "real" look dinosaurs on the screen were the old Godzilla movies... which this movie kinda blew out of the water, if we're honest. I love the epic-ness of this movie. And even the pretty shabby sequels can't detract from the way the first movie knocked it out of the park. (And, okay, a part of me is jumping up and down in anticipation of Jurassic World.... though a much larger part of me is highly skeptical).
4. The Neverending StoryI know some of you will probably unfriend me over this one, but I really didn't enjoy the book. So this is a case where I think the movie absolutely wins, but I know I'm sort of alone in that conclusion. (All the sequels are awful).
5. The Black StallionI love the books. I read many of them. But the movie just has something extra special. The sweeping cinematography. The acting. The economy of dialogue... it just feels "bigger" than the story in the book, and I love that. (I'm going to have to give an honorable mention to the Black Stallion Returns, as well)
6. Anne of Green Gables and Anne of AvonleaAnne of Green Gables is a classic no matter which medium you experience it in. The book and the movie are far too evenly matched for a clear winner, though I do prefer Anne of Avonlea the movie to the books. Something about L.M. Montgomery's writings, I've noticed that her books have a tendency to get more depressing the more sequels she wrote. (She broke the trend briefly with Rainbow Valley). (Of course, then I could have done without the final addition to the Anne movies, which detoured way too much from the stories in the books and Anne's character in general).
7. Ella Enchanted(I know, I know, Blasphemy!) I love the book. But I really love the movie. It's just cheesy enough to make me fall for it completely. I acknowledge that it is absolutely nothing like the book, and barely deserves to wear the same title, but it does, and I love it anyway.
8. Pride and PrejudiceI know everyone takes sides over which movie is the best, but when it comes to comparing it to the book, I'd say both the A&E version AND the Kiera Knightley versions do a fantastic job. I love both movies (though I still think I prefer the Kiera Knightley version slightly more), and while I enjoy the book, I still prefer the movies.
9. The Railway ChildrenOh, this is a hard one! But I'm partial to the movie in spite of everything. If you have not seen this beautiful 1970 version of this movie you need to go find a copy and watch it immediately!
10. Oliver!I'm the only English major in the world to think this, but I think Charles Dickens would have been far better as a script-writer than a novelist. I'm sorry, he's one of the only authors I've ever met whose writings I just can't get through. My mind wanders, I get bored, I constantly feel like I'm reading a really boring, dry textbook. When his stories are put on the big screen, I love them. The man was a story-telling genius... but I prefer all of his tales in movie-form.
11. A Tale of Two CitiesSee my notes above. (Besides, Chris Sarandon as the good guy? This is a must-see!)
12. Rough RidersThe book (written by Theodore Roosevelt) is quite excellent, and the movie did a great job staying true to the story and the overall tone. I really enjoyed the book, the movie was better.
13. The Scarlet PimpernelDefinitely a toss-up. (I am, of course, talking about the movie version that features Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, and Ian McKellan) I grew up loving the movie, read the book when I had to teach it to my 7th/8th grade students and discovered a truly fantastic gem of a novel. I cannot decide.
14. The Silver StallionAnother one that's kind of cheesy, but the movie is every bit as good as the book. (I think we're seeing a trend here. Have you noticed how many of these books contain a "story within a story"? Apparently, that is something that translates well to the movie screen)
15. The Polar ExpressThis one might just be more of an honorable mention, because if it came right down to it, I'd probably choose the book every time. But the movie did a spectacular job, as well.

So, what do you think of my list? Agree? Disagree? Do you have any to add to the list?I'm thinking I'll have to do a counter-post in which I either discuss movies based on books that were absolute flops, or books based on movies that were better than the movies they were based on! (If I can think of more than one example, that is)!