Classic Remarks is a meme hosted here at Pages Unbound that poses questions each Friday about classic literature and asks participants to engage in ongoing discussions surrounding not only themes in the novels but also questions about canon formation, the “timelessness” of literature, and modes of interpretation. Feel free to comment even if you are not officially participating! This week’s question is:
Recommend a classic book that you think translated particularly well to screen (even if the adaptation was not entirely faithful).
The 1973 animated version of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web always delighted me when I was a child. It captured the characters exactly from Charlotte’s caring voice to Wibur’s anxiety to the goose’s spelling, and, what is more, it added musical numbers. I don’t know why, but there’s something really compelling about listening to Templeton the Rat sing about all the food he wants to eat at the fair. I saw the live-action version when it came out in 2006, but, without a singing rat, it just didn’t meet my expectations.
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Yes! That song! I need to rewatch this!
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Right?!
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OMG YES! I’m so glad I’m not alone in the love of that movie – I STILL get the “I Can Talk” song stuck in my head, and I haven’t watched that movie in probably 15+ years. Such a great film…I wonder if it holds up as an adult…I should rewatch!
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There are so many great moments! And I always get teary at the end.
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I really enjoyed the latest version of The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby. It wasn’t perfectly accurate, but I liked the changes they made, and I adored the styling and the set and the music. And Leo was perfection as Gatsby.
I also really love The Lord of the Rings. I don’t have any issue with what they omitted and added to those movies, as there was so much that was absolute perfection with those films. The acting, the sets, the music, the cinematography to name a few.
But, with that said, I loved the first Hobbit movie, but hated the next two. Too long, too much added stuff that didn’t fit, and way too much filler.
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I haven’t seen The Great Gatsby movie! I meant to and never got around to it. I should definitely check if the library has it.
I also thought LotR was great. I’m kind of miffed they made Faramir like Boromir when the whole point is that he’s the brother who does NOT covet the Ring, but that’s my only major gripe. I think they get a good sense of Middle Earth, even where they deviate from the books.
I also liked the first Hobbit and was semi-optimistic for the next two, but they’re just too much dragged out. The white orc narrative did not need to happen at all. And Bilbo was hardly in the last movie.
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I remember watching Charlotte’s Web in primary school around 1988 (so may have been that version) and being in floods of tears. Don’t think I ever lived it down or watched Charlotte’s Web again
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I still cry every time I read the book!
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The Scarlet Pimpernel! (1982 …I think)
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Everyone seems to love that version but I’ve only seen the 1934 one with Leslie Howard.
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I’ve never watched the Leslie Howard one, though I heard much about it from my mother. However, yes, the 1982 version is stellar!
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I’ll have to watch it! You can never have too much Scarlet Pimpernel, after all!
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I haven’t actually seen the animated version of Charlotte’s Web – I was always terrified of spiders, even as a kid! I did however see the absolutely scarring animated version of Watership Down. Eek!
I kind of struggled with the topic this week, because there were so many adaptations I enjoyed. I made an ‘honourable mentions’ section at the start to get me through it. My ultimate pick ended up being Elementary – by far my favourite Sherlock Holmes adaptation.
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Charlotte is the only spider that doesn’t terrify me. I take that as a sign of how great the story is–it can make my sympathize for a spider!
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I remember loving Charlotte’s Web when I was a kid, but I never did manage to watch any of the adaptations. I remember thinking the live-action movie looked good when I saw the trailers. I had no idea there was an animated version, though! I love the idea of a singing rat, I’ll have to track down this version. 🙂
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You will never regret watching the singing rat! 😉
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I think my favorite is the 2005 pride and prejudice! The chemistry, the setting, the atmosphere, it translates really well to me<3
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That’s an excellent choice!
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You’re gonna probably think I’m super cheesy, but I liked The Three Musketeers with Chris O’Donell in the 90s…went to see it in the theater as a kid and loved it. I’m sure it’s nothing compared to the book, but thinking about books to movies made me remember that one, lol!
😊
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I don’t see why that’s cheesy!
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Oh, good! Some people thought the movie was lame, lol! 😉
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I love that movie too! Sure it changes a lot from the book, but pretty much all Musketeer adaptations except for the 1973-74 ones do. On its own, I think it’s a really fun adventure. Watched it a ton as a kid and still enjoy it now.
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Good choice! I recently showed the 2006 one to a bunch of third graders and they really liked it (I don’t think any had seen the animated one that I too grew up with). My memory of the book is very hazy, but the animated one is certainly a classic.
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I like the live action film, but the animated one will always be my favorite. I just love Templeton and the goose!
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