It’s often assumed that an original work trumps its remake- whether it be a sequel to a movie or a movie to a book. But that isn’t always the case. Here’s a breakdown of some of the classic book/movie combos.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
ROALD DAHL
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
MEL STUART
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of the best examples of a book that when made into a movie misses so much, regardless of the director or cast’s efforts. Even though Gene Wilder’s portrayal of Willy Wonka was sweetly outlandish and the Chocolate Room was truly a bit of pure imagination, both failed to bring to life the descriptiveness of Dahl’s writing. A chocolate waterfall and a field of edible grass and flowers is always better and more magical in one’s mind than seen on screen.
The movie also leaves out parts of the Oompa Loompa’s songs and some of my favorite rooms in Wonka’s factory. In the book, the songs are witty and rather pointed criticisms of the characters and their parents, and you are almost forced to pay attention to what they have to say, rather than be distracted by little, orange people.
The most notable room that the film leaves out is the one that contains the ‘Square Candies that Look Round.’ They are square candies that physically turn and look around when the door to the room is opened. How magical is that?
Indulge in pure imagination and read the book.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass
LEWIS CARROLL
Alice in Wonderland
TIM BURTON
First of all, let’s be clear that Tim Burton’s film is a very loose adaptation of Carroll’s books. The title Alice Returns to Wonderland would be much more fitting (but less marketable). The film describes what seems to be Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass she is no longer a child, and most of the characters remember her from the “first time” that she went through the rabbit hole, though she doesn’t really recognize them. And allow me to stress something: there is no, I repeat no, climactic dance scene in any of the books.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are both filled with quirky characters, and regardless of how short of a time Alice spends with them, they are described in charming detail.
Burton’s film skimps on the creatures, and they appear only in passing, losing most of their appeal. Instead, Burton focuses on the Mad Hatter, who is nowhere near as maniacal as the movie trailers made him appear to be.
Carroll’s books are whimsical and dreamlike where Burton’s film is hallucinatory. While it retains some of the books’ important characters, it misses out on the small details that make Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass the classics that they are.
Suppress the guinea pigs! And read the books!
A Clockwork Orange
ANTHONY BURGESS
A Clockwork Orange
STANLEY KUBRICK
This is one of the few comparisons in which it is actually debatable if the film is better than the book. This probably has a great deal to do with the fact that Stanley Kubrick is an amazing director working with an already wonderful novel.
Another reason why the film is so good is that it runs remarkably true to the book. Kubrick sticks to the plot line for the most part, except for a pesky omitted chapter which was not included in the book’s original United States publication, and keeps the majority of the “Nadsat,” the Russian and rhyme based slang words which Burgess created.
And while some details of the book are lost in the movie (as they always are), other details are added. For instance, Alex bellowing out ‘Singing in the Rain’ during the gang-rape scene and the song giving him away later on is horrifying in a wonderful way, but is not in the book.
So I suppose in this instance, I’m calling a draw. The book is awesome and so is the movie. Listen to the angel trumpets and devil trombones, you’re invited. Read the one and watch the other. But, as always, make sure you read the book first.